A Gluten Free Guide

INCREDIBLE EDIBLE EGG

My favorite sandwich growing up was egg salad. I still remember the first time I tasted it at Joel’s house when I was four years old.I rediscovered hard boiled eggs shortly after being told I had Celiac. They are easy to take with me during the day. I sometimes grab travel packets of gluten free mayo, mustard, salt, and pepper and make egg salad on the road. You might not be able to confirm what is in the pre-made egg salad in a deli but you can usually find hard boiled eggs and know that they are gluten free.

Beware of how much cholesterol is in the yolk. Many people have their cholesterol increase after being diagnosed with Celiac so excess yolks could compound the problem. I limit myself to no more than one yolk a day and supplement my egg salad with egg whites.

For a sweeter treat that’s easy to make with egg whites try meringues:

Egg White Meringues Recipe
Preheat oven to 250 degrees
4 egg whites room temperature (I haven’t had much success with the pasteurized egg white products designed for “whipping”)
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup of sugar or equivalent of Splenda granular (the consistency won’t be as crispy with Splenda but they will be low-carb and more diabetes friendly)
1-2 teaspoons vanilla
Optional: any combination of cinnamon, chopped nuts, vanilla, chocolate or butterscotch chips

Beat the egg whites with the whisk of an electric beater. Continue beating and add the cream of tartar. Gradually add the sugar or splenda and vanilla. When the egg whites form shiny, stiff peaks add any of the optional items.

Drop heaping spoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in preheated oven.

After one hour, reduce heat by 50 degrees and cook for one additional hour. Turn oven off and leave overnight or remove. (they will have a crispier consistency if you leave them overnight with the oven door closed)

OFFICE LUNCH

My office building has a beautiful cafeteria overlooking central park. The food offerings are plentiful, but I am a creature of habit. Before and after celiac entered by life I would get a salad with grilled chicken and an assortment of veggies. I had checked on the ingredients and determined that the chicken was cooked on a dedicated grill. I felt safe.

Imagine my horror when I stood in line and watched the server reach his gloved hand into the croutons and then place the crumb-covered glove into the various containers of veggies. I hadn’t started feeling 100% healthy on the gluten free diet and now I knew why. I had been warned not to eat from any buffets or salad bars by the wise participants at the Delphi forums, but I hadn’t heeded their advice. Watching the crumbs contaminate my precious salad toppings was enough for me to stop eating at the cafeteria. I tried talking to the supervisor, but in the end I decided that it just wasn’t worth the risk.

Now I keep an array of frozen veggies in our break room freezer. I have a Rubbermaid container in my desk that I fill up with different combinations of edamame, asparagus, mushrooms, broccoli, and spinach and pop it in the microwave. I keep yogurt, apples, chicken soup broth, and mustard in the fridge. For protein, sometimes I bring in grilled chicken from home or grab a few pieces of sashimi from Whole Foods. Low fat hot dogs or Gluten-Free Garden burgers are great options too. If you are craving something sweet when everyone else is eating birthday cake try keeping Jello or pudding cups in the fridge. Salt and pepper shakers are easy to store in my desk drawer with the Rubbermaid container. Make sure when using a common microwave that anything you place in is covered to prevent any gluten crumbs from dropping in your food. Other areas to watch for potential contamination include the countertops and cutlery drawers. Try to place your items on fresh paper towels, bring your own cutlery or wash the cutlery provided by your office.

Of course you can always prepare lunch at home the night before and bring it with you to the office, but with all of my travel I found that to be quite cumbersome. This allows me more flexibility and options each day and the frozen items won’t spoil.

As I’m “cooking,” coworkers frequently comment on how delicious my food looks/smells and then they add with surprise “and it’s so healthy!”

Katie’s Favorite Avocado and Cilantro Salad

I grew up in Southern California. I had access to gorgeous Haas avocadoes; there were family members with avocado trees. There was always Mexican food accented with tender and sweet avocados and perfectly seasoned guacamole. I never ate them. I thought I didn’t like avocados. I kick myself now for the years of enjoyment I missed.

Many foods have been eliminated from my diet as a result of Celiac, but I have also discovered and enjoy so many new flavors that I probably come out ahead. Of course I would be glad to have the convenience of eating in a restaurant or at a friend’s house without worry. But I have always enjoyed cooking and food experimentation and my Celiac diagnosis has actually facilitated it. I don’t feel guilty buying a new type of gourmet cheese or a buttery piece of Chilean Sea Bass.

