queenofhearts

That list is as of August 2004, so they may not have even made that product yet. I would call them, but it's likely ok.

Oh, and tortes (especially chocolate), by definition, are flourless (or use very little). They tend to also have few ingredients, such as eggs, cocoa, sugar, cream...maybe one or two other things. Many tortes use finely ground nuts as the "flour"

MMMMM I love nut tortes! I've seen tortes though that used cake crumbs or bread crumbs instead of flour, so be careful. And unfortunately, chefs sometimes flour the pan it is cooked in, even if the cake is called "flourless"-- this happened to me at the restaurant where I ate dinner on my birthday. (Then I ordered a flan & they stuck a cookie in it! Not the best attention span there!)

Leah

How long were you off gluten? Long enough to heal completely?

Leah

My nut/food allergies immediately result in itchy lips, throat and ears. I was allergic to peanuts since childhood, but recent allergy testing revealed I've outgrown that allergy (after having kids!) Instead, I've developed "oral allergy syndrome" related to my severe birch & alder tree allergies...I'm now allergic to all tree fruit, almonds and hazelnuts (filberts). However, I do not have a reaction to these foods if they have been cooked. So, I cannot eat a raw apple, but can still eat apple pie...well, at least until I have my endoscopy to see if I'm also gluten intolerant.

Michelle

Oh, you can still have apple pie even if you are Celiac! There are several crust recipes on this site, but you can even buy frozen gluten-free crusts if you want.

My son has a mild oral allergy to apples & carrots. He also has "hay fever", & I'm told they're related.

Leah

Welcome, Russ, I saw your other thread & posted about Balsamic. It's true a lot of us have had... um... mixed experiences with doctors. But I will forever be grateful to the doctor who finally diagnosed me. (After a whole string who didn't, mind you!) Anyway I think it's great that you are here & I hope you are a light in the wilderness of the medical community... there's a lot of wilderness out there!

Leah

Oh yes, by all means go on the diet. I've had symptoms all my life but was told it was IBS until finally diagnosed this Spring. I wish I'd tried this 30 years ago!

Leah

Leah - sorry everyone to get off topic - but is your avatar a photo of you. That is such a wonderful photo whoever it is.

Thanks, & yes, it's me-- my husband is the photographer.

Rachel, have you tried baking your own bread? I haven't enjoyed the purchased breads I've tried but homemade ones seem better in general. I know you make ice cream...

Leah

Did you talk to your doctor about the cysts? The other symptoms sound very typical for a Celiac still not fully healed, but those cysts worry me.

Leah

p.s. Congratulations on giving up the additional mind fogging agent! I'm sure that was a smart move.

There was a post somewhere about Balsamic vinegar that did point out that some of the cheapest store brands actually have flavorings added that could contain gluten. The ones bottled in Modena though are required by law to be pure so they are safe. This includes many reasonably priced ones, not just the exotic aged kind.

I hadn't heard about white pepper either, but I know that some spice MIXTURES are not safe. Also if any of you are Indian food fans, asafedita is NOT safe, & is in most papadams & some spice mixtures. It is also known as Hing.

Leah

I really feel for you, you are clearly working really hard to understand & support your boyfriend. I think it will be easier for him to make positive decisions for his health with someone like you backing him up. In my limited eating out & travel experience since diagnosis, I've found it very hard to be entirely safe when I'm not doing my own cooking, so I think bringing his food would be the way to go. There are some chefs out there who specialize in allergy-safe food, so I'd seek one out if I were you.

Leah

I do appreciate your forgiving natures. Truly, I am often a paragon of scientificness-- my dad's a chemistry professor, so I grew up steeped in the stuff. I've even illustrated for Scientific American!

I will try to keep the Mr. Hyde part of my personality repressed on this thread, I promise.

Leah

Special Announcement:

There are several reasons for this. First we have many new people who have recently joined us. As a result this thread has become nothing more than a chatroom which was not its intended purpose. Oringinally the people on this thread were here because they were looking for answers to serious health problems and food sensitivities. The people who joined me on this thread did so because they could relate to my many food/chemical sensitivities and resulting symptoms. We were here to share our frusterations, our discoveries, our weaknesses and our triumphs.

Leah culpa, Leah maxima culpa...

My first post was probably not the best start!

Apologies to all,

Leah

I had terrible nausea & couldn't keep anything down for several months. When I found out I was expecting twins my first thought was "thank God, I'll never have to do this again!" (I really wanted two kids). The docs thought the extreme sickness was because of the high hormone levels with twins. I was a long way from being diagnosed then. I remember being really scared that the babies would starve. But the nausea did abate finally towards the end & I ate a ton & the boys were fine. They're 19 now!

My heart goes out to those of you who lost your babies.

Leah

I love to cook & bake so the first thing I did when diagnosed was to go to my library's online catalog & request every gluten-free cookbook they had. I've found Bette Hagman, Annalise Roberts, & Carol Fenster's books the most useful. And there are loads of recipes on this site too-- look under the site index.

And this forum is fabulous for answering questions & offering moral support! Welcome!

Leah

I'm betting if you tried that challenge once it would be the last time!

