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Restaurant Review: Fired Pie

Posted on by Jenna

Having celiac disease I have to be really careful about what and where I eat. It really limits the places I can go that have a dedicated gluten-free menu. Surprisingly, some of the best restaurants are pizza places. Fired Pie just happens to be one of my favorites.

Fired Pie is a local Phoenix-area chain in the style of Chipotle. You can design your own pizza or pick from a few of the pre-designed menu items. So far I have only sampled from their pre-designed menu items because they have all been extremely tasty.

I have tried the pesto chicken, steak and blue, and meaty Italian. My least favorite was probably the meaty Italian because, of course, it was more greasy than the others. I really liked the steak and blue, although I did leave off the mushrooms. The menu items are well thought out and all the flavors mix well together. I plan to try the Hawaiian bbq next. Then maybe I will design my own. 😉

The toppings all seem to be fresh. They don’t skimp on the meat or cheese, which are essential ingredients on a pizza. My only complaint is the gluten-free pizza crust. It is one of the better gluten-free crusts I’ve had, but it isn’t the same as a regular pizza crust. Their gluten-free crust is a little bit thicker and chewier than their regular crust (I had it before I knew I had celiac). Plus it costs more, unfortunately for me it is expensive to have celiac disease.

They are very cognizant of celiac disease. Every time I tell them I have celiac disease, they go into attack mode. They change their gloves, wipe down surfaces, and they even have a gluten-free crust only pizza cutter. They take it quite serious, more so than some other places I’ve been. I have never *knocks on wood* been sick after eating at Fired Pie.

If you are ever in the Phoenix area I would highly suggest you check out Fired Pie (and get the steak and blue).

Autoimmune Disease and Marathon Training

Posted on by Jenna

As you may have read in my last post, I had my first glutening and it took me out for the entire week. Since I wasn’t able to get my runs in it got me thinking about celiac disease and marathon training. I was out for a full week; I was able to walk towards the end but for about five days I couldn’t do anything. I went to work, came home and crashed.

I am already having a hard time wrapping my head around running 26.2. I want to. I want the challenge but sometimes I start to doubt myself. I seriously hopped aboard the doubt train while glutened. Running is really a mental game and I often find myself losing.

I know to be careful and watchful of gluten but accidents do happen. The final weeks leading up to a marathon I will need to be extra vigilant. I will not miss my chance to prove I can run 26.2 because I ate gluten.

But there are 16 weeks of training leading up to worry about. 16 weeks. 4 months. That is a long time. I want to make sure I put in my best effort in order to finish the marathon in under 5 hours. I already know I miss a few week day runs here and there due to scheduling issues; I do not want to miss a long run and subsequent workouts because I had gluten.

I do not want to be laid up on the couch when I could be out running. What do you do to beat the mental roadblocks to running? Do you have an autoimmune disease that affects your training? How do you deal with it?

 

 

I was glutened

Posted on by Jenna

I had my first glutening this week and I hope to never have it happen again. Of course this will be next to impossible unless I shun the outside world and ban gluten from my house.

Sunday night I went to have gelato and reused the ice cream scoop. I rinsed off the scoop but didn’t wash it. I didn’t realize that my boyfriend used the scoop on ice cream that had gluten in it (Breyer’s Thin Mint, in case you were wondering).

Yes, I glutened myself. I feel incredibly stupid. I did go out and by myself a pretty magenta ice cream scoop so there’s that.

I would not wish glutening on any one. It felt like I was coming down with the flu. Monday I was so exhausted I came home from work and couldn’t get off the couch. I didn’t have a fever but my body was emitting a lot of heat, which usually doesn’t happen. My temperature was actually below normal.

This is what I looked like at work on Tuesday. Can you tell how tired I look?
This is what I looked like at work on Tuesday. Can you tell how tired I look?

I went to work on Tuesday, which was a big mistake. I became more exhausted as the day wore on. I ended with a migraine and extreme sensitivity to light and sound. I was moody and depressed. I couldn’t think straight. I wanted to eat everything in sight, and I did. I had no energy. It was early to bed for me.

I stayed home Wednesday. My alarm went off and I just couldn’t get up. I tried. I hit snooze once and then reset my alarm. I still couldn’t get going. My bed was calling and I gave in. I spent most of the day sleeping.

