Way Too Healthy Up In Here: An Update

It's been awhile since my last bout of [literal and figurative] bellyaching about my gluten and dairy free imprisonment. And since so many of you kind and thoughtful people showered me with love, tips, advice, recipes, and a pinch of commiseration, I figured I should update you on the state of things.

Me: Meh. I honestly don't know if this whole 'GF/DF' thing is working that well for me. I'm still in pain. But I have more rounds of tests and appointments that I need to stop putting off so I can try and get to the bottom of things. I cheat some on the diet, and often wonder if it was worth it when I end up moaning and groaning a few hours later; but I can never tell if it's from what I ate or my lovely endometriosis because I always seem to time my decision to cheat at the worst times. (Although I did indulge in a glorious Snickers not too long ago that seemed to do me no harm, so I was tempted to clean the entire cabinet. But as a dear friend pointed out, it could be that the first bar didn't do me in but the fifth one would put me over my intolerance level). So. I continue to tred carefully and woefully through my GF/DF days for now.

Ethan: Right around the same time I recieved my GF/DF sentence, we realized that something seemed to be up with our littlest kidling's digestive system. After weeks of apparent good health but questionable diapers, I took our little man to our doc for some serious talk about possible food intolerances. At first a dairy-free diet didn't seem to be doing much, so we tried gluten-free too. Things seemed to improve slightly but not drastically, until I realized that a lot of the packaged gluten-free stuff I'd been buying (like Glutino crackers and gluten-free cookies) actually had dairy in them and I hadn't been catching it. Grrr. I did some research, and it turns out that packaged goods like the crackers made with milk don't really lose any of the properties in the baking process and many with an intolerance will still react. So I think that may have been the big issue. Which was frustrating, especially since I thought I was paying attention but apparently still had much to learn in the art of label reading. But for the past month or so we've been super strict on avoiding all dairy and things have seemed to improve greatly. So while the jury's still out on whether or not the little guy has to be gluten-free as well, I'm happy that he finally seems stable. And it's a relief to know we can actually control whatever "it" is with diet adjustments. It still doesn't make things easy when we're in church and he's yelling "DOUGHNUT!" the whole time only to find out at afterwards that doughnuts are now a no-no. That's been the hardest part--even when I tell him something is "ouchy for Ethan's tummy," he is almost two, and almost-two-year-olds either don't understand or don't care to understand when they want what they want. So then they just scream about it.

I'll probably challenge him in a few weeks on the gluten side of the house and see how he does, but for now, we're just hoping to continue the pattern of success.

So with that little update, I will now impart all of my begrudgingly acquired GF/DF lifestyle knowledge on you. Feel free to make your escape now if you're lucky enough to still get along with Little Debbie.

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SHOPPING:
For now I'm still only willing to brave our local grocer (King Soopers aka Kroger's) because it's so much easier than anything else. The closest Whole Foods parking lot is like being stuck between downtown exits on I-25 during rush hour in a snowstorm on a night with concurrent Broncos, Avs, and Rockies games. So I only go to Whole Foods if my life depends upon it. So far, King Soopers has carried everything I need, especially since we live in a naturally crunchy area, and they've even started putting these sweet little gluten-free shelf tags in front of all their gluten-free products to make my life easier. It's pretty awesome. I've toyed with the idea of a Costco membership because they supposedly carry alot of allergy-friendly stuff, but it's so very far outside of my three-mile radius. That and it takes an act of congress for me to break my rule of only shopping for groceries once a week, which Costco would probably require. (Another post for another week...I digress). So for now, I'm sticking with King Soopers since they're meeting all of my needs ....especially the heav-en-ly Toffee Almond "ice cream" they just started stocking--finally a real ice cream alternative! More on that below. I am still buying regular bread, tortillas, and snacks for the big kids, but for the most part I cook only one GF/DF dinner because I'm not willing to do more work than necessary!