Avocadoes are just one example of a food I hadn’t fully explored until recently. Now I can’t imagine life without the Chicken soup accented with avocados at RICE, or the fig and avocado salsa I learned to make in one of my cooking classes. Below is the makings of the salad that I ate almost on a daily basis this summer:

Katie’s Favorite Avocado and Cilantro Salad (serves 2)
Mesclun greens
1 medium diced tomato
1 medium cucumber diced
½ ripe Haas avocado diced
¼ cup chopped raw walnuts
¼ cup crumbled low fat goat cheese
Chopped cilantro to taste (I like a lot of cilantro)
Season with salt and coarse ground black pepper to taste
Serve with a balsamic vinaigrette

Play with the portions and ingredients. If you hate cilantro (people tend to feel strongly about this herb) try it with basil or cut it out altogether. The key is finding a few ingredients that you can easily throw together and that you love eating. It’s such a waste to buy ingredients and then have them spoil in the fridge.

ARE YOU SURE IT’S GLUTEN-FREE?

I had an Indian-style crepe last night for dinner. It’s called a dosa. It was delicious AND gluten free. Hampton Chutney Co. now has a location on the Upper West Side. It was a slow night so I was able to have a detailed conversation with the lovely young lady (YL) working the cash register.Me: “Are all of your dosas gluten free?”
YL: “Yes, our dosas and uttapas are made with just lentil flour, rice flour, water and salt”
Me: “Great, what about the fillings?”
YL: “Ummmmm, probably, are like vegetables gluten free?”

Clearly she was well-trained on the ingredients in the dosas and uttapas (thicker and more like a pancake than crepe) but wasn’t educated about the ingredients in the various fillings. She was able to tell me that their griddle was used only for the dosas and uttapas and not for the Naan bread that is made with wheat flour. She called over a manager, who double checked on a few things for me including the presence of asafetida in the restaurant.

[I know, asa-fa-whata? Asafetida is an Indian spice (sometimes called hing) that contains wheat. While Indian food is a cuisine that lends itself towards being gluten free, some restaurants use asafetida in every dish. I have found the Indian food dining card from Triumph Dining to be quite helpful in avoiding this spice and explaining my needs to the restaurant. Though eating out is always risky]After the manager checked over everything with the owner – no they do not use asafetida at Hampton Chutney Co. – I selected a seasonal dosa filled with roasted butternut squash, portabello mushrooms, spinach, jack cheese and avocadoes. All of their dosas are served with a chutney of your choice, in keeping with the season I picked pumpkin though their cilantro chutney is my favorite (which they also sell at certain Whole Foods if you can’t make it to Hampton Chutney).

After the extended conversation with the manager and employee, my friend commented that he couldn’t believe how flip the first employee was about the fillings “probably” being gluten free. I don’t blame her; it’s hard to understand that even a small contamination could cause serious damage until you learn about Celiac disease. I hope that as the community of people diagnosed with Celiac grows that understanding will accompany that growth. Then maybe we will hear more often “Yes, I’m sure it’s gluten free” and be able to trust that it’s true. But in the meantime, don’t risk it until you get all of your questions answered.

Hampton Chutney Downtown: 68 Prince St, New York 10012 Btwn Broadway & Lafayette St Phone: 212-226-9996

Hampton Chutney Uptown: 464 Amsterdam Ave, New York 10024 At 82nd St Phone: 212-362-5050

Hampton Chutney Amagansett: Main Street, Amagansett Square P.O. Box 273 Amagansett NY 11930 Phone: 631-267-3131

TARTAN WEEK – Gluten-Free Travel to Scotland

In one of the more fantastic turns of fate, last year I won a free trip to Scotland. I entered a contest online through Time Out NY magazine and was informed the following week that I had won airfare, lodging for four nights, a rental car and free entrance to every museum throughout Scotland. Can you imagine being able to go into a museum, see the few things you are interested in and then be able to leave without feeling pressure to ‘get your money’s worth’? It was fantastic. Every time my mom (yes I took my mom) and I arrived at the next destination to find x,y or z already paid for we giggled with delight as if we had won all over again.This was my first extended trip with Celiac that I wouldn’t have access to a kitchen. I had heard that the UK is much more familiar with Celiac Disease and would be more accommodating to my needs. We decided to extend the trip and travel a few extra days throughout Scotland. The scenery and beauty of Scotland is truly something to behold. Though I probably enjoyed my visits to the grocery store as much as anything else we did. It was like a dream world for someone who is unable to eat gluten — whole sections of regular grocery stores dedicated to an array of gluten free goodies. Plus in the rest of the store I was able to shop without as much effort. Stricter labeling laws mean gluten is not hidden the way it can be in American goods.

I brought protein bars, canned chicken and beef jerky in my suitcase along with a bag of food for the plane. I always come prepared and hope that my back-up supplies can be just that. When we had the chance to stop at a grocery store I would buy a couple days worth of fresh produce and items that could survive without refrigeration. We usually ate lunch on the go so I kept supplies in the car: a can opener, plastic cutlery, canned veggies and Indian food, spiced garbanzo beans, gluten free crackers and pappadums.