Thursday and Friday I went to work. I still wanted to eat everything and just sleep. Thursday night I went to bed at 8:45. I cannot believe how tired this made me. I guess this is my welcome to having an autoimmune disease.

I wanted to work out and run all week but I couldn’t. I kept saying, “Today I will go for a walk” but never did. Finally on Saturday I went for an hour walk and did a yoga video. I felt pretty good until about 10 pm. Sunday I also went for an hour walk but didn’t get in any yoga. I felt pretty good and not nearly as tired as Saturday night.

I also had some very strange dreams. I usually don’t remember my dreams but I woke up several mornings this week and could vividly remember the strange things my mind comes up with while sleeping.

Hopefully being glutened is a rare occurrence because this sucks. It knocked me out for the entire week.

Disaster in the Kitchen

Posted on by Jenna

My first gluten-free baking attempt was awful. I knew it was going to be a disaster as soon as I went to stir the chocolate chips into the batter. The batter was just the wrong consistency. It got worse as I was spooning them onto a cookie sheet. The chocolate chips were sinking to the bottom; stirring seemed to make it worse. Once on the cookie sheet the batter started to spread out way too much.

I put the first cookie sheet in the oven and waited the 12 minutes to pull them out. I had three large snowmen instead of 12 small cookies. I then waited the recommended 2 minutes before trying to remove them. They were stuck. The didn’t come off easy and did so in pieces. And yah, they didn’t exactly taste good either.

I worked hard to be a good baker and now have to start all over again. I’m not sure it’s worth it to relearn. These gluten-free cookies were probably the worse thing I have ever made. I don’t recall having to throw anything I’ve made out but these cookies went straight to the trash can. I have made missteps but most have been minor and fixable. These cookies were beyond help.

The recipe I tried did not have any sort of flour in it. I may try some other recipes that use a variation of flour. I may also try using some of the cup 4 cup flours in regular gluten recipes. It is going to take a lot of work and a lot of attempts to get gluten-free baking right. I have sampled gluten-free baked goods that are fairly tasty so I know it can be done. The biggest issue I see seems to be dryness. A lot of gluten-free baked goods seem dry.

What is your favorite baked good?

Celiac Disease

Posted on by Jenna

May is Celiac Disease Awareness month. I was diagnosed with celiac disease in March. Celiac disease requires a gluten-free diet. It can be a challenge but I am feeling so much better.

Celiac disease is an auto-immune disease that affects the small intestines. It’s genetic and affects about every 1 in 100 people. There is no real treatment; a gluten-free diet will ease the symptoms and help heal the small intestines.

There are so many symptoms that often time are missed. Here is a pretty comprehensive list of symptoms. It can be difficult to diagnose because not all of the symptoms are related to the digestive system.

Gluten is not just wheat but rye and barley as well. And gluten is in all kinds of things, even products you wouldn’t think of. Like toothpaste. I think that was the most surprising one for me when the dietitian mentioned it. Gluten is used to thicken all kinds of packaged foods.

I stick mostly to fruits, veggies, dairy and meat now.

Here are some resources I have found helpful:
The Celiac Disease Foundation 

University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center

Celiac and the Beast

I also have used the following cookbooks:

Disclosure: If you click on the book you will be taken to the Amazon page for each book. I am an amazon associate and these books are linked to my account. I do receive money if you purchase but I fully endorse these books. I bought them for myself and really do use them. No one has asked me to push these books.

Do you have a favorite gluten-free recipe or book? If so please share in the comments!

Running Links

Posted on by Jenna

The last two weeks I have been slacking. I have barely done any running and strength training has been hit or miss. I need to get back on the horse, so to speak. Since I didn’t run this morning I read about it instead. It’s the same thing right? I plan to get back it at tomorrow. If you would rather read about running here is what I’ve been checking out lately:

I can totally relate to this, since I always start in this mindset: When starting a new training plan: “I’m never going to miss a single training run, no matter what.”

I keep reading this article because I am all signed up for my first marathon (January 2016) and am already freaking out about how, when and what to eat.

And because I am now gluten-free for life (thank you celiac disease) I am always looking for fuel. This slide show has 9 items for me to eat and not have to worry about gluten.

Tomorrow is weigh in day and I am a little worried about it. Last week I lost despite limited activity and eating what felt like a ton of extra calories. I did the same thing this week and have a feeling my luck has run out. I need to get back into my workout routine. It helps in so many ways besides just weight loss.