Leah

Yes you can! Go get a copy of Bette Hagman's Gluten Free Gourmet & make some pizza. Buy some New Grist beer. You can have the best of both worlds!

Leah

Don't feel bad. Many of us have wavered at first. Remember, there is an addictive quality to gluten, & it's hard to shake an addiction! You'll get past this stage & rejoice in your new health, & you'll no longer be tempted.

One thing that helps me when I long for really good artisanal bread (the thing I miss most) is reading the thread about all the great things about being gluten-free. I'll see if I can track it down.

By the way, there are gluten-free rice krispies out there, called Erewhon crispy brown rice cereal I think. So you can still have that one!

Leah

Here's that thread:

Open Original Shared Link

Carla defnitely not you....pretty sure it's me..... always in trouble either for being too silly, or talking without thinking.......

the PJ's - -well since I wear my PJ's out in public guess we can have them on......no, no nudity.....please no.....don't have the rock climber physique any more (a small brag here, used to be able to do 13 pullups in a row.....now, cannot do ONE.....the top female climber in the world, Lynne Hill, can do 35.....I am such a wuss now but still doing my pushups......breast developement, you know..... )

13 PULLUPS!!!!! I've never done a decent pullup in my life. I remember dreading fitness day in school when we had to do pullups & rope climbing. I have strong legs & was a runner for years, but try as I might my arms remain pathetic. Well, I've made some progress from lifting weights & using the ub handles on the elliptical-- they are no longer toothpicks, I've graduated to matchsticks...

Leah

Welcome, & fear not! There is pizza, beer, & bread in your future. Since you like to cook you have a great head start! There are plenty of good recipes on this site (including flour mixes), but I'd also recommend you look up Bette Hagman's gluten-free gourmet series. You'll find out a lot about the different flours out there & what they do best. Annalise Roberts is also great for desserts. You may want to order flours online, or if you have an Asian market nearby you can find many there at great prices. There are many avid cooks on this forum, so ask any question & you'll find the answer here!

Eat well & be well!

Leah

p.s. There is a beer called New Grist that is available in many locations that is gluten-free.

Great picture, Carla!

For those who were curious, I'm Queen of Hearts definitely NOT because I break them! (Married 28 years!) But because of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & the nursery rhyme within (see my signature)...

I'm an avid baker so when I found out I was Celiac I felt like someone had stolen my tarts, & I was ready to scream OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!!! But I've quickly learned that tarts are one of the easiest goodies to convert to gluten-free.

Now bread... I used to make really good bread... I miss kneading! I like Bette Hagman's 4-flour bread but it's a batter bread, as most good-tasting gluten-free breads are. If anyone has worked out a gluten-free bread that's kneaded & doesn't bake up dry as dust, LET ME KNOW!

Leah

Told ya!!! Those crackers are contaminated!

They messed me up bad. I think they may have done Bev in as well...my memory is bad though so I could be wrong.

Cool! We now have official R-Ville documents!!

I wonder what the documents are for?? Hopefully not for the President...cuz she doesn't do documents...it hurts her head too much. You can just put everything on Patti's desk.

Leah....glad to have you in Rachelville!

Yeah...you might end up with more than you bargained for.

Thank you, O President, for the warm welcome. As for the content of the documents, that's not my department. I just doll them up. Generally speaking you can say anything you want, just throw in a few whereases & therefore be it resolveds & it sounds very official.

Oh, & it sounds like your title should include Empress of Ice Cream.

I was thinking about injera & out of curiosity looked up a recipe... sad to say it included all-purpose flour as well as teff. So if anyone was headed out to an Ethiopian restaurant, beware!

Leah

yup, and you can always get news jobs added to your repertoir, as well....sometimes other people assign them randomly to you as well

Okay, I'm game, just as long as swim trunks aren't involved...

All this talk of such fabulous places around the country makes me envious. I haven't been that many places.

I have this dream of visiting every state, taking in the beauty each one has to offer. I probably should have started earlier, but it's never too late, right?

I hope not! And I want to see the WORLD too. But I must say, that's one thing that worries me about Celiac. On the one hand, I've always had to worry so much about my stomach when I traveled... so I'm hoping that won't be such an issue in the future. But part of the traveling experience is eating the food of the natives... & now I'm nervous just travelling to other people's houses to eat! Are any of you travelers? How do you cope? Huge suitcases filled with rice cakes?

Leah

Since you mentioned looking for a good book, I can't help but recommend Michael Pollan's "The Omnivore's Dilemma" which I'm in the middle of right now. Just a an unflinching look at what has happened in this country with our "disconnect" from nature in terms of the "food" we grow and everything else! It is, at times, painful to read, even though I've been aware of these things, his research is painstaking. Anyone interested in eating well and supporting a return to "whole foods" ought to read it. Very illuminating and thought-provoking! Celiac or not!

lisa

Hm, I just saw that on the shelf at the library & almost picked it up, but didn't because I'm more of an herbivore! I really like his writing though.

Leah

I think it was Chelsea (Penguin) who has the inside dope on this... some powder that's often near the popcorn, I seem to recall?

Leah