hsd1203

I've eaten at at least 5 different PF Changs and have to say that sometimes I get sick and sometimes I don't... with the same dish (I usually get the shrimp and lobster sauce off the gluten-free menu...), which also tastes a little different every time I get it, which is suspicious in itself. I haven't been able to figure out yet if it is a cross-contamination issue (found a noodle in a non-noodly dish once, even though the company swore they protect against this when I wrote to let them know it had happened) or a sometimes the chefs aren't so careful and dont keep track of which dishes they're making gluten-free or gluten-filled) or what, but I'm just about done with considering it as a safe place for me to eat, which is sad, since they were one of the gluten-free-menu pioneers and I would love to support their efforts, but it just isn't a good choice for me, I don't think...

PS-I wonder what the ppl at PF Chang's would say if they read all this...

My family really likes Bette Hagman's cookbooks. plus it is nice she gives you a bunch of different ideas for flour mixes so you can pick the one you like best. also Robin Ryberg (dont think I spelled her name right) makes some good desserts.

best wishes, heather

I've had it for about 10 years, it has gotten better since going gluten-free (and moving south!) and sometimes it was just uncomfortable (when they get purple/red, like you described), other times it is downright painful (tears and everything), but that is mostly when I get really cold and my feet turn white and completely numb and then the pain comes when they have to warm back up.

good luck with the tests and all.

I had one last night about deliberating over eating this freshly made mint ice cream with non-gluten-free chocolate cookies (really they were pieces of chocolate ice cream sandwich stuff) and finally giving in and eating the whole thing with a really big spoon... I was upset in the dream and wondering when Id get sick but I couldnt stop eating it. weird, b/c I never cheat, but I then again did have a particilarly frustrating day yesterday trying to find food. maybe that was it. hmm.

Sarah,

I just moved from Pittsburgh in the past few months and was never able to find a gluten-free bakery there, if that is what you're looking for , although maybe one has appeared recently. Given that, it might be best to try to bake it on your own or assemble it from the various kinds of mail order cakes you can get from places like Mr. Ritts that deliver to da 'burgh.

The idea of a regular decorator is a good one, but depending on how sensitive you are, you might want to seriously consider the possible cross contamination risk of having a gluten-free cake hanging out in a floury bakery for an extended period of time. Would hate for you to be sick on your big day (I spent mine VERY ill 6 mos. prior to going gluten-free, so trust me on this one!).

One thing that might be simple yet very pretty might be to place some edible flowers on your cake... that way you would only have to frost it simply and arrange the flowers and you'd be done.

best wishes with your wedding!

H

might be helpful for you to do a little bit of research on rotation diets and food families. it may be that the things you are reacting to are things you eat all the time (and relatives of things you eat all the time) and your body might just need a break from them which you could do by rotating your diet. not sure really about all the science behind it, but it was helpful for me while I was first sick to be really conscious of how often I was eating certain foods.

I found looking at gluten-free/cf asd (autism spectrum) websites was really helpful. There are a bunch of things out there that are gluten-free cf... I added a lot of nuts to add protein, and rice milk (pacific) instead of regular milk. I dont do oats, so bobs red mill hot cereals (rice, corn grits, and a mixed variety) were a nice morning treat, great with some chopped up fruit, nuts, and rice milk. Also if you want something to put on toast/popcorn you can consider using ghee. it is lactose and casien free butter... really just the butterfat. oh, and foods by george makes really tasty gluten-free cf brownies. edy's/dryers fruit bars are gluten-free cf too, and they're great.

I know soy is an option, but be cautious, it makes me more sick than dairy, which took me a few weeks of getting even sicker to figure out.

good luck!

find a really great way to advertise... I ran into 2 other celiacs at a healthfood store the other day and neither one of them knew about a gluten-free bakery in the city they happened to be shopping in!

also, this same place seemed like it used to be all celiacs and the labelled everything really well. now they have new employees that aren't and dont bother to label all the ingredients of the things they make. oh, and now they make non-gluten-free sandwiches for lunch. and that makes me nervous, so I dont eat there as much as I would like because I'm worried about cross contamination issues. sad.

