mbrookes

I can really identify with most of what you say, especially the feeling deprived without real bread.

I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the Udi's. Also try the Udi's blueberry muffins.

Don't throw away the Kinn bread. I cut mine into blocks, tossed with butter, garlic and herbs. Then baked (slow, around 250) for about an hour. Homemade crutons for your salad. If they get too hard, throw them in the processor and make seasoned bread crumbs. Food (especially ours!) is too expensive to waste.

On the pancake front, have you tried buckwheat? Not the mixes, pure buckwheat flour. We (husband and 2 grands) like them better than the old wheat kind. Try them with real maple syrup.

Thanks. I will try them both. I really love chicken pot pie and that's why I need the crust recipe.

Sorry. I just saw your question and I guess it's too late for that trip. For future reference:

P F Chang recently expanded gluten-free menu

Biaggi's gluten-free menu includes safe pasta

Sal & Phil's They understand being careful... try the grilled redfish

Fat Tuesday good red beans and rice; has Tony's Tamales, which are gluten-free

Bravo. waitstaff familiar with gluten-free and can advise you

Most of the better restaurants will bend over backwards to make you a good safe meal

I can make a good crumb crust with gluten-free ginger snaps or vanilla cookies, but I can't make a good regular pie crust. I bought a prepared frozen one the other day....MISTAKE! It was awful.

Can anyone out there help me?

That sure doesn't sound like celiac, especially the biopsies with no damage. Perhaps dairy is your only problem. Why not cut out all dairy and see what happens.

Could the difference be the "lite" form? I use the regular with no problems and MSG is not listed on the pkg. Maybe the MSG is to make up for whatever they leave out of the "lite."

I disagree. This sounds like the old caramel color urban myth. Rum is never made from grain, and caramel color is safe.

psawyer, I love your posts. You are always so non-alarmist and informed. Thanks for all the help I get from you.

As to the alcohols, I agree that the alcohols themselves are fine (gluten-free) but flavorings added after distillation may not be. I have trouble with certain Gins, but I don't drink flavored rums or vodkas... only the clasic stuff.

I haven't found a prepared crust that I like, so I use Big Red John's Mill (or some of those words in a different order)mix. I find that I make the crust much thinner than they expect because I get two very large pizzas and a batch of bread sticks out of one package. The thin crust is crispier.

Worst:

Most bread, especially rice based

Amy's pizza... We could use the crust to torture prisoners, but I think It's against the Geneva Convention.

Either Pacific or Imagine corn soup... Did the cat get sick?

Good, bordering on great:

Udi's everything (My local health store just picked it up, so no more shipping charges!)

Grainless Baker French baguettes (divine garlic toast) and hamburger buns. Imagine a hamburger bun like you used to eat... does not turn to glue when you put on mayo and doesn't fall apart leaving mustard stains on my too ample bosom.

Amy's frozen mac & cheese. Add some ham chunks or bacon and it's a meal.

Chips are easy... Lay's Clasic. Nothing better!

If you really have a lot of packaged food with gluten in it, get rid of it. Unopened pkgs will be welcome at a church food pantry or a shelter.

Comprehensive lists are not all that useful because ingredients change. Learn the basics of what you can and can't eat (names that wheat rye & barley hide under) and read, read, read all labels.

The meal you mentioned sounds good to me. Want meat? Grill a chicken breast... or fry it crusted with rice flour.... or barbeque it with a gluten-free sauce... or poach it in white wine. There are no limits to the great food you can have. Just trot out your imagination.

I don't mean to go on and on, but I read so many posts about what we can't eat and how unhappy some of us are. Let me assure you, there is life after Celiac! I eat like a queen and you can too.

I find new things every day and I have been at this for over two years now. Try some of these favorites:

Udi's bread and blueberry muffins

Grainless Baker French baguettes and hamburger buns (super)

Glutino pretzels

Pamela's chocolate chip cookies and anise/almond biscotti

Midel's ginger snaps (use to make a good cookie crumb pie crust, too)

Red Bridge beer

I could go on and on, but these are gluten-free staples with me. Most of what I eat is what I havew always cooked, just modified to be gluten-free. Most recipes are easy to fix.

Rejoyce with me, my friends! Last night I had a hamburger on a bun for the first time in over two years. The trick? Grainless Baker (available through Gluten Free Mall) makes hamburger buns that are as close to the old evil ones as possible. Really really good! My husband cooked burgers on the grill and we had a feast. Now I can't wait for a homegrown tomato for my hamburger.

