Lynayah

Hi, Lynayah,

I'm from the US. At this point, I don't really care if the test isn't good. I can't eat any more gluten. I'm just not going to. Thanks for your encouragement, though. Good fortune to you.

deglu

I totally understand. Actually, considering U.S. insurance and how they deny coverage sometimes, medical costs, etc., it might actually be the smartest thing to do, especially if you are super dedicated to not eating gluten, the same as if it were Celiac (just in case you do have an auto-immune disorder instead of being gluten-intolorant only).

I wish you all the best, and I wish you all success in your gluten-free journey. See you around the boards!

Yes, I get it at the grocery store, but I'm thinking of ordering off of amazon as it's cheaper and they will sned it to me on a regular basis.

Thanks!

Hi, All,

Thanks ahead of time for all your help! I had been gluten-free for 6 weeks when my doc said he wanted me to eat gluten again and get a blood test for celiac. Is it possible I still have some antibodies? If I eat gluten for 2 week, will I have built them up enough? I've been eating gluten for 4 days now and feel absolutely horrible.

Thanks,

Aimee

You really need to do all the weeks. I did six after being partially gluten-free, and doc still isn't sure if it was long enough. The gluten challenge weeks, oh my gosh, I was so sick. It was a nightmare.

A gluten challenge is HELL. I completely understand what you are going through. It will be over eventually, though, and even thought it might seem like a million years right now, it will be worth it, and it will be okay.

Hang in there, and please feel to PM me if you wish.

Question: Are you U.S. or Europe?

If it is a Wal-Mart brand, it will say gluten free on it.

I need to check next time I am there. Thank you for the reminder.

Thanks for the info about TJ. He truly is the very best....I will miss him at Boma as that is our favorite stop. But I'm sure we will go to OHana's just for Chef TJ.....

mamaw

I hear he's also been known to appear at Captain Cook's. Not when I was at Cook's, unfortunately . . . but maybe if you ask for him, if he's around he'll come over.

He is such an obviously enlightened, immersed-in-love individual. Just thinking about him makes me smile!

Thanks for your post. Always GREAT to be in touch with you, mamaw! You're a doll.

I am learning that when I get glutened, constipation can be a problem, as I know it can for many.

I get horrible back pain in the kidney area that sometimes becomes so severe it mimes a kidney infection. Right now, I have a reaction so intense that raising a leg is almost impossible. Bending? Forget about it!

At night, my hips will hurt horribly as well.

I am wondering if a gentle laxative such as MiraLAX might help alleviate at least the kidney/back portion of my glutened symptoms. Any thoughts?

I mention MiraLAX because that is what my doctor recommended I take at the onset of my going gluten-free. I had taken so much Immodium during my gluten challenge, that I had become seriously backed up and needed to be "let free."

Anyway, I know MiraLAX is gluten-free and a gentle, safe laxative.

I should add that the constipation I have is joined with loose stools. I know it sounds weird, but it's like there's always something loose "there" pushing through and sometimes leaking through . . . even though I'm backed up. Go figure! This is all so confusing.

I plan to call my doctor to ask the same question, of course, but I would also be interested in opinions here. Right now, I don't even know how I'm going to be able to work tomorrow. Is there anything I might be able to do tonight (Sunday) to help myself?

I'm thinking that while MiraLAX might not help, it can't hurt. I will probably give it a try, but I'd like to see what others have to say first.

Thank you for any assistance.

Hi--and welcome Lynayah!

I don't know if it matters what kind of yogurt maker you use except that you want to make it so it stays on for at least 24 hours.

The idea in general for making yogurt is that you first heat the milk to almost boiling (roughly 175 degrees--or where the milk is starting to froth and about to boil) in a double boiler with water in the lower pot or (as I do) in a large pot placed in an even larger perhaps more open pot or stainless steel bowl with water in it. I use a large colander under the pot with the yogurt in it. Others just put the milk in large jars... Then let it cool sufficiently so that the milk no longer is so hot it will kill the yogurt (roughly 100 degrees or so).

