quillpenz

Wholefoods has oatmeal cookies and chocolate chip!!!!

I cannot find a sandwich bread that I like. It is as heavy as lead. Quillpenz

Dear Angie from California, I suffered this disease as a child, I now realize. There were lots of times as a child when I think I was wheat free because on the farm in NC we alternated between biscuits (wheat) and cornbread and my mom made the pure cornbread without the flour. All I know is that I had the horrific celiac episodes once a month at a minimum as a child and had no idea what was wrong. My symptoms are violent. I think that by the time I was college age, it went into remission and came back in the 1990's when I had a serious family tragedy. In the 1990's I heard about celiac disease on the public radio broadcast, an item from the BBC and something about how the disease was generally in people of Mediteranean dissent. In the late 80's and early nineties they said that if you went wheat free for a year or so, you would be cured and could resume the wheat. That turned out to be false. I began to suspect that celiac was what I had. When I mentioned to my doctor, he said, "Not likely": I am black. He said that black people rarely get the disease. A girlfriend, a white woman, was having trouble and got tested. Turned out she did not have it but she told me that I should look into it. Like you, Angie, I could not get him to test me, so, I experimented, in 1999 and went off wheat. One week later I felt like a million dollars. I have stayed wheat free for nine years except for accidents and mislabelling and the episodes are horrible. I finally got tested this year and it confirmed my own diagnosis. I had a recurrence of symptoms because of a particular item of canned vegetables that I would never suspect had the wheat. I know how you feel. Angie. Are you near a Trader Joe's? They have a great ginger snap cookie. Harris Teeter and Food Lion are labelling shelf areas with large letters, "gluten free" and they jump at me like neon. As a child and young adult, I had trouble gaining weight. I weighed 99 pounds until I was 27 years old. As a child, I was made fun of for being so skinny. When I turned 60 I weighed 112. Luckily I had a big ego and didn't mind. I minded but I didn't let it stop me from being aggressive and happy. Angie, I hate to welcome you to this ailment, but welcome andgood luck. Quillpenz

the Whole Foods in Chapel Hill, NC has a frozen pastry section and in that section are gluten free pizza crusts, pie crusts, cookies, breads (which I don't like), cereals. The biscuits and cookies are good, the almond raisins. Good luck. Quillp

I do not know if it is so in other FoodLions grocery stores, but a couple of days ago I went into the one in Waynesville and they had a little section dedicated to gluten free foods. I was shocked! Normally I would have to drive 40 miles to go to Earthfare in Asheville to shop for things.

Crazy, I have found that Harris Teeter will special order gluten free items if you give them the brand and the item. I had Harris Teeter order the gluten free steel cut oat meal made by red mill. They already had the flours and several soups. They ordered a half dozen oat meals. I bought two. The manager said that the other three disappeared off the shelves in a day. They are realizing that among their anonymous customers, #'s of us exist. They are becoming more sensitive. Harris Teeter and Lowes have lots of products but not in a section. My next request, when I come back from vacation will be to ask them to group the items. I am almost sure that they will because the numbers of celiacs like us are growing.!! I can't wait to check my local Food Lion.

Some restautants are now printing gluten free menus. If we all keep asking, it will get through. I will try to find a list of the ones that do and I will post them in a couple weeks.

Thanks Momma. I am close to the Pittsboro group and I will make contact.

I will be on the east coast this summer. Is there support in and around Southport? What about food coops or places to buy gluten free foods? Chapel Hill has Wellspring and also a wonderful coop grocery in Pittsboro. the Co-op in Pittsobor has wonderful pastas, spaghetti and Macaroni pastas of rice and other things. Thanks. Q

Is anyone here from North Carolina?

I am in Chapel Hill. Is there a group? How do I find other celiac sufferers?