Gary's Third Pottery Blog

When the going gets tough, dragons gonna get going....

Gary's third pottery blog

WRITE TO ME! garyrith@yahoo.com Come see me! Open studio HERE! November 25-26 (11-4 each day); Aurora Art and Design, daily until 12/24; Cooperstown Art Assoc. daily until 12/24; Ellis Hollow Community Fair, 12/10; December 10, Little Red Wagon at the Space at Greenstar. All material on this blog unless stated otherwise is copyright Gary Edward Rith 2016

Monday, July 8, 2013

coming out of the gluten free closet....

A year or 2 ago we had visitors coming for a visit, with gluten sensitivity.  I am sensitive to the fact of grains other than wheat having tremendous nutritional benefit:  like oats, right?  Oats are all about the fiber and lowering cholesterol; chickpea flour has a lot of protein etc etc.  So, I found it easy to add gluten free alternatives to our menu.   The thing is, of course, I was already vegan (no meat of any kind or dairy or eggs), so once again, the question was and is "what do you eat?"  to which I might joke "twigs and lawn clippings".

But, to be honest with you, I have had a stomachache for 3+ years and tried very hard to figure out wtf was the reason. People hate talking weight, but here is an honest statement:
everybody thought I had cancer or something, because I lost 20 pounds I didn't need to lose, going from thin to WHOA. And yes, I am an active runner, but shoot, not that active.

  I would wonder how anybody got through their day feeling like this.  I tried cutting out things:  coffee?  No difference, luckily!  Garlic?  Nope.  Peppers, broccoli....etc etc etc....but then not too long ago there was a Thurs-Fri when I felt spectacular.  I only noticed it because that Saturday and Sunday leading into Monday I felt worse than ever.  WHAT WAS I DOING?  And realized That the first 2 days I had been eating rice and veggies etc and that the next 2 days I had 2-3 sandwiches each day.  I decided to cut out wheat, it had to be that!
What do you know?  IMMEDIATE relief.  2 weeks of normal now!  Stomachache GONE for the first time in years.  It was a little scary at first, as I lost MORE weight.  I am doing what I can to eat like a pig and  at least get those few pounds back.

I am gonna work with my doctor to figure this out, get tested for celiac, etc.  But I can add 2 and 2:  I cannot eat wheat without terrible stomach pain for 24 hours.  For years it has been true for me where dairy is concerned also.  You do some reading and see that these 2 sensitivities together is not uncommon, so it is nice to see I am not alone.   Good friends gave me a fortune's worth of gluten free cookbooks and ingredients.  I am having great success, and you know I love to experiment in the kitchen.

As a vegan, you realize that something might have to drop out---baking with gluten free flours is a little trickier than with wheat, so I am getting the eggs back into my life.  It would be just too hard to bake without.

AND LOOK at the pizza and banana blueberry muffins here, from GLUTEN FREE ON A SHOESTRING, a blog and cookbook by Nicole Hunn.  I am in absolute love with this woman's cookbook, especially considering the great success the first 2 recipes turned out!  We made pizza with fresh walnut basil pesto and tomato, olives, mushrooms.

More on all this soon....


In other news...I walk past this optician downtown and see these frames all the time, and, well, fell in love....he is not MY optician and I don't like him BUT he is the only one with these frames.  I finally tried them on.  I am tempted to buy them from him and take them over to my optician to be fitted with lenses... NICE look, eh wot?


14 comments:

ang design said...

they are very cool frames G...very in! hey id love your gluten free pizza base recipe if ya feel like sharing :)

~ Sil in Corea said...

My son-in-law had the same problem, awful gut aches. He feels a lot better gluten-free and so does my daughter. They're both a lot healthier, now. (I've heard that increased "allergy" reactions has something to do with the hybrid wheat the big farmers started planting in the mid-1960s. It's not GMO, but a cross with a dwarf variety that makes it easier to harvest with combines.)

