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Back to Basics
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summarized by Jim Lyles
In March we held an informal "Back to Basics" meeting. We had some of
the group leaders speak on various topics and answer questions. This
article contains some highlights from that meeting.
Tips from Mary Guerriero:
* Try to strike a good balance between being totally paranoid about
gluten and taking it too lightly. We don't want you to be afraid to
leave your own kitchen, but we also don't want to see you going out
for pizza and beer with the guys.
* Use your restaurant card when you go out to eat. It helps to
validate your need for special attention, and it helps the chef know
what is and is not safe for you.
* Remember that ingredients can change anytime. The barbecue sauce
that was GF the last time you bought it, might not be GF the next
time.
* If you live with non-celiacs, then make sure that you mark all the
gluten-free (GF) items with stickers. If possible, have one shelf
in the pantry for GF products, and make sure the others in your home
know not to touch anything on that shelf. (Why, you ask? GF items
are costly; once they are gone you can't usually go to the local
store and easily replace them; and finally, a non-celiac could
contaminate your food items with bread crumbs, etc.)
* Unless everyone in the house eats GF bread, you need to have a
separate toaster that no one else uses, or use a toaster oven that
you can wipe out each time you use it.
* Use separate condiments or make sure the non-celiacs you live with
know not to contaminate the condiments by dipping knives, spoons,
etc. back in after touching regular bread. (Yes, those few crumbs
really do matter--even if you don't get immediate symptoms, you are
still damaging your gut.)
* Don't lick envelopes and stamps; the glue may come from a gluten
source.
* When you are first diagnosed, shop the perimeter of your grocery
store. Fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats are going to be safe and
you will not be prepared to read and understand labels for awhile.
Mary tells newly-diagnosed celiacs that if it has more than five
ingredients, or ingredients you can't pronounce, then don't buy it.
Later, after you begin to understand the diet better, you can start
adding other ingredients that are safe.
* Don't assume that every time something goes wrong it is because of
gluten or CD. Celiacs are just as likely as non-celiacs to have
other problems. Both celiacs and non-celiacs can sometimes have
stomach aches due to viruses, spoiled food, other
allergies/sensitivities, etc.
* Vic's in Novi, on Grand River just east of Novi Road, carries
Gluten-Free Pantry items. Ask your favorite health food store to
carry GF products. Zerbo's in Livonia at Plymouth Road and Stark is
setting up a GF section.
* The best place to buy rice flour is at an Indian store; you pay
$2.49 or less for 5 lbs. Examples are the Patel Brothers and the
local India Grocers chain. You might also check Oriental stores for
items such as potato starch and tapioca starch.
* If you have e-mail, there is a free e-mail list for celiacs. It
currently has over 2,800 subscribers. To subscribe send a message
to <[log in to unmask]> containing this line:
SUBSCRIBE CELIAC Firstname Lastname
* We do not currently have a GF list for fast food restaurants. If
anyone would be willing to write to the major chains, obtain this
information, and collect it together for distribution to the group,
please let one of the officers (listed on the last page of this
newsletter) know.
* At McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger King, the french fries should be
safe so long as they are cooked in their own oil, separate from all
other fried foods. Most fast food restaurants do cook the fries
separately, so the taste isn't affected by other fried foods. Just
be sure to ask at your local fast food restaurants.
* Wendy's baked potatoes, with all the toppings, are GF. Their chili,
taco salad (including sour cream), and taco chips are also GF. The
GRILLED chicken breast is also GF, without the sauce; but don't
confuse this with the breaded chicken breast which is not GF.
Frosties are also GF.
* Don't let celiac disease define who you are. You are a unique
person with many traits and facets to your life, who just happens to
have celiac disease. In a perfect world there would be no diseases,
but as diseases go, celiac is real doable. The longer you are on
the diet the more you will realize that you can substitute for just
about anything that normally has gluten in it.
Marcia Campbell speaks on the shopping guide:
* The TCCSSG shopping guide contains items that are GF according to
the manufacturers. We have letters on file to back these claims.
None of the information is more than 18 months old at the time of
printing.
* Marcia encourages any member that contacts a manufacturer and
receives a written reply, on company letterhead, to pass on such
information to her. Just send it to the address listed on the
shopping guide's cover.
* In the back of the shopping guide is a list of mail-order vendors
from which you can order GF products. From these vendors you can
get mixes for pancakes, muffins, even pie crusts.
* In the next shopping guide Marcia plans to expand the list of GF
mail-order vendors. Marcia also plans to add a section that
explains how to read a label and interpret the various ingredients.
* Some products that appear to be GF are not listed due to
cross-contamination concerns. For instance, some cereals have GF
ingredients but are produced on the same lines as non-GF cereals.
Or in some cases lines may be dusted with flour to prevent sticking.
* Don't go nuts over cosmetics, hair sprays, shampoos, eye makeups, or
creams for your hands and face (unless you lick your fingers). You
can go crazy trying to keep track of gluten in these products. For
toothpaste and lipstick you do have to be certain of the
ingredients. But for products that you don't ingest, gluten should
not be a concern.
* Products that appeared in previous editions of the shopping guide
may be missing from the current guide for several reasons. For
instance, we didn't get an answer back from Edy's or Hellman's.
That doesn't mean their products are not GF; it just means they
didn't respond and the previous information was more than 18 months
old. Some companies only respond every other year. In such cases,
call the company and see what they can tell you. If they have good
information, ask them to send it in writing and then pass it on to
Marcia.
Tips from the "floor":
* Rice Dream Beverage, from Imagine Foods, is not GF because the
enzymes used in processing it are derived from various grains
including barley. [Ed. note: Imagine Foods does produce the
following GF foods: Soy Dream Beverages; Imagine Natural Garden
Vegetable Soups; Imagine Natural Pudding Snacks; and Rice Dream
Desserts Plain, Carob, Chocolate, and Vanilla flavors ONLY. These
products are GF because the processing utilizes either non-grain
enzymes and/or corn based flavoring extracts.]<1>
* McDonald's shakes, including the specialty flavors, are GF EXCEPT
FOR CHOCOLATE. Ice cream and all the sundae toppings are GF (but
ice cream cones obviously are not).
* Don't judge whether or not a food is safe by your reactions to it.
Some celiacs never react to eating gluten, until 30 years later
their bones start breaking. Other celiacs react almost immediately,
but may also have other sensitivities so the reaction may not be due
to gluten. (Both celiacs and non-celiacs can get upset stomachs for
a variety of reasons that have nothing to do with gluten.) Some
people react some of the time but not all of the time. You really
can't use how you react as a guide to whether or not a food is safe.
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