At the risk of being attacked mercilessly as an evil medical student, I can offer that hopefully this ignorant doctor business will be getting better... more schools are starting to teach about this, and I know that a gluten intolerant classmate and I have done a lot to teach our medical school classmates all about celiac... while I dont really think its any of their business about my bowel habits or depression, I have told anyone who has shown the least bit of interest all about it in the hopes that it would remind them to check when they have a patient with similar symptoms. While there are a lot of crappy doctors out there, there are some good ones, and should be more coming up so keep looking, since for better or worse, most people do have the choice to change doctors until they get what they're looking for.

fun and educational... but would be more realistic if half of the stuff in the pantry listed my least favorite "ingredient"... natural flavors. makes me sooo very frustrated every time I see it. and sometimes when you call they cant/wont even tell you what it is!

although I think it is hilarious that there is a line of organic juice at a major healthfood store that lists organic natural flavoring as an ingredient. really, if you're that concerned about what you're eating that you'll buy organic, are you really just going to buy organic whatever and not know what they're putting in your food???

Michelle,

that type of depression is what I get when I have been glutened, and I hate it because it comes out of nowhere and makes me think my life is terrible. I don't understand it but that's what happens. Its what keeps me most honest on this diet because really I can handle some stomach pain but won't risk the depression. Just thought I'd let you know that you might not be the only one. And keep taking the vitamins cause they seem to help.

Heather

not to say that I don't have my pity me days, but this thread made me think of some things I thought I might share...

kimberly, get yourself a bette hagman comfort foods cookbook and try the vinegar pastry crust... I tried it right after I went gluten-free and it really tastes like real pie crust... I even made cherry pie with it last weekend for some unsuspecting dinner guests and everyone raved and some people even went back for seconds. and you can easily thicken the filling with cornstarch.

all in all, if I'm being really good and not risking cross contamination anywhere, I really don't crave any gluteny food... usually if I find myself salivating over dh's pizza, its a wake up call for me that I need to reexamine my diet and see what I might be eating that I shouldn't be.

hang in there, it gets easier, and really just feeling so much better is worth the "sacrifice" of not eating gluten.

h

I usually dont, but then I did make my dh gluten-full crepes for his birthday this morning, so really you just have to decide for yourself on this one.

fyi - calcium right before bed gives me nightmares. weird, huh?

just FYI... the only time I get stomach pains that bad (WAY worse than getting glutened) and literally want to die, is when I eat something with aspartame. even suger free gum is enough to give me a little tummy ache. sounds weird, I know, but it happens to my mom and aunt too. maybe on your road trip you were eating different than usual?

just a thought

For me, the first week was wonderful, and then the next 6 months were kind of up and down, in part regardless of what I was eating (I even moved home and had my gluten-free mom cooking for me). I also had to cut out dairy and soy completely for 6 months, and limit fats and acidy foods as they all bothered me.

It gets better but be patient and read every label every time you eat something

Hope you're feeling better soon

H

this really is a tricky thing...

with my in laws, my mother in law has a list of exact brands and makes special shopping trips just for me (while on the phone with me before dh and I come visit. she really has adjusted well.

dinner out is tricky but after a couple of times of me getting sick on what should have been safe food at "regular" restraunts, dh has been supportive of now going only to places with gluten-free menus or small independent places where they actually know what is in their food.

as for friends, the ones that listen very well to what I can and can't eat, and don't get offended by me asking ridiculous questions about how they prepared their food (of which there are really only 2-3) and my gluten-free friends (love going to their house for dinner!!!) are the only ones that I will eat their cooking. everyone else, unless I've spent time with them explaining, I will not eat what they made. In that case, I'll try to take a dish with me after explaining that I know that they are busy preparing for a party and I dont want to "put them out" having to do extra accomodate me. If not, I'll go and say I just ate (my least favorite option, b/c I hate the stares and the "you're so skinny eat something" comments, as though it is ok to say this where it would never be ok to make the opposite comment to someone who happened to be overweight). My mom (gluten-free for 25 years) has been really supportive in this one (with an occasional kick in the butt) in making me go to things and still have fun regardless of food.

it is tricky and I'm still learning... but these things have helped so far!

