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New year, new you!

12/30/2013

Everyone loves a fresh start. This could be yours. You have seen and heard of possible links between your ailments and gluten, but haven't really given it up to find out if it may help you. This is your chance. You can decide today to have a shot at a better tomorrow.

I know the thought of giving up gluten seems SO hard, but just take it one day at a time, one meal at a time. Focus on getting through one day, then one week, then one month. If you start to feel better you will be motivated to continue and you could end up feeling better than you ever imagined.

You can do this! You may find a better quality of life. It's hard, but it's worth it. You deserve to feel better!

Happy New Year!!

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These are a few of my favorite things...

12/23/2013

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I am asked all the time for recommendations of my favorite gluten-free foods. Well, my favorites are really the things that are naturally gluten-free like vegetables, meats, beans, quinoa, rice, fruit, etc. There are many foods without gluten if you look around and keep it simple. However, there are times when you just need convenience or crave a certain food that you used to have when you ate "normal" food.

I was grateful for any advice about great products to try when we first went gluten-free. So here are several of our favorites:
Pamela's Baking & Cookie Mixes
Udi's Sandwich Bread (I keep mine in freezer and prefer it toasted)
Udi's Dinner Rolls, Hamburger & Hot Dog Buns, Bagels, etc.
Amy's Gluten-Free Frozen Burritos & Wraps
Van's Gluten-Free Frozen Waffles
Perdue Breaded Chicken Breast Tenders
Foods By George Gluten-Free Cheese Pizza
Tinkyada Brown Rice Penne Pasta (the Fusilli is also a favorite)
Thai Kitchen Rice Noodles
Gluten Free Cafe Soups
DeBoles Lasagne Noodles
King Arthur Flour Gluten Free Muffin Mix
Goodbye Gluten Sandwich Bread
San J Gluten Free Tamari Soy Sauce (also in little packages to take out for sushi!)
Ken's Salad Dressings
Annie's Rice Pasta & Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese (stove top, NOT microwave bowl)
Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix
Quinoa
Rice Crackers

And, for those also staying away from dairy...
Daiya Cheese Shreds (great when melted)

Hope these are helpful for you as you navigate through the choices of gluten-free foods. Now, I would love your feedback! Please share your favorite gluten-free products in the comments section below...

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Could you be better off gluten?

12/16/2013

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I believe that there are many, many people who may find they are better off gluten - better from a long list of ailments, symptoms, and life-impacting illnesses. You can find a list of some symptoms and disorders that gluten may to contribute to here. My goal is to bring awareness to those who are needlessly suffering and offer a way to find out if gluten may be impacting them.

"Oh, I tried going gluten-free, but it didn't work for me." This is something I often hear when people learn that I am gluten-free. I always want to find out more, like what did they "try" and how did they determine "it didn't work?" Knowing that it can be complicated to determine if someone would be better off gluten, I wonder if they have given it a fair shot.

Here is a list of points that I want to share with anyone considering a gluten-free diet:

What is your motivation for wanting to try a gluten-free diet? Do you have specific symptoms or issues that you are hoping to alleviate or improve?

Have you spoken to your doctor about the symptoms/issues? Do they think you should be tested for celiac disease or anything else prior to omitting gluten from your diet?

Celiac disease can only be tested for if you have been and are currently eating gluten. Removing or limiting it from your diet prior to testing will affect a proper diagnosis. Ruling out celiac disease should always be considered before eliminating gluten. However, there is NO medical test for gluten intolerance/sensitivity.

Finding out if gluten is an issue for you is not as simple as watching for a pattern of cause and effect like determining a food allergy or lactose intolerance. You are unable to see a direct connection to the damage/symptoms gluten creates while it is part of your diet.

The only way to truly know if it may be causing your symptoms is to remove it completely from your diet for a minimum of 6-8 weeks and see how you feel.

Remove ALL sources of gluten from your diet – obvious as well as “hidden.” Simply reducing or limiting the amount of gluten you eat will NOT help you determine if gluten is contributing to your symptoms.

Once off of gluten, be very aware of how you are feeling. A journal to track what you are eating and how you feel is very helpful to noticing small improvements as well as any pattern to reactions where gluten may be slipping into what you eat.

Several weeks into your gluten-free trial you may decide to “test” yourself by having a cracker or cookie or piece of bread. If you are sensitive to gluten you will likely have a reaction to the gluten within hours or a day or so. This is what we call being “glutened.” These reactions can include a wide number of things: nausea, diarrhea, stomach pains, bloating, dizziness, brain fog, fatigue, headache, hives, heart palpitations, etc.

