sallyterpsichore

I just cracked open my first Harpoon cider. I used to love UFO, so I had high hopes, also I'm hoping that they'll carry this in all of the local Boston bars like they do with the other Harpoon stuff. I really like it. It's much milder than other ciders. It reminds me a bit of Original Sin cider out of NYC. I could drink more than one of these (and shall try tonite! ) and I can't say the same for Magners.

Give it a try if you see it! Also, thanks for the tip!!

Sally

I live in Boston and haven't had any problems. I rarely eat out because I'm still "healing" and am playing it ultra safe, but there are gluten-free products all over the place. Even the supermarkets like Shaws/Star Market are starting to offer some gluten-free things like Tinkyada and Amy's frozen "good for you" junkfood! If you're moving to the city, I can tell you the places I know of that offer gluten-free beer and ciders (I drink out, but I don't eat out)

  Lizking531 said:

I went through all the testing and such (blood, stool, upper & lower scopes) for the doc to tell me that I have a bacteria overgrowth -

Prescribed the antibiotic Xifaxan for about 45 days now - at first my symptoms ( big D, soft stools, fatigue, etc) cleared up quick, but lately (as I am getting close to running out of anitbiotic) they have been coming back, slowly but surely.

Have you talked to your doctor about switching to a different antibiotic? I thought our systems build up an immunity after a while and then they stop working...

My test is next Monday and I'm actually really excited for it. If all of my billions of annoying issues are solved or even improved a little by taking antibiotics, I would be so thankful!

By the way, my nutritionist also mentioned taking probiotics after the two weeks of antibiotics. Just note: the Activia stuff has gluten, so choose a gluten-free probiotic! Nothing's ever simple, is it?

~Sally

Hi Paula,

I'm confused: why would either of these even need to be gluten free? Are they for you or for someone you're smooching?

~Sally

Lo-Ogestrel and Lo-Ovral are both gluten-free, though I think they both have lactose. The thing with birth control is that most people have reactions to them and have to play with the different brands/hormone formulas to find the right one. I lucked out and haven't had any issues. However, they aren't ALL gluten-free, so that's worth a check; I'm just mentioning this because it may not have anything to do with gluten. Maybe worth a call to the doctor, they usually have some samples of different brands that you can try out before getting a prescription.

Good luck!

~Sally

As far as I know, you can use any lotion, just make sure that it's completely soaked into your skin before touching anything. (So you don't ingest it).

I think it's a decision you need to make for yourself; there are a lot of people that have gluten-free everything (pet food, lotion, shampoo, etc) to be safe. I DO keep away from any chapstick or lipgloss that has gluten, but otherwise, I just wash my hands brutally after feeding my cat.

Good luck! Also, you'll get used to the new lifestyle...it's not so bad.

~Sally

As far as I know, you can use any lotion, just make sure that it's completely soaked into your skin before touching anything. (So you don't ingest it).

I think it's a decision you need to make for yourself; there are a lot of people that have gluten-free everything (pet food, lotion, shampoo, etc) to be safe. I DO keep away from any chapstick or lipgloss that has gluten, but otherwise, I just wash my hands brutally after feeding my cat.

Good luck! Also, you'll get used to the new lifestyle...it's not so bad.

~Sally

  gdobson said:

Champagne and sparkling wine are safe -

Cheers!

Thanks!! (That's my drinking face...hahaha)

I'm assuming all champagne is gluten free since wine is fairly safe. Am I right? Tonite is New Year's Eve so a quick response would be much appreciated!

Hope everyone has a wonderful evening/night/hangover!

~Sally

Hi there,

I live in Boston and I plan to take a ferry to Salem some weekend day either later this month or in October for the Halloween scene there and I'm wondering if there are any places there that are safe to eat. I won't have a car (in fact, I don't own a car...yay for public transportation) so it would have to be within walking distance (i.e. 4 miles or so) from Salem. I was planning on bringing my own food/snacks with me, as I will only spend one day there, but if there's some amazing gluten-free place, I'd hate to miss it.

Thanks in advance,

Sally

  tiffjake said:

The Legal Seafoods in the Theater District was terrible!!!!!!!

In case you visit us again soon, I'd suggest going to the Legal Seafoods over at Longwharf...it's very touristy there, but it's right on the ocean and I have received great service both times I've gone.

Here in Boston we have restaurants called "KnowFat!" (Open Original Shared Link) ...I think they're a national chain. Anyway, they don't have a gluten-free menu online, but I emailed them and this was the response I got:

Here is a list of gluten free items that are currently available to you on the menu. Please let me know if you have any further questions, or suggestions and feel free to contact me directly (Go to their site's contact page)

All burgers without the bun,

All

I somehow lost this topic on here. Thanks for all the great responses, looks like i have some eating to do! Also, I posted already in the Boston area one, but I recommend Washington Square Tavern in Brookline (Washington Square..doh!) because the owner, staff, and cooks are aware of Celiac disease and can help you come up with something yummy to eat. Plus, they keep Redbridge in stock! Score!

~Sally

Thanks for this post. I live in Brookline, which is surrounded by Boston, and am always looking for good places.

In Washington Square there's a place conveniently called The Washington Square Tavern that serves Redbridge. The owner has some friends with Celiac disease and the cook and staff are familiar with it. Trustworthy folks with really good-looking food. They change their menu all the time, but they usually have a gluten-free option, just ask.

