Listerine Left This Celiac Green

 

 

I've had a long stretch of feeling really good! 

 

Matter of fact, I was superstitious about counting how long it's been since the last time I got glutened-- for fear I would get glutened. 

 

Then about a week ago I started feeling a little off. 

 

We're in the middle of cold and flu season, I figured that was causing my congestion.

 

A slight nagging feeling under my rib cage worried me on and off; not bad enough to take my breath away.  Hmm... maybe I should have the HIDA scan my doc recommended. 

 

Every day my fingers got slightly stiffer.  But it was not the KA-POW from a full gluten hit. 

 

Four days ago my knee cap started aching; sitting or standing made no difference.

 

I began losing my nouns. 

 

Communication became like a bad game of charades.  "Hand me the, you know, the whatchamacallit that you use to lift the round thingy off the doo-lolly that I'm cooking on."

 

Spatula?  Yeah, that doo-diggy.

 

My dear husband started saying, "I really think you got glutened." 

 

I protested,  "No, no, I'm not that bad.  I'm just a little off.  Night sweats?  Weren't you hot too?  No?  Nah... I still don't think it's gluten."

 

Yesterday I left communion coffee with the neighbors, ready to have a nice Thanksgiving with my family and I burst into tears.  I sobbed the whole walk home!  And then I continued to cry on my husband's shoulder when I got home.  Can I tell you, I'm generally not a weepy person.  

 

I finally gave in an admitted I could have been glutened. 

 

I racked my foggy brain trying to remember every morsel of food that went into my mouth the last week.  Nothing jumped out at me.  Resigned to the fact that I might never know, that's when it hit me.

 

I started diligently using Listerine at bedtime about a week ago.  After discussing its benefits with a friend, it seemed like a good practice.  I never thought to read the ingredients or call the manufacturer.

 

Doing a quick search for information on the gluten status of Listerine yesterday, I found this blog written in June 2012. The response the blogger got was, basically, they can't guarantee the product has not been cross-contaminated.

 

My husband said, "Why don't you quit using it and see if you get better?"  

 

Thank goodness for him, because I really might not have come up with that on my own.  No sarcasm, my brain really was that fuzzy. 

 

That was yesterday.

 

"Wow, you're up early!" was the response I got this morning when I popped out of bed. 

 

"I didn't use any Listerine last night!"  I started wiggling my fingers and kicking my leg like someone cured at a revival.

 

My knee has miraculously stopped hurting.  My fingers aren't swollen and my disposition in on an upswing.

 

I'll call the company myself on Monday to see if they have changed their gluten free status... but I think I already have the answer I need.

 



Celiac Disease Sounds Better with an Accent

Katie Couric interviewed Dr. Green of Columbia University, a recognized expert on Celiac disease. 

Katie asked all the basic questions and even touched on the touchiest of subjects for people with Celiac, the current 'trendyness' of our affliction.  I think Dr. Green made a good point on this topic.

Yes, Americans seem to be jumping on the gluten free bandwagon but, even with the frenzy, our wagon is more Radio Flyer than Conestoga.

This video is like 'Celiac Disease 101'.  It touches on the main points about this auto immune disorder.  It's a well presented introduction and Dr. Green has a lovely Australian accent, which makes these facts easier on the ear:

• Symptoms of Celiac disease are diverse.  According to his website, very few are intestinal. 
• Celiac disease is not rare.
• Most Americans with Celiac disease are undiagnosed.
• America is behind many other countries in awareness and diagnosis.
• Eating large quantities of processed, gluten free foods is not a healthy diet.
• Untreated Celiac disease can lead to other serious health conditions.
• There is no pharmaceutical treatment for Celiac disease.

She's No Martha Stewart!

 

A good friend is having an engagement party next weekend.  She honored me by asking if I would design her invitation. 

Bicycle built for two?  Why, YES!

The email below came from her last week: 

I will buy some (Gluten Free Houston) millet bread to make breadcrumbs for the meatballs and you can have the rest of the loaf.

You will be able to eat the following:

--Meatballs (made with my homemade sauce, no gluten)

--Cucumber bean salad I made when Laura & Caroline were here

--Prosciutto—cheese—apple pieces

--Chicken salad in tomatoes as long as Kraft Mayo is GF…do you know? The other ingredient is greek yogurt then fresh veggies.

--your eggplant nastiness (She doesn't like any eggplant, much less my caponata.  I don't take it personally!)

So I think the only things you will NOT be able to eat are the desserts and spinach dip. I will make sure to prepare everything before I make the dip and make a plate for you and put it in the fridge.

Yay!

Remember when Martha Stewart declared about guests with special dietary needs, 'Oh my God! Don’t ask! My rule is do not ask about dietary restrictions.'

