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Joe Murray writes:

> Being Irish I tend to emphasize the more commonly
> available starch sources such as rice and root vegetables ( including
> potatoes) and advise individual patients not to utilise large quantities
> or frequent use of flours generated from exotic or unusual grains.
> Obviously this needs to be tailored to individual patients
> sensitivities.  In patients with celiac disease gluten ingestion does not
> always lead to symptoms but it may lead to damage or chronic delayed
> onset symptoms. My impression is that people who are quite adventurous (
> from a dietetic point of view) are more likely to have continued problems.

Well, there's being adventurous and there's being *stupid*.  As someone
with a gluten allergy (my symptoms show within  30 minutes of ingestion),
I can tell you that there is a difference!  Since my symptoms are rather
dramatic, I can tell in a hurry when I've screwed up (e.g. 1 T of regular
soy sauce in a dish for 6 will cause a vicious migraine within 30 minutes).

I do a lot of adventuring - *but* - a lot of it is in my own kitchen
where I can control the inputs.  I bake at least twice a week, and am
rather vigilant about my flour sources (I finally found a safe source for
commercial rice flour, for instance).  When in doubt, I grind my own
(using the grain mill attachment to my Hobart mixer).

Adventuring, in the safe sense, can help maintain a celiac or DH patient,
or anyone else who *must* remain GF.  I know myself, that when I feel
deprived is when I am most likely to get into trouble.  I did that once
or twice, in the early days of my diet :-(  Now, when I feel deprived, I
head for the kitchen *immediately* and put together some safe treats - 15
minutes baking a pie or cookies or bread is a small price to pay to avoid
36 hours worth of migraine...

I've also found it worthwhile to have things in the freezer - at Passover
time (early spring) there are some New York bakeries that bake some
wondrous delights on bases of potato starch and eggs.  I buy this stuff
in bulk, and freeze it for use throughout the year...

As far as adventurous people getting in trouble, those who *read the labels*
will be better off (e.g. is that buckwheat flour pure buckwheat or is it
a wheat/buckwheat pancake mix?).... This is definitely a case where
milling your own will help (it takes me about 20 minutes to mill 3 pounds
of brown rice flour - time that can be spent doing other things in the
kitchen while the mill runs)...

And those who are adventurous enough to find *safe* "treats" are more
likely to stick 100% to their diet, eliminating problems in the long run...

karen

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Karen Davis of Davis and Associates (818)892-8555
           "Pain is Mother Nature's way of telling us to slow down;
                       Death is her way of INSISTING!"