Living Gluten Free: What Is Gluten?

photo credit

When I began this journey of living gluten free, I didn't realize how hard it is to eat gluten free.  I mean, I knew it would be hard to give up bread, but I didn't know how many ways gluten could sneak its way into the foods I ate. 

I just figured gluten = bread, so I simply had to avoid all breads and bakery items, but that was only the beginning.

After the six week "experiment" was over, I slowly added foods back into my diet to see which ones were really the problem foods.  One attempt at eating yogurt had me convinced that dairy was no longer an option, but I wasn't counting on how much even a small amount of gluten would affect me. 

My dad invited us to join them for his job's summer picnic and I knew there would probably be foods I needed to avoid.  I decided to try some of the meat that looked safe enough (no breading or sauces), but the next day I was wide awake at 4 am with horrible stomach pains.  I was in bed most of the day and it took several days until I felt well again.

Now, I know that greasy foods can upset my stomach, but I was pretty sure it was more than that.  I'd never been in bed all day like that over stomach pains.  As I began to research more, I found that gluten is not just an ingredient in breads. 

Gluten is like glue; it's a protein that binds other ingredients together.  It can be found in the most unlikely places, like chicken breast that is individually frozen and coated with chicken broth or plain old baking soda. 

So, in other words, if I don't know exactly what ingredients are used and how something is cooked, I cannot trust that something is gluten free even if it seems like it should be.  I've had to learn to be a food label detective, looking for a whole list of ingredients that are another way of saying 'gluten'.

As a result, we've learned to adapt a whole foods diet, avoiding almost all processed foods and cooking everything from scratch.  It's a good thing I love cooking!  And, of course, my husband has been happy to test out every new gluten free recipe I try. 

For the first few months, I relied on websites like Simply Gluten Free to figure out how to cook gluten free meals, but now I am pretty good at experimenting and substituting some of our old tried and true recipes to make them both gluten and dairy free. 

Occasionally, I purchase gluten free noodles and breads, but, for the most part, I simply avoid pasta and bread recipes and stick to stir fries (using rice or quinoa), soups, and potato recipes. 

I've also discovered that dairy intolerance kind of comes with the territory when you're gluten intolerant.  Here's how one website explains the connection:

"When you have celiac disease and ingest gluten, the villi along your small intestine walls can become damaged through inflammation. Villi are fingerlike projections that work in the small intestine to increase the organ's surface area. The tip of your villi have on them lactase, an enzyme that breaks down lactose, according to Registered Dietitian Shelley Case. As a result of damage to the villi triggered by the ingestion of gluten, your intestine may become unable to break down lactose."

Some people have asked me how I could have eaten gluten and dairy all my life and only now discovered an intolerance.  Based on the digestive problems I've had my entire life, I'm fairly certain that I've always had a gluten intolerance (and perhaps even Celiac disease, but the verdict's still out on that one).  I just never knew the real source of the problem, until I finally took charge of my health.

The more gluten and dairy I consumed, the more my digestive system was damaged.  It can take years to reverse the damage and there is no real cure, except to avoid gluten and dairy altogether.  A biking friend of my husband explained how a colonoscopy revealed that the villi on his stomach lining were completely flat, even after going gluten free for several months. 

It's scary to think of all the years of damage I've done to my stomach...and, really, to my entire body simply by eating gluten.  I wonder how many health problems could have been avoided if I had known how toxic gluten was to my body. 

Of course, I can't go back and re-do the past...but I can change the future.  And that future, for me, is living gluten free.

Want to hear more about my gluten free and healthy living journey? 

Every Thursday, I will be sharing pieces of my story as part of my Living Gluten Free mini-series. 

 

Living Gluten Free: Now What?

photo source

Years of antibiotics for one illness after another and a current battle with postpartum depression and anxiety wreaked havoc on my gut.  I knew I had to do something, but what? 

The diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome from my doctor proved to be merely an attempt to explain some serious digestive problems that no one really knew the answer to. 

It was like a band aid for a gaping wound and the only real way to "fix" it was to find the source.  I was sick of fighting with my gut and I wanted answers. 

The more I researched, the more I began to wonder if changing my diet was the best - and, perhaps, only - cure.  Website after website suggested that both dairy and gluten were the biggest trigger foods for digestive issues.  I already had experience cutting out dairy in my diet, because I was intolerant to it during both pregnancies. 

The word "gluten" was a mystery to me.  All I knew was that some people talked about being gluten free like it was the latest fad in diets.  I've always struggled with my weight, so the word "diet" was nearly a swear word in my vocabulary.  I had watched my dad try diet after diet and, to me, they were all temporary fixes and no one diet seemed to really promote a changed healthy lifestyle.  So, why in the world would I want to adapt one of the latest diet fads?

Then, I read this:

"Food intolerance, food allergies, and infections are the most common contributing factors in the development of irritable bowel symptoms. Think about it, we bathe the gastrointestinal tract with food 21 times per week.  That food is full of chemicals, viruses, bacteria, etc.  Why many doctors completely ignore this is beyond me.  Common sense dictates that it would be prudent to investigate food as a contributing factor to gut disease."