It's easy to understand where she was coming from; it's presumptuous for a guest to expect to be catered to at someone's house or event.  Before living with celiac, I would never expect preferential treatment--and I'm not about to start now.

I adore my friends who honestly tell me, "I will never try to cook for you because I'm worried about cross contamination in my kitchen."

But this? 

This email shows that someone who has not built an empire on being a hostess can offer the kindest gesture to make a guest feel welcome and included at her celebration.

 

How to Peel Large Quantities of Garlic

 

I just recently saw a way to peel large quantities of garlic in a hurry and I had to try it. 

Sure, I have one of those garlic roll-y thingies, but this method is more fun and is faster if you have a lot of garlic to peel:

 

Break off the number of cloves you need.  Place them in two same sized aluminum bowls, one on top of the other... and start shaking.

 

It works! 

I've even used two same-sized aluminum loaf pans instead of bowls. 

I find it works best if you sing when you do it.  Any Beatles, Cars or Outkast song will do.


outkast hey ya from Johnny Wu on Vimeo.

Who All Seen the Leprechaun, Say "Yeah"

 

 

A few weeks back we stopped in a little pub between water polo games.  They had a great beer selection on tap, so I asked if they had any gluten free beers.  The bartender said they didn't have beer but they had a new hard cider on tap that came from a local business. 

I was skeptical.  Ciders tend to be too sweet for my taste.  I'm a beer girl; present tense even though I can't have gluten beer anymore. 

She handed me a glass of cider that was drawn from the tap and said, "It's called 'Leprechaun'.  The company is here in Houston.  I think you'll like it.  It's not too sweet."

I tried it.

I'll try anything, especially if it tugs at my jingoistic pride for all things Texan AND makes homage to my Irish roots.

In the eloquent words of Ana Steele, from the book I call Fifty Shades of Meh,  "Holy cow!"

It was good!  Not just, "I'm-drinking-this-because-I-have-to" good but really, really good!

It reminded me more of a sparkling wine than a cider.  I later read that champagne yeast is used rather than beer yeast in the brewing.  That probably accounts for the slightly drier feel this cider has compared to others.

But it was only a sample.  Would a whole bottle of it be as tasty?

Excited to see that the company has grown from tap-only distribution to having stock in stores, I found some at HEB.   

I've enjoyed every bottle I've purchased so far.  It's not beer but it doesn't have to be beer.  It's good on its own merit.  It  pairs well with spicy foods, (gluten free) pizza, salads, hot summer nights and crispy fall weather. 

The only problem I can find with this cider is that every time I open one my mind goes straight to this...



If you get a chance to try Leprechaun, let me know what you think.

Bottoms up or should I say, "I want the gold!  Show me the gold!"?

Wheat Belly?

 

Someone recently asked me if I had read the book Wheat Belly. 

 

I did my best Mae West impersonation: "Read it?  Honey, I LIVE it."

 

 

The photo above on the left was taken the last time I got glutened.  The photo on the right is me, in the same dress, once the effects of the glutening had passed (it took a few weeks). 

It's a Schar Thing

Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado, Tomato, Onion with Homemade Ranch on Schar Baguette

As someone who loves to cook, I am amazed at my lack of imagination when it comes to making gluten free food that travels; default setting goes straight to sandwiches.

Nothing satisfies like a sandwich.  It's the stuff of which childhood lunch memories are made.  A sandwich is quick, transportable and self-contained. 

For someone with celiac disease, a sandwich is a thing of longing.  It was one of the first and one of the few things I miss.  Not the first; beer being the first.  I can barely type the word 'beer' with out pangs of angst.  Beer first and then, sometimes sandwiches.  See, it takes over.  This blog entry is not about beer.   

I don't miss any particular type of sandwich, it's the comfort, the shape, the familiarity, the ease of making a meal.

Sure I make lettuce wraps now.  Sure I've gotten better at packing left-overs for on the road meals but every now and again I want long for a sandwich.

Many of the sliced gluten free breads leave me cold (and gritty).  I do love Gluten Free Houston's Millet Sour Dough but some sandwiches call for heft like this one:

That picture was taken in La Ferté-Bernard, pre-gluten free me and that is the type of sandwich that comes to me in my dreams.  I thought it was gone from my life forever...

...until my friend found gluten free Schar bread hiding in our local HEB.  She picked up some of their classic white rolls for me to try.  They are wonderful and so I went to buy more.  That's when I found this:

Baguettes!  Gluten free baguettes!  They look and act just like a baguette should!  I've used this bread toasted and slightly warmed.  I've even bitten off a hunk of it right out of the bag.  I may even try to make french toast with it soon.  It's good.  It feels right.  It satisfies my longing.

 

I'm still looking for whole food, grain free options for my dietary mainstays.  But sometimes nothing can beat a Schar thing.