THE SWITCH: It took awhile to get used to the restrictions, I'm not gonna lie. It was fairly painful at times. I went cold turkey for a few months, then got tired of it all and cheated liberally, and then began to regret it. Moreso with the dairy than the gluten, which I don't notice as big of a difference with. I craved chocolate and salty stuff like mad, and oh, what I wouldn't have done for a slice of gooey, cheesy, foldably delicious pizza. Still I grieve. But. I got lots of tips and love from all of you and--surprise!--my incredible mother. We've always joked that she's my "Dial-A-Recipe" for our family meal staples when I'm too lazy to look it up or try to remember myself, and since she also had to switch a few years back to the GF/DF diet (among other things) for health reasons, my Dial-A-Recipe came in very handy when I also had to join the dark side. She told me which brands to look for, talked to me about replacements, and even sent me a care package chock full of GF/DF goodness. (Collective awww. Isn't she the best?!).


GRAIN REPLACEMENTS:
Let's be real; I'm not giving up more than I already have to. So I kept as many grains in my diet as possible. This includes:

• Rice
• GF oatmeal
• GF Rice pasta. (Sorry, I can't get behind anyof the corn pastas or corn/rice/quinoa blends. Just blech). 

Our favorite brand, first
recommended by my mom

• EnviroKids cereal (some have dairy) and Nature's Path Organic cereal labled GF and vegan (vegan usually = DF but you have to double check ingredients).
• GF bread (Udi's)*. White/whole grain is like trying to play chubby bunny with crackers. Dry and takes all day to get it down. We eat it anyway, haven't found a more convenient alternative yet. Tried the cinnamon raisin, too it's okay. All kinds are better toasted.
• GF muffins (Udi's).*
• GF granola bars (KIND bars have been our favorite thus far, but you have to look cloesly to find the flavors that are also DF)

• GF chips: Lundberg Rice Chips--these babies are like the Pringles of the GF/DF chip world. All Natural PopChips (only flavors that are vegan like regular, black pepper, and salt & vinegar!) and Garden of Eatin' blue corn tortilla chips. 

Is it humanly possible to go through an
entire bag of these in a single day?
Why yes. Yes it is.

• 100% Corn torillas; we used these for awhile during taco night, but I hated the taste, dryness, and how they fell apart even after heated. Still searching for a good real tortilla alternative, in the mean time we just use the blue corn tortilla chips.  
• I'd also do more with quinoa if I could stand it. Sadly, I can't. Gave it the old' college try in multiple different recipes and none of us seem to be fans. But if you like it, run with it!

*Careful--some the Udi's stuff has a nice little sticker that says "dairy, soy, and nut free" while others only say "soy and nut free" but still contain dairy. We learned this the hard way. Of course it's the good stuff like their brownie bites and chocolate chip cookies and snickerdoodles...sigh. BUT the muffins do have that magical sticker including dairy free, so you don't have to despair completely. Chocolate, blueberry, and lemon muffins that actually taste decent. The cinnamon roles are reallly dry but can be redeemed with a few seconds in the mircrowave and the amazing cinnamon glaze packets that are included. But mostly I save them to put in my oatmeal...mmmm!

SOY SOB STORY
Also, smuggling in a little public service announcement: soy is a sneaky little ninja that can take you down. It mimics estrogen, and in the past few years it's been used as a filler in ev.er.y.thing. Peanut Butter. Crackers. Chocolate. (Seriously, pick up two things in your pantry and look at the ingredients--bet you a soy-free latte that at least one of them has soy something in it). Excess soy isn't all that great for anyone, but can be especially harmful to women dealing any type of hormonal/reproductive health issues. So I avoid it when I can, and try to spread the word when possible because it can make a big difference in overall health.

Moving along...


DAIRY ALTERNATIVES
So. You now know why I'm not even going to discuss soy milk or soy ice cream. But I'm not all that big on coconut either because of the flavor. I like it in small doses, but using coconut milk or oil for everything did me in pretty quickly. They are really good and healthy options if you don't get coconut overload like me...in the mean time let's talk about almonds.

