Kate79

Thought I'd mention that the United Center in Chicago, where the Bulls and Blackhawks play, has a dedicated gluten free food stand, with Redbridge, hot dogs, nachos and other gluten free snacks.  Never has a long line, either.  Was awesome going to a Blackhawks game and feeling like a normal person with a hot dog and a beer

 

U.S. Cellular Field where the White Sox play sells New Grist beer.  They also have some gluten free food options, but I don't think there's a dedicated stand for gluten free.

I've tried every gluten free beer I've come across, and I haven't had any issues - except with ones like Daura that try to use barley and 'deglutinize it'.  Bard's, New Grist, New Planet, Redbridge etc. have all been fine for me, as far as I can tell, and I'm pretty sensitive.

If you're really worried about it, I would highly, highly reccommend trying Harvester beers - they're a completely gluten free brewery out of Portland, Oregon.  They've got their own operation and don't contract brew through other facilities or brew any regular beers, like some of the other companies, and they use certified gluten free ingredients.

They don't sell widely outside of Oregon/Washington, but you can order their stuff through www.letspour.com

Expensive, but worth it!  (no, I'm not affiliated with them.  But I did get to visit their facility in Portland last fall, and was very impressed)

I really hope these 'low gluten' beers disappear.  Haven't tried Omission (and won't) but I react to Estrella beer, which is supposed to be 6 ppm.  I'll stick to drinking the acutal gluten free beer - New Planet and Green's are good and Harvester beer (out of Portland, OR, like Omission) is really good, too.  Harvester isn't widely available yet, but I think you can order their stuff online.

Don't get Amy's.  I tried one of their frozen pizzas and it was downright nasty.  I can't imagine the crust alone is any better.

Some kinds of wasabi paste have wheat flour; others don't. I don't know about that particular brand, but Whole Foods carries a type that doesn't have gluten - don't remember the name so check the labels.  I've mixed up my own wasabi paste before and brought it with me, along with my gluten-free soy sauce.

I happened to catch the first couple of minutes of the new sitcom '2 Broke Girls' on CBS the other night.  The show does not seem to be very good to begin with, but I was particularly irritated by the following exchange:

Waitress 1 approaches Waitress 2 and says that one of their customers has asked if they have anything gluten-free.  Waitress 2's reply is, “Tell her she’s not allergic to gluten.  She’s just masking an eating disorder.”

Now, I know this is a sitcom, but I don't appreciate either celiac disease & gluten intolerance OR eating disorders being treated as some kind of a joke. It's already hard enough for us to eat at restaurants, and this certainly doesn't help the problem.  The clip's available on YouTube if anyone wants to see it...



Maybe I just need to lighten up?

HeyTeacher,

I am a bit in the same situation than you and I wonder if there is anyone here who could share about how supportive their husband/wife are? I am questionning myself right now on what I should expect from my spouse, like what would be a'normal' level of attention from him regarding this matter? Any concrete examples of support?

Personnally, I would need some help with the cooking. I feel right now it is overwhelming to cook new recipies all the time and look for gluten free ingredients at the store, or supply with alternative ingredients. I am reallly doing my best to making it a project, but sometimes lack motivation. I would like him to take over sometimes and of course to feel like I am not inventing all of this to grab attention.

Any role model here to share?

I don't know how supportive the 'average' spouse would be, but my husband has noticed such a huge change in me since I went gluten free that he's almost more strict about it than I am.  He usually eats gluten free with me (even at restaurants) and we bring very little gluten into the house.  It's just easier that way.

He does most of the cooking (which was the case before going gluten free) so he makes a lot of Indian & Mexican recipes, which are generally gluten free.  Or we have fish or meat with steamed vegetables quite a lot - or, in the winter, chile & stews are easy.  It doesn't have to be expensive.

I think the main reason he's so supportive is that, frankly, I'm much much much more pleasant to be around when I'm off gluten.  In addition to the migraines & stomach issues, I have crazy emotional responses to gluten - and who wouldn't rather have a normal wife than a crazy one? lol.

There's a few in the Chicago area:

Sweet Ali's Bakery in Hinsdale is completely gluten free and delicious - they did the cupcakes for my wedding recently and even the gluten-eaters loved them.  They've also got really good cinnamon rolls!!

DaLuciano's restaurant in River Grove, IL - it's not completely gluten free, but they've got an enormous gluten free menu and a completely separate kitchen where the gluten-free items are made.  Four of the restaurant owner's kids have celiac disease.

Fatoush in Chicago - A Lebanese restaurant that's completely gluten free except that they carry regular pita and baklava that are made off-site.  The restaurant owner has an anaphylactic (sp?) reaction to gluten.

Depends on the symptoms... I get terrible migraines w/nausea and appetite loss and irritability/emotional craziness (go figure).  If I lived in a med marijuana state, I would definitely go that route - but I don't, so a dark room and a cool compress are the best I can do.  And I don't think MJ would help w/diarrhea, gas, bloating - might work on stomach pain, though.

My fiancee has gone almost totally gluten-free (he splurges occasionally at the office or with friends). He's found he actually feels better without the gluten - less tired and more energy.  We eat a pretty healthy diet anyway (fruits, veggies, whole non-gluten grains, grass-fed beef & pork) so it's not like fewer processed foods is the reason or anything.  Definitely no ill effects!

I'd tell your friend and see if the menu could accommodate you - or see if parts of the menu (salad, grilled meat, etc.) are safe. I expect a lot of caterers are familiar with gluten issues - I'm planning my own wedding right now and I've found that to be the case.  And after all, if you were severely allergic to peanuts or some other food, you'd tell your friend rather than go into shock, right? This is the same thing - you don't want to spend the whole reception in the bathroom.  If they can't accommodate, eat before hand, or you could ask if you could bring your own food so you can have a meal with everyone at your table.

Is it possible that the problem is eating several 'gluten free' products at once or on the same day?  For example, if you're eating two pieces of bread (10 ppm each, let's say), plus a glass of rice milk (5 ppm) and a couple of gluten-free cookies (10 ppm each), then you're getting 45 ppm that day.  Maybe each of those separately wouldn't make you react, but all of them together might?

Hi, newbie here.  Looks like I found a great forum!

I have had migraines since I was a teen.  Had all the standard work-ups, MRIs, etc., with all the standard prescribed meds.  Nothing has been very effective in treating the migraines, which can be crippling at times.

My sister recently ran across research indicating that a wheat/gluten-free diet can help prevent migraines in some people, and I thought I would try it for a month or so to see what happens.  Well, I am on Day #10 -- and not one headache so far!   Very exciting!

Now for my question.  My local health food store herbalist told me that he wonders if in some people (who are not "true" celiacs) it may be the contaminates, chemicals, pesticides, etc., inherent in (traditional) growing/harvesting of wheat that people can be sensitive to - rather than the actual wheat itself.  Does anyone know anything about this?

And if this is true, then perhaps I could eat organic wheat products?  Or products I make myself with organic (wheat) flour?  

Thanks in advance for any assistance or insight(s) you guys may have!    

Lynn

I wouldn't chance the organic wheat.  I, too, had migraines my whole life before going gluten free in September.  Since then, I've only had three headaches total - and they're all from eating something that was contaminated with wheat, including 100% organic salad dressing.

I don't have an 'official' celiacs diagnoses, as I stopped eating gluten without having a biopsy. I did have positive blood work and a positive genetic test. You could look at having these done to rule out celiacs. My GI told me that if you feel better without wheat, than you're probably gluten intolerant even if you don't have celiacs.  If you feel better without the gluten, then you should keep it up!