How often do you cheat?

So, what's the honest answer? Once, twice, three times? Or... is it too many times to possibly count?

Unfortunately, the last answer would be my honest answer. 

And no, I'm not talking about cheating on exams and the sort... well, even if I did, you would never know and I would never tell. 

AHEM. Well, no one's perfect yeah? :p  

Okay, so what am I talking about here? I am talking about cheating on your gluten free diet. 

Cheating, in this case, is purposefully breaking the strict oath you have taken as a gfreer to not consume any gluten containing products or use any dishes/utensils that have potential cross contamination and suffering the consequences afterward. 

Why in the world would anyone want to do that and risk their health?? 

That's actually a really good question to which I have some viable answers: 

First of all, no gfreer wants to be the spotlight of your dinner party/gathering with food. We can't help awkwardly standing out already since we have a restricted diet- yep, we're the ones analyzing the potluck food asking questions about what's in the sauce and holding up the line. <--I'm reallllyy good at that! But, hey sometimes, we cheat. And by cheat I mean if a food looks essentially gluten free except for maybe the sauce, some of us will eat it. I do. Sometimes I feel sick afterward, sometimes I have no reaction. It's really up to my GI tract's mood. The main point is, we do it to fit in. Which brings me to my next point...

Sometimes us gfreers find ourselves in a situation where the words "celiac disease" and "gluten" are non-existent. This has happened to me quite a few times when I eat at Asian restaurants or when I travel to Asian countries. NOBODY, and I repeat, NOBODY will know what you are talking about when you say you get stomach aches when you eat gluten. And although I could give them one of those nifty gfree dining cards, I bet you 10 million (well, if I had that much) that they would give me the wtf face and turn me away. So, what do I do? I cheat. I eat the stuff that's coated with soy sauce (although I try realllly hard to dip it in tea or wipe it off with a napkin before pushing it in my mouth). I eat gluten when I have no other choice. I eat it when it would be rude not to and when I'm not in the position to be making demands for food preparation. I do it so I seem like everyone else and not labeled as a "picky eater." 

I guess it can be difficult for those outside of the celiac circle to fully understand the plights of the gfreer, but I'm not expecting them to know everything there is to know about celiac disease and gluten. Although, if you make an honest and sincere effort to learn about it, let's just say that I will regard you highly. In other words, let's be best friends!! :) 

You know, one of the things I have learned since being on the diet is to be as accommodating and polite as possible while trying my best not to jeopardize my health and well being. One exposure to gluten, depending on the sensitivity of the individual, can take weeks or years to heal. I know that very well, yet I still do it. 

At the end of the day, it's impossible for me to be entirely gluten free unless I live in a cave (aka my apartment) and cook for myself all the time and never go out to eat... ever. And if I did, I would be the weirdo who would whip out some Tupperware, dump it on my plate and call it a day. Heck, maybe I'd eat right out of the container. 

Okay, mayyybe I wouldn't do that. At least not in public. The reality? I'd suggest a change of venue or eat beforehand and suggest a safe dessert place. 

Ahh, the subtle ways us gfreers can manipulate food choices!

Anyway, stay safe all you gfreers out there- make good choices and don't use me as a role model in this case. Everything else nice and good about my habits you can take, but do me a favor and leave my cheating habits behind if you can.  

After all, no one likes a cheater! 

-Kris

  

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5 Foods Commonly Mistaken As Being Gluten Free

Hello everyone!

Just wanted to post a quick little something for all of you since I finally have a short break from school.

I love Labor Day!! :) 

The topic of interest today: Think a food item is gluten free? Think again! Here is a list of 5 commonly mistaken foods that are thought to be gluten free, but really are not.

1) Soy Sauce

 Ahh, soy sauce. The essence of being Asian and foundation of pretty much all Asian foods. Unfortunately, the name is misleading to many newcomers to the gluten free diet.

Soy sauce (besides the soy component) actually contains wheat. Goodbye late night Chinese take out!

As a rule of thumb, it is best to stay away from Chinese, Japanese, and Korean restaurants because of the risk of cross contamination. But, if you are dying for that salty flavor, try wheat free Tamari soy sauce or fish sauce for that interesting kick to your dish. You can find the fish sauce at pretty much any Asian grocery store. However, the Tamari you may have to order online or, if you're lucky like me, I was able to find mine at a Japanese grocery store for a decent price. Best thing is that it tastes exactly like the regular soy sauce, but without all that nasty gluten! Yay!

2) Beer

Beer: the epitome of college drinking life and a permanent resident of every sports bar in the nation. Lucky for me, I really dislike the taste of beer, but for those who like beer and are gfree, sorry to burst your bubble, but most, if not all, beers are not gluten free.

