Do You Still Enjoy Eating?

[silk]

Odd topic alert.

I was thinking today that where eating used to be such a source of enjoyment for me I used to love to plan meals, try new recipes, cook together with my family and try new restaurants. I've never been just a meat and potatoes girl. Would try just about anything once, including snails and chocolate covered grasshoppers! Since I found out about the Celiac disease and have gone gluten, nut and dairy free, there isn't so much joy in it anymore. Of course, I do realize that you can do all of the things that I listed above and still exclude the things that you can't have. It's just that where eating was once a social activity and did so much more than just satisfy your appetite, now it seems to be more of just the means to an end. Not nearly as much pleasure in it. Just a necessary requirement to satisfy my bodies need for nourishment.

Not trying to sound pitiful and there are definitely wonderful dishes and meals to be had. It just seems that for most of us, there is so much more effort and care involved in planning & preparing those meals, by necessity, and add to that a feeling of anxiety if there are not things readily available when you are hungry that it often takes the joy out of it.

Again, not feeling sorry for myself. The thought just occurred to me that my way of thing about food and it's purpose has totally changed. I think my husband called it a paradyme(sp). Not just a temporary change by choice of once small part of your life, but a total change in the way you live and think about everything.

Does this make sense and does anyone else feel this way?

[Sock]

Not like I used to: Reminds me of the old Garfield cartoon...Eating is social, but we all diet alone.

I'm sure everyone on this board can relate to this feeling.

[Morrisun]

I guess for me I actually enjoy it more now. Before, I was so sick that I very rarely ate out with people other than my immediate family due to the fact that I always had issues immediately after eating. I hated being invited to eat at people's house because it always ended up with me running to the bathroom. Now, although there are many places I can't or won't eat, at least I can feel somewhat safe at certain restaurants and don't have issues. I will say though that I have never been much of a party thrower, or social eater. I guess I'm kinda a hermit, lol.

I do understand where you are coming from though. I've found that the anxiety about preparing/cooking at least for me has lessened as time has gone by and I've become more comfortable in cooking gluten-free. ((hugs))

[HAK1031]

I know I enjoy baking and cooking more now. I am forced to be creative, and the challenge is fun for me. I love cooking, and if I see a dish at restaurant that I like, but can't have, I'll go home and try to replicate it. I enjoy that.

[RiceGuy]

I agree with the idea of it being a fun challenge. I have expanded my culinary horizons quite a bit. Now, when I look back, my diet before gluten-free was incredibly limited and unimaginative. So boring in comparison to now. The gluten rut is a deep one.

Thanks to this board I not only figured out the whole gluten issue, but now that I know about Stevia, I can make some delectable treats without the horrors that go along with them.

So yes, a paradigm shift is what I'd call it too.

[MNBeth]

Actually, I do still really enjoy eating, though certainly not all the time. More often than not I do eat in a very utilitarian manner, grabbing simple, plain foods just to get on to the next thing. And there is a lot that I miss.

On the other hand, it's almost more exciting, now, when there's something wonderful in front of me that I can actually have! I really relish those special treats - like the blackened tuna with mango salsa I had at the Mall of America a couple weeks ago, and even the ribs we had for Valentine's Day. Those are the times when I know it's not all over for me and good food!

[kbtoyssni]

I also enjoy it more. Before I used to make very plain, quick meals. Now I am much more creative with my food and want to spend more time cooking. I also love the challenge of making super good food. I even have dinner parties 2-3 times a year, plus I make dinner for a friend or two more frequently. I love to bake, and I love the satisfaction of making a cake that gluten-eaters still like when they can't tell that it's gluten free. So many people talk about the diet being so difficult and the food tasting bad, that I like to prove them wrong. I'm also more focused on making good tasting healthy meals. My spice collection has multiplied since going gluten-free.

Now, if you're talking about eating out and the joys in that, I do understand that. I often go for something very basic, not willing to get more adventurous because it's too much hassle to start asking more than a few questions about the food. That's why I do my own dinner parties.

[Mom23boys]

We have started entertaining more at home and are actually MORE social now (I guess it helps when you are not doubled over or worse after a meal).

[angel-jd1]

ABSOLUTELY!!! I still love eating. Eating out is a bit of a stressor, but eating at home is wonderful!!