• Almond milk: King Soopers started carrying their own line of ogranic products, including almond milk. I did a jig when I found it. Every week I get at least two quarts of regular, one of vanilla and two of chocolate. (Had to up the chocolate from one to two because a certain toddler started adamantly demanding the chocolate too. He now knows the clear difference between the containers so I can't be sneaky anymore!). It's still not the same as drinking a big glass of milk with a stack of oreos, and I don't often drink the regular almond milk straight, but I pour it over cereal every morning and no longer notice the difference. 

• Oat Milk and rice milk are also options, but I personally like the consistency of the almond milk better.
• Butter: the only non-processed sub I've found is coconut oil or olive oil. Suggestions welcome.
• Cheese: honestly I can say that I don't want to touch this one with a ten-foot pole. We went out for gourmet pizza one night and I got a gluten-free crust with some cheese substitute called Daiya. It tasted fine at the time, a little like blue cheese, but by the time we left the restaurant I couldn't handle the smell and felt awful for most of the night. Not an experience I'm willing to try again, and I've heard and read that often these encounters with cheese alternatives are pretty disappointing. So Ethan and I have just steered clear for the past few months. It seriously stinks worse than the worst stinky cheese. I miss my toasted brie and nice glass of Reisling... 

CHOCOLATE:
I am not a baker. I do not have patience for recipes I can't modify, and trust me, I can't try experimental modification in baking without getting a brick instead of a cake. That said, I also can't live without dessert (read: chocolate). These have been my go-tos:

• Enjoy Life chocolate bars and chocolate chips (Enjoy Life is one of the most allergy-friendly brands out there!)

• Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter. Let's be clear in the fact that this is no Nutella. But it's the closest I've found that's also free of dairy, soy, and gluten. So I settle and can almost pretend it's the real thing when I'm scooping up globs of it with GF pretzel sticks. 

• Ice cream substitutes: as I said, Almond Dream has taken the cake with some of their newest developments. Rice Dream also has an ice cream that's doable, and So Delicious has a coconut ice cream that's good when I'm in the mood for coconut.

Clearly, I need to restock.

NORMAL STUFF

• White rice
• Organic Rice Cakes
• Cage-free eggs
• Beans
• Gluten-free lunchmeat (Applegate)
• Glutten-free hot dogs (Applegate)
• Tuna in EVOO (Starkist packets contain no soy)
• Fresh and frozen produce: veggies, fruit, potatoes, gords, you name it. I was forced to figure out how to cook spaghetti squash and--surprise surprise--loved it!
• Meat: Grass-fed beef, free range chicken, pork, veal, etc.  
• Natural JIF Peanut butter (looks/tastes normal, but doesn't have soy and doesn't have to be refrigerated!)
• Chex cereal
• FRITOS!!!!!!!! (almost makes up for the absence of cheese on chili night). 

(Will continue to add to this list as I occasionally find myself eating something legal and "normal").

"Mommy, have a more Chex please?"
"Not for dinner, buddy."
The result.
 Maybe we should apply for
their next marketing campaign...

What a normal day/meal plan looks like:
BREAKFAST: Cereal with almond milk, oatmeal, or GF/DF muffin
LUNCH: Hot dog with chips & applesauce, PB&J on GF/DF bread, or leftovers
SNACKS: Fruit, veggie sticks, Kind bars or other granola
DINNER: Meat (chicken, veal, steak) with rice and veggies (stir fry works well), crockpot pulled pork or brisket, GF/DF pasta with homemade sauce (tomato sauce, clam sauce, tuna, etc.) or tacos/burritos/taco salad made with ground turkey, homemade taco seasoning, and with lots of fresh toppings.


That's all for now--if you have any favorite products, please share with the class! No high-maintenance recipes, though...I'll probably just snort and Pinterest it along so someone much more motivated than me so she can can get her Martha Stewart on.