Gluten Free Cooking and Baking Tips

You can have a roast. Brown it without using flour.  It takes longer, however, nothing changes in the flavor.  You get the browned look, the right texture and you didn’t add flour, gluten free or not.  Then to make the gravy from the dipping use corn starch.  (Or another starch if you can’t eat corn.)

Staying Gluten Free at Work

Keeping your home gluten free can be a challenge.  However, once you have that done you should be good to go right?  Nope, being gluten free at work can also be a challenge.  There are many pitfalls which are easy to fall into.  Such as the Potluck, the lunch for breakfast, the work late, and the fast food gambit.  The issue with being gluten free at work is that it can be hard to stay on track.  Your co-worker brings in these cookies that everyone is raving over.  The truth is that you can’t eat them.  Here are a few suggestions to help you stay gluten free.

Obtaining Medical Records

As I said in the last post.  There was an error in my medical records, one I would have caught had I obtained a copy of my medical records instead of trusting that everything was where it should be.  This is a lesson to each of us.  Make sure that you get a copy of your medical records when you have a major diagnosis happen.  This way you have a copy for yourself as well as proof should you ever need to move to a new doctor.  While a new doctor can get your medical records it does take time.

Hidden Gluten in Beauty Products: Words to watch for

Gluten is hidden in just about everything and that means beauty products.  However, most of the time they do not come out and say "wheat" They use other terms to hide the gluten.  Please remember that almost all oats are processed with wheat and therefore are not safe.

Back to School with Celiac

This Image is Public Domain

With all the back to school hype currently going on, I started digging into the laws of school lunches and the special diets of those with Celiac.  I found some very interesting information that will hopefully be of use.

Common Mistakes of the Gluten Free

Mistakes when you are gluten free can be common.  I personally have made more than my fair share.  Here is a list of easy to fix mistakes.

Thinking Wheat Free means gluten free.  This is not the case.  While in some instances wheat free and gluten free can mean the same thing.  In most cases they are different.  Just because something does not contain wheat does not make it gluten free.  Remember that gluten can come in a variety of forms. 

Outback Steakhouse -restaurant series-

We went to outback this month for my mother in laws birthday.  Having been there prior to this I knew to ask for a manager.  The reason you have to talk to the manager is even though they do offer an extensive gluten free menu.  They have no real accommodations for those with Celiac.  This means they use different cooking styles, gloves, and the salad has to be made in a different location.  This can only be assured of by the manager.  Make sure that you let the manager know that this is not a lifestyle choice but that you really do have an issue with gluten.  This will ensure that there is a lot more care taken with your food.  

Learning about yourself (Personality Tests)

Property of http://oddlydevelopedtypes.com

One of the things I have noticed while trying to get my body healthier is that my mind needs to be worked on as well.  This led me to the MYERS-BRIGGS personality test.  This led me to discover that I am an INTP or introversion intuitive thinking and perceiving.  Have completed multiple tests and have come up with the same answer each time.  What this means for me.  This means that I am not good at dealing with others people’s feelings, not that I don't try or don't care.  I just don't normally think like that.  I also tend to think through situations that include over-analyzing them.  I like to by myself or with a small group of close friends.  I am not one for large parties; also I have a harder time making good friends and not just acquaintances.  I also see the world as something that needs to be done all at once.  I am great at multitasking and good under pressure, as long as that pressure is not overly personal.  Understanding this led me to better understand who I am and how I interact with others.  I have a friend who is an ENTP or the extroverted version of me.  At first it was hard to put much stock in this type of test.  However, I soon found that the more I read on my personality type the more I realized that it was just like me.  Also my husband had to point out that this is how I live my life.

Gluten Free 4th of July

This image is public domain

The fourth of July is coming.  This means food, family, sun and fun along with playing with fire.  Who doesn't enjoy the 4th?  At least in America, for most other places it is just a day in July.   

Ground Beef Recall

If you live in any of these states, Texas, Tennessee, Kansas, Mississippi, Illinois, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, and Arizona please check your ground beef.  Here are the items that are being recalled:

Celiac and Lupus

Those are not freckles, that is an example of a butterfly rash.  

Who would have thought that there is a connection between Celiac and lupus?  Well there is one, those who have Celiac are at higher risk for Systematic Lupus. It wasn't until I ran into someone who had been diagnosed first with Celiac, and then with Lupus, that I even knew there was a connection. Since Celiac and lupus can be found on the same DNA sequence, it seems they can also be activated at the same time. Those with Celiac should probably get a basic blood test to make sure that Lupus is not even a possibility for them.  I will be doing so just to make sure that this is not an issue for me, more of a ruling out test.  

Restaurant Series #2 Jason's Deli

Jason's Deli was one of the first places I went to when I became gluten free.  I remembered that they had a gluten free menu and I was right, they had a great one with so many options. However, there is a large issue with this location and it's one they will bring up themselves. 

Hurricane Season Tips

Hurricane season has started!  Now is a great time for a reminder of what to do in a tropical storm/hurricane.  These can be especially hard on those with Celiac's; the reason for this is that much of our food is frozen. A lot of the canned food contains gluten and would be unsafe to eat.  However, canned meats and vegetables are often safe.  Try to invest in some of those instead of canned soups or meals.

Gluten Free at a Salad Bar

When one thinks of a salad bar, it is often assumed that the salad bar is gluten free.  This is not always the case.  Cross contamination with items such as croutons or other "toppings" is not as rare as one would hope.  Not only that, but many salad dressings are not gluten free.  This does not mean that you have to give up salad bars.

Common Fashion Mistakes

I normally don't talk much about fashion.  It has very little if anything to do with gluten, IgA D, PCOS, infertility or any subject associated with those.  However, so many times I see the same mistakes made by too many women.  Here is a list of the most common fashion mistakes.

Why you Need Gluten Free Beauty Products

Recently I was pitched (offered to review something) by a company making beauty products.  This was great except nothing they made was gluten free.  When I turned down the offer on the grounds that I have Celiac and couldn't use the product, I was given the reply "There has been no proven reaction to absorbed gluten and you don't eat your makeup."  This got me thinking.

Spring Cleaning for Your Beauty Routine!

The clock has changed and so has the season.  This means more than changing the batteries in your smoke detector.  This means that it is time to switch your beauty routine again.

Left Over Easter Candy Ideas

Now that Easter is over with we have a lot of candy that we really don't need in the house, especially if you want to be ready for summer.  So here are a few ideas to help you get rid of the candy.  Also they are slightly better than just eating the candy straight.

Reasons to take your Vacation

Vacations are important for many reasons.  They help maintain the health, they reduce work related stress, they increase productivity, and vacations improve job performance.  Each one of these reasons alone is a good reason to start taking your vacation time.  However, you may feel that you are too busy to be able to properly take the time they are allotted. Here are the benefits of taking your vacation time. 

Vacations maintain health: Vacations can allow a person the rest they need, allow them to catch up on sleep and help stave off depression.  By allowing the worries of work to not be the first thing they think of this will allow the officers much needed relax and recoup time.  By letting them sleep better you are allowing yourself to recharge your immune system. This boosted immune system means that each person will have fewer sick days.

Stress Management Ideas

Being stressed out can happen any time of the year for those with celiac and those without celiac.

Stress is a living creature’s negative physiological and psychological reaction to internal or external Stimuli either perceived or unperceived.