Recently diagnosed as a Celiac or perhaps have non-Celiac
gluten intolerance? All of a sudden you are
faced with a "diet"! Yikes!
What in the heck do I do?
Where do I start? How do I cope when eating with other people or in
restaurants?
Telling you from personal
experience, suddenly knowing you have to eliminate gluten completely from
everything you can eat can be somewhat overwhelming. I know it was for me, and
I a background in home economics with lots of courses in nutrition.
For me, the realization of
the seemingly insurmountable task I was up against when I began to do MY OWN
research and realized all the dangers of "hidden wheat", but
that is another topic unto itself.
But, back to the topic at
hand--diet versus life style! Which term do you prefer? I personally don’t like
the word “diet”. Diet infers you are giving up something you want and enjoy. No
one wants to feel they are being deprived, especially when it comes to having to say good-bye to some of
their favorite foods.
The reality is everyone is
on a"diet" of some sort. That is right. Shocked? Maybe, but
the reality is whether you are on a very restricted food protocol or can eat
whatever and as much as you want, well, that is your
"diet".
When my husband was
diagnosed as severely gluten intolerant, I bristled at the idea of a
"diet". During the 14 years I taught high school, I had a posted that
stated "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." And, that was my
precise philosophy when Rick received his diagnosis.
I made a personal resolution
that we were adopting a new and exciting lifestyle. The only thing we were
giving up was Rick’s feeling miserable, and my fear something was terminally
wrong with the love of my life that could not be fixed.
Trading in my wheat laden
food for a healthy, happy husband was a no-brainer. I was thrilled Rick’s
severe health issues could be solved with a few changes in our "diet".
My
approach to a gluten free diet begins with a positive attitude and a
beautifully set table. I love challenges and solving problems. This was one
challenge that I knew I was not only up to, but could exceed all expectations.
After purging my kitchen of
every single thing that contained a smidgen of gluten and either tossing or
sterilizing all equipment and utensils, I got busy converting recipes and
developing new ones—all gluten free.
I quickly learned that
having to “make” many ingredients every time I cooked was very time consuming.
So, I developed my own in quantity, making whipping up some of our old favs a
snap.
I keep homemade creamed
soups needed for casseroles and other dishes in my freezer along with adobo and
other sauces. I also grind loaves of gluten free bread, chocolate cookies and
ginger snaps to keep on hand. I keep everything in my freezers—yes, more than
one—labeled with the date stored.
Call me overly protective,
but I prefer to eat and entertain at home. Why? I can control the safety of the
food. We have theme parties and holiday gatherings, often with only one or two
couples, sometimes 50 or 60 or more. Every dish is not only gluten free, but
gorgeous and delicious with elaborate table settings. Only our closest friends
know that they are eating gluten free; the others are none the wiser. Even when
my study club meets at our home (Click
on link for Delphi Study Club Tablescape 2011), they can’t believe they are
eating a totally gluten free feast because the food is just that delicious.
Now, which do you prefer—a
diet or a wonderful, healthy lifestyle chocked full of yummy dishes to die for?
Recently diagnosed as a Celiac or perhaps have non-Celiac
gluten intolerance? All of a sudden you are
faced with a "diet"! Yikes!
I made a personal resolution
that we were adopting a new and exciting lifestyle. The only thing we were
giving up was Rick’s feeling miserable, and my fear something was terminally
wrong with the love of my life that could not be fixed.
Call me overly protective,
but I prefer to eat and entertain at home. Why? I can control the safety of the
food. We have theme parties and holiday gatherings, often with only one or two
couples, sometimes 50 or 60 or more. Every dish is not only gluten free, but
gorgeous and delicious with elaborate table settings. Only our closest friends
know that they are eating gluten free; the others are none the wiser. Even when
my study club meets at our home (Click
on link for Delphi Study Club Tablescape 2011), they can’t believe they are
eating a totally gluten free feast because the food is just that delicious.