It was starting to make sense and I was ready to take control of my health.  I decided to start seeking a real cure by figuring out what foods were the source of all my trouble.  The best way to start was a process of elimination, so I came up with a list of possible trigger foods - sugar, caffeine, chocolate, citrus, tomatoes, broccoli, beans, gluten, and dairy - and eliminated them from my diet for 6 weeks. 

The first few days of the experiment, I thought for sure I would starve.  All I could think about were the foods I couldn't eat, instead of enjoying the foods I could eat.  But, less than a week into it, I realized I was no longer fighting indigestion as I tried to fall asleep or waking up in the middle of the night with stomach pain. 

Even my husband noticed a difference.  I had more energy, I was less stressed, and I just generally felt better.  I had forgotten what healthy felt like and I knew that it was no longer just a six week experiment; it was a lifetime commitment to healthy living. 

Want to hear more about my gluten free and healthy living journey? 

Every Thursday, I will be sharing pieces of story as part of my Living Gluten Free mini-series. 

Living Gluten Free: The Beginning

 photo credit

One morning, after years of dealing with a weak stomach and constant indigestion, I woke with a dream memory that I just couldn't shake. 

"Ted, I just had the strangest dream," I told my husband. 

"Huh?" he said, still half asleep.

"I dreamed I had to stop eating gluten," I continued, in a near whisper.  

"Well, that's weird," he declared, voicing my own confusion and disbelief.

"Yeah, why would I ever stop eating bread?  I love bread!" I reasoned, but I couldn't shake the feeling that it was more than just a dream.

For most of my life, stomach aches and indigestion were just a part of who I am.  I stopped drinking sodas in high school, learned to avoid greasy foods in college, and, as an adult, made sure I was always stocked up with plenty of TUMS for those all to common nights when the pains in my gut would either keep me from sleep or wake me in the middle of the night. 

After two traumatic birth experiences and a diagnosis of postpartum depression and anxiety, my gut problems only got worse.  There were days when eating was simply for survival.  I didn't enjoy food anymore, because I knew that I'd be hurting before long.  My husband got all to used to hearing me moan at night as my stomach twisted and turned in pain.

Finally, at one of my now constant doctor appointments, I began to voice all my frustrations and my doctor gave me a diagnosis: irritable bowel syndrome.  She prescribed probiotics and told me to try changing my diet to eliminate trigger foods.   I left in a daze, feeling even more hopeless, with a diagnosis that seemed more like a death sentence than a blessing. 

I began to google IBS and I nearly laughed when the first website I pulled up explained that gluten is often one of the biggest triggers of gut problems.  Maybe that dream wasn't so crazy after all...

***

This post is just the start of a new mini series called Living Gluten Free.  I've had so many questions from friends and family about why I stopped eating gluten, so I decided it was time to share my journey and explain the why, what, and how of a gluten free lifestyle.  I'll even share some of my favorite recipes and how we manage to eat gluten free without breaking the budget.  To follow along, be sure to either subscribe to my blog or like my facebook page so you don't miss a post in this series.  Also, if there's a specific question you have about a gluten free lifestyle, let me know and I'll try to address it in the series. 

 

Premama Prenatal Vitamin Drink Mix Review

 
I was given the opportunity to host a Premama Mommy Party and, since my MOPS table this year is full of moms who are nursing or pregnant, I was excited to share this product with friends.  The long winter days here are making us all a little stir crazy, so this was the perfect excuse for a play date.  I set up the table with some healthy and easy snack foods including carrots with homemade hummus and apple and orange slices.  One of my friends brought some fresh strawberries and granola bars too.  Since the Premama mixes are best mixed with juice, I made some Kool Aid for all of us to drink with our snacks.  My daughter, of course, picked out the pink lemonade and, since we don't often have juice, the kids were excited to have a special treat. 

I've always had a hard time with prenatal vitamins making me sick.  When I was pregnant with Valerie, I just used Flintstone vitamins, because all the prenatal vitamins I tried would make me throw up.  When I was pregnant with Almanzo, a friend told me about New Chapter Perfect Prenatal vitamins.  Because they are made with whole food cultures, it was easier on my stomach.  The only other prenatal vitamins I've been able to handle are those in drink mix form, so I was excited to try Premama Prenatal Vitamin Drink Mixes.

I made the mistake of trying Premama in a plain glass of water the first time and it simply tasted like I was chewing on an actual vitamin.  Gross!  But, the moment I added it to my glass of Kool Aid, I had no idea there was even a vitamin mixed in with it.  My son even snuck a sip of it and didn't know the difference.  My friends also mentioned their own struggles with prenatal vitamins and were just as happy with the Premama drink mix.  Mommy Parties generously sent me enough boxes of Premama to send them each home with their own month supply.

