Please Read

The following blog posts are based solely on my personal experiences. I am not a Doctor, Nutrition specialist, Comedian, or Professional Baseball Player. If you have a health, nutrition, humor, or baseball issue please seek a PROFESSIONAL.

Favorite Bathrooms

  • Home Sweet Home
  • When I'm @ someones house: the one farthest away from the crowd
  • @ the Mall: Macy's (as public bathrooms go this one is very nice)
  • If I can't make it to Macy's...JC Penney's will have to do (they recently remodeled so it is better than it was. I don't know why they didn't ask for my input???)
  • Monterey Bay Fish Grotto in Monroeville has a great bathroom
  • Ponte Vedra Inn and Club, My fav place to vacation, their rooms have the most wonderful bathrooms

Helpful links

  • FREE Crohns Disease Support Network www.CrohnsDiseaseSN.com
  • Find a Toilet www.sitorsquat.com
  • Medical Alert Restroom Access Pass http://myibd.org/restroommedalert/index.php

Friday, February 12, 2010

To Be Or Not To Be Gluten Free?

About 3 weeks ago I started eliminating gluten from my diet. This was not as easy as it sounds. I absolutely love bread. Toast with lots of butter in the morning or toast and tea when I’m not feeling well. A warm roll with butter at dinner. Sandwiches, I love a good sandwich. B’s grilled cheese yummmm. Not to mention cookies, brownies, cake…….. Well I managed to stop eating all of the above and I noticed an improvement right away. I started looking for gluten free foods at the grocery store. Rice Chex cereal is gluten free so that has been my breakfast. I tried some very expensive gluten free bread….I think the bag would have tasted better. I won’t buy that again, at least not that brand. Rice cakes aren’t too bad with peanut butter. Rice crackers are a no by themselves but not too bad with homemade ham salad. I had that for lunch yesterday. I think they will be good with cheese however that is the next food group I was thinking of eliminating….I love cheese :( I bought a gluten free cookie mix from Betty Crocker but I haven’t tried it yet. I cheated a couple days ago and had some bread and some brownies during a snowed in party. The verdict…… I need to be gluten free.

I found some good resources on the internet. I’ve been following these blogs

http://glutenfreefun.blogspot.com/

http://www.triumphdining.com/blog/

http://gluten-freeliving.blogspot.com/

Now I just need some willpower!!!

If you know of any helpful web sites please leave a comment with the link. Thanks!

Love, laugh, and always know where the nearest bathroom is

3 comments:

Jen said...

Seriously, I have had Crohn's for years and going gluten and dairy free is the best thing I've done. The diet gets easier and you'll find there are lots of much better gluten free alternatives out there. I write all about it at www.alifeofsugarandspice.com and on my page is a blogroll of LOTS of other GF bloggers. Good luck!! Stick with it, it's worth it!!

Dru said...

You'd rather live your life as a prisoner of the bathroom and your symptoms than go gluten free? Seriously? I admire your attempt to go gf, but it was somewhat feeble. If you go gf, that means no gluten, not a speck. It also doesn't mean a diet of rice crackers and Rice Chex. There is a great variety of gf "stuff" out there now - so different than it was even 3 years ago. Admittedly, you'll have a steep learning curve for the first few months, and some anger issues about having to change your diet, but once you're past that, you'll understand that your life is better and it's not really that difficult after all. Udi's is currently the best commercial gf bread available, but you can also make your own, including with a breadmaker. Try Bob's Red Mill Wonderful Sandwich Bread mix. A lot of BRM stuff I don't like (like his cornbread mix - ugh)but this mix is decent. Also, try using Pamela's Pancake and Baking Mix to substitute for flour - it's a good mix for beginners to use, and you can buy it in bulk at a discount on Amazon. Read Healthier Without Wheat by Stephen Wangan. Don't feel sorry for yourself because you have to eliminate gluten - instead feel delighted that there is this option that will help heal you.

kassandra said...

yay! to the coolest aunt ever for finding some relief..

gluten free - how very trendy of you..no, really i'm glad it's working! and i will gladly come over and watch chick flicks and eat those brownines.
AND i hope everyone else who comments on your honest and personal experiences are more positive and encouraging and less condescending....i love you auntie