I think that it is interesting to consider, whether we agree with it or not, that there are LOTS of people out there everyday, gluten-free or not, who actively decide "I dont have time to take care of myself" how else can you explain the sheer number of people with type II diabetes and lung cancer and heart disease and all those other conditions that (in many cases) people can choose to do something about. I just think that we forget that the time and energy that many of the celiacs on here choose to put into taking care of themselves is not generally representative of that expended by the general population (many of whom could make moinor changes and feel a whole lot better)... and is therefore often not understood / supported / respected by many people around us.

not trying to start an argument, its just that after a year of clinical work in medical school many of my friends and I were surprised and saddened by how little many people are willing to do to change in order to feel better, and I think sometimes in this community it is easy to forget how hard it is at first and how little support some people have... and how really people do have the right to continue to be sick if they so choose (and to own up to and deal with the consequences accordingly, which is the tough part).

ok, really I'm just thinking out loud, but thanks for listenin'

just be careful b/c while a fair number of the of the name brands are gluten-free, sometimes their generic "equivalents" are not.

everyone has really great ideas... this past year, I had a super busy school schedule and found that even with the extra time it took to cook for myself gluten-free, I was actually getting more done, with more energy, more able to concentrate, less grumpy, and improved sleep... so in the end I figured out I didnt have the time NOT to eat gluten-free.

best wishes, H

I think everyone struggles with this in their own way, given different environments, support, resources, and symptoms. Therefore I think it is pretty hard to judge someone else and their frustrations (and failures) without having literally walked in their shoes.

That said, I have a few positive suggestions...

try being really really good on your diet for a while, for me, it really cuts down on any "cravings" for non-gluten-free food if I haven't had anything even remotely cross contaminated for about a week. (just got back from vacation, where, despite my best efforts, I got glutened at least twice while eating out and a few days later almost ripped a piece of pizza out of my husband's hand over it... something that while on my diet, I would never even consider.)

spend some quality time online looking for online retailers that sell ready to eat gluten-free foods or mixes... but dont get discouraged if you dont like the first few ones you get. everyones tastes are different and it takes a while to figure out what you'll like and wont like. and/or find a whole foods or other nearby gluten-free friendly store... some stock some really good ready made gluten-free baked goods and the like. also look for gluten-free cookbooks at a whole foods or a book store, the recipes will give you some great ideas for when you have time

stock up on lara bars, enjoy life bars, and godvind bars (and even maybe a few boxes of pamelas gluten-free cookies) to keep within reach for when you're hungry. the trukey sticks are really good, and sometimes at whole foods thay have some precooked pork chops that are pretty tasty, too. you'll figure it out, it just takes time (and a lot of nights having rice pasta or scrambled eggs for dinner ). also, it might help to keep your husbands food out of easy reach for you if you need a little extra push... if you keep your cereal in front of his so yours is the first thing you grab, it might help that little bit.

best wishes, h

I have to say i was pretty stinkin' excited about this as well... even though there were only a few gluten-free SF CF options (but they were tasty!)

Yay WholeFoods!

careful with tazo teas at starbucks, though, most of their flavors are NOT ok (per their company - if you have a question about a specific flavor they'll let you know)

I like annie's... her french and honey mustard vinagrette are awesome.

my soy reaction is a combination of my gluten (stabbing tummy pains) and casein (ridiculous headache) reactions.

I only figured this out after suddenly adding a bunch of soy filled gluten-free food into my diet... ie soy at every meal for a few days and ending up feeling terrible, and then taking it out again and feeling better. Before this "soy binge", I was eating soy every once in a while and sometimes feeling bad after, sometimes not.

Good luck figuring it out, try to be patient with it all.