Premama can be added to any juice, milk, or cold beverage, including smoothies.  I'm excited to try it with smoothies, because we love making smoothies in the summer for afternoon snacks.  Smoothies are a great energy boost when we're spending lots of time outdoors in the summer and we enjoy experimenting with different flavors.  I love that I can simply pour a Premama drink mix pouch into my smoothie and get my vitamins for the day at the same time.  I also love that they are gluten free, since I have a gluten sensitivity.  It's an easy to remember option for this busy mom and a great option for any mom looking for an easier to digest prenatal vitamin.  

You can find out more about Premama Prenatal Vitamin Drink Mix on their website and on Facebook.  They often share delicious smoothie and drink mix recipes on their Facebook page including a Cherry-Almond Smoothie and Kisses Chocolate Mousse.  You can find more recipes on their Pinterest page too.  Mommy Parties provided me with free supplies to host my own Premama Party in exchange for my honest review.

 

Happy Family Products Review & Giveaway

As a busy mom of three, I'm always on the lookout for quick, easy, and healthy snacks and lunches.  A simple glance at the ingredient lists of most pre-packaged, processed snack foods reveals a long list of words I can't pronounce that sound more like a list of chemicals that belong in a laboratory.  In the past two years, our family has made a drastic change to our diet, removing most processed foods and focusing more on whole foods and organic foods.  Still, there are days, especially with a newborn, that I long for the convenience of processed foods.

I discovered Happy Family products two summers ago while searching for convenient travel snacks for the many bike races our family attends all summer long.  We fell in love with their squeezable fruit and vegetable pouches, because they are easy enough for the kids to eat on their own without making a huge mess.  Plus, I love that they contain actual fruits or vegetables without the added sugar and preservatives of most processed foods...and they taste good too!

Since then, Happy Family has expanded their product line by adding some great products for growing toddlers including Happy Tot Plus and Happy Tot Meal Bowls.  I was excited to have the chance to review these products, because snack and lunch time with a newborn are often challenging.  The moment I unpacked the Happy Tot Plus pouches, the kids were drooling over them and begging to eat them right away.   Lately, they've become picky about vegetables, so I was happy to see that the Happy Tot Plus pouches combine vegetables and fruit.  They gobbled those pouches right up, without even realizing they were eating vegetables!

The Happy Tot Meal Bowls were a bit more challenging to convince them to eat.  They mumbled and groaned about how they "not like that" before they even took a bite.  But, once they tried them, they both said, "yummy!".  Their favorite meal was the Vegetable Ravioli.  I was surprised to see my picky eaters polish them off without complaining once about eating vegetables.

Are you in search of quick, easy, and healthy snacks and lunches for your kids too?  Happy Family has offered a chance for one of you to win the same prize pack we were sent to review, including coupons for THREE free Happy Tot Plus pouches and FOUR free Happy Tot Meal Bowls.  To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter entries below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: Happy Family provided me with a free prize pack of coupons as well as the giveaway prize pack of coupons in exchange for my honest review of their products. 


 

Gluten-Free, Dairy Free Living: Fruit Pizza Recipe

It's been over a year since I dove head first into this gluten-free, dairy-free life.  It's still a challenge, but I have no doubt it is what is best for my body.  I've been learning to adapt recipes we love and one recipe I was determined to remake was fruit pizza.  For my sister's baby shower, we planned a mostly brunch menu, so a fruit pizza was the perfect addition.  The challenge was in finding a good gluten free all purpose flour that would taste just as good to all the party guests and a topping other than cream cheese.  Baking gluten free remains one of my biggest challenges, but I recently discovered the best gluten free all purpose flour (which also happens to make amazing pancakes).    In lieu of cream cheese, I decided to use frosting and was excited to discover that most of the pre-made frosting mixes in the regular baking aisle were labeled gluten free and found one that was also dairy free.  I made two large fruit pizzas and they were almost completely gone.  I had several requests for the recipe and nobody had a clue it was gluten free.  So delicious!

Easy Peasy Fruit Pizza

1 recipe sugar cookies

1 jar frosting mix

fruit of your choice (I used blueberries, strawberries, bananas, and mandarin oranges)

Prepare sugar cookie recipe per your favorite recipe.  Spread on a pizza tray and cook.  Allow to cool while frosting mix sits out a room temperature.  Once cooled, spread the frosting on the sugar cookie pizza.  Top with your favorite fruit and enjoy!  

Note: This recipe is best prepared immediately before serving...and it really tastes better fresh, so eat it up!

***

Don't forget to check out my 75 (Facebook) Fan Giveaway for a copy of Angie Smith's What Women Fear.


 

More Than Weight Loss: My Journey Towards Healthy Living

I still remember the day my cardiologist told me I was overweight.  I was a shy, self-conscious 13 year old, post heart surgery to repair a birth defect only recently discovered…and I was furious.  Who does he think he is?  My weight is my business! I thought.

