Extreme diet makover

I'm now a few weeks into my extreme diet makeover. Ok, I'm exaggerating a bit on the extreme part but in reality this is a pretty radical way to change my eating habits. One of the first things I did was go through the pantry and evaluate the food I had.

For those who don't know a lot about gluten and what it is, here is a little lesson:
Gluten is the protein found in certain grains such as wheat, barley, rye and all of their close cousins. It is the sticky that holds things together in baked goods. It can be used in a variety of ways in a lot of products. It is everywhere.

Some of the items in my pantry were obvious offenders such as the cereal and whole grain pastas. Others were a bit tricky like the pre-packaged rice dishes and sauces. Sadly, I had gone shopping a few days before I found out about my new diet requirements so there were quite a few items that were recent purchases. If it was an unopened item that I could not have, it was taken off the shelf. If it was opened then I had to decide whether or not to keep it. The cereal and granola bars stayed since they would be eaten by the loving husband and children. The one positive that came out of this was the Brandon Food Pantry received a larger than usual donation of items. I also went through my canned items to see which ones had to go. I did not have as many of them.

My next task was to go out and buy items that were safe for me to eat. I'm pretty lucky that I only have an intolerance to gluten so if I eat an offending item, I'll suffer intestinal distress but no long-term permanent damage. If I had Celiac Disease then the tiny hairs in my small intestine would suffer damage every time I came in contact with gluten, even the tiniest amount.

One of the handouts I was given at the doctor's office contained a list of foods and terms indicating the presence of wheat and/or gluten. There were 54 items. Some were the usual suspects such as baked goods, cereal, flour, or bran. Other terms were more insidious such as corn bread, soy sauce, graham, and modified food starch. Seemingly innocent items such as soups, or salad dressing were suspect. Oatmeal was another trap. Oats themselves are gluten free but they are usually grown next to wheat fields and harvested using the same equipment and processed in the same facility as wheat so they are pretty contaminated with wheat and gluten. Items that contain oats are not recommended unless the oats are certified gluten free. In addition to the warning about oats, was the information about the use of wheat in spices and seasonings. Even chewing gum and candy can be a problem if wheat is used in the starch or wheat is used in the coating.

At first glance it might seem easy to spot a no no food. Many products are required to list any potential allergens so problem foods are highlighted in bold. If I had a wheat allergy then that would be easy but manufactures are not required to list gluten as one of the highlighted ingredients. I also have to look for the information to tell me if a product is manufactured on equipment that is used in a factory that processes wheat products. I now have the very unenviable task of reading every single food label and searching for ingredients that contain gluten. If I am in doubt then I should assume gluten and avoid the product. An example of items that at first glance look harmless but are on my no eat list are crispy rice cereal and the generic rice chex type cereals. The crispy rice cereal contains malt flavoring which is made from barley. The generic rice chex cereals are made on the same equipment that they use to make the other cereals so there is cross contamination. The name brand rice chex and corn chex is labeled gluten free so it is safe to eat. Soup is also another tricky one. Wheat gluten is used as a thickener for many of them. Many rice dishes have some sort of grain product added to them for extra fiber or flavor so I have to really read carefully. I have found some soy sauces and stir fry mixes that only use soy and not wheat but there are very few of them. Even the chocolate milk drink mix the kids use has wheat ingredients in it.

The good news is fruits and veggies are naturally gluten free so I can have as many of them as I want. Meat is also gluten free so my love affair with juicy steak is unaffected. Over the years I have either avoided or cut way back in eating breaded and/or fried foods so with a few exceptions I won't be missing out on much. However, Mc Donald's uses wheat flour in it's french fries and of course cooks them in the same grease vat as their other breaded stuff so I can no longer have them (sob).

One of the nice things abut living in a larger metro area is the access to stores that sell gluten free (GF) products. The grocery store I do my shopping at has a very nice GF section and they also have bright pink labels on those items that are gluten free. I was also able to schedule a shopping trip with the store dietitian to show me what products I can have and of those, which ones are worth the cost. Unfortunately, items that are specially made to be gluten free are very expensive. I'd also rather not pay $6 for a heat and eat meal that would normally go for $2 on sale if it wasn't GF so I'll just make my own. I haven't tried the frozen pizzas or made pizza crust yet but that is on my to do list. I did find some very wonderful (and horribly expensive) gluten free flour that I can use just like regular flour. I am able to make my favorite baked goods and they taste almost the same. At least I can save some money by not buying those $5 packages of cookies or cookie mixes.

I'm still trying to get used to doing things a new way and at times I get a little frustrated. I'll admit, it is really hard to have to give up certain favorite food items such as donuts or McDonald's french fries. I also have to be careful when I eat out at restaurants. I'm going to try my hardest to adapt to a gluten free lifestyle and still maintain a normal life.

Now if you'll excuse me, I just made a loaf of bread and I want to try it out to see if it is any good.