I just put my large stainless steel pot into my old fashioned oven which always has the pilot light on. Alternatively one could put a drop light in (turned on) --or as many do put a heating pad on the lowest setting under the pot or jar of yogurt with a towel wrapped around the jar.

I have found (as others have here too) that using a small 1 cup package of Greek yogurt is best (plain and without additives of course) as the starter. From it use 2 or 3 tablespoons of yogurt, mix in with some of the warmed milk til runny and then stir into the milk with a wire whisk. Put the milk in the oven or yogurt maker or whatever and wait. You can let the milk sit even longer for even better results. The yogurt won't be as firm as store bought since no pectin, gelatin or added milk solids are put in there. However it is much better for you since all the lactose will have been digested out from the yogurt by the acidophilus etc.

I recently bought 2 cups of Greek yogurt to use as a starter. However after a while it lost its usual integrity9began to separate with whey rising to the top), and made less than perfect yogurt--so from now on I'm just getting the one cup at a time to use as starter.

You can make yogurt cheese too afterward, by dripping the yogurt over a colander lined with a while cloth for about 5 or 6 hours. It makes a delicious cream cheese. The resultant whey is good to keep by the way--useful in drinks to add to juice or in cooking. Has lots of acidophilus in it.

Wow, what a great reply! Thank you for all this excellent information.

I'm not sure I understand the 2 cups Greek yogurt losing integrity part -- did your homemade yogurt lose integrity due to your taking from your homemade yogurt to beging another batch, or did it lose integrity because you were using more Greek yogurt than needed? Sorry for my confusion.

Bea

I have a yogourmet and love it. I would suggest if you decide to buy it, get the second conatiner too. I did and make yogurt about every other day! Good luck with your selection.

Great suggestion, thank you. Do you use the Yogourmet starter as well?

I am buying a new yogurt maker and would appreciate opinions on which brand to buy. I am thinking of purchasing a Yogourmet (currently have Salton, lid is cracked).

Thank you!

I just want to add that while I was at Disney recently, I had gluten-free pancakes and waffles (not sure what brand was used), and I was okay.

I prepared the pancakes in a freshly cleaned, white Corning Ware cornflower skillet size casserole, it was large enough to do two pancakes at a time -- Corning Ware doesn't hold gluten from wash to wash, does it? I used Pam canola oil spray (just the plain spray).

Oh, how I wish I could figure out this reaction!

San Diego Seaport Village - Gluten Free Dining Suggestions Needed

I will be traveling to San Diego on business this week -- staying close to Seaport Village. Does anyone have any dining suggestions?

Thank you.

topics merged

Janet, thank you for so thoughtfully adding my reviews to my initial Disney post! I wish I had thought of it -- I forgot about the earlier post. Much appreciated.

THANKS SO MUCH! We are going to WDW in 3 weeks, and I had heard that they will send a printed list of gluten-free snacks and other info. But when I contacted Guest Services through the WDW website, they had no clue. This is a huge help, thanks so much!

Glad you posted this. I think I can help. You need to call the WDW dietary line directly. It is:

1-407-824-5967. They will send you a ton of stuff.

Glad to hear that Diney provided you with safe & taste food. All the wignature locations should provide you with the same level of service. Individual attention, good food and above and beyond service. It is the most aaaccomodating location I've been to! I love california grill but it is hard to get into. Popular

"Wignature" -- is the the name of all the Disney-owned restaurants?

We love Disney but I do have a question. Chef TJ is not at the Boma any more? You mentioned him at another place! We love Chef TJ. We actually bought Zebra Domes back home with us. Many places gave us extras of the desserts......

French Meadow was the rolls when we were there but they do change every so often.

I believe you needed to ask to look over the binder , at least that is what we were told months before we went...

We are plain eaters I guess so I think your menu of foods was a little more high end & with a couple of kids we did several buffets which served things we all loved....the only buffet none of us including the kids liked was the character dining buffet. The breakfast character buffet was excellent....