But the truth was…I knew I was overweight.  I knew it the day I played dress up with a group of friends and couldn’t fit into a single dress every one of them could easily slide into.  I knew it when I went clothes shopping and often had to shop in the women’s section because the junior’s sizes were too small for me.  I knew it every time I looked in the mirror and the word “fat” jumped out and reared its ugly head at me. 

After the anger and tears wore off, I realized I had to make a choice...

 ***

To read the rest of this post, head over to My Freshly Brewed Life.  I'm guest posting as part of Barbie's Spring In My Step series. 

 

Just Write: Grieving Gluten

When I began this journey of gluten free, dairy free living, I knew it would be hard.  But I didn't expect to feel this weepy about the foods I can no longer enjoy.

Not that we eat out a lot, but now it's nearly impossible.  I can't trust that even if something would be considered gluten free it's not cooked on the same surface as products with gluten or has some sort of hidden gluten in it.

Grocery shopping became a challenge too.  Did you know that the individually frozen boneless skinless chicken breast has gluten in it?  They glaze it with chicken broth and gluten is the thickening agent in chicken broth.

I watched this video yesterday and the doctor said that even a milligram of gluten can be toxic for someone with gluten sensitivity.  One milligram - that's one eighth the size of your fingernail.

I have a feeling if you were to biopsy my stomach lining it wouldn't look pretty.  Because gluten causes the villi to atrophy, or lay flat, preventing your body from getting the nutrients it needs.  It can take a year to heal this, but the damage is reversible.

I started packing for a week away from home to visit my inlaws for Christmas.  I have to pack an entire week's worth of food for myself.  I feel kind of silly explaining it over and over, but I really do have to be careful.  Even a little bit of gluten will cause intense stomach pains that can keep me in bed for days.

I almost started crying in the middle of the grocery store when my husband chastised me for wanting to buy a dozen gluten free organic candy canes for almost $4.  I walked away angry until I finally spilled out the words I was feeling.  "You don't get it.  You can eat whatever you want...but I can't.  All the Christmas cookies, pies, and candies I used to love...I can't eat them anymore.  I can't even eat a candy cane."

He finally looked me in the eyes and said, "If it means that much to you, we can buy those candy canes for you."  It was a little thing, but it meant the world to me.

On Thursday night, we enjoyed a date night thanks to free babysitting offered by the high school girls at our church.  Instead of the usual dinner and a movie away from home, we enjoyed home cooked lobster, quinoa, and sauteed veggies with homemade gluten free, dairy free peppermint chocolate chip ice cream for dessert.  Then we cuddled up on the couch and watched a Redbox movie. 

I enjoy the comforts of home.  I don't like being out of my comfort zone.  Maybe that's why I feel so anxious every time we have to pack up and go somewhere.  Having a date night at home was priceless.

I'm still getting the hang of this gluten free, dairy free lifestyle.  Did you know that 7 out of 10 people have a gluten sensitivity and don't even know it?  Untreated, it can lead to auto immune diseases, the leading cause of death in America.

I sometimes wonder if I do, in fact, have celiacs.  The one blood test came back negative, but that was after almost a month of an almost completely gluten free diet.  In order to test positive, the villi have to be completely atrophied.  But what if the villi are partially atrophied or almost completely atrophied?

Did you know that foods like chocolate, coffee, quinoa, and oats can act like gluten to your body for someone who is super sensitive?  I'm kind of wondering if giving up coffee altogether will cure the remaining stomach pains I've been having.  Or could it be sugar that is cause the remaining pain?  I am so confused.

I can't even remember the last time I had a piece of soft, fluffy bread...or a bowl of macaroni and cheese.  All those comfort foods I used to enjoy...are suddenly toxic to my system.  And the longer I am off of gluten, the more even a little bit of gluten can wreak havoc on my system.  

My goal for the new year: learn to love my gut and take care of it better than I ever have.  Did that sound as weird to you as it did to me?  Maybe if we all loved our guts better than we do now, we'd all be happier and healthier than ever...

***

What I've been reading lately:

dear mom of the little boy with celiac disease

study on gluten sensitivity

IBS caused by gluten sensitivity

gluten sensitivity and IBS

***

Linking up with Heather at The Extraordinary Ordinary for Just Write: The 14th. 

Gluten Free Bread

After over 6 months of gluten free living, I finally found a homemade gluten free bread recipe that I love.  After many failed attempts to make my own bread, this is the first recipe that really worked.  Thank you to my husband's friend, Joe, for sharing it with us.

GF Bread

Measure Ingredients:

1 tbs Yeast

1 & 1/2 cup Brown rice flour

1 cup White rice flour

1/2 cup Teff flour

1/2 cup Quinoa flour

 3½ teaspoon Xanthan gum

¼ cup + 2 tsp sugar

1½ teaspoon Salt

2 large Eggs, well beaten

1¾ cup Warm Water

Instructions:

1. Warm water and 2 tsp to 100-110 to 100-110 degrees and gentle mix in yeast to activate.  Let sit and activate 5-10mins.
2.  Shift all dry ingredients together in large mixing bowl gradually pour in the yeast-water mixture, beaten eggs and mix well, use a rubber spatula to assist.  
3. Once well mixed pour into greased bread pan, cover and left rise until bread has risen to edge or pan. 
4. Bake at 350 for 55 mins.  If top browns too quickly cover with Alum foil.  After the baking cycle ends, remove from the pan and place on a wire rack, flip on side or up-side down to help prevent from falling and allow cooling.