Throughout most of the trip we stayed in Bed and Breakfasts. I informed each B&B that I would need gluten free dinners and breakfasts. To my amazement, no further explanation was necessary. I arrived at each location armed with my gluten free dining cards and ready to explain every detail to the chef. Each time I was greeted with a delightful Scottish accent telling me that they were aware of my needs and understood cross-contamination. While eating out is always risky, I found a level of comfort that had eluded me since diagnosis. I was almost brought to tears when we arrived at The Culdearn House at Grantown on Spey and were greated with canapés on little gluten free crackers and bread. As the cheery host brought out our dinner, he served us a moist and light gluten free bread. We were the only guests booked that night; I felt like a queen. We stopped at the store Tesco the next day in search of the bread and found numerous other gluten free delights. (Unfortunately most of those items are not yet available in the U.S.)

As our trip was coming to an end, we stayed in Edinburgh. We ate ate at a delicious vegetarian restaurant with a pre-printed gluten free menu. That never gets old! We took a day trip to Glasgow and found the Willow Tea Rooms. My gluten tolerant mother ordered a pastry. As I sat down I knew that I would be limited to a beverage and asked the waitress if all of their teas were gluten free. She went to check and came back to inform me that the teas were safe and that they also had an egg-white meringue that was gluten free. I could hardly contain my joy. It’s amazing how the things I took for granted before Celiac are now the cause for such glee.

Gluten-Free Travel Expertise

I travel for work – A LOT. For the last three years I have been traveling almost every week for work. This was challenging three years ago when the only dietary restriction I had was type 1 diabetes. Now that I have been traveling for two years with Celiac I have developed a repertoire of tricks to get me from home to destination and back without starving or contaminating myself.Carry-on restrictions are constantly changing. That said, since eliminating food service on flights, most airlines allow customers to bring on breakfas/lunch/dinner in addition to the standard carry-on bag allowances. With the recent restriction on liquids juices and yogurts are forbidden, but solid foods are currently A-OK. I find that taking my fresh food in a grocery bag draws fewer questions from TSA and airline personnel. Get a letter from your doctor outlining your food needs just in case.

I put cold items such as hard boiled eggs, meat cold-cuts, hot dogs etc. in one of the hot/cold “TO GO” bags I get at Whole Foods with a frozen bag of edamame as my “ice pack.” Cut veggies, whole fruit, salt and pepper and my plastic fork/spoon/knife packet go in the grocery bag. A few condiment packets fit in my Ziploc bag of liquids.

I take varying amounts of fresh and non-perishable food depending upon the length of my trip and when I will be able to access a grocery store in my destination city. One obvious thing that took me a long time to figure out is that there are grocery stores everywhere. I can get by for a while on what I bring and then get extra food at the grocery store. I put the non-perishables in my suitcase that I carry-on or check.

I call the hotel in advance and request a microwave and/or fridge in my room. If it’s a really short trip I will take the drinks out of the minibar and use that as my fridge, putting the drinks back in the minibar before I leave to ensure I’m not charged for the items. I know that many people on the Delphi forums will order food from Amazon.com, Kinnikinnick or Gluten Free Pantry and have it delivered directly to the hotel so that it’s there for them on their arrival. Think of cooking from your microwave as a fun challenge. After all, didn’t Martha Stewart have to make due with a microwave when she was “away” for a few months?

Below is a list of items I have found useful – please let me know if you have any other great tips or ideas. I am always looking for new ways to make travel easier.

Please double check any ingredient lists as formulations frequently change and different flavors may not be gluten free.Protein
Hard-Boiled Eggs
String Cheese

Hot Dogs

Beef Jerky

Canned Chicken

Tuna/Salmon Packets (beware of any extra flavors)Fruit/Veggies
Pre-cut broccoli and cauliflower (good raw or heated)
Apples and oranges
Avocadoes (take them before they are ripe and will be ready to eat in a few days)

Sauces/Condiments
Packets of Mustard/Mayo (then make tuna or chicken salad)
Salad Dressing packets
A1 sauce , Tabasco, or BBQ Sauce packets– heat chicken with sauce in microwave
Gluten Free Soy Sauce packets for sushi
Salt and Pepper packets

Non-perishables
Dried fruit and nuts or trail mix
Protein Bars – PureFit Nutrition Bars, Lara Bars, certain Zone and Balance Bar flavors etc.
Freeze Dried Food Packets
Indian Food Packets (if you don’t have a microwave, submerge the packet in hot water at the hotel or eat at room temperature)

Rice Meals

Buy at the Grocery Store
Larger condiment bottles
Water/juice etc.
Fresh cut fruit
Salad ingredients
Yogurt

While in general I don’t recommend relying on airport food to be gluten-free, you can check which restaurants are in the airports on your itinerary.

