Hello!
So I am moving to Vancouver this Friday and let me tell you how excited I am to eat a snack and sandwich and a treat at Panne Rizo!! I am also extremely nervous to make the big move from my little town of Fredericton to the big city, but I'm going to pursue my master's at UBC so I figure it will all be worth it! Oh and did I mention the sushi :)
That being said, I will now be posting more "west" related stories and information, but fear not, I will try my best to maintain up to date with the current happenings on the east coast!
This post is going to be dedicated to the great places and people in my hometown as well as a little story on how to help your friends and family deal with celiac disease. Because lets be honest, celiac disease does not only affect you but everyone that surrounds you as well. Your spouse or partner will have to alter their lifestyle, your kids will have to be more careful and you will become a little walking spokesperson for celiac disease ( trust me, I have my speech nailed down when people say" wow, that sucks, how do you live/eat?)
Ok, so lets first start with a big thank you to Bob and Mary's gluten free baking at the Fredericton Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings! I'm not sure what I would do without their yummy muffins and my coffee on Saturdays! I will miss this little ritual to start my weekends. I am also very thankful to the farmers who sell great meats and sausages that are gluten free!! Yay for no MSG, preservatives and "filler" added to local, yummy food!
I am also going to thank the Blue Door because they have gone out of their way to label their menu with GF items! I also need to give Betty Lee a huge shout out because she is amazing!!!! Her Chinese food is not only gluten free, but I remember the first time I ate it, and was sure that it was full of gluten because it tasted so good! Betty Lee knows how to make great GF Chinese food!!! Finally, I thank all of the helpful servers who are so ready and willing to help me find a meal on their sometimes gluten filled menus! Who would have thought that a salad at the Snooty Fox would be good?!?!!
Ok now for the tips and tricks to help your loved ones deal with everything that comes with Celiac! Mood swings, constant discomfort and pain, the feeling that your life will never be the same again.... these are some heavy issues that you and your family will have to tackle. Now I could probably use a few postings on how to deal with these issues, but I will do my best to sum it all up. PATIENCE!! Honestly, trying to be patient is the key to making your disease tolerable in the first stages of recover (when your body is making the transition from eating gluten, to healing itself without gluten in your system). I was the worst at this stage because I would still wake up sick everyday and felt like I couldn't eat anything, not even my stale GF toast that I hated.... well, this went away after I received some naturopathic treatments and began to feel better.
The best thing to do when diagnosed with celiac disease is to sit down with your family, and read about the disease together. Simplify it a little for your children of course, but it is very important that kids understand how severe this disease really is. The main areas of concern are: when I'm not feeling well, its best to leave me alone! and food cross-contamination. The first issue, can be treated with rest and peppermint tea. I promise you that peppermint tea will be a soothing friend when your stomach feels like its the size of a balloon!
Secondly, the issue of cross-contamination will have its own blog time very soon, but simply put, it is VERY important that friends and family understand the problem with crumbs, flour and other gluten filled substances that can get into things such as jam,peanut butter, butter, spreads, etc. We, as celiacs, cannot eat even the smallest trace of gluten without making ourselves sick and therefore must make it clear to the people around us how careful we must be!
It is sometimes difficult to keep your head up when this disease seems to be making you misreable, but I promise that this blog will prove to you that living a gluten free life is easy, tolerable and even fun at times!!!! We definitely get a lot more satisfaction out of finding a GF chocolate brownie than our counterparts who can eat gluten!
Lastly, it might be fun to get the whole family in on making gluten free treats or snacks! I will leave you with a quick, easy and healthy "fish and chips" recipe:
you will need:
* Mesa sunrise flakes (cereal found at most grocery stores)
*Mixed spices of your choice, I usually use GF spice mix or just salt and pepper and chili flakes
*3-4 eggs or just egg whites, beaten
* dash of milk
*White fish, such as haddock
1. put cereal and spices in a bag and beat with a rolling pin to create crumbs.... this is great on a stressful day!
2. Rinse fish under water, dip in egg mixture and then in crumb mixture. I find it easiest to put the crumbs in a plate and roll the fish.
3. Bake in the oven at 350 for approx. 10-12 minutes or until fish flakes. Enjoy with oven roasted potatoes (cute potatoes, drizzle with oil, chopped garlic and herbs, bake for 45 minutes)
Hope you enjoy!!! Keep checking in for my first post from the west coast!
Ally :)
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