However, I am a person who likes to cook. Possibly that has something to do with it.

-Jessica

[jayhawkmom]

I recently read Gluten-Free Girl, by Shauna James Ahern, and it made me "fall in love" with food again!

I love to eat. I hate being restricted. I dislike cooking... but only because I have a tiny kitchen, not any other reason. But, I really do love food. So, I try to find a way to manage. =)

[silk]

All very good points. And thanks for the help, Riceguy. I knew I was in the neighborhood but couldn't find it in our stone aged dictionary here at the office.

[gfp]

It just seems that for most of us, there is so much more effort and care involved in planning & preparing those meals, by necessity, and add to that a feeling of anxiety if there are not things readily available when you are hungry that it often takes the joy out of it.

No extra effort involved ...

I never used tins, packets etc. and little has changed in preparing my own meals with the exception of Pasta.

Eating out and snacks are a different way of life but cooking at home is no easier nor harder. Everything in my kitchen is gluten-free, most products I buy are naturally gluten-free and most has barely changed. Some sauces need adapting but thats about it...

[tarnalberry]

I find I get even more pleasure from planning a meal, cooking it, and sharing it with others now. Maybe it's the added challenge of making it gluten and dairy free (and something that meets the other requirements of my guests), but there's very little that we can't still find a way to make, that the enjoyment is still there for me. Not to mention the pure pleasure of the food itself.

Sometimes it's just an eat-to-survive situation (that was true pre-gluten-free as well), but sometimes it's so much more.

[luvthelake21]

I think my husband likes it now that I have to cook, because he does not have to stop and pick up dinner much anymore.

[KimmyJ]

I second "Gluten-free Girl". I never ate a lot of gluten before my dx, but the risk of being CCd sometimes really takes the pleasure of eating away for me. Shauna's book is truly inspiring! It has really helped me to bring some excitement into my cooking.

[silk]

I will have to pick up a copy of "Gluten Free Girl". It sounds interesting and encouraging.

Actually, my husband and I both really love to cook, when we aren't pressed for time. Being a type 1 diabetic makes it a bit more of a challenge in that sometimes by the time I get home from work, if there isn't something handy and I my blood sugar is low, I become a pretty ugly person to be around.

Planning ahead has always been an necessity because of the diabetes and this is just a new wrinkle. It's really the impromptu occasions of eating like dinner out or at a friend or relative's house that creates more of a problem for me. Actually while we have always been pretty health conscious with our diet, we probably eat more healthfully (? is that a word?) now because drive thru's are just not an option and the pizza delivery guy has forgotten our address. I would say that we probably save money not eating out as much as we used to but I'm sure we are more than picking up the slack at the health food store.

I'm sure there will come a time when all of this is routine and not such a daily focus. Not wishing time away but I am looking forward to that day.

[tarnalberry]

I'm sure there will come a time when all of this is routine and not such a daily focus. Not wishing time away but I am looking forward to that day.

There are definitely times when it's easier than others.

Five years after making the dietary change = easier.

In the middle of a life so packed that you spend nine hours a day at home, and eight of those are spent sleeping = harder.

That's been my experience, anyway.

[JNBunnie1]

I will have to pick up a copy of "Gluten Free Girl". It sounds interesting and encouraging.

I'm sure there will come a time when all of this is routine and not such a daily focus. Not wishing time away but I am looking forward to that day.

Shauna also has a blog called Gluten Free Girl, if you'd like to preview some of her style before purchasing a book. She does make food fun again. Just google gluten free girl.

I find that I've become far more adventurous in the kitchen. For a long time I survived off pasta with meat sauce, eggs, and frozen enchiladas. Now I can make almost anything I see in a restaurant or online, haven't tried ravioli yet. We had friends over a few days ago, we'd been out, and on the way home to make dinner, I offered alfredo or something italian, and my (female) friend goes, "Wow! You know how to make alfredo?!?!? Will you teach me?" (She's a few years younger than me, I'm only 23.) Yeah, that made me feel good. I get really proud of the good food I make now, whereas before DX, I didn't even really pay attention to what people liked. I feel like it's really forced me to mature and helpp me grow up and away from myself, if that makes sense. Now my boyfriend doesn't even eat out with his friends all the time, he'll sometimes wait til he gets home to eat what I made. Now there's a compliment.

