cornbread

I think someone already posted about this, but it deserves a second airing! I just made a loaf of gluten (and dairy) free bread from a mix by Breads From Anna. This bread is amazing. The texture is exactly like real bread, it's chewy and stretchy and light. Tastes fantastic. Next time I think I will replace the olive oil with (DF) butter and maybe substitute salt for the sugar (or just add some extra salt) - but that's my English tastebuds. American wheat bread always tasted too sweet to me anyway.

I feel like a whole new world has opened up! Only downside is, I think my Paleo diet just became extinct!

Oh yeah, here's the link: Open Original Shared Link

It's not cheap, but god is it worth it!

Hi Nancy

How annoying!! I know how you feel though - my symptoms started at 18 and I only just found out how to fix them this year, aged 30. Doctors were useless - tried to treat (aka mask) the individual symptoms, rather than find the actual cause - and in the end it was a bit of luck, a lot of research and months of process of elimination until a self-imposed dietary challenge proved beyond all doubt that gluten was the source of ALL my problems! This was backed up by getting tested via Open Original Shared Link. Once the results were in it all fell into place, but I'm still incredibly frustrated that most of my close relatives are still refusing to get tested, even though I have a celiac gene and a gluten intolerant gene, and both sides of the family have generations of celiac-esque history (bowel cancer, depression, excema, asthma, arthritis, short stature on one side and thin as rakes on the other! )

Regardless of being able to say "told you so!", I too hope that your tests are positive, namely because you can then start feeling better. Celiac is actually, to my mind, the best disease one can have. Why? Because with the gluten-free diet you are 'cured'. No pills, no therapy, just watching what you eat. Ok you will always still have it, but stay gluten-free and you can stay healthy. With other diseases it seems more like pot luck whether or not you recover.

I still get asked 'how did you get diagnosed'? by friends, and when I explain it to them (basically a dietry challenge and then an antibody/gene test), they seem confused. It's as if no one can quite believe that ALL these symptoms stemmed just from gluten, something they eat everyday. I'm looking forward to public awareness growing and not having to explain 'gluten-free' to people every single day.

Good luck with it all, and tell your husband to either be supportive or STFU!

any type of cheating on a celiac diet is going to have consequences. however, if you have not had a biopsy to confirm celiac it is impossible to know what could be causing your problems. I strongly recomend the biopsy. it is quick about 5 minutes and pain free.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

After 3 months gluten-free wouldn't a biopsy automatically be negative?

Lorka - a lot of celiac's are the reverse. I lost 8lbs when I first went gluten free and gain a few each time I get glutened.

I have the low-carb/gluten-free dilemma too. My solution right now is to make the nicest bread I can find but only once a month! Stick it in the freezer and then just pop a slice in the toaster every couple of days. It's turned a staple into a special treat, which is a bit sad but at least it means $6.50 per loaf doesn't seem as crazy. I'm thinking I might make the next one with flax seeds so the extra fibre lowers the net carbs.

Weird about the difference in breadmakers. I just make mine in the oven and it always turns out great. I use a ceramic bread dish (Le Creuset), I think maybe that helps.

From what I understand (please anybody correct me if I'm wrong), a casein intolerance (as determined by the enterolab test or similar antibody test) is a life-long thing, just like gluten intolerance. Casein can do the same damage as gluten except it's very rare that it damages the intestinal villi. It can still cause trouble with the immune system though, and I expect therefore going gluten free but not casein free would mean a much slower recovery from the gluten's damage, or maybe you can never properly heal if you're still consuming casein.

The pills you're talking about, I've only ever heard of for lactose. Casein is the milk protein whereas lactose is the milk sugar, and the pills can help break that down, but the casein I don't think we have a pill for. If we did I don't see why we wouldn't have one for gluten too, as the two proteins are apparently very similar in design.

I have read however of some episodes of gluten intolerant people becoming sensitive to casein because the body mistakes the casein protein for gluten, as they're structurally very similar. So in this case I'm not sure if this 'phantom' intolerance would go away.

I became sensitive to casein after I cut out gluten, and yesterday sent off for a second enterolab casein test, just to determine that it's casein and not lactose. I think it is though, the symptoms are exactly like my gluten ones (non-GI) whereas lactose intolerance is very much a GI issue I believe.

Hope this helps! I will try and find a link to the place I read about the casein intolerance being life-long.

I hear ya... that's why my name is cornbread after all!

Did you make it from scratch or from a bread mix? I've found the mixes turn out great every time - I've tried Bob's Red Mill 'Wonderful Homemade gluten-free Bread Mix' (white bread) and bought a case of the Breads From Anna bread, which is brown and reputed to be the most amazing, real bread-like gluten-free bread. I'm going to make some tonight and find out.

I buy my Organic Food Bars at Whole Foods. I thought those Think bars were gross!

Katzmeow, thanks for that. Interesting read.

