<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

     ***The following views are my own and do not represent the opinion of
     any group beyond myself.***

     I am struck by how much effort many celiacs put into baking the
     perfect GF bagel, muffin, loaf of bread, cake, etc., striving to
     imitate the national cuisine while avoiding the substance on which it
     is based.

     At the same time there exist many styles of cooking based on (largely)
     GF ingredients, styles which come into view once the gluten-based
     cuisine is abandoned as the standard of excellence (or habit).

     Is the highly-processed wheat diet something we should strive to
     emulate, or would we be better off moving on to a diet centered on
     fruits, vegetables, and grains that actually nourish us directly and
     are not a substitute for the Holy Grail we cannot attain?

     More people eat diets based on beans, vegetables, rice, and corn than
     on highly processed wheat, rye, oats, or barley. (I am leaving out
     soy-based diets because they are problematical for many celiacs.)
     Instead of striving to bake the perfect ersatz muffin, why not go for
     the real thing by adopting foodways proven by billions of people
     around the earth who suffer no ill effects?

     The trend in our own (U.S.) culture is toward eating less concentrated
     protein, fat, and processed starch and more fruits and vegetables. By
     subtlely modifying the flavorings and additives of the indigenous (not
     colonial) cuisines of Japan, China, and India, among many other
     nations, celiacs have access to a limitless variety of delicious and
     wholesome foods.

     A wok comes a lot cheaper than a bread machine. My suggestion is to
     get hold of a good Asian cookbook, use common sense about avoiding
     questionable ingredients, and start out on the culinary adventure of a
     lifetime.

     No, I do not publish such a cookbook, nor do I manufacture woks. I
     believe I get the biggest bang for my limited life's energy by
     striving for simple and authentic experience. When it comes to the
     food I eat three times a day, why should I settle for imitations when
     I can just as easily have the real thing? By altering the mindset to
     which I was born, and casting off myriad bad habits I didn't know I
     had acquired, I find myself on the verge of happiness and good health.

     The trick is in accepting responsibility for the nourishment I take
     into my body, foregoing what others say I should enjoy, and surpassing
     the ill-advised practices I clung to in my former life.

     Steve Perrin