TIP: If the bread starts to sound hollow and is pulling away from the edge of the pan it is pretty much done but this bread is really moist. 

Notes from our friend, Joe: 

Don’t be afraid to play around with other GF Flours like Amaranth, Buckwheat and Oat in place of Teff, White Rice or Brown Rice.

Don’t get frustrated, GF baking takes practice….not sure how many loafs did not turned out before I started to figure things out.

Why Gluten Free?

The moment I tell someone I can't eat gluten, the immediate and very confused response is, "why?".  I'll admit: I was confused too.  But, the more I learn about gluten and the longer I've been gluten free, the more I understand why this is what I need to do.  Still, how do you answer that kind of question?  The short answer is: I am gluten intolerant (which is similar to an allergy but not quite as severe).  The long answer is a lot more complicated. 

I was recently diagnosed (after years and years of digestion issues) with irritable bowel syndrome and interstitial cystitis.  My doctor felt bad diagnosing me, even though it was true, because both are very hard to treat and difficult to live with.  But, at that point, I was so sick of the constant digestion issues, I wanted to do whatever it took to feel better, no matter how hard it was.  The first step was to start probiotics.  I started with Florajen, but recently switched to Align, because it is a stronger probiotic that seems to help a little better.  I noticed a difference when I forgot to take it a few days in a row, because my digestive issues were worse again.

But, probiotics alone still wasn't enough.  So, I decided to do my research.  I started finding blogs and comments on forums about how diet is really the best way to treat all my symptoms.  The funny thing is, a few nights before my doctor appointment I had a dream that I had to start eating gluten free.  I remember telling Ted about it and we both thought, "that's weird".  But the more I researched, the more people said eating gluten free made a HUGE difference in their symptoms.  I also found several people that mentioned going dairy free as well.

I decided to start out with an elimination diet, cutting out all the possible trigger foods: sugar, caffeine, chocolate, citrus, tomatoes, broccoli, beans, gluten, and dairy.  The first few days, I thought I would starve, because I kept focusing on what I couldn't eat instead of enjoying all the things I could eat.  I was also learning just how hard gluten and dairy are to eliminate from your diet.  I started checking labels and learning some of the hidden ways gluten and dairy could be found in foods.  And, less than a week after starting the elimination diet I realized I was finally able to go to bed at night without horrible indigestion that would keep me up or wake me up in the middle of the night.  I had forgotten what that felt like and I started to realize this was probably going to be a lifelong commitment for me. 

After about four weeks, I tried to add some of the trigger foods back into my diet one by one.  I found that small amounts of sugar, caffeine, and tomatoes were okay...but the moment I had my first taste of dairy again, my stomach was in pain.  The first taste of gluten made me feel even worse and then it took several days before I felt well again.  I determined that, no matter how hard it was to cut out gluten and dairy permanently from my diet, it was worth it to be feeling better again.

There have still been many obstacles along the way.  Eating out or simply going to a family gathering or party that involves food presents a huge dilemma for me.   I've had to learn to pack my own food or ask the host/hostess exactly what is being served (which is really hard for me to do, because I feel like a burden or a nuisance...but if I won't stand up for my health, how can I expect anyone to?).  I pretty much avoid all processed foods too, because, besides being filled with preservatives and food dyes, they are filled with hidden sources of gluten and dairy.  I've learned to make a lot of things from scratch, because even canned foods that make cooking easier can cause problems for me. 

The way something is cooked can trigger my symptoms all over again too, because if it's even a little bit greasy or fried, I can't handle it.  Several weeks ago, I ate some meat at my dad's work party.  I wasn't completely sure how it was cooked, but I figured it was the safest option for me that day besides the fresh fruit.  The next morning I was wide awake at 4 am with horrible stomach pain.  I missed my husband's bike race and spent most of the day in bed.  It took a few days before I felt 100% again. 

Gluten can also be found in the most unlikely places, like soy sauce or baking powder (who knew?).  When I initially thought about a gluten free diet, I thought I would only have to eliminate bread and baked goods, but it is so much more than that.  Wheat can often be disguised as semolina, durum, spelt, kamut, triticale, or einkorn.  Potato bread, which used to be one of my favorite breads, still has wheat in it.  Foods that include dextrin as a thickening agent also contain gluten.  And, I've only begun to research the ways gluten can be found in medications, household products, makeup, and other toiletries.