If none of these things happen when you are COMPLETELY gluten free and challenge yourself with gluten after 2, 4, 6 weeks, then you are likely not gluten intolerant. Though if you have an auto immune disorder I would still suggest sticking with it to reduce the risk of developing further auto immune disorders.

However, if you notice that you are getting reactions from gluten being reintroduced into your diet then you are likely gluten intolerant/sensitive. After gluten is removed from your diet for several weeks and your body starts to heal, you may notice you are feeling better. Some people find immediate changes to their symptoms but for most, improvement is very gradual over the course of weeks, months, and even years.

So after really "trying" a gluten-free diet then ask yourself... Are you feeling even a little bit better from any of your previous symptoms? If so, then stick with it, you will be glad you did!!

I would love to hear from you in the comments below - Have you tried a gluten-free diet? What was your experience? Do you have any specific questions for me about going gluten-free?

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Gluten-free, migraine-free?

12/9/2013

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Since going gluten-free I have thankfully been migraine-free! This was one of many unexpected benefits of being off gluten that has improved my quality of life. The more research I did about gluten intolerance, I discovered a well documented link between gluten and migraines. I wish I had known years ago that gluten could be contributing to my migraines. I want to spread awareness of the gluten/migraine connection in hopes that others will find the same life changing relief.

I began suffering from migraines in my early 20's. They were severe, debilitating, and often would last days. At times, I would be in so much pain and dehydrated that I would end up at the hospital for a cocktail of drugs and IV fluids. I had been given CAT scans, MRIs, and various other tests to find a cause. I tried preventative prescription meds, every possible over the counter fix, and a variety of holistic remedies. I was able to determine some triggers such as beer, MSG, aged cheeses, etc. I thought if I just avoided those things I could stave off the awful effects of the migraines. However, they continued to strike without a known cause.

Unlike other food "triggers" where you eat the offending item and a migraine shows up as a result, cause and effect of gluten is rarely obvious when it is part of your regular diet. Reactions to gluten are tricky to pinpoint which is why connections to the symptoms it produces are easily overlooked. If you are suffering from migraines without a known cause, do some research, be your own advocate, and consider trying to see if you may be better off gluten.

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Gluten-free doesn't have to mean gross

12/2/2013

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Ok, so I realize that gluten-free food has gotten a bad rap. A lot of people are not interested in trying to see if they are better off gluten if it means eating stuff that looks like this...
Granted there are some really bad gluten-free substitutes out there, but there are more and more great alternatives to be found everyday.

Reality is that eating gluten-free can be amazingly good and you do not need to feel deprived. I have had a lot of requests for me to add recipes to the Better Off Gluten blog. I am not really much of a recipe follower. I fancy myself more of a go-with-the-flow type of cook. Gluten-free cooking became super easy and very tasty once I learned the basics of navigating around the gluten and practiced with various substitute ingredients. That said, I understand that there are those that prefer cooking from recipes. So I will occasionally pass along some of my favorite tried and true gluten-free recipes. However, I believe there are already a LOT of really great sites out there for amazing gluten-free recipes. So PLEASE share links to your favorite gluten-free recipes and sites below in the comments to serve as a collective resource. THANKS! And here is one of my absolute favorite holiday recipes modified to be GF!

Pumpkin Roll
Cake:
3 eggs
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup gluten-free flour (I like this one! from Silvana's Kitchen)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
*mix cake all by hand

Filling:
8oz cream cheese
1 c powdered sugar
1 Tbs butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
small tub whipped topping
*mix ingredients in the order listed to prevents lumps

Preheat oven to 350F. Beat eggs, stir in sugar & vanilla, add pumpkin, sift in remaining dry ingredients. Blend well. Line a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet with greased wax paper. Spread on cake batter and bake for 15-20min. Lay out overlapping paper towels (larger than pan size) and sprinkle with 1/3 cup powdered sugar. Take cake from oven & flip onto paper towels. Remove wax paper, roll cake into paper towels to form a long thin roll. Unroll after 1 min to let steam escape. Re-roll into paper towels & let cool. Combine filling ingredients in a bowl until smooth. When cake is completely cool unroll, discard paper towels, and spread with filling. Roll cake and wrap with wax paper then aluminum foil. Store in freezer. Serve cold and firm ~ but not frozen. Enjoy!

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New year, new you!

These are a few of my favorite things...

Could you be better off gluten?

Gluten-free, migraine-free?

Gluten-free doesn't have to mean gross

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