Glad you had a great time..

mamaw

Chef TJ is now at 'Ohana and the Polynesian Resort. I do not know if he works at Animal Kingdom Lodge any more at all.

PS (added later): Your question prompted me to do some online research, and I found this link about Chef TJ. Hope this helps!

Open Original Shared Link

Pamela's Baking Mix: Anyone here get reactions negative reactions after eating, like diarrhea very shortly after? If yes, any idea why? It is gluten-free.

I am revising this post. To be fair, I also had two other foods this morning about which I did not think -- one is Imagine Creamy Tomato Soup (labeled gluten-free) and another about a tablespoon of Fage Total plain yogurt (ingredients milk, cream, yogurt culture). I also had maybe a tablespoon of skim milk.

Plain yogurt and skim milk have not given me problems. However, this is the first time I have had Fage, which I do believe is supposed to be fine for gluten-free folks.

I also have not had Imagine Creamy Tomato Soup in the past. I've had Imagine Corn Soup with no problem.

The reaction I had after eating two pancakes made from Pamela's reminded me a lot of a similar reaction I had many weeks back. I had made gluten free corn muffins (from scratch using gluten-free corn meal). The recipe called for baking powder, and I added Bob's Red Mill baking powder, which turned out not to be gluten free. Back then, my body exploded. This time, the D was less, but it felt and looked so much like the baking powder episode, I had to wonder about it, hence my thinking it might have been something in the baking mix.

This is so upsetting! I was glutened last Saturday, and it took me a full week to feel better. This was the first morning that I finally seemed to be over it. I woke up feeling so good . . . and now this. Augh!

One thing I've learned . . . never, never NEVER introduce more than one completely new food at the same time as another. Here I am not knowing what the heck caused my reaction. My fault.

Anyway, any opinions on any of this would be most appreciated.

Here is a link to the USDA act sheet on meat and poulty labeling.

Open Original Shared Link

What are Labeling Requirements for Additives?

The statutes and regulations to enforce the statutes require certain information on labels of meat and poultry products so consumers will have complete information about a product. In all cases, ingredients must be listed on the product label, in the ingredients statement in order by weight, from the greatest amount to the least.

Substances such as spices and spice extractives may be declared as "natural flavors," "flavors," or "natural flavoring" on meat and poultry labels without naming each one. This is because they are used primarily for their flavor contribution and not their nutritional contribution.

Substances such as dried meat, poultry stock, meat extracts, or hydrolyzed protein must be listed on the label by their common or usual name because their primary purpose is not flavor. They may be used as flavor enhancers, binders, or emulsifiers. They must be labeled using the species of origin of the additive, for example, dried beef, chicken stock, pork extract, or hydrolyzed wheat protein.

Color additives must be declared by their common or usual names on labels, e.g., FD&C Yellow 5, or annatto extract, not collectively as colorings. These labeling requirements help consumers make choices about the foods they eat.

So, and excuse my continued confusion, if I understand all this correctly: something like sodium phosphate might have gluten or be manufactured in a plant that may have a cross-contamination issue, yet it is not required to be mentioned on meal labeling?

A couple quick questions about yogurt making. I'm sure the answers must already be in this thread somewhere, but it will take me weeks to get through all of them . . . I'm looking forward to it, though. Thank you for this thread!

What is the best yogurt maker? I have a Salton with a cracked lid and am looking into buying a new one. I've seen some recommend Yogourmet -- is this the best, do you think?

Is using Fage plain, all natural a good starter to use? Is it as good as using a packaged starter? Is Yogourmet the best packaged starter?

All opinions appreciated. It has been a while since I've made homemade yogurt, and I'm looking forward to getting back into it. I want to to it the very best, most healing way possible.

Thank you!

Sodium phosphate confuses me. I have seen posts that claim there may be cross contamination issues with the soaking solution. I have not been able to find out for sure. Since there is no nutrition in the solution-at least not to my knowledge - it might not have list gluten? Does anyone know?