Beer is made from the saccharification (breaking down of a complex carbohydrate into simple sugars)  of starch and the fermentation of the resulting sugar. The starch and saccharification enzymes are usually derived from malted cereal grains like malted barley or malted wheat.
Still love beer? Have no fear! (I crack myself up on how cheesy I am)! There is gfree beer out on the market and in some select, probably very posh, city bars so go out there and enjoy your gfree beer.

3) Rice Krispies

Remember having rice krispies treats as a kid? I sure do!

When I found out that I couldn't have rice krispies treats anymore, a little part of me died inside. They were my number one, all time favorite dessert!

Unfortunately, the original rice krispies is not gluten free. They contain malt flavoring which is derived from barley- a definite gluten free eater no no.

BUT, there's good news! Kelloggs recently developed a Gluten Free Rice Krispies cereal so all of us gfree folk who love our rice krispies can once again enjoy the "snap, crackle, pop" in all its glory. :)

4) Mochi

 I want to bring special attention to Mochi, a traditional Japanese dessert.

True Mochi made in Japan or made from an authentic source should NOT have any gluten components as it is made from glutenous rice or sweet rice and covered with rice flour, corn starch or potato starch to prevent it sticking to its packaging and your fingers!

However, this popular American brand sold in chain stores is not gluten free. The outside coating contains wheat flour so be wary of this brand before you think it's gluten free and eat it!

I learned the hard way because I made some bad assumptions and I ended up not feeling too well.

Lesson learned: always check labels!!


5) Oats

Oats have been a controversial topic in the gluten free community for quite some time. But now there is a definite consensus that commercial oats are NOT gluten free.

Oats themselves are not really the issue, but it is mainly the cross contamination that is dangerous for gluten free eaters.

If you love oats in your desserts and breakfast, make sure to purchase certified gluten free oats and not the regular Quaker brand so you can enjoy the wonderful health benefits from oats without all the pain and nastiness that the cross contaminated oats do to your gut!

The bottom line is to always check your labels, EVEN if you are almost 99.9999% that it can't possibly contain gluten. Never assume, always be cautious. If you have questions about whether a product is gfree or not, call up the company and ask. It is never asking too much to make sure the foods you eat are safe for you.

Okay, that's all for now. I hope this has been helpful in some way or at least enlightening? Let me know in the comments below and see you all next time!

Eat safely and take care,
Kris

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12 Reasons why Switching to a Gfree Diet Could Be one of the Best Decisions You'll Ever Make

Call it a fad, but gluten free diets are becoming the new "it" thing to try. For celiacs, there is no choice but to live everyday gluten free. However, for those out there looking to be healthier through a different approach than turning to weight loss programs and so called "miracle drugs," going gfree might be something to consider. 
After doing some research and scoping out some sites on what they have to say about the benefits of switching to a gfree diet, here are the highlights of what I found as well as my two cents on it:  

Benefits of Switching to a Gluten Free Diet

1) Relieve symptoms of celiac disease and gluten sensitivity

This is a no brainer to those who battle with celiac's on a everyday basis. I've heard testimonial after testimonial saying that once people switch over to eating gluten free, they find almost immediate relief! I can testify to that too!! Goodbye pain and bloating!  :) 

2) Clear up complexion

When I read this one, I was surprised that I didn't realize it before. After switching to a gluten free diet, I had found that I broke out less and if I did, it would not be as severe as in the past. I'm sure people who suffer from acne problems can find some improvement after eliminating gluten from their diet- if anything, you're taking away much of the world of processed food as well as anything that is deep fried and battered (all things that normally make you break out!) 

3) Ward away depression
Now here's an interesting one. When I think back on my days fighting and trying to endure crippling stomach cramps and being downright uncomfortable, I was seriously a depressed person. I mean, everyone suffers from or has experienced some form and level of depression due to life's many stresses, but I never realized that gluten, the very thing I was ingesting on a day to day basis, caused me to be in a constant state of depression. Now that I'm on the gfree diet, I found that I can cope with things better and find alternative ways to release stress. Being healthy really DOES make a difference in how you perceive life!

4) Improve digestion
Once your body detoxes from all the gluten and the nastyness, your stomach and intestines will pay you back handsomely. They'll return the love and help digestion to go much smoother-aka your bathroom trips will be quick and easy, if you know what I mean! ;)

5) Decrease symptoms of autism, Type 1 and 2 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, rheumatoid arthritis, Down's syndrome, and osteoporosis
It has been found that gfree diets can provide relief for all these terrible diseases. Who'd have thought?