People often ask me, "what is gluten?".  Gluten is basically protein used in breads as a bonding agent and in other foods as a thickening agent.  Because it is such a commonly used ingredient, I have to be super cautious about ingredients, but even then gluten can be hidden without my knowledge.  Foods that are processed in the same facilities as wheat products can be cross contaminated and, depending on a person's intolerance level, can also cause symptoms to flare up.

My husband asked me once, "but you've been eating gluten and dairy all your life...how come all of a sudden you can't eat gluten?"  In reality, I've been gluten and dairy intolerant all my life, but I never knew it for what it was.  I can remember, as early as middle school, feeling bloated or having indigestion after eating greasy foods like pizza or movie theater popcorn.  I stopped drinking soda in high school and in college I would have stomach aches for days that I could never quite pinpoint the cause of.  Eventually, it became so unbearable because the gluten and dairy products I had eaten all my life had wreaked havoc on my digestive system.

My husband's biking friend talked to me recently about why he went gluten free too.  He said he never really felt like he recovered after a long bike ride, because he would come home and eat a big dish of carbohydrates like pasta or bread and always felt like his stomach hurt no matter what he did.  He started researching gluten free diets and started slowly changing his diet.  But, after a while, he added a little bit of gluten back into his diet and, before he knew it, it was wreaking havoc on his digestive system.  He went in for a colonoscopy and the doctor's discovered that the villi in his stomach lining were completely flat.  So, even though he was mostly gluten free, his stomach was still so damaged by all the gluten he had consumed over the years that it would be a long process of eating 100% gluten free in order to reverse the damage.

He also explained that most dairy intolerance are actually a result of an intolerance to the protein casein found in most dairy products.  Gluten and casein sensitivity are so closely linked, because they are often found together.  I came across this blog recently and have started to wonder if I really have a problem with casein in milk rather than lactose, because I can't even tolerate a small spoonful of yogurt or ice cream without feeling miserable afterward.  I still have a lot to learn, but I am even more confident that making the necessary changes in the way I eat and the foods I eat will have a lifelong effect on my health.

A Gluten Free, Dairy Free Lifestyle

It's been four months since I first cut out all dairy and gluten from my diet.  It's been a challenge and a learning process.  The first week, I thought I might starve, because I was being super strict about what I could and couldn't eat in an effort to cleanse my body.  But, I also noticed that for the first time in a LONG time I didn't have serious indigestion that would keep me up at night.  After the initial 6 week cleanse, I attempted to add in some dairy and gluten, but started to have the same digestion problems again, so it just confirmed to me that this is the right path for me.

Sometimes it's hard to explain to other people why I don't eat gluten or dairy, because sometimes it is even hard for me to understand.  I spent the past 27 years eating all the gluten and dairy I could.  I loved yogurt and bread was my go-to comfort food.  So why am I just now figuring out that gluten and dairy are not good for me?  I've struggled with indigestion and stomach problems for years, but they weren't always as bad as they are today.  I think the more gluten and dairy I fed my body, the more it caused damage to my digestive system.  It wasn't until my doctor said the words "irritable bowel syndrome" to me that it all made sense.  I've had it all my life but never knew what it was or why I had so many stomach problems.  And it just got to the point where I finally had to do something about it.

I soon realized that this is going to be a permanent thing for me, which took me some time to accept.  It was like I needed to grieve all the foods I used to love eating.  I had to grieve going to family gatherings, parties, or restaurants and eating whatever I wanted.  Now, any time we are gone over a meal time I have to plan ahead to make sure there will be food for me to eat.  Thankfully, my family has been so supportive.  My sister, Melissa, made sure our restaurant choice for our sister, Kelly's bachelorette party had gluten free options for me.  My mom buys gluten free bread when we visit and checks with me before cooking to make sure I can eat what they are having.  And my hubby is always my biggest cheerleader, praising the new gluten free recipes I've been trying and making sure I have food to eat wherever we go. 

I've also found so many resources to help me along the way.  One of my favorite websites for recipes is Simply Gluten Free.  I have tried many of the recipes and we've loved every single one.  I've also made use of our public library to find cookbooks about eating gluten free, cooking for IBS, and allergy free meal planning.  Since I've begun this journey, I've also found huge support from friends and family on Facebook cheering me along the way and sharing resources from their own experiences or from friends they know who eat gluten free.  And my latest favorite resource is Pinterest.  Are you on Pinterest?  I love it and have been saving all the gluten free, dairy free recipes I can find there or recipes I can adapt to make them gluten free and dairy free. 

It's certainly been a challenging journey, but it's worth it.  Isn't that what life is all about?

Running with Asthma

When I was 5, I was diagnosed with asthma, both allergy induced and exercise induced.  I remember sitting in the ER on several occasions in the middle of an asthma attack waiting for a nebulizer treatment so I could breathe again.  Not being able to breathe is the scariest feeling. 

And that fear turned into a fear of exercising or doing anything that might trigger my asthma.  In gym class, I was often sitting on the sidelines watching the rest of my classmates participate and escaping to the nurses office to take my inhaler the moment I started wheezing.  Every year, when we had to run the mile, I walked it, because the moment I tried to run, my asthma kicked in at full force. 

