Delicious Bread Gluten Free Bread

I recently discovered this bread in the freezer section at Draeger's Market:  Natural Food Works Sandwich Bread.  I cried when I tasted it because the texture and smell reminded me of "real bread" which I haven't had in one year and never will again. Look at it!  It actually has flavor unlike so many gluten-free breads.  It's moist, holds together well, and smells like yeast.  Just as I remember. My favorite way to have it is toasted with butter and jam.  

My daughter is the taste testing expert.  The look on her face when she had a bite said it all.  She had a huge smile and twinkle in her eye:  "Mom! this is fantastic!"  Off she went to school with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a spring in her step. 

Favorite Gluten Free Cupcakes

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Our family's favorite fancy gluten free cupcakes are Kara's Cupcakes.  A few weeks after I was diagnosed my friend told me I must go to Kara's and have a treat.  I walked into this sheik store front and was looped by the smell of confection churning behind the decorated counter.  I eyed the glass dome guarding the select few cupcakes next to a gluten free sign.  Not just one flavor but several options!  I chose the chocolate.  It was deliciously rich, tender with a sweet crumb, and overwhelmingly satisfying.

I thought my pastry days were over but the discovery of Kara's gave me a spring in my step and hope for better tastes to come.  I buy a few cupcakes at a time and keep them in the freezer for my daughter to take one when she is invited to a birthday party.  The tiny cakes look as special as a piece of birthday cake so she doesn't feel left out.  

What are your favorite gluten free cupcakes? 

Intestinal Distress From Gluten

This is an uncomfortable topic to post because it isn't very pleasant to talk about. But, I feel I must share because someone may have the same symptom and this could help.  

Occasionally I had diarrhea that was violent.  The timing was always about 2:30am. I would be awaked by painful cramps.  My legs shook turbulently and sweat weeped down my forehead.  After the exhausting elimination, I felt so much better. I just thought that I had eaten too much.  I never suspected gluten.  This went on for 35 years.

The summer of 2012, a few months before I tested positive for gluten intolerance, I was the sickest I've ever been.  I was stuck in the bathroom with vomit and diarrhea for over 3 hours.  I couldn't stop and started to vomit blood.  I felt something was terribly wrong.  I thought I was going to die.  We called the paramedics because I couldn't leave the bathroom to go to the emergency room.  Strangely, I didn't have a fever and couldn't keep down the anti nausea medication given to me.  Six hours later I was fine and only weak.  I know that it was my body's reaction to gluten.  It wasn't food poisoning because no one else in the family was sick. 

It has been a full year now without gluten and, no surprise here, no more diarrhea.  I still marvel.  I never thought of myself as having intestinal issues because the diarrhea was only every few months or so.  I wasn't the normal specimen.  In fact, most people have varied symptoms.

Let's keep sharing. 

Sleeping Better on Gluten-Free Diet

My daughter gave up eating gluten at the age of 8.  She had a lab test after my diagnosis, and her results were also positive.  Gluten sensitivity runs in our family.  

Ever since my little one was a baby, she had a very difficult time falling asleep. She just couldn't settle down.  A few weeks after leaving gluten behind, her 3rd grade teacher asked how things were going being "gluten free."  My daughter's response was "Oh, it is much easier to pay attention in class, my behavior has improved, and I'm able to fall asleep when it's bedtime."  

Wow!  I felt so happy.  I had no idea that she had noticed a difference in her sleep patterns.  This was a new symptom to me.  I always thought that I was doing something wrong as a mother because my daughter took over an hour to fall asleep. It had become a struggle.  I knew that if she didn't get enough sleep that she would be quite cranky the next day.  We had many days filled with intense behavior, and my only offense was to be sure she had enough sleep.  The full amount of sleep was always rare.

My mother, who is in her 70s, has also left gluten in the dust.  Again, being that gluten sensitivity can be genetic, my mom was tested after my diagnosis.  Sure enough, she is also gluten sensitive...think of that...3 generations...child, mother, and grandmother.  Several weeks after no gluten, my mom also experienced a difference in her sleep.  She was astonished because for the first time in her life she was able to lay down and fall asleep easily at night.  Family and friends recall when my mom was a child she had the hardest time falling asleep.  

What a relief for my mom and daughter.  Just think of how many years they have combined of trying to fall asleep.  Our household evenings are no longer run by gluten!  :) 

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Let's Name This Gluten Disease

Gluten Free, Gluten Zero, or No Gluten...what shall we call this disease?  Or is it a condition or syndrome?  I strongly believe that gluten sensitivity needs a proper name.  It is confusing to all of us who are gluten sensitive or intolerant to gluten or titled "non-celiac gluten sensitive."  It is different from Celiac Disease and can be devastating and destructive to one's health.  I believe it would be better recognized and respected if there were a simple name that was adopted by the medical community.

I suggest the name be "Ford's Disease."  Dr. Rodney Ford is a gastroenterologist and pediatrician who has been practicing for over 30 years.  He is a pioneer in the research and understanding of how gluten from wheat, barley, and rye makes people sick.  Dr. Ford listens to his patients and tests for gluten sensitivity.  His findings and practices are making people well.  It will take some time for the word to spread and for doctors to start educating themselves about a newly discovered disease.  It is time to start paying attention.

One thing is for sure...people don't like change. Let's make it easier by calling this disease a specific name:  Ford's Disease.

Start sharing your stories with others.  We are on the edge of a revolutionary way of eating.