6) Healthy Weight loss/ Healthy Weight gain
For those who suffer from celiacs or wheat sensitivity, you may be like me and be incredibly skinny for no apparent reason even though you eat like a horse at every meal. If you're like me, it is so so hard to gain even a pound of weight. When you suffer from celiac disease, and you don't know it and continue to eat gluten, the gluten does terrible things to your intestine. In your intestine, you have millions of villi which are tiny, microscopic appendages that absorb the nutrients from food that pass through your intestine. However, in celiacs, the gluten is the foreign invader and the body sends out signals to attack it, causing our poor villi to die off and be flattened, thus being unable to absorb proper nutrients like normal folk. This is why many people who have celiacs are so skinny that we look anorexic. But, I assure you, that is not the case. Going to a gfree diet allows our intestine to take the time to heal (healing can take up to a year and longer depending on how severe the damage is!) and so that after some time has passed, we can finally start to absorb a good amount of nutrients like everyone else and hopefully gain some healthy weight! For those who are overweight, switching to a gfree diet can help with that goal. However, a word of caution: going gfree does not necessarily mean it is always healthy. A gfree diet can be very healthy or extremely unhealthy. There's two ends to the spectrum. There are a plethora of gfree snack foods out on the market now that are not healthy to eat, trust me. A gfree diet is high in carbs (mostly from rice and corn derivatives) and protein since wheat is completely cut off. Choosing to eat fresh fruits and vegetables is always the best way to go instead of processed gfree food! If you're trying to lose weight through a gluten free diet, always stick to fresh, unprocessed food. You might want to throw in some exercise too!

7) Lower cholesterol
If you have high cholesterol, switching to a gfree diet might help to slow down the accumulation of fatty deposits on arteries and vital organs. A diet of fresh vegetables, fruits and healthy grains should help you lower your cholesterol back to the normal range for your body through consuming less of the unhealthy saturated fats. Give it a try and let me know how it goes!!

8) Boost energy
Ever feel just plain lazy or lethargic all the time? It could very well be caused by what you're putting in your body! In fact, I know that it is. After switching to a gfree diet and eliminating the very thing that was causing me pain, BAM, I instantly had more energy to do things and was just happier. You know the saying, "you are what you eat?" It's the truth!!

9) Reduced joint pain
I've actually had a lot of joint pain growing up since I had to grow these long legs of mine. (FYI, I'm pretty tall for an Asian-I'm 5'8!) Anyway, besides the growing pains of childhood, much of my joint pain could have been due to eating all that gluten! I'm not sure the exact reason as to why a healthy gfree diet can reduce joint pain, but if I hear any info about it, I'll be sure to let you guys know!

10) Enhance/improve sleep
I have a conjecture about this: I think that gfree diets help people sleep better since the food that you eat is mostly unprocessed and fresh so when you sleep, your body has less work to do, in terms of detoxing all that nasty stuff. You feel less congested and lighter (granted that you didn't go to sleep with a steak in your tummy!)

11)Most gluten free snack foods are also organic and sustainable, dairy-free, vegan, casein-free, etc
Have you ever stopped to look at a gfree snack box? You may be surprised (or perhaps not surprised) to find that many gfree snacks are also organic and sustainable as well as vegan and dairy and casein-free! The boxes/containers that they put the snacks in are usually recyclable too so it's good for Mother Earth. It's about time we treated our planet better!

12) Spreading the word about gluten free diets (even if its a fad, it's good promotion- looking at it in a positive light!)
This is one I came up with myself! As you all know, celiacs must live the rest of their lives eating gluten free. For us, it's not a choice, but a way of living we must learn to adapt to and live by. So for those who don't suffer from gluten sensitivity at all and choose to go on a gfree diet for personal reasons, I sincerely applaud you. Going gfree is a challenge; just ask anyone who is on the diet! Whether you're going on the diet for health reasons or because you just want to try a different approach to live a healthier lifestyle, I encourage you to spread the word to everyone you know. The celiac disease and gluten circle is smaller than you might think and is limited to a small community. If you want to go on a gfree diet because it's the fad diet right now, go for it! It's always cool to see other people purposefully trying it out and inadvertently learning about the disease as well as the obstacles. But, despite the obstacles, the end result is always satisfying and incredibly rewarding for those who stick it all the way through and put in a honest effort. If there are any of you out there that try a gfree diet just for fun or to challenge yourself, I would love to hear about your experience! I think that "Try Going on a Gfree Diet for a Week" should be on the list of 100 Things to Do Before you Die, don't you?

Best wishes to all and hope to hear from you guys soon!
Kris 

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