What have you been reading lately? What do you do to get back on track?

 

Health Activist Month

Posted on by Jenna

Well, April is now over and so is the Wego Health Activist month of prompts. I started late, missed a week and skipped a few prompts that didn’t really appeal to me but I am glad I took a shot and did the month. I think I got a few good blogs and a few new people to follow on twitter.

  • My favorite blog I wrote was Get Excited. It is always nice to reflect on the little things that make you happy. It helps bring you back when you get upset about your health issues, which I have done a lot lately.
  • I think the Wordle blog was most fun. I did mine quickly so I didn’t include a lot of words but I liked the result.
  • I think the blog that got the most reactions was my cheesy Health Tagline. It was pretty popular on twitter and got a few comments as well.

I am not done writing about my health (and fitness) but it probably won’t be as often or as focused. I really liked having the prompts. It got me thinking about new ways to write about my celiac disease and gave me options. As I said, there were a few prompts I didn’t think applied to me so I just skipped those days.

Hopefully next April I can get in at the start. I had received the email but it got lost with everything else I was dealing with at the time. I think the prompts and month-long focus really helps those of us with health problems to focus and write about it and help spread the word. There are so many diseases and issues out there that aren’t well-known or well understood by those who aren’t affected. Wego really helps to get the word out.

Hindsight

Posted on by Jenna

I was diagnosed last month with celiac disease. When I really start to think back I realize celiac disease has been an issue since at least high school. I thought I was lactose intolerant. I would get sick and stop eating cereal with milk and feel better. I felt sick after eating things like pizza and pasta with cheese. I thought it was dairy. Around 10 years or so ago my mom was diagnosed with IBS. At the time my mom and I had the same doctor. We thought I had IBS.

Then I got pneumonia and had a massive allergic reaction to one of the medicines I was given. It affected my joints and since I had always had some problems with my wrist and joints I went to Mayo to check for things such as RA, lupus and other related joint diseases. Everything was negative. I don’t know for sure but I can only assume this auto-immune response was related to celiac disease.

Back then I had never even heard of celiac disease. I would have never thought I had it. I didn’t even know what gluten was. I knew wheat, rye and barley but I didn’t know about the gluten protein. I was active and tried to eat healthy but I didn’t know about macro nutrients. I would have never known to ask about celiac disease.

Even a few years ago when a friend was diagnosed I didn’t connect any of the dots in my history. I learned a lot about celiac disease and being gluten-free at the time but never applied it to me. Even though I could only drink one beer without getting too sick. Even though I didn’t eat bread with my lunch because it made me too tired for an afternoon at work. Even though I didn’t put my hamburgers or hot dogs on bread because I felt better when I didn’t. Yet I never thought that I had celiac disease. I still thought it was IBS.

I wish 10+ years ago celiac disease had been more prominent. I may have been able to be diagnosed sooner. I wish when I went to the doctor about five years ago that she hadn’t been so terrible. I had told her I thought I had IBS but my symptoms were really acting up. She didn’t understand how I could feel constipated yet have diarrhea. She either had no clue or didn’t believe me. She felt my stomach and dismissed my complaints. At this point I changed insurance at work to get away from the crappy doctors at the insurance clinic. For the next five or so years I only went to my ob-gyn because I was so upset with how I was treated under my old doctors. I had symptoms still but at times they wouldn’t be as bad. Then in October I had two instances that pushed me over the edge and made me sick for several months. I needed to find out what was wrong and how to fix it.

If it was IBS I thought I’d do an elimination diet to figure out my triggers. Well, it turned out to be something else, celiac disease. I have been eating gluten-free since March 15th and I feel so much better. And yes, I get upset about the limitations especially when eating out. It will take time for me to totally accept that aspect. At home it is no problem. I love fruits, veggies, meat and dairy but I wish I could just go out and eat anywhere. I hate the fact that I have to plan ahead and restaurants give me 4 or 5 choices in their 20 page menus. In time I am sure I will get over this. I am glad to have the fog lifted and not have a headache every day. I just wish I had found all this out sooner. I had some miserable days.

I encourage those who aren’t sure what is wrong with them to keep digging, keep asking and find a doctor who will listen. There may be something wrong; it might not be what you think it is. Doctors should explore everything. Don’t give up. It may take 10+ years but once you know what’s wrong and how to fix it you will feel better.

