corinne

I'm starting a position as an analytical chemistry professor in the fall so I've been working in labs for a long time. I do some work with radioactive arsenic - gamma and beta emittor so nasty radioctivity, extremely toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic. Definitely good practice for avoiding cross-contamination - I think I might prefer gluten over arsenic.

Science sure helps too in figuring out the diet.

I live in Bozeman, about 20 minutes from Livingston and work in Yellowstone. I don't shop in Livingston, but Bozeman has a number of great health food stores. My favorite is the Community Food Coop on main street across from Safeway (10 ave). Lots of gluten free stuff. PM me if you want more details on the area.

I'm on the SCD which is similar to the paleo. The applegate farms turkey (not smoked) has only turkey and salt. I also quite often boil up some chicken and use that for lunches.

What about trying a really simple diet with very easy to digest foods for a few days to see if what you're eating is causing the problems - bananas, applesauce, maybe some chicken (baked, no skin). Also, eat often if you can to minimize having an empy stomache.

Sounds like a great study. Is it only for those with confirmed celieac by bloodwork or ?

Apple porkchops are one of my favourites. Put a single layer of porkchops in a baking dish. Slice (and peel if peels are too much) enough apples to cover the porkchops. Drizzle the apples with honey. Bake at 350 for about an hour.

I've only been gluten free for 6 months and I react strongly (diarrhea etc) to all starches including potatoes and sweet potatoes. So yes, potatoes can be a problem.

Just before I started a gluten-free diet in January, I got 6 cavities. I have my teeth checked and cleaned every 6 months and I had never had a cavity before so it must be something to do with malabsorption. My next check-up is on Monday and I hope that there will be good news ie no more new cavities.

You can also make up your own freeze-dried dinners/boil in a bag. You can pour boiling water into the really heavy duty zip-lock freezer bags (try if first at home ). A couple of ideas for instant meals - potato flakes, dried ham, dried red pepper + spices, instant rice, mixed dried veggies, dried beef+ dried black beans + dried beef. The dried veggies, beef etc. can be bought at healthfood stores, coops, online or you can even rent a food drier to make it yourself. A lot of meals you make at home can just be put in a food drier. Just make sure they don't have much fat in them or they go rancid.

My mom is celiac, but my doc wanted to be thorough and make sure that nothing else could be going on which could give the same symptoms as celiac. He had me go through both an endoscopy and a colonoscopy. It turned out to be worth it. I don't have celiac, but I do have collagenous colitis which responds (for me) to a grain-free diet.

I've learned to cook and actually make good food enjoy. I've started eating fruit and veggies and like them (I lived on pancakes and top Ramen in grad school which probably started everything). Now, my diet is much better and I can avoid some health problems when I get older.

One more thing I forgot about - a pair of ski poles makes snowshoeing much easier.

I live in Montana where we have winter 9 months of the year (I hit snow hiking yesterday) and so I do a lot of cross-country skiing (about twice a week) and snowshoeing (about once every week or too). Both are a great way to stay in shape when the snow's too deep or it's too icy to hike or run. Plus they're really fun.

Snowshoeing is super easy. If you can walk, you can snowshoe. It's fun too because you can go absolutely anywhere on snowshoes. To get started, you'll probably want a basic walking model. More advanced models have heavier bindings for more support and sharper teeth for steeper hill climbs. The more advanced models, however, are much heavier and more expensive. There's lots of brands out there, but I find that Tubbs and Atlas are both very durable, well-made brands.

As for cross-country skis, it depends on where you'll be skiing and how much downhill skiing experience you have. I'd start with waxless skiis. They have scales on the bottom so you don't slide backwards so easily and then you don't have to learn how to wax correctly for the proper glide at the beginning and don't have to do a lot of maintenance. If you are skiing on roads or good trails, don't worry about getting metal edges. If you're skiing off-trail or in a hilly area or are a pretty good downhill skier, I'd get skis with metal edges. There are 3 types of bindings - SNS, NNN and NIS. They're pretty equal for the average skier and a given binding system will fit with only certain types of boots. I'd find a pair of boots that fit comfortably and then go with the binding system that fits those boots. If you have weak ankles, haven't skied much or will be skiing mostly off-trail, I'd go with a stiffer, higher boot that goes over the ankle.

There's lots of choice for both skis and snowshoes, so I'd go to a large true outdoor store such as REI or Eastern mountain sports (not sure where you live) or a small local ski shop where you can get a clerk who really knows their equipment and can do a good job of fitting the equipment to you.

Email me if you have more questions.

Hydrogen peroxide is gluten free. It's just a single chemical.

Too much fructose or too much fibre can cause loose stools or even D. so you'll know when you're overdoing it. As for not absorbing nutrients, you're getting so many with the extra fruit + veggies, I wouldn't worry about it.

Strange - I have had a rash for 6 weeks in exactly the same places - pits and back. The GP yesterday figured it was from irritation from sweat (I run) and said I can't do much, but put on some cortisone cream if it gets really irritated. Hmmm.

As usual, what's harmful to one might be healthy for another. Soy can be dangerous to some, healthy or even beneficial for others.

BamBam - where in Montana are you? I'm, in Bozeman although I'm moving this summer to California - the opposite of the usual trend here.

I do shop away from main street, but I find that the best prices in Banff are still about 10-20% higher than the best prices in Calgary.

Cheese is casein! Rennet or other enzymes are used to convert caseinogen, a protein in milk, to casein which is water insoluble, and then separates out as curds from the liquid (whey). The curds (or collected casein) is then pressed to form cheese.

Hard cheese is very low in lactose which is why it is sometimes more digestible.

Dairy intolerance can improve as the villi come back, but casein intolerance is life-long and can cause damage. I'd agree, for me casein free is much harder than gluten free. Depending on your other sensitivies, you might be able to tolerate soy cheese or coconut milk icecream etc. Most people tolerate ghee. Unfortunately, some of us are very sensitive to casein and do not. It is also possible that you might be able to tolerate sheep or goat casein but not cow. Wait until your symtoms clear up and then try a small amount of goat cheese.

A-

I think everyone is different in some way. Sometimes it's health problems, sometimes it's family problems, sometimes it's difficulties with school and learning, sometimes it's troubles making friends. Even in the same family, different people go through different things.

You definitely have some talents and abilities that also make you different and make you able to do things that noone else can. It helps to find those. If you're still struggling with these feelings for more than a couple weeks, talk to someone - someone in your family, a family friend, a teacher or a school counsellor.

Banff is limited and REALLY expensive. It caters to the needs of tourists. I'd pick stuff up in Calgary if you can.

An update. I've now been on the SCD for 4 months. I'm completely off all anti-diarrheals and my weight has finally stabilized. I can now tolerate all well-cooked non-starchy veggies and all well-cooked fruit including berries. Meat, fish, eggs, raw bananas, avocados and FINALLY almond and pecan butter are okay too. I'm eating about 3 jars of almond butter a week - it's so addictive and maybe I can finally starting gaining some weight back. Pretty soon, I'm going to start trying some easy to digest fresh fruit and veggies.