I was always sick.  I caught ever cold going around school, which often resulted in bronchitis and a bad asthma attack.  I never had as much energy as my classmates or even as my brothers and sisters.  I just believed that's the way it would always be for me.  

When I was 12, my doctor discovered I had a heart defect called coarctation of the aorta.  For some reason, it didn't show up until my body started to grow into adolescence.  It put enough stress on my heart that my blood pressure in my right arm became really high and my blood pressure in my left arm because really low to compensate.  I was dizzy, lightheaded, and tired all the time.  I could barely walk around the block. 

At 13, I had open heart surgery.  The surgery was a success and suddenly I had energy I never had before.  My asthma improved, possibly because many of the symptoms we always attributed to my asthma were a result of the heart problem instead.  I was given a clean bill of health by my cardiologist and suddenly had the ability to do things I could never do before. 

But that fear has never left me.  I've always been afraid to try or push myself, because of the fear of not being able to breathe.  I always said "I can't run" and believed it. 

In the last year, I've discovered a love for exercise and working out.  I joined the Y and began to attend classes like spin class, Zumba, water aerobics, Pilates, and step aerobics.  I began to overcome my fear of exercise, but I was still afraid of running.

I started to notice several mommy friends talking about running and heard about the Couch to 5K program, a 9 week program designed to help someone who's never run before ease into a running routine and build up the endurance to run a 5K.  I was curious, but dismissed the idea, because I thought "But I CAN'T run!" 

But the idea kept bugging me.  I wondered if maybe I really could run.  I wondered if it was possible for me to train for a 5K.  I talked to my husband about it and he said "You can do it."  I talked to my brother, who also has exercise induced asthma and overcame it to run a full marathon.  He said "I believe in you." 

And, suddenly I began to believe it too.  So, this morning, I woke up when my husband's alarm went off, put on some workout clothes and my tennis shoes, and ran.  I actually ran.  I still can't believe it.  It's going to be hard, but I'm ready to conquer this.  I'm training to run a 5K...and I still can't believe I'm saying it. 

Tot School: A is for Alligator

Today, for tot school, we learned about A for alligator.  I tried to get miss V to say alligator, but she said it was too hard.  She still had fun coloring in her alligator worksheets, tracing the letter A, and making an alligator puppet.  I also got some great workbooks from my mother-in-law.  They are perfect, because they teach simple skills a 2 or 3 year old can learn like coloring in the white space in a picture or drawing a line from one dot to the next without touching the other pictures on the page (kind of like a maze).  I was impressed at how well she can do these worksheets.  She loves them so much, she will sit for almost a half hour working on it.

While miss V worked on her tot school projects, I gave my little man some stackable blocks to play with and then he asked for some crayons and paper to color.  I let him use the homemade crayons I made earlier in the week, because they were the perfect size for his chubby little hands.  It was so cute to watch him concentrating so hard on drawing a picture.  

I was also super excited today to have three big boxes delivered to my house from my Wildtree launch party.  I had a $500 show and earned a TON of free stuff!  Check out my facebook page for more information about hosting your own show and cooking the Wildtree way.  I seriously love this business!

How to Freeze Produce

After my last post about freezing produce, I thought I'd share some things I've learned about what produce to freeze and how to freeze it as well as some other fun freezer recipes I've discovered. 

First, here is a list of the produce I've frozen so far:

• apples
• strawberries
• rhubarb
• zucchini
• peppers
• squash
• green beans
• corn

Most of the produce I froze was really easy and required no cooking.  For the apples, I simply cut off the peel and core and chopped them into small pieces just like I would do to make an apple pie.  Then, I froze the pieces in ziploc bags to be made into apple desserts all winter long.  The strawberries, rhubarb, zucchini, peppers, and squash were even easier.  All I did was cut off the stems and chop them into small pieces before freezing in ziploc bags.  The zucchini, peppers, and squash are great to use in stir fry or soup.  The rhubarb and strawberries can be used to make bread, pies, or smoothies.

The green beans take a little more time, but it's worth it to have fresh green beans in the winter.  First, you have to tip the beans, which always makes me think of Ted's stories of having "bean tipping parties" when he was younger.  It was his moms way of making them think it was a fun thing to do, when really it's just tedious and monotonous work.  But, it's much better than buying store bought beans, so I was glad to have my own little "bean tipping party".  After tipping the beans, I cut them into small pieces (the size we like to eat) and then blanched them.  To blanch green beans, boil a pot of water and then add the green beans.  Cook for three minutes and then quickly transfer to a pot of ice and ice cold water to stop the cooking process.  This way the green beans are only partially cooked, so they are all ready to be frozen and fully cooked another day.

The corn was a little easier than the green beans, but still requires cooking.  Basically, I cooked the corn on the cob in a pot of boiling water.  When it was finished cooking and cooled down enough to touch, I cut the corn off the cob and froze it in ziploc bags.  The frozen corn can be used for stir fry, soup, or chili.