[silk]

Shauna also has a blog called Gluten Free Girl, if you'd like to preview some of her style before purchasing a book. She does make food fun again. Just google gluten free girl.

I find that I've become far more adventurous in the kitchen. For a long time I survived off pasta with meat sauce, eggs, and frozen enchiladas. Now I can make almost anything I see in a restaurant or online, haven't tried ravioli yet. We had friends over a few days ago, we'd been out, and on the way home to make dinner, I offered alfredo or something italian, and my (female) friend goes, "Wow! You know how to make alfredo?!?!? Will you teach me?" (She's a few years younger than me, I'm only 23.) Yeah, that made me feel good. I get really proud of the good food I make now, whereas before DX, I didn't even really pay attention to what people liked. I feel like it's really forced me to mature and helpp me grow up and away from myself, if that makes sense. Now my boyfriend doesn't even eat out with his friends all the time, he'll sometimes wait til he gets home to eat what I made. Now there's a compliment.

Thanks for the info on the blog. I will check it out. Looked at buying the book on Amazon but I will try your suggestion first. I have made gluten free ravioli and it is wonderful! My homemade ravioli has always been my Dad's favorite dish when he comes to my house and because it is frankly a lot of work to prepare, I usually only make it when he visits (which is never often enough!) Anyway, my Christmas gift to him and my Mom was that I made ravioli and sauce and mailed it to them in AZ. But I could not make ravioli for them and not for my family too so I made 'leaded' and 'unleaded" or gluten-free and sent them some of both. I served it for our Christmas feast and everyone without exception preferred the gluten-free ravioli. The dough is easier to work with and is so much lighter and smoother than the regular. As I said before, when I have time to do it, I love to cook and create in the kitchen. Our furnace went on the fritz yesterday (coldest day of the year here in NE!) so at 10:00 p.m I decided to warm the kitchen up with the oven and baked 2 loaves of bread, a cake and made two casseroles for the freezer. One italian and one mexican. Garbage casseroles is what we call them. Anything you can find to put in the dish that is already in the cupboard or fridge is fair game, but they were both really good. Now I don't have to stress about what to eat for at least the next week anyway.

I recently purchased a pasta making tool called a 'chitarra' (pronounced keetara or like guitara which is kind of what it looks like.) It has wires stretched over a wooden frame. You roll out your pasta dough on a flat surface and place it over the wires on the frame and use a rolling pin to push the dough through the wires. It has two sides so it makes two different widths of noodles. It is excellent. I will have to try making alfredo with my own pasta soon as my family loves alfredo too.

Ciao

[JNBunnie1]

I recently purchased a pasta making tool called a 'chitarra' (pronounced keetara or like guitara which is kind of what it looks like.) It has wires stretched over a wooden frame. You roll out your pasta dough on a flat surface and place it over the wires on the frame and use a rolling pin to push the dough through the wires. It has two sides so it makes two different widths of noodles. It is excellent. I will have to try making alfredo with my own pasta soon as my family loves alfredo too.

Ciao

I'll have to find me one a them. I haven't ventured into pasta making or bread making as of yet, it's about time.

[Gwen B]

I'll have to find me one a them. I haven't ventured into pasta making or bread making as of yet, it's about time.

Ravoili . Mmm! I would like to try that. Do you have your own recipe. I used to love lobster ravioli as a treat. I'm not sure it would work without dairy but I'm willing to try. My hubby is a great cook and thankfully doesn't mind making gluten-free food in the main. He is still refusing to try the gluten-free pasta yet but making it at home might tempt him to try. He has always had a passion for making pasta in the past. He's so fussy about ingredients and has always made food from scratch, so going to gluten-free wasn't such a big deal at first except for beleiving the prevelance of CC. He prides himself on saying that he has never opened a can or jar of ready made pasta or other sauce! I'm very lucky.

Recently we have been trying out lots of Indian food which is mostly gluten-free to begin with but there aren't many restaurants near us. The food is delicious and good for leftovers, easily freezable, easily digestable, and nutritious- lots of veg and little call for dairy and no soy either

I'd like to try to make Chinese food but being soy free doesn't make it easy. Any ideas?