Even if trace amounts didn't cause significant damage seen in the biopsy....wouldn't the trace amounts still be triggering an immune response? Wouldnt that immune response be a strain on your immune system and as a result your body may not be as healthy as it could be?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This makes sense. I know that even the tiniest amount of gluten (ie: licking an envelope) is too much for my body because it tells me so. However, it would be nice to think that after the immune response has died down (about 5 days later in my case), then I am pretty much back to how I was before the gluten accident. It's horrifying to think that each gluten accident could be damaging us for weeks or months after the fact, because chances are by that point we've probably been contaminated again, so in essence the damage would never stop.

Also, I'm not of the belief that intestinal damage is the be all and end all of celiac. We know that there is plenty of damage gluten can do that doesn't go anywhere near the intestines. Ok so we might not give ourselves stomach cancer, but what about all the non-GI gluten related diseases? I'm guessing every bit of gluten we consume goes towards making these things more likely, and it all adds up over time - the best thing we can do is avoid it as much as humanly possible and hope we beat the clock.

Goodness, I think I've terrified myself!

THanks for the tip Nini. I googled them - here's a link to their gluten/casein free stuff if anyone needs it: Open Original Shared Link

He now has contact info on his site, and reveals his identitiy in full It won't let me post a direct link to the page because his new site has t-r-i-p-o-d in the address! But there is a link from the site mentioned above.

So have you completely eliminated corn, or just cut back on its use?

I had kept 'testing' myself with corn, but every time I got instant bloating and intestinal discomfort (followed by a massive appetite and cravings for more corn!!). I would look like a stick figure drawing of a pregnant person! I used to just think this was something to deal with if I wanted to eat corn badly enough, but now I'm beginning to understand that this is my body warning me about something, so I don't want to push it. I only get this problem if I eat something that is predominantly corn, ie: corn tortilla, corn chips, or gluten-free cookies made with a lot of corn syrup. So right now I'm cutting those kind of items out so that I can still eat things that have a little bit of corn syrup in. I'm hoping if I don't overdo it I won't get too allergic. I don't want to have to look for corn as a cross-contamination problem the way I have to with gluten. Right now it's a sensitivity rather than an intolerance, which is good. I am also in a similar position with soy - if I eat something majorly soy I get sick (GI for a couple of days), but I can still handle a little dark chocolate with soy lethicin every now and then.

Hi Kasey's Mom

I personally really like the Open Original Shared Link.

There was a similar post a week or two ago: Open Original Shared Link

Might find some more people's symptom lists there.

Bobcatgirl - do you make fish sushi or just veggie stuff?

I would love to eat it at home but am too scared about the purchasing/transportation/preparation of raw fish...

Even so, veggie sushi would be great! Any tips? Recipes?

Oops. Here I am again to groan over any indication that a small amount of gluten may slow down progress but only do "a small amount of damage". The example a neurologist gave me will be offered here yet again.  A grain of gluten put into a petri dish with a drop of blood from a celiac patient will initiate an almost immediate reaction that can be sustained in the sample for days - even weeks.  You do not know what body cells are being affected when you ingest gluten - eyes, ears, muscle, brain - take you choice.  The neurological damage done by gluten is proven and very scary. I went on a gluten restricted diet 15 years ago. I did not know that gluten was an issue. The issue was only identified as grains. So I stopped eating bread and flour saturated foods but that was the limit of restrictions. I eliminated enough to relieve the symptoms - not enough to eliminate the neuro damage that is now affecting my life.  Gluten is neurotoxic. Accidents may happen but otherwise, in the interest of your future health, go gluten-free all the way.  Claire

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks Claire - this is the kind of info I was looking for. The theoretical question now is, if we can not guarantee that we will be 100% gluten free 365 days a year (I shoot for just that but with cross-contamination accidents will probably only manage maybe 360), should we just go ahead and eat it everyday anyway? (obviously not - it's a theoretical question!) I certinaly wouldn't want to as it makes me feel terrible, but for those who have only minor (or no) present symptoms, it must be difficult to stick to the diet if they're told that one tiny slip up renders the rest of their efforts useless. What should we do?

I believe maltodextrin is made from corn. Confusing cos malt is barley and dextrin is wheat, but maltodextrin is gluten-free. Weird name, but safe.

Rachel, I switched our cats to Precise: Open Original Shared Link

We have 2 very senior cats and a young adult cat. Until now they were on two different brands of food (and older cats needing anti-hairball senior food). With Precise we switched them all to the same stuff, the Feline Hairball formula. All 3 of them love it (as does my friend's dog! ) My cats are all really fussy eaters, but they all dug the new stuff. From the ingreidents list it looks like it's really good for them too. And NO hairballs since they switched. Woo hoo!

Ok, I've found that info on spices I was looking for:

Open Original Shared Link

"Spices and Seasonings

Pure spices are gluten free. Bottled spices often contain something to keep the spice free flowing. Usually it's silicon dioxide, which is gluten free. If a spice container does not have a list of ingredients on the label, the only thing it contains is the spice indicated. Seasonings have not been defined by the FDA and therefore could contain anything. Sometimes the contents of a seasoning are included on the label in parenthesis."