Happy travels!

BECOMING BILINGUAL

A new celiac diagnosis means much more than eliminating bread and pasta made with gluten from your diet. It also means learning to read EVERY label of anything you buy each time you go to the grocery store. A trip to the grocery store takes significantly longer as you juggle the ALLOWED and FORBIDDEN ingredient lists and voraciously read the labels looking for “safe” food. It means learning the difference between maltodextrin (safe in the US unless specified as wheat), modified food starch (potentially from wheat or corn), and natural or artificial flavors. As a diabetic I was already trained to examine the Nutrition Facts outlining fat, protein and carbohydrate content but I had never paid attention to all of the extra stuff in our food.It takes a while to learn the language of the food labels. Start with lists of mainstream gluten free products available from local celiac groups, the Delphi forums or the grocery store (Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s have them, though they aren’t exhaustive). Double check the ingredients; sometimes the lists are out of date. As you slowly start to understand the difference between malt and distilled vinegar, maltodextrin and modified food starch you will become less and less reliant on the lists and the trip to the store will go more quickly. Unless you are like me and just love grocery shopping – then you just end up with more in your cart.

IS THIS A JAIL SENTENCE?

No, it’s not!One of the most confusing parts of being diagnosed with Celiac Sprue is sorting through the myriad of sources of information on the disease. The doctors and nutritionists aren’t really sure what’s ok and what isn’t. Some people with the disease will tell you it’s ok to eat the cheese off the top of a pizza or take the meat off a sandwich made with gluten filled bread. Unfortunately, activities like that will keep your antibodies high and slow your body’s much needed recovery. But how do you know who to trust? I received a list of “forbidden” items from my incredibly capable Gastroenterologist that included “distilled vinegar” “millet” “quinoa” “amaranth” and “teff” – all of which have been deemed safe on a gluten free diet. Then there is the debate about oats. Which ones are safe? Are any safe? What can I do?

In the last two years the public, the medical community and those living with celiac have received more and better information. However, the general US population and restaurant community have little understanding about the seriousness of the condition and the affect that a mere crumb from a crouton can have on someone living with celiac. I was still shocked upon my diagnosis to find that some people refused to ever eat outside of their home. How could I work? I was traveling almost every week for work – was I going to have to give up my job to survive without gluten? What kind of life is it to never be able to eat out with friends or go to a dinner party? Was I going to be trapped in my apartment for the rest of my life? What kind of a life would that be?

Well I knew one thing for sure. I was a problem solver. I was on the math team in junior high. I could figure this out. It took some time, and I am always in search of new products and techniques, but there is a way and you shouldn’t give up.

Since being diagnosed, I have: traveled to Amsterdam to visit my best friend, been to Scotland for 10 days with my beautiful Mom, gone to London for work and play. I have traveled extensively for business and fun: Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington DC to name a few. I have “de-glutened” my own and my mother’s kitchens. I have thrown “gluten free” dinner and dessert parties where some guests had no idea that I had any sort of “allergy.” I hope these tips will help you to relish the beauty of finding a new recipe or discovering a way around the challenge. After all, isn’t life more fun when you have to figure things out?

DUMPSTER DIVING and Celiac Disease

The first time I heard the terms “celiac” or “gluten” was six months before I ever started feeling sick. My newlywed cousin and her husband were at my apartment for a large dinner party. She asked me what the ingredients were in the chips that I had out as an appetizer. I naturally had no idea. As I saw her digging through the garbage (an activity I have since engaged in at dinner parties myself) I thought, “wow this celiac thing is so much more of a hassle than my diabetes, man am I glad I don’t have that!”Fast forward six months: I am laying in bed after being so sick for a month that I don’t care what I have to do start feeling better. I’ll cut out gluten; I’ll cut out ANYTHING from my diet just to feel some sort of relief.

I received my official diagnosis of Celiac Sprue on November 10, 2004. I immediately made it my goal to find a way to get back to my “normal” life as quickly as possible. My travel schedule for work, my inquisitive, problem solving nature, and a supportive family facilitated a great if not immediate recovery.

I spent the first six months after my diagnosis buying practically every available gluten free alternative to mainstream products. I tested, adjusted and pulled my hair out trying to find recipes or mixes for cupcakes, breads and cookies that tasted as good as their “gluten relatives.” I didn’t rest until I found a way to make it work. Cookies came first, dinner rolls were the most elusive. I decided to start this blog to share what I have learned over the past two years and help the many people who are diagnosed with celiac only to discover that not even their doctor or nutritionist is really sure about all of the details. If no one else reads this that’s ok with me; at least I have one place to find all of my links and recipes!

image: bigstockphoto.com

This is a place to find all of the gluten free tips and products that help me to live a healthy lifestyle free of gluten without being trapped in my gluten free apartment.