Anyway to get back to the point, I agree that it is a bit of a pain trying to find stuff to eat out, particularly trying to find something quick to eat at lunch. However I am sure that I make up for boring lunches with better food for dinner. I think it's sad that so much 'regular' food relies on starchy (glutinous) fillers whether it is restaurant food, take out or store bought ready made food. It can't be good whether you are celiac or not.

If you think about it, the 'slow food movement' has some in common with the gluten-free cause in raising awareness of the poor quality of food we have become used to particularly in the West.

We have always liked entertaining at home and I've been surprised that so many of our guests find it hard to believe that food without wheat (and in my case, dairy, soy too) can taste so good. "Wow! This food is delicious and I can't believe it's gluten free!" my friend actully said.

Maybe, there needs to be a 'Real Food' movement and get back to food that actually tastes good.

[gfp]

Is this the same Shauna who is paid by McDonnalds to lie?

[jerseyangel]

Is this the same Shauna who is paid by McDonnalds to lie?

Wow--really? What did they pay her to say?

[silk]

Ravoili . Mmm! I would like to try that. Do you have your own recipe. I used to love lobster ravioli as a treat. I'm not sure it would work without dairy but I'm willing to try. My hubby is a great cook and thankfully doesn't mind making gluten-free food in the main. He is still refusing to try the gluten-free pasta yet but making it at home might tempt him to try. He has always had a passion for making pasta in the past. He's so fussy about ingredients and has always made food from scratch, so going to gluten-free wasn't such a big deal at first except for beleiving the prevelance of CC. He prides himself on saying that he has never opened a can or jar of ready made pasta or other sauce! I'm very lucky.

Recently we have been trying out lots of Indian food which is mostly gluten-free to begin with but there aren't many restaurants near us. The food is delicious and good for leftovers, easily freezable, easily digestable, and nutritious- lots of veg and little call for dairy and no soy either

I'd like to try to make Chinese food but being soy free doesn't make it easy. Any ideas?

Anyway to get back to the point, I agree that it is a bit of a pain trying to find stuff to eat out, particularly trying to find something quick to eat at lunch. However I am sure that I make up for boring lunches with better food for dinner. I think it's sad that so much 'regular' food relies on starchy (glutinous) fillers whether it is restaurant food, take out or store bought ready made food. It can't be good whether you are celiac or not.

If you think about it, the 'slow food movement' has some in common with the gluten-free cause in raising awareness of the poor quality of food we have become used to particularly in the West.

We have always liked entertaining at home and I've been surprised that so many of our guests find it hard to believe that food without wheat (and in my case, dairy, soy too) can taste so good. "Wow! This food is delicious and I can't believe it's gluten free!" my friend actully said.

Maybe, there needs to be a 'Real Food' movement and get back to food that actually tastes good.

Um....GwenB...I think that if most of us are gluten free, we are all having 'REAL FOOD MOVEMENTS' everyday. (Sorry, bathroom humor )

I would be happy to share the ravioli recipe with you. Would you like me to p.m. it to you? It does contain parmasean but would be equally delicious without because the filling also has spinach, mushrooms and ground beef or turkey. I suppose you could replace the cheese with bread crumbs for some extra umph, but it wouldn't really need it. Right now I am off of dairy, nuts and tomatoes too and really doing well. I plan to try and re-introduce them one at a time soon but I am feeling so good now that I am scared to mess with it. Cutting those things out makes cooking a little more interesting but not impossible.

Your hubby should try the quinoa pasta. It is so yummy and we now prefer it to the regular packaged stuff. It has more texture and flavor and we ditched the leaded stuff a long time ago. You are lucky that you have a husband who enjoys cooking. Mine loves it too.

I agree with you that many people's health issues today could probably be traced back to poor diet. Aside from the celiac related health issues, those of us who have gone gluten-free will probably outlive many of our flour power friend by many years.

[silk]

I'll have to find me one a them. I haven't ventured into pasta making or bread making as of yet, it's about time.

I found it at fante.com. It was quite reasonably priced. You can also find it by going to the Food Network website and typing in that word in the area where the have products for sale.