Since I don't have much room in my kitchen or a big pot for canning, I decided to try some freezer canning.  I found this recipe for freezer salsa and decided to use all the tomatoes, peppers, onions, and jalapeno from our produce share before they got rotten.  I only had one jalapeno, so I improvised by adding some of Wildtree's salsa seasoning.  It added just the right amount of spice to the salsa - so good I had to stop myself from eating it all before I froze it!  I found a few ziploc freezer containers and then used some of the jars left over from last year's canning projects to freeze 7 containers of salsa.  I can't wait to enjoy them in the winter!

I've made apple butter before while canning applesauce, but decided to freeze some this year along with some pumpkin butter.  I found this recipe for pumpkin butter that I'm cooking today to freeze for the winter (or eat now, because it looks SO good!)  Both recipes use a slow cooker making it super easy to cook, because you just throw all the ingredients in a crockpot and let it cook all day long.

Next year I'm going to attempt some freezer jam with a friend of mine and later this month I'm going to do some actual canning of applesauce with my mom and sister.  I also have pears from our pear tree to make pear sauce this year. 

Freezing Produce

This year, thanks to the generous weekly supply of produce from our CSA produce share, the abundance of zucchini growing in our garden, and some delicious fresh local produce at the farmer's market, I decided it was a good year to start freezing and canning for the winter.  I plan on canning the pears from our pear tree as well as applesauce and salsa, but freezing is much easier to do on a week to week basis.  So far, I have frozen green beans, peppers, apples, rhubarb, zucchini, squash, and corn.  I spent the day at my sister's yesterday and we had had fun freezing all our farmer's market produce.  What produce do you can or freeze for the winter?  I'd love some more ideas!

Cooking the Wildtree Way

I've shared here before about how much I love Wildtree, but I've finally taken the plunge and signed up to be a Wildtree representative.  I'm SO excited!   I use Wildtree products all the time, because they are all natural and free of any preservatives, dyes, or other artificial ingredients.  I have been thinking about signing up, but last month was the incentive I needed, because the kits were half off for the month of July.

Some of you might be wondering, what is Wildtree?  I wondered the same thing when I first heard about it.  My aunt Bonnie invited me to a show and, for some reason, I thought it was a wine tasting.  Weird, I know.  I'll blame it on mommy brain!  Anyways, when her show was rescheduled and she included a link to the website, my curiosity got the better of me.  I clicked on the link and I was instantly intrigued.

Wildtree was started by a woman named Leslie Montie.  Her children were diagnosed with medical conditions that required a drastic change in their diet.  As she searched for healthier options, her parents began helping her experiment with new ways to flavor and prepare food.  They began selling their specialty blends at local cooking fairs and before she knew it she had created a business that is helping families all over the United States cook and eat in ways that are healthier and better overall.

I still remember at the first tasting party I went to, we were shown a regular packet of taco seasoning.  The Wildtree representative pointed out an ingredient I'd never heard of before: monosodium glutamate (MSG).  She then held up a little white packet that came from a box of brand new shoes.  We've all seen those little packets before and made sure to throw them away, because they say "Do Not Eat".  On further inspection, we all realized it contained the same ingredient as the taco seasoning: MSG.  I was completely appalled and began a mission of finding out what was really in the foods we eat everyday.  I love cooking with Wildtree, because I know exactly what is in the food I am eating and I know it doesn't contain any artificial ingredients that would harm my weak stomach.  And, I love that my whole family is eating food that is natural and healthy.

Interested in learning more about Wildtree?  Check out my facebook page or my website.  I'm also hosting a double launch party to kick off my new business on August 16 (6-8 pm) and August 18 (6-8 pm).  If you can't come or are not in the area, you can still order straight from my website (and straight to your home if you choose).  Just go to this link to order directly from my launch party. 

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Pea Shoot Pasta

We decided to join a CSA (community shared agriculture) this year, so every week we receive a box full of fresh, local produce.  This week's box contained green garlic, bok choi, pea tendrils, spring mix (lettuce), radishes, turnips, strawberries, and spinach.

So much deliciousness! 

I've never been a huge fan of radishes, but there was a recipe in this week's newsletter for Pea Shoot Pasta.  I decided to give it a try and it was better than I expected.  The best part is it can be eaten cold, so I'm going to pack the leftovers for tomorrow's bike race.  Yum!

Ingredients:

• 8 oz Gluten Free macaroni
• 1 cup sliced radishes
• 1 cup chopped pea tendrils
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 green garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup Vegenaise
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• salt/pepper
• 1 Tbsp dill 
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup chopped cooked chicken

Cook pasta according to directions.  Drain and add peas, pea shoots, radishes, and meat.  In another bowl, combine Vegenaise, almond milk, dill, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and green garlic.  Mix well and pour over pasta and vegetables.  Chill and enjoy.