Plaza Ice Cream Parlor, Main Street Magic Kingdom

Popcorn and Mickey Ice Cream Bar

I had vanilla Rice Dream "Ice Cream" at Plaza Ice Cream Parlor. I'd never tasted it and wanted to give it a try.

There has been some debate as to whether Rice Dream Ice Cream is gluten-free. As I mentioned earlier, this is where I was given a binder to check ingredients, and the ingredients did not list anything threatening, so I went for it.

I was fine with it and did not have a reaction.

The ice cream has a fabulous mouth feel -- very rich and creamy. On my first bite, I thought it tasted a bit weird, but by the time I had a few bites, I fell in love with it. It's not the same as vanilla ice cream, but it is very good.

The portion size is quite large. I could have easily split it with someone, but still ate every bite.

Hubby had Edy's chocolate. What's not to like? My portion size was even larger than his! I think sometimes the chefs go a little overboard to compensate for guests' special needs, which is nice. (My favorite lady at The Mara did this frequently. I really hope she takes care of you if you eat there.)

I waddled out of the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor, stuffed, but happy! That day was particularly hot, and the ice cream was a welcome treat.

Hint: Go next door into, I believe it is Main Street Bakery, and grab a nice, cool seat rather than trying to find a place to sit down outside to eat your ice cream, especially on a hot day when everything melts in an instant. A lot of people don't realize there's seating there, and Plaza Ice Cream Parlor guests are welcome.

Cart / Vendor Popcorn and Mickey Chocolate Ice Cream Bar

The vendor popcorn is typical vendor popcorn. It's always a little too salty for me, but it's a great, quick snack on days when your stomach is growling and you don't know what to eat.

The Mickey Chocolate Ice Cream Bar is a wonderful gluten-free treat. The chocolate is decadent.

Also good are the frozen lemonades around the park -- DH and I split one at Animal Kingdom Park at the vendor stand in, if memory serves, Asia. Flame Tree BBQ used to carry these, too, but they have discontinued them.

Well, I feel as though I've written text longer than War & Peace, here! I think that's everything. Thank you for reading all this!

If I think of anything else, I'll add it. In the meantime, I hope others will post their gluten-free Disney Dining experiences here. We need more of them!

I also have these posts on disboards.com, under the disABILITIES section.

Captain Cook's (Polynesian Resort)

Hubby had Aloha Pork Sandwich - Pulled pork with BBQ sauce, pineapple cole slaw, cheddar cheese, cucumbers and tomatoes, served warm on a pineapple-coconut hoagie roll. Served with Polynesian chips. He enjoyed it very much and would have it again.

I had a bacon cheeseburger on a gluten-free bun, with fries. I forgot to ask the chef to microwave the bun for 10-15 seconds, so it was as hard as a rock, and I could not eat it. I wrapped the burger in lettuce and ate it that way. The fries were good, but I was getting tired of french fries by this time.

I'm not sure if the Polynesian chips are gluten-free. They looked wonderful -- if I go there again, I'm going to ask if they're okay.

The hambuger at The Mara was MUCH better. Captain Cook's used preformed patties that were probably frozen. The wonderful lady at The Mara used fresh, hand-formed hamburger. What a difference!

For dessert I had Dole Whip (fat-free soft serve "ice cream"), pineapple and vanilla blended. You serve yourself, and you can fill the bowl as high as you like. They do not have chocolate at this machine.

This was refreshing, and I enjoyed it. It was icy, though -- not as smooth or creamy as I remember it being at the Dole station in the Magic Kingdom. I'd get it again at Cook's, but if I REALLY wanted Dole Whip, I'd head to Adventureland first.

If I do go again, I think I'll ask them if they can prepare one of their salads gluten-free instead of having another hamburger.

Hubby had a dessert from the bakery case. It looked a lot like apple strudel. He thought it was good; he said he'd have it again, but it didn't big-time wow him. I looked amazing -- I wish I could have tasted it.

