No, I have not been diagnosed with Celiac Disease.
Celiac is another autoimmune disease that occurs in about one half of one percent of the general population. However, according to JDRF, about 1 in 10 people with Type 1 Diabetes is eventually diagnosed with Celiac. According to ADA standards just released, as many as 16 percent of Type 1s could be living with Celiac. During this week, I’ll be living and writing about the gluten-fee life from the perspective of someone newly diagnosed with Celiac Disease.
Thanks to Nikki at Celiabetes for her very valuable information and feedback for this series.
I have to admit that I haven’t gotten too deep into making recipes this week. I’ve got two more days of exclusively gluten free eating left, and I still want to come up with something great. Okay, well, I did make some guacamole to snack on with some lentil chips before dinner.
2 very ripe avacados
1 tablespoon plain yogurt (just to make it creamy)
1 finely diced jalapeno
1 diced tomato
Salt and Pepper to taste
A little chopped fresh cilantro
Add everything in about that order and mix it up. Very tasty.
Also, I’m finding it difficult to stay away from the processed foods this week. That’s partly due to having a busy week, partly because I wanted to check out what’s available in the market, and partly because The Great Spousal Unit has made dinner every night since Monday. Dinner is the one meal during the workweek where I have a little time to do something extra, something unique. But not much of a chance so far. Hopefully tomorrow, because I think we’re going to try to eat out on Saturday night. That should be interesting.
When you eat gluten free… even though you’re eating healthier… there’s still some danger in eating processed foods. When I asked Nikki what foods are her favorites, and if I should try anything specific this week, here’s what she had to say:
“Most gluten-free processed foods (bread, snacks, desserts) are high carb and high GI-Index foods, because they are mostly made from white or brown rice flour, so I find most are not diabetes-friendly. I do occasionally eat processed foods, such as Udi’s frozen pizza crusts, Rudi’s gluten-free tortillas, and a great gluten-free pasta brand is Tinkyada (found at SuperTarget in the pasta aisle and most grocery stores). If you eat cereal, Chex offers several gluten free varieties and many of the co-op stores offer gluten free cereals. There is now a gluten free Rice Krispies that tastes just like “normal” Rice Krispies. They use molasses instead of malt as the ingredient (malt is gluten). In the baking aisle, you’ll likely find a few gluten free cake and brownie mixes from Betty Crocker, Bob’s Red Mill or Gluten Free Pantry. If you can find Gluten Free Pantry Chocolate Truffle Brownie Mix, I highly recommend it. DELISH.”
Anyway, right now it seems like I’m eating less fresh stuff, and more packaged stuff. But actually, I’m still eating more fresh foods than I have for a while. And I’m starting to like how that makes me feel. So it’s not all bad.
What did I eat today?
Breakfast: I scrambled an egg with green onion and tomato, and grated a little manchego cheese on top. Also nuked a gluten free sausage link. Total Carb Count: 10g
Lunch: I had a little chicken breast left from last night’s dinner, along with some more manchego (did I mention that I love manchego cheese?), and a pineapple cup. Total Carb Count: 48g
Dinner: Maureen made some rice along with some ground turkey, and put it in the fridge for me while she went to walk a couple of dogs. Doesn’t sound like much, but I added some homemade chicken stock, tomato, fresh rosemary, and the last of the manchego. In the end, pretty good. Total Carb Count (including the chips and guacamole): 58g
Two more days left in my gluten-free quest. Tomorrow, I’ll try to tackle gluten free bread… and talk about my new favorite cookies!
Carb counts are estimates only. Check with a registered dietician to find out what a healthy carb count is for you.
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