Newfound Celiac

Dangerous Grains Book Review

2010-08-02T18:50:00.000-07:00

I won the book dangerous grains a while back from Adventures of a GF mom . It is such an interesting book. It is amazing to me that celiac disease, type 1 diabetes, and so many other diseases share the same genetic marker. I can't really say that I ~~believe~~ understand how they came to the conclusion that gluten is the actual cause of celiac disease since they really don't offer an explanation. I am not saying it may not be correct because I am NOT a doctor. But, I have never heard anything like type 1 diabetes is caused by sugar and they are both autoimmune disorders. Therefore I think there is just not enough known about it's actual cause to publish it, only what causes the actual symptoms/side effects. I do agree we as humans should not be eating wheat or it's relatives, I don't see an actual benefit to eating wheat even if it doesn't make you sick. I see the benefit of the fiber in the wheat but no benefit of the wheat itself. Without the fiber wheat is just crap! Many other foods have fiber apples, buckwheat, mesquite flour, broccoli, etc. I see it kind of like cows shouldn't be eating corn they should be eating grass. We just shouldn't eat wheat it's not made for us, I don't know who it's made for(definitely not for me)! My husband and I do not have children and honestly I don't know if we ever will. But, if things change for us our child/children would be on a gluten free diet at least until their teens because of the fact that I have celiac disease and my family history of it. Before reading this book I just thought testing would be necessary but with all this new information I have read my thoughts have changed. I now feel like it takes too long for damage to be visual enough for a diagnosis and that genetic testing is not fool proof either. Read this slowly: Since having genetic markers for celiac disease doesn't necessarily mean you'll ever get it and NOT having genetic markers for celiac disease doesn't mean you wont get it either. Childhood is way too important for the development of strong bodies and minds to risk any of that precious time. As a child I had epilepsy seizures, chronic stomach aches, awful motion sickness. Up until recently I still had asthma, chronic sinus infections, chronic bronchitis, joint pain, migraines, body aches, sour stomach, acid reflux, etc. I still suffer from insomnia and muscle/joint pain. Those are just some of the many additional reasons why I think childhood development has a lot to do with the quality of life both during and after childhood. This book has so much great information! I would recommend it to anyone, if they had celiac disease or not, because celiac disease awareness is growing but there is still a long way to go.

***I am not a Dr., this article represents my own personal opinions and should not be taken as medical advice for any situation.

GFree Vanilla Wafers

2010-06-16T19:34:00.000-07:00

I wanted to make banana pudding for my dad's birthday...but, I also wanted to enjoy some too. So I tried a recipe for GFree vanilla wafers. Well I threw it in the trash, to say the very least, it didn't work out to any extent. But, I didn't give up I created my own recipe and it worked out perfectly and the banana pudding turned out great!!! Then someone commented on me making vanilla wafers that went something like this,"you don't have to make those just buy coconut macaroons to put in banana pudding." Or not! I don't know how everyone else feels about this but I want the food I eat now to be exactly or pretty close to what I ate before other than being GFree. I wanted banana pudding not coconut cream pudding. So for anyone out there who misses vanilla wafers or classic banana pudding here it is.

Vanilla Wafers:

1/2 C. butter (room temp.)
1 C. granulated sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
2 Lg. eggs
1 Tbs. vanilla
1 tsp. baking powder
2 1/3 my GF Flour Recipe(found under recipe tab)
2 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum

Preheat oven 350*F

Mix the first five ingredients. In a separate bowl mix the baking powder, my GFree flour mix, and xanthan gum. Slowly add GF flour mix to the wet ingredients until the entire mix is wet. Put into a piping bag with large icing tip or other plastic bag with a small corner cut out. Squeeze dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, about 3/4-inch wide, spaced 1 inch apart.

Bake for 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned on edges.

Yield: About 8 Dozen cookies.

Winner of GF travel bag!!

2010-06-12T22:11:00.000-07:00

The winner is Tricia! Please e-mail or DM(on Twitter) me your mailing address so I can get your prize to you. Winner was picked using RANDOM.ORG. Thanks to all who participated!