On another forum, a poster told me that all of the counter service restaurants at WDW have a binder that lists ingredients.

I was not shown a binder until much later in the trip, at the Ice Cream Parlor on Main Street, MK. Until then, the manager would just tell me what I could or could not have. Very interesting . . .

In fact, when I was finally shown the binder, it took the cast member a couple tries to get it right -- she brought me the CM rules and regulations book first! I would have loved to have read it, but I did not. I pointed out the mistake and then she grabbed the right book. She'd never referenced it before then!

And I must confess, after this happened, I thought the binder was unique to the parlor. I assumed that if every counter service restaurant had one, they would have shown it to me.

In the Disney allergy literature I was sent, the binder may have been mentioned, but for the life of me, I do not remember seeing it. I'll have to take a second look when I have time.

Next time I'll know!

The Mara (Animal Kingdom Lodge, Jambo side)

The Mara was an interesting mix of service. There is an Asian female chef who works some of the morning and early afternoon shifts (I am so sorry . . . I wrote down names and have misplaced them - if anyone knows please post!). She is knowledgeable and very careful to prepare everything separately.

At other times, I had different chefs. One did not understand that he should not serve my eggs from the main serving station, where they use the spoon to put eggs on everything from a bare plate to a croissant breakfast sandwich, which of course is cross-contamination. I had to stop him. One of the Cast Members working the line pulled him aside to explain how important it was to serve my food from the back, which he then did and all was well.

So, be careful and watch closely at all times!

The food was very good -- the gluten-free pancakes and gluten-free Mickey waffles here are excellent.

I also had the half-chicken chicken with dedicated-fryer French fries and then, for lunch one day, the Mara Salad - a light vinaigrette dressing on a salad that has chic peas, lentils, and cheese (feta, I believe). Very good!

One night, I ordered a hamburger. The chef (the wonderful Asian lady who I loved) said they were out of gluten-free burger buns and offered to make me "sliders" on individual mini gluten-free dinner rolls. She used fresh hamburger and cooked the burgers on the med-rare side, as much as she safely could, per my request. They were wonderful.

Another night, I had the gluten-free pizza. I believe they use Amy's. It was fair. To make it better, I put some parm. cheese on top (available in individual packets at the condiment table) and hot pepper flakes.

Okay, so here's a good one:

When I ordered the pizza, the chef asked me, "What would you like with that?"

I answered him, "I don't know. I am on the dining plan and using this as a counter service meal. Does anything come with it in addition to dessert?"

The chef said, "You can have fries if you want."

I said, "Sure," although goodness knows I didn't need them! And truth be told, as I look back, I don't think pizza selections come with a side dish, but I trusted the chef's word.

The pizza was quite large and I wasn't able to finish even half of it. Fries really put it over the top, but when I was offered them, I did not know how large the serving would be, and I figured what the heck, if it comes with it, why not? Maybe hubby would want some of it?

I added a gluten-free brownie for dessert (more on these below) and headed to the check-out station.

The cashier asked me, "What do you want to count as a snack, the fries or the brownie?"

I said, "I was told the fries would come with the gluten-free pizza as part of my counter service dinner."

She was very rude. She looked at everyone else in the line behind me and rolled her eyes, then she looked at me and shook her head as if to imply, "You idiot!"

I said, "Please speak to the chef. He can verify."

She said, "Well, where's the chef?"

That comment really took me back. I said, "I don't know, he's back in the kitchen somewhere."

Then she shot the same look to everyone behind me again, and they looked at me as if I were crazy, too. She rang up my ticket and grudgingly gave it to me, not charging me for a snack.

I found this whole thing terribly embarrassing, and I really felt guilty for having taken the fries. Bad, bad gluten-free guest! Shame on you, you naughty thing, you!

I wondered: How would Donald Duck have reacted to this woman and this situation?

That made me laugh and helped me get over it.

