Learning Gluten Free

This continues to be a journey of new knowledge. I tried a new cooked salad recipe, met with a nutritionist, tried shopping at Whole Foods, and found something else I can’t eat. No desserts this week. I’m a little scared to try baking gluten free. I’m nervous that whatever I make won’t turn out good, even though I know that happens with regular baking, too. I’m also nervous about the financial strain that comes with having to shop gluten free. There are so many different flours that are gluten free, and they all act differently. I know I’m going to have to see what’s out there, and it may even be the excuse I need to try my hand at macarons.

First, lets go over my meeting with the nutritionist. Her name is Lori Brown with Simply Nourish. My GI doctor’s office referred me to her. She is very personable and gave me a lot of information about Celiac’s Disease. I was definitely in my own head about all the info, or lack thereof, and making myself sick (not just the gluten left over in my system). She got me on a lemon water regimen in the morning. One glass of water with the juice of half a lemon, or 3 tbsp. I’ve been juicing my lemons ahead of time because I have the early shifts at my job most of the week. This saves time when packing my food and such in the morning. The lemon water jump starts your digestive system for the day. It should be consumed before coffee or food. I have noticed a difference in so far as I am hungrier throughout the day. Before my diagnosis, and most of my adult life, I really only ever ate 1 big meal a day. I rarely ate breakfast (even though I love me some breakfast food), snacked throughout the day and on my lunch break, and ate dinner. Now, I am consistently eating 3 times a day.

Speaking of snacking, I found out that I can’t eat one of my favorite snacks. Goodbye, Jack Link’s Teriyaki Beef Jerky! Look at the ingredients. It contains wheat. A good replacement is Chomps, recommended by Lori, or Slim Jim Original stick (a little spicy for my taste). I have also not been drinking as much coffee. More out not wanting to carry 3 cups to work. I’ve been making sure to drink enough water, too. I am your quintessential dehydrated American. So, now I bring my filled BUILT water bottle and a travel cup of lemon water for my morning shifts. Adding a coffee mug to the mix is just too overwhelming and heavy, especially on the days I ride my bike to work.

Venturing to Whole Foods this week was very daunting. I grew up with the impression that the prices there are a little higher than other grocery stores. As an adult who budgets every paycheck, I’m not fond of going over my grocery limit of $50 a week. Since I live alone, with my cat, that usually sets me up for 2 meals that can stretch for the week in meal prep. Whole Foods definitely has more gluten free options than other grocery stores, though Trader Joe’s is a close second. I’ve been told to try Aldi’s, but their produce is always hit or miss. I make my grocery list ahead of time with the ingredients I need from the recipes I intend to cook. I usually do 1 comfort meal that I know how to make, 1 new one to try out, and a dessert. Plus odds and ends to round out my week, like fruit, granola, snacks, etc. Having an Amazon Prime membership will help with the sales in the store. There’s a QR code at the register that you scan with your phone, then you get a code on your phone that the cashier scans. You can also put your phone number in, but I had to do it the long way (meaning that I didn’t see the phone number prompt until after I already scanned the code). I did find that the prices were a little higher than I’m used to, but not terrible. I ended up spending around $64 this week, so now I have $36 for next week. We’ll see what I can come up with.

This week’s meals were Roasted Chicken with a Scalloped Potato Gratin and a Roasted Broccoli Miso Ceasar Salad. Breakfast all week was either an apple or honey vanilla Greek yogurt from Trader Joe’s with gluten free Cashew Butter and Coconut granola from Whole Foods (my favorite granola so far). The broccoli salad got split up into 3 separate meals, and chicken with potatoes got me through 4. There was enough salad dressing leftover to mix with some romaine lettuce and sliced avocado to make an extra meal! I’m getting into making my own dressings. This is Celiac in the Crescent City signing off 😊

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