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Back to Basics
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summarized by Jim Lyles
In February we held an informal "Back to Basics" meeting. We had some
of the group leaders and our advisors speak on various topics and
answer questions. This article contains some highlights from that
meeting.
For the newly-diagnosed celiac, Mary Guerriero offers the following
tips:
* Go through your cupboard and throw out or mark anything you find
that is not gluten-free (GF).
* If you have a celiac child, put special stickers on all the products
which are safe for the child.
* When you first start cooking GF, it is best to start with the
outside walls of your grocery store, where all the fresh products
such as meat, dairy, and produce are found. Later you can begin to
add processed foods into your diet as you become more practiced at
identifying GF ingredients.
* Use your TCCSSG shopping guide when you shop for groceries. You
still need to check labels, since products may have changed.
However, the shopping guide allows you to quickly determine which
products to check, instead of having to check everything.
* When you eat out, use the restaurant card. It helps to validate
your celiac disease (CD), so they won't think you are just being
fussy. Have your waitperson take the card to the chef and ask him
what they can make for you that would be safe. Most chefs
(especially at the "nicer" restaurants) are willing to work with you
to ensure a safe meal for you.
* One of our members, Regina Kukielka, holds GF cooking classes in her
home. Give her a call (734-455-9095) and sign up for her next
class.
* Use a separate toaster for GF bread, so that you won't have to worry
about cross-contamination from regular bread crumbs. Another choice
is to use a toaster oven that you can wipe out after each use.
* Use a heavy duty mixer for GF doughs (325 watts or more).
* Use separate condiments and mark them as being GF. Otherwise your
non-GF family members may accidentally contaminate them with a knife
or spoon that has touched regular bread.
* The Gluten-Free Pantry sells some good bread mixes. However, cut
the recipe in half when using a breadmaker, unless it can make a
2-lb. loaf.
* The Good Food Company has two local stores that carry many GF
products. The east store is located in Troy and the west store in
Canton.
* If you are lactose intolerant (many newly-diagnosed celiacs are, at
least temporarily), there are several alternatives to milk. Ener-G
sells two GF milk substitutes: Soy-Quick and Nut-Quick. Also, you
can probably drink lactose-free milk (available now in most grocery
stores) or use a soy-based baby formula.
* Look at Oriental and India stores for rice flours and tapioca
starch; that is where you'll find the best prices. However, it is
probably best to ascertain whether or not they clean the scoop each
time they package up a different flour; otherwise there may be some
cross-contamination.
* Tapioca flour and tapioca starch are really the same product. (If
there is a difference, it doesn't seem to affect baked goods so they
can be used interchangeably.) However there is a big difference
between potato starch (also called potato starch flour) and potato
flour; do NOT use them interchangeably.
* Gluten-Free Pantry's mix makes great bagels.
* Buy as many of the three Bette Hagman cookbooks as you can. The
most recent one, The Gluten-Free Gourmet Cooks Fast and Healthy, is
the best one to start with, followed by the second one (More From
the Gluten-Free Gourmet) and the first one (The Gluten-Free
Gourmet).
* Keep all your recipes in a 3-ring binder, including those you find
in The Sprue-nik Press and those you adapt from regular cookbooks.
From Dr. Alexander:
* ALL adult celiacs should be screened for osteoporosis.
* How long does it take the villi to grow back, once the GF diet is
started? Sometimes it takes 8-10 months, sometimes longer. In some
cases the villi never do fully heal.
* Why do some people get dermatitis herpetiformis, while others get
CD? No one really knows why gluten intolerance can present in these
different ways.
* Dr. Alexander reaffirmed that for a celiac, the goal should be NO
gluten, not just low gluten.
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