Anonymous said...

Gary, this is so timely for me. My grandson, who is almost 12, has just been diagnosed with Celiac Diisease. His Dad found an AP for his phone so he can check pre-packaged foods as he learns to live with this condition. Hopefully he will feel better and his growth will become normal as time goes on. I will check out the blog you mentioned and forward it to my DIL. The good thing, he's never been crazy about bread, pasta and pizza, but loves rice, beans,fruits vegetables and meat, thanks for sharing your experience.

ALBUG

Lori Buff said...

A friend of mine has issues with gluten, it's not celiac disease, it's just a sensitivity. She can eat a small amount of foods made with King Arthur brand flour. Maybe you've a similar issue.
Also, I think Cook's Illustrated is going to produce a gluten free issue soon (we're a test kitchen for them and we've been getting a few gluten free recipes to try)

Best of luck figuring it out.

Michèle Hastings said...

Glad you figured out the problem, I hope you have only a sensitivity and not celiac.

Susan as Herself said...

I also recently discovered I have a wheat sensitivity... I think because for YEARS I have made whole grains the foundation of my diet... And suddenly, stomachache if I eat to many in one day. So, I just need to be aware... a small amount each day (as in, eating wheat at one meal a day only) seems to be OK. But I have been experimenting with gluten-free with some success. Good pizza is what I miss the most. And bagels. Sigh. Thankfully I seem to have NO problem with dairy, as I eat a little cheese daily too. YUM!

smartcat said...

Great that you have found the cause of the problem; that's over half the battle! Now you just have to learn how to manage it. Fortunately these are some great sites and books out there. When I had developmentally delayed clients with celiac disease we found some great gluten-free recipes and mixes at Bob's Red Mill.
Spike looks ready to share!

Barbara Rogers said...

Well, nobody else answered your last question, about your new glasses. Looks very manly. My opinion. A bit of heavier frame might be nice for you...but not too heavy, you know? Go for it!

Sylvia said...

Glad to hear you are getting some "relief"! Just one question: How about the wheat in beer? Do they make "gluten-free" beer? I know you enjoy yourself a cold one!

BTW, those candle holders I bought as a "gift"? Well, they are a gift to myself. Love them!

Claudia from Idiot's Kitchen said...

A stomach ache for 3 years? Yikes! Glad you're getting this figured out. Yes, here is gluten free beer and some really good websites. Try gluten free girl and Elena's pantry. My recent breakfast cookies are both gluten free and vegan. Good luck! Can't wait to see how you make gf recipes your own!

Cool glasses too!

Anonymous said...

Alcohol also has wheat in it...

Shortstuff said...

I have a friend who went gluten free many years ago and has never looked back. The do have the celiac gene in their family so it made sense. They sure like not having a painful gut after eating.

Becky Brown said...

Gary, I'm glad you're feeling better - thanks for sharing your story. I've been experimenting with foregoing wheat and dairy for the last year or so - I feel better, but am still figuring it all out. It's amazing how us adults have to teach ourselves to listen to our bodies ... when did we stop doing this?

Love the glasses!

RachelD said...

Gary.

I know all you young folks are WAY more Up On all the new stuff than I, so I was recently amazed to find that one of the staples in my dear GF friend's pantry is sorghum berries. They're like a little-fatter bulgur, and she keeps some kind of tabbouleh or "pasta" salad of them in the fridge at all times.

She says they're just the best texture and milder in flavor than quinoa or other grains.

Who'd a thought---an old Southern stand-by like good ole sorghum, with such a healthful adjunct. I lived beside sorghum patches for many years, and the yearly grind and cook-off was a given, but never a thought of such another use.

I imagine you've tried these already, but it was quite the news to me.

(says Rachel, still with a good-sized bag of almond flour in the freezer, from the last time I made an almond-orange cake when they came to dinner)

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I am a full-time studio potter, sculptor, and dog walker, married to superhawt Missus Tastycake.