GF travel bag giveaway!

2010-05-28T22:49:00.001-07:00

It's Summer so it's time to travel! If you have CD or other gluten issues, you know it can be difficult. The days of stopping at any restaurant or convenient store at any hour to feed yourself are pretty much over after diagnosis. Now when you walk into a convenient store your choices are a little more limited, to say the least. I find it a little difficult when I'm only an hour away from home for the day shopping. I always take snacks with me popcorn, GFree crackers, banana chips,etc. I do still dine out but it can get old fast since choices at restaurants are usually limited; and to be honest a lot of times employees just don't understand gfree even if they have a special menu. Lately I've been quite unlucky at restaurants, I keep getting glutened so I'm a bit burned out. One good thing, is that I've always Been the type of person to take snacks with me everywhere. Another good thing is that I've never really cared for dining out but that's probably due to the fact that I always felt sick to my stomach. I know taking a bag full of snacks with me makes my life easier, so I want to make one lucky persons life easier with a GF tote bag filled with all kinds of goodies!!! Everything in this bag is safe even the sudoku book ;), the sugar daddy's are a Tootsie product so they are not only GFree but also peanut/tree nut free YAY!!! Contest ends on Friday June 11th. I will announce the winner on June 12th.

FOR A CHANCE TO WIN

Give me one of your GFree travel tips or tell me what your favorite snack to take with you is. (leave separate comments for 2 chances to win)
Follow this blog and leave a comment on this post so I know.
Follow me on Twitter comment on this post so I know.
Tweet this: Enter for a chance to win a #GF bag full of goodies at www.newfoundceliac.com comment on this post so I know. (1 chance to win per day, do it as many days as you want for multiple chances)
Email 3 friends about this giveaway and CC me. (3 chances to win) Make sure you still leave a comment on this post to get all your entries. (have lots of friends to this more than once to up your chances)

For those of you that already follow this blog or me on Twitter, leave separate comments for the things you already do if you would like a chance to win this goody bag.

Winner of the magnet!!

2010-05-25T10:19:00.001-07:00

I put all the names in a hat, mixed them around, and had a five year old take one out. Funny way to pick a winner, but I said it would be random!
Sarah you won the magnet!!
Please e-mail me your mailing address and I'll send it out to you.
Thanks to all who participated, there is one more giveaway this month so stay tuned!

What does your GFree fridge look like???

2010-05-20T10:23:00.000-07:00

What does your fridge/pantry look like??? Do you buy two of everything, to avoid cross contamination or do you avoid cross contamination completely by not buying gluten filled foods? My house is completely GFree, I do by the occasional regular loaf of of bread when my little brother comes to visit us. But, other than that there is not any gluten filled foods in my house. My husband eats what I make, other than whatever he eats when he's away from home. I continued to buy some gluten filled foods for about a month after being diagnosed and I personally think it was too stressful! Especially when we had company, I really worried about somebody double dipping in the butter and stuff like that. For me life is just easier without gluten filled foods.

For a chance to win the magnet above:

Comment on this blog
Follow this blog(Comment to let me know)
Or tweet about this giveaway(Comment to let me know)

I will be picking a winner at random on Monday May 24!!! Stay tuned there's one more giveaway this month, I saved the best for last!!!

Winners So Far!!!

2010-05-18T15:04:00.000-07:00

Budgers you are the winner of the book, "Celiac Disease and Living Gluten-free: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed" by Jules E. Dowler Shepard please e-mail me as soon as possible with your mailing address so I can get that to you.
Grace you were the winner of the button so as soon as you e-mail me your mailing address I will send that to you.
Thanks for participating, stay tuned for more giveaways this month, I am putting together a travel goodie bag that will be great for summer traveling!!!