That said, last year and this year, every single CM who serviced me at The Mara (aside from her) has been delightful. This woman was the exception, not the rule. Watch for her -- she's, I would guess, in her 60's with light brown curly hair below the ears. She's been there for a while. I remember her from last year, and while I did not have a problem with her then, she wasn't all that particularly nice last year, either.

Okay, so there's more . . .

On one of my trips to The Mara, one of the chefs pointed out a special dietary section that houses desserts. It is located next to the check-out area, between the refrigerated section and the first check-out. It is a woven shelf unit. On the bottom are French Meadow gluten-free brownies. On the upper shelves are Divvies jelly beans, caramel corn and chocolate chip cookies.

I was given the impression that all of the snacks in this section were gluten free, but they are not. This is a section for people with various needs, not just gluten-free. READ THE INGREDIENTS CAREFULLY. The only items that are honestly safe are the gluten-free brownies. (I enjoyed them.) The other items state that wheat may be present in the manufacturing, and the cookies have wheat as the first ingredient.

Flame Tree BBQ (Animal Kingdom Park, Discovery Island)

Flame Tree was a great meal. I had the BBQ chicken, which was even better than at Sunshine Seasons -- good taste and even jucier than Sunshine Seasons. I would have ranked it the best, except the crew there didn't really know if the baked beans or coleslaw were gluten free, so I avoided eating them.

For dessert I had a gluten-free brownie which I enjoyed -- French Meadow Bakery which is lactose free, gluten free and peanut free. The facility that processes them also processes coconut and soy, so be careful if you have issues with these. These brownies are really good!

The ribs are also gluten-free, and they can make a pulled pork sandwich on a gluten-free bun, if you like. ASK THEM TO MICROWAVE THE BUN FOR 10 TO 15 SECONDS or they might ruin it (see my earlier post).

Hubby asked if I wanted to taste the ribs, but I already had enough on my plate. He is picky when it comes to ribs, and he said he liked them, but they were a bit fatty for his taste. Still, they were better than he expected them to be. In his words, "Not a Chicago rib joint, but good."

Hey, for counter service, it was amazing!

Hubby had key lime pie for dessert and liked it.

Here is a hint: If you know you are definitely going to be dining at a counter service restaurant, call the Disney Food Alergy Line in advance to check out things like beans and cole slaw: 407-824-5967. Do not expect the cast members at a counter service restaurant to have the same knowledge as the chefs at a table service restaurant.

The folks at the alergy line usually do not answer right away, and voice mail kicks in, but they will call you back as quickly as they can. If possible, allow at least 24 hours.

Also be sure to call this number before you go to let them know where you will be dining and your alergy needs.

Disney sent me a wonderful list of gluten-free options in advance of my visiting there. The only problem was that I decided not to carry a purse, and I did not have room for all of the info in my pocket, so sometimes I forgot what I could and could not have at some places, hence the beans and cole slaw thing.

Hope this helps!

Sunshine Seasons (Epcot Future World, The Land Pavilion)

In my opinion, Sunshine Seasons is the very best counter service restaurant in WDW -- it is so good it often equals table service taste. The seating area isn't as lovely as sit-down restaurants, but oh boy, the taste sure is!

A chef came out promptly to walk me through everything. Basically, everything on the grill end is fine for gluten-free: pork, chicken, salmon, etc. The mashed potatoes are fine, too, and they are excellent.

I had the chicken with mashed potatoes and -- because it was also gluten-free -- rice. Dessert was creme brulee (yet another one!). Everything was fresh and delicious. The creme brulee at Sunshine Seasons was the best of all the creme brulee I had while at Disney.

Note: If you want something else, let the chef know! They are very open there to helping you with what you want, within reason of course. They have gluten-free rolls for hamburgers, etc., and as I remember, some salad options are also gluten-free.

I want to try the salmon next time . . . and the pork looked amazing, too.

Hubby had the same as me and loved it.

I love food so much. It's all about the food for me! The parks are second.