It's also just a nice place, but small, so come early (around 5:30 or 6ish)

Hi there,

I live in Boston and I plan to take a ferry to Salem some weekend day either later this month or in October for the Halloween scene there and I'm wondering if there are any places there that are safe to eat. I won't have a car (in fact, I don't own a car...yay for public transportation) so it would have to be within walking distance (i.e. 4 miles or so) from Salem. I was planning on bringing my own food/snacks with me, as I will only spend one day there, but if there's some amazing gluten-free place, I'd hate to miss it.

Thanks in advance,

Sally

I felt worse right after going gluten-free. Then I cut out soy and dairy at the request of my nutritionist. Now, 9 months later, I'm slowly adding some dairy back in. I started feeling better after 8 months or so, sorry to say. Then again, I was a pretty severe case to begin with. We don't know where I was on the TtG scale...I was just "off the charts" which only go up to 120. I'm down to 55 on that scale, so considerably better. I'm still not "normal"...getting there.

Good luck all

  Drollchick said:

I'm having a rough time figuring out how to approach dating, too...

My food intolerances were only recently diagnosed, so it's definitely been an adjustment accepting dinner dates from guys.

I'm a super low maintenance, easy going chick...when I pour over a menu for 15 minutes and then go into a lengthy "no this, no that" routine with the server, I feel like a total ass!! A bit of a mood downer for me. Plus, I'll be paranoid that the kitchen let something contaminate my food.

Haven't given the whole kissing thing a thought, though...I may just let that slide, because everything else is hard enough as it is.

What I'm most worried about is finding a guy that will want to marry someone who's dietary restrictions will make home-cooking very limited...unless, of course, I find someone just like me...

It's funny, I was talking to my brother about this as he came to my city for the weekend, and he at first was shocked about the whole tooth brushing dilemma, but then covered it up by saying "At least it'll help you weed out the jerks"...which is true. Unfortunately, the non-jerks seem to be married. Do I have to have my cat brush his teeth before he licks me? Crap.

P.S. I'm also the same way...very low maintenance and I feel like I'm inconveniencing everyone. I'm assuming desperation for the social scene will eventually force me to stop worrying about it.

...but for those of us reliant on public transportation, I thought I'd see who lived in the metro area. I actually tried to start a meetup (Open Original Shared Link) before I realized that they required a monthly subscription to start a group...right.

I live in Brookline, but would love to meet people and offer support, maybe plan some dinner parties, restaurant outings...etc.

I'm 23, a writer, a music reviewer, and moved out here from Michigan about a year ago...right about the same time I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease.

Step on up....

~Sally

  nikki-uk said:

Yep, it shouldn't do any damage if it's a lactose problem.

Yoghurt tends to have quite low levels of lactose (as does cheddar cheese) so it's a good starting point

Actually, after 6 months of cutting out dairy, many nutritionists suggest trying to slowly add some back in and see how it goes. Cheese is easiest, hard cheeses like parmesan, romano, cheddar, etc., then soft cheeses like mozzarella, etc. Then I believe comes yogurt on the next step. I was told to do plain yogurt first...then try the fruited yogurt. Then there's milk down the line...and my nutritionist wrote something about trying 1% milkfat or above first (I'm a skim girl...ick). Anyway, no damage will happen, just discomfort. It's time to try a reintroduction to dairy! Good luck!

I now know not to consider anything safe, which is why I won't go out to eat unless there's an actual gluten-free menu. However, I hate "being a pain in the butt", so I have avoided trying to eat at other restaurants because everything could be contaminated. The point of the thread was to 1)emphasize the point which both of you have further demonstrated and 2) to explain the idea that even things that seem safe, aren't necessarily.

When I was brand new to this, I didn't really have anyone to tell me otherwise and I hadn't found resources like this online before attempting to eat out socially. I figure there may be other newbies out there who think they can slide through the "gluten-filled system"! Thanks for the responses!

Hi all,

I just wanted to start a thread for everyone to list items that they assume are safe in restaurants. I've been gluten-free for 11 months now (eek!) and am still really hesitant to eat out. When I have in the past, I usually don't mention the Celiac thing and just order stuff that should be safe. I've ordered nachos and made sure the chips are 100% corn, but mostly that's all I ask. I've realized by now that this isn't a good idea, but my guess is that many of you do the same thing.

I'll list off items I've considered "naturally safe--naturally gluten-free":

Baked Potato

As someone just re-entering dairy into my diet, I'm realizing how much easier it is to snack (CHEESE! and yogurt). I'm still soy free.

I also walk a lot (no car, city life, work is a 5-mile walk from home, etc) so I'm realizing how muchmore I need to eat now, including snacks. You can make hummus (or buy, I think) but I hate chick peas. I've made a dip out of cooked lentils and you can probably do it with any bean. Just add your favorite flavors, blend, throw in a container and buy some crackers. The Edward and Sons rice crackers aren't bad. You could also use veggies of course. Or rice cakes.

I eat peanut butter with a lot of things, as others have suggested (fruit, veggies). They do make cheese from Rice Dream that's made (doh!) with rice. It's gluten, dairy, and soy free. It melts, I can say that much for it. It tastes like velveeta, so if that's your thing, you can always snack on that with some crackers.

I'm investigating snack options now and will update you if I find anything good, though dairy's back on my menu, as I mentioned.

Good luck!

~Sally

One thing is to stop eating at least two hours before you go to bed, so that your body can work on the food and digest it before you go to sleep. This helps quite a bit. I try to stop eating three hours before going to sleep, but of course this can be tricky for those of us who keep normal work hours. Best of luck. "Hang in there" as everyone keeps telling me. Frustrating, huh?

-Sally

MMM, these sound like good recipes, guys, thanks! Considering the only stuff in my kitchen right now are condiments, I need to get shopping and cooking

Thanks again for your help!

-Sally