Starting to heal

2010-05-14T10:48:00.001-07:00

Well I had some more blood work done and got the results in a few days ago. Great news anemia is already gone...yay! All my vitamin levels are back to normal too. My body is healing but some other problems have manifested. Sleeplessness is one thing I mentioned before and I think it's slowly starting to subside. The other problem that has arisen recently is body aches. My hands and sometimes my arms and legs hurt so bad that it feels like I have arthritis. Which is a little odd since that's the way I felt before being diagnosed and going GFree. But, yesterday I read this article in Living Without magazine about people who experienced gluten withdrawel symptoms. There's not much medical research on the subject but many people have reported weird experiences after going GFree, I guess for some people things get worse before they get better. I just hope that eventually my body will feel normal, whatever that may be.

This weeks giveaway!!!

2010-05-12T17:57:00.000-07:00

I was diagnosed in February, so since then I have been reading any literature on CD that I have been able to find. There are good books and there are some not so good books out there. When looking in a library you might as well forget it unless you put in a, "I think the library should have this book", request since many of the books will be outdated. Which you can do, it does keep you from buying books that you may not end up caring for. This book, "Celiac Disease and Living Gluten-free: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed" by Jules E. Dowler Shepard is great! It doesn't just have a lot of facts about CD, it also gives you great advice on coping, traveling, holiday's, dining out, talking to friends about CD, parenting a child with CD, GF baking tips, recipes and answers to frequently asked questions. I enjoyed this book so much that this week I am giving away a copy of this book.

For a chance to win this copy:

Leave a comment on this blog: Tell me when you were diagnosed and/or what you still have problems with. For two chances post responses separately.

Follow this blog and post a comment letting me know you've done so.

Post this comment on twitter(1 chance to win daily post a comment each time you've done so)

Enter 4 a chance 2 win a copy of "Celiac Disease and Living Gluten-Free the First Year" by Jules E. Dowler Shepard. www.newfoundceliac.com

I will randomly select a winner Saturday morning. Good luck everyone remember to stay tuned for more giveaway's this month!!!

Win A CD Button and Spread Awareness!!!

2010-05-06T18:06:00.000-07:00

May is celiac awareness month!! Help spread awareness by wearing this button or by letting your tote bag wear it!!! Get people asking questions! For a chance to win this button tell me what your biggest GFree pet peeve is, the best thing that's happened to you since going GFree, or follow this blog. If you leave two comments post them separately for two chances to win. If you follow this blog for a chance to win please leave a comment telling me you've done so. Do all three so you can have more chances to win!!! I will be picking a winner at random tomorrow at midnight good luck and stay tuned there will be a giveaway every Friday during the month of May!

Sleepless nights

2010-05-04T21:33:00.001-07:00

I have had so much trouble sleeping lately. It has been almost two weeks already, so I am starting to think something is really wrong. Could it be my hormones or my anemia? Whatever is going on it's annoying! I got some bloodwork done recently so we can see what my iron, b-12 & folate look like maybe it will show some insight. I am ready for my mind and body to be on the same page. I am really starting to miss Mr. Sandman.

Thing's I took for granted before going GFree

2010-05-01T19:57:00.000-07:00

When being forced to go gluten free because of a diagnosis or for some people who choose to go gluten free, you know that immediately you life has changed for the better and sometimes it feels for the worst. Of course feeling better is the biggest perk when you change your eating habits for medical reasons. But, there are so many other aspects of your life that have to change to fit this new lifestyle by default. Some of them you become so used to that you even take them for granted. Considering the reason why you went out to eat before instead of staying home was to give yourself a break from a stressful schedule, all the sudden you'll avoid dining out no matter what. In the first few months after being diagnosed for me, dining out was definitely stressful to the point that I would rather just not go and keep myself away from the risk of being glutened. Now that I have a little more knowledge about my new diet I am not as scared to dine out but it is still not my first choice. Wow are the prices of GFree foods expensive, four to five times more expensive sometimes. I definitely never made things like vanilla wafers for banana pudding which I found myself doing today. Especially since in my gluten filled past life they where dirt cheap. Why would I make them? Pasta is also expensive and up until going GFree the thought of making my own never crossed my mind. Before I would make homemade bread only as a treat, now I feel that I need to make it from now on since it has become so expensive for me. I had become so comfortable with cooking because I had been trying all types of things for so long and all in one day I was back to a basic menu (meat,veggies,fruits and rice). I am only in my twenties but I have been cooking or attempting to cook since I was in elementary school thanks to 4-H and my mom's patience. I have always made pretty much all of my meals from scratch or semi-homemade. Then all the sudden I had this new list of foreign to me ingredients to work with and sometimes I feel like I'am back at ground zero. When you are GFree there is definitely not much convenience in your life anymore. You can't just stop at a convenience store and expect to be able to feed yourself a decent meal or maybe even anything. So now if your on a trip or going to be away from home for the day you better take something with you. I have to say my new lifestyle has made me more aware of what I put into my body there is nothing I eat, drink or take that I don't read first. With my diagnosis I now have the knowledge and tools to take care of my body the way that I am supposed to and that out weighs all the other stuff, and I thank GOD for that.