Thanks Elisabet! I'll get the test ordered. So hoping it's just lactose...!

Hi Bette,

I think if your Worcestershire sauce doesn't list soy sauce then you should be ok - most of them have it though. Tamarind is the pulp of a fruit! (so gluten free). I just found this out here:

Open Original Shared Link

I thought I read somewhere that if there are no ingredients listed on mixed spices other than 'herbs/spices', then they have to be just that, herbs and spices. I am trying to dig out where I read this. As for the Napa Valley mixes, the three I have tried (beef rub, poultry rub and fish rub), I have used frequently over the past 2 months and had no reaction whatsover to them, and I am reeeeally gluten sensitive. I have emailed the company though to find out the ingredients of some of the other blends (wanted to order some at their site but it doesn't give ingredients), and I also asked them which products were gluten-free, if they knew. I'll pass on whatever they tell me.

Hi CeliacMe

Here's the link to the test kit from York:

Open Original Shared Link

Hi again

Yes - you can get wheat free soy sauce. Tastes exactly the same. I get the San J wheat free low sodium version (the wheat free regular sodium is really salty).

I just used my oven for the jerky. I presumed a dehydrator was needed (I have one ordered actually), but the jerky gun instructions showed me how to make it in the oven. It needs to be refrigerated to be stored though, whereas the properly dehydrated stuff obviously doesn't and keeps much longer.

The spices I used are just a mixed blend (Napa Valley beef & burger rub), the ingredients just say 'herbs & spices, sea salt'. However, I did make half of the buffalo jerky batch with the Salt Lick's dry rub, which has salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. That was much spicier than the Napa Valley blend and much more jerky-like. I will experiment with some other spices though.

I will also let you know how making jerky in the dehydrator goes. I wanted to make a bunch of gluten-free snacks for when I'm travelling, and a dehydrator seemed like a good place to start.

I used to get a little bit of excema on my hands before I went gluten-free. Now I get it back only when I get glutened. I would conclude it's related to gluten.

Hi Brian,

Please, definitely ALWAYS ask questions when dining out - I get severe symptoms (so I know for sure when I've eated gluten), and when I used to dine out right after going gluten-free I would just pick what I thought to be 'safe' options on the menu, and about 50% of the time I would get contaminated, either through a hidden ingredient or just kitchen cross-contamination. If they don't know about your needs, they may well just pick the croutons off your salad when you ask for it without, or flour the grill to heat up your corn tortilla, etc.

So now when I eat out I am very thorough with the waitstaff / management about my needs, and if I'm not confident they are paying attention or fully understand how serious it is, I don't eat there. I know it's a pain to have to have The Talk every time before ordering, but after a while it becomes second nature and most of the time the staff are polite and attentive, and sometimes they actually have heard of Celiac / gluten intolerance and go the extra mile to make sure my food is safe and make me feel comfortable, ie: suggest alternative ways of cooking the food to make it safe, run to the kitchen to ask the chef about the ingredients in a sauce, etc. Sometimes of course they will say "You're what??", in which case I repeat myself, s-l-o-w-e-r , and if they seem to still be having trouble grasping it, we leave. I have now established a dependable shortlist of restaurants in my town that I can eat at. But even at these regulars, I still go through the gluten schpeal before I order. You can never be too careful.

Re: the occasional contamination... It happens to us all, unfortunately. I cut down my contamination episodes from about once every two weeks (when I was frequently eating out and still getting to grips with the diet) to only once in the last 2 months, since I started preparing all my meals at home. That one incident at home came from licking an envelope! D'oh! I knew that they sometimes make the glue from wheat, I just forgot until my tongue was already on the thing!

As for your question about how often can one be 'glutened' and be safe - I'm actually not sure. Maybe someone like KaitiUSA could answer this for us? I know that every little bit of gluten hurts, but I would assume that getting a microscopic dose every month or so is better than eating it for 3 meals a day. I think it would slow down the healing, but I think once the gut has healed, the occasional glutening would do a small amount of damage and hopefully there would be time for that damage to heal before the next gluten incident. Hopefully one of the wiser birds can fill us in.

Anyway, good luck with it all!

From what I understand, tTG is most specific for celiac disease, and in some areas of Europe they are actually considering using it as the ultimate screening test rather than biopsy, especially for kids.   I think I've read that tTG actually indicates how much damage there is to the intestinal villi.   And for the most part, celiac is what causes the damage to the villi. 

Hope I got this right. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I read up a little on it since I posted, and that sounds about right, yes. In which case I'm pretty sure my test will be negative (being gluten free for 6 months). Which in itself is a good thing.

I am still waiting for York to send me my food intolerance test results. Mailed back my blood sample 4 weeks ago, but I know they've been closed due to the hurricane.