Product Review: Fitbit Surge

Posted on by Jenna

My (current) favorite health-related product is my Fitbit Surge. I got it a couple of months ago and am still going strong with it. I had been searching for a gps watch with wrist heart rate monitor for my runs but was having a hard time deciding. I had a tomtom on my wish list for months but couldn’t pull the trigger. I didn’t intend to buy a Fitbit.

But then a few months ago my bathroom scale had decided it had enough. I didn’t want to go with out so I hopped online and started scrolling through the selection on Amazon and came across the Fitbit Aria. I wanted a decent scale and one that would give body fat (I know it’s not accurate but can give me a trend). I was leaning towards the Aria but figured what good is it without a Fitbit tracker.

I didn’t realize Fitbit had the Surge. I stumbled upon it and once I saw it and read through the website I knew I had to have it, which meant I had to have the Aria as well. I ordered both and was impatient for them to arrive. I have been using them ever since.

I had been using my S Health to get my step count but then I had to carry my phone everywhere, having the watch is so much more convenient and it has way more options. I use it to track my sleep and my food in conjunction with myfitnesspal.

So far I have only used the free run and love it. It takes only a few seconds to connect to the gps and I can see my current pace time and miles at a quick glance. I was using an app on my phone before and it was always such a pain to see how I was doing. I plan to try out the lap feature soon; I just want to see how that option works and if it would be good for my speed work. I don’t do it on a track but rather stretches of road that are approximately a quarter-mile. Hopefully the lap feature will be adequate.

I also like the other exercise tracking options. So far I have used the yoga and weight training ones. It helps me track how long each session was and a heart rate/calorie estimate. I feel it’s a little more accurate than my guessing. 😉

I feel the watch helps keep me more active throughout the day. I know I want to reach 10,000 steps a day so I find excuses to get up and walk a bit more. It is easier at work; on the weekends I work on my blog and photography business and don’t move as much as I should. I just get into the zone and enjoy the work but with the watch I check my steps after a bit. I walk for a few minutes and get back at it.

As much as I love this watch I do have a few small complaints, not enough to get me to stop wearing it. First Fitbit says the battery should last 5-7 days (5 if you use the gps). Mine lasted 2.5 days the first time, no gps usage. I turned off the backlight and still 2,5 days. I use the gps, 2.5 days. I have not tried turning off the heart rate monitor but I am not sure that would make that much of a difference. I would love it if the battery did last 5 days. It uses a special usb charger so I can’t just grab my phone/kindle charger and do it at work. I have to remember to charge it overnight or at home when I am not moving a lot.

My only other issue is the size. I ordered a small band because my wrist is pretty small. I have it fastened in the middle of the band, not too tight and not too loose. The band is fine but my problem is the actually watch part. It is huge. It fits slightly awkward on my wrist because it is almost as wide as my wrist. If it was a bit smaller I think it would fit on my wrist better. As it is, it slightly goes off my wrist and gets to be uncomfortable since I wear it almost 24/7 (never in the shower). In fact I took it off when I went to bed last night because it was bothering me. It isn’t so bad that I am going to stop wearing it or not recommend it but I just feel it could be a bit smaller to fit on those of us with small wrists. Maybe Fitbit could do a male and female rather than large and small?

 

H.E.A.L.T.H.

Posted on by Jenna

Well, that tittle makes me feel like I should be part of S.H.E.I.L.D. I wouldn’t mind joining S.H.E.I.L.D. but I am not sure what I would bring to the team. But a las I am just using the letters to represent my health activism.

H – Hemp. This is what I’m using as my current protein powder. I am always trying to get more protein and I love throwing this into a smoothie.

E – Eating! I love to eat and due to my celiac disease I need to be careful what I eat. No gluten for me!

A – Agua. I drink water all day. I live in the desert and run outside all year round so I definitely need more than some may. I truly believe in the power of drinking water. If you don’t like plain water, add some cucumber, citrus or berries!

L – Logging. I log my food, sleep, daily activity and exercise with myfitnesspal and fitbit. It helps to keep me on track and in line (so I can eat all the foods!).

T – Training, both strength training and training for races. You can’t just go out and run 13.1 miles. You need training to help get you there.

H – Hiking. Although I don’t do it as much as I’d like to I do love to be out on the trails. You’d think with all the great trails and mountains here I would do it more often but life gets in the way. It is easier to run in my neighborhood then drive to hike.

What would your letters stand for?