Newly Diagnosed??

Don't panic. Think of this as an adventure.

If I had to do it all over again from scratch I would make a list of all the whole foods I love and get lots of them in the house. Dried figs, almonds, strawberries, blueberries, cheeses, etc. I would then sort of do a cleanse and eat meals that were simple at first to let my body experience the joy of not having to process a lot of foods it has been processing that have been toxic to it.

I would make sure my meals had really yummy things in them like fresh herbs, sweet potatoes, squash, fresh fish, seafood, yummy steak, chicken, salads with homemade vinaigrettes. Adding ham and chicken and cheese to a salad for lunch makes it hearty and filling for instance...you can take that anywhere. Corn pasta is the best tasting to me, or the tinkiyada brown rice brand.

If I wanted a dessert I would do a flan/creme caramel/creme brule, flourless chocolate cake.
Feel better about being diagnosed now because gluten-free over took whole grains as the leading growth market in food production last year and there is lots available now that was not even 2 or 3 years ago. Relief is in sight.

Go to www.celiac.org as they have a list of things that you can and can not eat. Ketchup is still okay but if you have any French's mustard in the fridge -toss it out. Mustard has hidden gluten in most cases. Maille's Dijon is an acceptable choice. Anything McCormack's puts their name on will tell you if it has gluten or not. Toss out your soy sauce and get one that does not list wheat as an ingredient. Oats you will have to get in a health food store and must be labeled gluten-free - they are rotated in crop growing with gluten crops and seeds are left over in the harvesting that contaminates them. Potato starch makes a great thickener for gravies (use it like you would corn starch - it has better flavour and is a more stable product) and soups.

Buying store bought items can be expensive and disappointing for flavour - although as I mentioned things are getting better. I resent personally having to buy mixes when I never bought them before. Between taste, nutritional content (all those rice/tapioca/corn products have little nutritional value) and cost I have spent 6 years delevoping recipes that really do taste and perform like their wheat counterparts. When my 19 year old daughter who is not Celiac told me that the cakes were turning out better than wheat ones and asked me to makes her "dulce de los tres leches" on her birthday this past year, to me that was a sign that I have triumphed!

I do apologize for not having my ebook available yet. There have been a lot of personal issues going on in the past year that have needed my attention. In the meantime you can contact me to get a lesson summary of one of the classes or if you are in Ottawa, attend a course - it is well worth the 8 Monday's. Although each class 80% of the recipes are different, no one ever returns as they truly understand the fundamentals of creating their kitchen in a totally gluten-free environment and the joy that yields.

All the best. Susan pce@magma.ca 613-234-0849