No distilled spirits should have gluten, but I can't drink gin (my former favorite). Someone suggested that it could be the flavoring botanicals that are added to the gin after distillation.

Which ones are not safe? All I have looked at had just corn, no other grains. Am I missing something?

I don't know about the Smirnoff Ice, but as to the other products not being listed, no list will cover everything. If you know they are safe, don't worry about a list. Drink up!

I have recently discovered the Grainless Baker. They make French baguettes that are very much like the real thing. I use them to make garlic toast. My available gluten-free foods are very limited, but I do order Grainless Baker from the Gluten Free Mall.

You might also want to remember that most of the drugs discussed are illegal. A drug bust will do nothing to enhance your future. And if you think it's hard to follow a diet now, try it in jail.

I'm all for people to post their concerns over any ingredient or product. It helps us all learn.

I know it's a law that food in the USA needs to be labeled if it contains any of the top 8 allergens. There are several problems with this:

1. Gluten is not one of them so it might not be labeled if it has something gluten that is not from wheat.

2. There are plenty of recalls because food was not labeled correctly--Breyers recalled their Cookies and Cream Ice Cream just lately because they....ooops....forgot to put wheat under their ingredients.

3. Many foods are being imported to the USA that are made in other countries that do not have these laws.

So reading the labels is a good thing and not believing blanket statements about items being gluten free is too. It may be true today but not tomorrow. Or someone forgot to change the ingredient label.

Remember that we all may have other food sensitivities/allergies is why keeping a food/symptom journal can help.

On point # 2:

This is where common sense takes over. If it is called COOKIES and cream, don't you expect wheat?

On point # 3:

Food sold in the US must conform to US labeling laws, regardless of national origin.

I want a Whole Foods store near me. I have to make do with Kroger (they are cutting back on shelf space for gluten-free foods) and Walmart (I don't shop there for a variety of reasons) Whine whine whine!!!!! I hope all you with good stores and even gluten free bakeries and restaurants realize how lucky you are!

(Off topic)

Larry,

I just saw your quote about sobriety and laughed out loud. My feelings exactly. I had rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.

Marilyn

Just wash the precut vegetables (I did before I knew I was celiac) and they should be fine.

Most canned beans should be ok. Read the label. It takes me FOREVER to grocery shop, because after over two years I still read every label. You do get to a point after a while that you can scan a label and quickly spot any questionable ingredients.

Congratulations on your diagnosis. I know that sounds wierd, but when you see how much better you feel you will praise the day you stopped eating gluten.

King Arthur Flour, Betty Crocker... looks like some of the main line companies are beginning to realize that there are a lot of us and we spend a lot of money. That's great news!

mbrookes, Have you had any trouble getting the Udi bread? Here in Dallas, the Whole Foods are out of the bread and bagels because they say there is a packaging issue and don't know when it will come back. I was just wondering where you are?

I'm in Jackson, MS, where there is no Whole Foods. In fact, there is precious little in the way of gluten free food offered.

I order my Udi's from their web site. The shipping is expensive, but I order 8 loaves at a time and freeze it, so prorated it is not so bad. Ten seconds on defrost in the microwave cures it of having been frozen.

Just a suggestion... Thai Kitchen makes several dishes that are gluten free. They do not have to be refrigerated, so you can do like I do... keep a couple in a desk drawer and when everyone orders pizza (or whatever) microwave your Thai lunch and enjoy the comraderie at lunch.

Wow! You are having a rough time. Let me tell you something that has helped me through some rough spots. "I cannot control what happens to me. I can only control the way I react to it."

When people make stupid comments, try to realize that they just don't understand, and may never understand. This celiac is something we live with and know. They don't. A good answer (if you don't mind ruffling feathers) is "Would you encourage a recovering alcoholic to have just a little drink? Well, my situation is just as serious."

By all means, do get counseling. If money is a problem, check with your local mental health center. Most of them charge on a sliding scale. You may need just one good session, or it may be ongoing for a while, but the feelings you have now will slow down your recovery. Try to find a support group in your area. If there is not one, try to meet at least another person who has celiac.

I have been angry, depressed, sad... all of that. But not any more. After a little more than two years I know how important my health is. I also know I have not felt this good in many years. (I'm 65, but I look and feel much younger.)

Please check back with us on a regular basis so we can keep up with you.