GF Flour Mix

2010-04-29T19:35:00.000-07:00

For 10 Cups:

6 cups white rice flour

2 cups potato starch flour

1 cup tapioca

1 cup cornstarch (can use arrowroot)

put in a container or bag and mix well.

Bette Hagmans recipe that I tweaked a bit, I added the cornstarch to help a little more with the texture. I have used this mix successfully for chicken tenders and chicken fry steak and of course waffles.

Poisonous Wedding Cake Gone!!!

2010-04-28T13:52:00.000-07:00

Well my husband and I got married in July 2009 and I did not find out that I have celiac disease until the following February. So of course I ordered two beautiful POISONOUS cakes, since I thought we just had to have a grooms cake as well. We kept the top piece of our wedding cake so we could celebrate our first anniversary together. Well it took me a couple of months to finally throw it out. Why it took me so long I don't know, I guess it was kind of sad that we were not going to be able to celebrate the traditional way or something. But, maybe throwing it out had more than just one perk(not getting sick). It was probably horrible, scratch that is was definitely horrible. I'm sure it would have only tasted like frost bite by the time July rolled around. Plus maybe I will make a new tradition for the two of us on our anniversary. I think I will make us a little GF wedding cake every year fondant and all, maybe it's corny but what the hell. Maybe I can make it just as beautiful as our wedding cake was.

Free E-Cookbook Alert!!!

2010-04-27T23:00:00.000-07:00

You can get a free e- cookie cookbook for free from Jules Gluten Free that's regular $9.95 go snag yours up before the offer's over! Hurry Hurry Hurry!

Here is the link: make sure you use the COUPON CODE: cookie1

http://www.julesglutenfree.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=BOOK-CK&Click=15573

Most annoying thing about GF store bought bread

2010-04-26T13:20:00.000-07:00

The Most annoying thing to me about store bought GF bread is not the texture I can deal with that as long as it doesn't make me sick. What really gets on my nerves is the size of the slices. I mean really just because I have celiac disease my bread slices are now the same size as American cheese. Well I'm not putting up with that anymore, I have tried two recipes from,"Healthy Bread In 5 Minutes a Day", by Jeff Hertzberg MD, & Zoe Francois. There are not many GF bread recipes in this book but the two that I have tried taste great. This is a picture of the GF crusty boule that I made last night.

Buttermilk Waffles

2010-04-14T17:32:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things ever has to be waffles, so that was one of the first things I had to try making since being diagnosed. I checked out, "Gluten-Free Gourmet" (revised edition) by Bette Hagman. She has a really good GF flour blend recipe that I tweaked on a little bit. Well I tried her recipe for buttermilk waffles using the GF flour blend and they turned out great. They looked great and their texture was awesome, they taste like the "real" thing. But don't take my word for it take a shot at the recipe and see for yourself.

1 1/4 cups GF mix

1/4 cup instant milk

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 cup sugar

3 Tbs butter

2 eggs

1 cup water

1 tsp vinegar

Sift the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Cut the shortening until the mixture is very fine. In another bowl beat the eggs, water and vinegar. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Beat gently just until the batter is smooth; do not over beat. Bake on a hot waffle iron. Makes 3 or 4 waffles. My inspiration came from Bette Hagman again this recipe has been tweaked to make me happy.