Wheat - no eat?

While we were down in Utah a week or so ago, Bill and I had some diagnostic testing done. It showed that we are both sensitive to gluten - one of the primary ingredients in wheat, barley and rye. Although we are a bit skeptical of the machine that was used, we decided to read up on gluten sensitivity - and it really opened our eyes. Naturally we read 'Living Gluten-Free for Dummies' as it seemed to apply!

In fact, the more we read, the more it seemed like a gluten sensitivity might really be something we have been dealing with - and more importantly, something our oldest daughter might be suffering from as well.

However, cutting out everything with gluten in it is not a task for the faint-hearted. You would be amazed at how many food items have wheat or one of it's derivatives in it. Cream of mushroom soup, soy sauce, oatmeal - well, the list is endless.

We do have an advantage in that we are dedicated ingredients readers - always scanning to make sure that MSG or one of it's pseudonyms is not there - or aspartame (another biggie to avoid). So we're just going to be adding in another few things to look for. But it can get tricky. For example, malt is usually made from barley, and malt is found in almost all cereals. In fact, when I was looking through cereals the other day, I couldn't find one that DIDN'T have gluten in it.

There are eight major food allergies that can cause problems - milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, fish, soy and GLUTEN. Most packaged foods have allergen alerts on them, so you know whether the item contains one of these eight allergens, or has been produced on machinery that also produces items with these allergens. Health-food stores have whole shelves of gluten-free foods, and even regular grocery stores are starting to stock gluten-free items. Heck - I even heard an ad on the radio for QFC that touted their gluten-free products.

Miranda has been gluten-free for almost a week now, and says she is feeling a lot better. She is sticking primarily to vegetables, fruits, nuts, eggs and meat rather than trying to make more elaborate gluten-free dishes. Bill and I (with a somewhat reluctant Timmy) have targed May 1st as our starting date, and are frantically trying to eat up as much of our gluten-loaded kitchen items as possible. We figured that was a good day to start because we feel a little overwhelmed and 'MAYDAY, MAYDAY' seemed appropriate!

In the meantime we are putting our gluteny food items in bags to give away, and our kitchen is going to be pretty empty. It is amazing how many items I had squirreled away that I had totally forgotten about. As always, when Bill helps out with any kitchen organizing, the frequently used items end up on the uppermost shelves where I can't reach them. Since he doesn't cook himself, he is a bit clueless about what gets used the most often.

I have ordered a couple of gluten-free cookbooks, but they haven't arrived yet. I may have to fall back on the recipes in the 'Living gluten-free for dummies' book (if I can wrestle it away from Miranda), and I also bought a book that gives lists of grocery store foods (including brands) and which ones are gluten-free. Hmm - Miranda has that one as well.

In talking to a doctor we know, he said that it usually takes 4-6 weeks before you really notice a difference. So in about that amount of time we will either know if this was the best thing that could have happened to us - OR that once again we have picked up on the latest fad. But I have a sneaking suspicion it will be the former - IF we really stick to it. The best intentions and all that. What I will do if faced with a big gooey chocolate chip cookie fresh out of the oven . . .