STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

(wow this is long, but there is so much to say about gluten free eating!)

Hello. I am glad to hear your mom may have some relief coming from these diet changes. It will be hard to acclimate, but it will be so worth it. DH was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2005. He, too, complained of stomach problems for years and years. Eating gluten-free has been so helpful for him. His digestive tract is healed, and he has very few problems these days. He just has to stay away from gluten.

High fructose or high fructose corn syrup - or both? Because gluten hides in many fillers, thickeners, flavorings, and additives--all things that are found commonly in processed foods, also cutting out the HFCS will be relatively easy. Naturally, eating gluten free leads to cleaner eating overall -- which will almost automatically reduce/eliminate the HFCS. Gluten-free snacks (cookies, chips, etc.) are a nice addition to one's diet, but they should not be the main source of food. Real, fresh, whole foods (fruits, vegetables, meats, safe grains, etc.) are best.

Restaurants: It was hard at first, mainly, because DH was diagnosed when few restaurants were paying attention to food allergies and sensitivities. DH developed a statement that he used at almost every place.
I am thinking of having the salmon dinner. I have a severe allergy to wheat and gluten. Can you tell me if this dish is gluten-free, or could you check with the chef to make sure I can have this?
Or
I have a severe allergy to wheat and gluten. Can you help me find something on the menu that I can have?
He is always sure to refer to it as "a severe allergy" so that people get the importance of keeping gluten off of his plate, and for help backing him up when he has to send something back. Also, saying "severe allergy" keeps you out of discussions about Celiac vs. wheat allergy vs. a lifestyle preference. When servers  hear "severe allergy," they should hear a little alarm go off in their head.

Be prepared for:
- Servers forgetting 30 seconds after you tell them. They'll come back around with complementary bread in their tongs, ready to drop it on your plate. They're just on auto-pilot, and DH gently reminds them.

- Cooks still placing the toast or roll on the plate even though your sever asked them not to. They're also on auto-pilot. My husband has to be very strict about eliminating all gluten. If he receives a dish that has accidental bread on it, he usually has to say, I'm sorry. I cannot eat this because of the bread on the plate. I need a new plate or order, please. (he usually apologizes, too, to ease the blow)
As you can imagine, this can be very hard. There have been several times where I had my meal, and he has had to wait for his to come out again because of a mistake. I don't like to make waves (to almost a fault, but I have gotten used to this (somewhat)). The key is to be very gracious about it when you have to send something back.

- Servers not quite grasping what foods contain gluten. You'll hear things like, but you can have rice, right?  and This has cherries in it, is that okay?  Depending on where you live and what kind of restaurant you are patronizing, this can happen a lot. More health departments are requiring comprehensive allergy and contamination training in their ServeSafe programs. It's getting better.

- Some restaurants just not being friendly to Celiac/gluten-free diets. If you go to Fried-Food-a-Rama Restaurant in a teeny town somewhere, they may not have any food on the menu that you can eat.

- For mistakes that you don't catch in time. Last week, my husband ordered a salad from a restaurant. Half way through, he bit into a fried noodle that they often put in Asian dishes. He spit it in his napkin, went to the men's room and swished his mouth out with water. He stopped at the drug store for some Pepto Bismol (a HUGE lifesaver for him and his stomach). He keeps the Pepto Bismol tablets in his wallet, just in case. It's up to you to decide whether or not to mention this to the restaurant. If it was an obvious case of poor food handling in a place where that is completely unexpected (like, if you found a crouton in your risotto that you ordered off of a gluten-free menu), then you should alert your server. If you (like in my husband's most recent experience) got a to-go salad during a busy, late lunch from a restaurant that builds your salad from a salad bar, then you might skip it. Eating from a restaurant where ingredients are flying is a kind of "at your own risk" type of situation.

- Servers who want to hang out and chat about gluten / Celiac Disease: Oh! My sister has Celiacs. She really loves Pamela's Pancake Mix...
While it's fun and nice to make a connection, sometimes you just want a quiet dinner.

At home/friends/family's houses: Work with the host before you come over. If you're attending a party. and are not in a position to alert the host prior to your arrival, eat a heavy snack before. Be prepared to not be able to eat anything at some parties.

If you are at a gathering, and there are foods at the buffet you can eat, try to be first or close to first-in-line. That way, you have access to the safe foods before they have been contaminated by serving utensils, people dropping croutons in the green beans, etc.

A dietician who specializes in gluten-free nutrition counseling has been extremely helpful.

There are plenty more tips, but here are some more reputable sources for info.
http://www.celiacdiseasecenter.columbia.edu/C_Doctors/C07-Management.htm
http://www.celiac.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11&Itemid=16
http://www.gluten.net/diet.php

The book, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You about IBS, has a list of fruits and vegetables categorized by lowest, low, and moderate sugar content. This book might be helpful, even though it is targeted at IBS.