Category: Gluten Free

Last month, we covered what celiac disease and gluten are and I mentioned there are many, many symptoms, more than 250 if you want a better idea of just how many there are. 

But what are the most common symptoms of celiac disease?

Don’t worry, I’m not going to only list the 250+ symptoms. OR AM I?! MUAHAHA Nah, I will stick to the most common. The symptoms and severity will vary from person to person. This can also make it difficult to diagnose celiac disease. On average it takes six to ten years for a diagnosis. For me, I started having issues in high school and was initially diagnosed with IBS. I thought that was the problem for years, approximately 15ish years. Once I found the right doctor it was only a matter of weeks, maybe a month to get the endoscopy scheduled.

The other problem is celiac disease can come on at any time. Some develop it and are diagnosed very young. I believe mine started in high school. I don’t recall the symptoms before that. The sooner you can be diagnosed and off gluten, the better for you and your future health. And your intestines can begin to heal!

Some common symptoms of celiac disease can include:

• Anemia ✔️
• Anxiety
• Bloating or gas ✔️
• Brain fog ✔️
• Constipation ✔️
• Delayed growth in children
• Depression ✔️
• Diarrhea ✔️
• Discolored teeth
• Fatigue/tiredness ✔️
• Headaches or migraines ✔️
• Infertility
• Irritability ✔️
• Itchy skin rash (dermatitis herpetiformis)
• Joint pain ✔️
• Liver disease
• Pale mouth sores
• Poor weight gain
• Thin bones
• Tingling/numbness/neuropathy
• Vomiting

✔️= symptoms I had

I also had anxiety but that continued after going gluten-free and was only helped after being diagnosed with ADHD and going on Adderall. So not everything is celiac disease. 😉

If you have undiagnosed celiac disease and are eating gluten your body may not be absorbing all your nutrients. Because of this and the higher risk of osteoporosis, I also had to have a bone density scan after my diagnosis. At age 34. Luckily, I was all good there! 

I was very deficient in vitamin B and had to take supplements until my intestines healed and my numbers came up.

Having these symptoms does not necessarily mean you have celiac disease. Other risk factors include a close family member with it (it is hereditary – you can have the gene and not have the disease), and other autoimmune diseases (especially type 1 diabetes).

If you suspect you may have celiac disease, do not stop eating gluten. Discuss it with your doctor, and get the blood test, and endoscopy. You cannot do those two things if you aren’t eating gluten. And you don’t wanna not eat gluten and then have to re-introduce it. 

It is important to get a formal diagnosis for many reasons like it may help family members get tested, it will help you adhere to the diet cuz you know you gotta be strict, there are resources available to you such as ADA and for children a 504 plan, and if there is ever a drug, you will most likely need a diagnosis to get it. Lastly, if you don’t have celiac disease and go gluten-free it can affect your health. Gluten-free foods are higher in fat and sugar. They can also be missing key nutrients. Going gluten-free really only benefits those that need to for a medical reason.

What else would you like to know about celiac disease or being gluten-free? Let me know in the comments!

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You keep hearing the word gluten but aren’t quite sure what it is. You heard your elementary school BFF was recently diagnosed with something called celiac disease and you had to head to google to figure out what the heck it is.

Don’t worry, I’m here to spill the tea. Or rather, the flour.

First, what is gluten? Gluten is the protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. It is used as a filler and binder in a lot of foods (and other items). Gluten is the glue of the food world. Your chewy pizza crust? That’s gluten.

And what is celiac disease? Celiac disease is an auto-immune disease that causes the body to attack the small intestines when gluten is ingested. Approximately 1 in 100 people have celiac disease but only about a third are properly diagnosed. It is genetic and if you have a first-degree relative with it you have a higher chance of also having it. Celiac disease can develop at any age.

There are hundreds of symptoms of celiac disease and not all of them are related to your digestive track. Which makes it even harder to get a correct diagnosis because if you have say migraines but nothing else, why would your doctor think celiac disease? And some people only get a rash (dermatitis herpetiformis) while others have NO symptoms! There is no cure and the only treatment is a gluten free diet.

No wonder it can be hard to get diagnosed!

As far as I can remember my stomach issues and other symptoms started when I was in high school. I was told I was lactose intolerant. Then my mom had a colonoscopy (not how celiac is diagnosed) and she was told she had IBS. We had the same doctor so it was assumed I also had IBS. My mom has never been tested for celiac disease despite her having symptoms like mine. 

I spent about 10ish years thinking I had IBS. I was getting to the point I could not stand it anymore and when I had my annual appointment I talked to my doctor about it. At the time I was part of an HMO and just given random doctors each year. When I described my symptoms to this doctor I was told I could not be having some of the symptoms at the same time. I mean, I was the one experiencing them. I think I would know.

I became discouraged and figured I would just have to suffer.

Fast forward to 2015 and I was tired of being sick all the time. I was tired of ruining vacations with Justin because I was always feeling like crap and was constantly tired. I had to always have a multitude of over-the-counter medications for all kinds of stomach issues. I made an appointment at Mayo since I moved from the HMO to a PPO. I described my issues to my doctor and he ordered blood tests, including the tTG-IgA for celiac disease. 

My numbers came back off the chart, meaning a strong indication of celiac disease.

I had to go through an endoscopy to confirm. Between the blood test and endoscopy, I had to continue to eat gluten but my doctor said to only eat it at one meal. I cannot tell you how much better I felt when I even just cut back! And I started to realize how prevalent gluten is in our society. It is in everything from pancakes to toothpaste. 

What surprises me most, still, is how little the food industry knows about gluten and celiac disease. I can tell when I’m going to have a good meal while eating out based on how the employees react when I tell them I can’t have gluten. Some will go above and beyond to help me be safe while others will tell me that rice/potatoes/whatever is naturally gluten free aren’t on the menu. Or say, oh well it’s vegan! 

🤨 Um, gluten is vegan.

I believe anyone working in a restaurant should be educated on the top 8 allergens (milk, eggs, fish, Crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans). Sadly, many only seem to know about nuts. Most likely because we have all heard or read about someone eating peanut butter and going into an anaphylaxis shock. Anaphylaxis is not the only symptom of allergies but that doesn’t mean those other symptoms aren’t harmful or painful.

If I am cross-contaminated, the restaurant may not see an immediate reaction. Often times the first symptom I get is really uncomfortable bloating. And by uncomfortable I mean painful and I’ve had to unbutton pants before while at sporting events. I get migraines, become extremely sensitive to light. I can sleep for days. I have fatigue for weeks, if not months. It takes a long time to recover from glutening. Even though you can’t see it, the reaction is there and it is painful. It shortens my life expectancy. It ups my risk of other diseases and issues like small bowel cancer. 

Gluten will kill me. It just chooses to do it slowly, over time.

When I was first diagnosed, I struggled with letting restaurants know I was gluten free. It was hard being “that person” who was analyzing the menu and asking a million questions. I would say I had celiac disease and get blank stares. I’ve learned it is best to say I have a gluten allergy. I know, it’s not the truth but it makes the waitstaff pay attention and hopefully, the kitchen staff takes the necessary precautions. Some will actually ask if it’s celiac disease and it makes me smile because they get it. 

I want to help others understand celiac disease and gluten so those of us with celiac disease don’t have to fear eating out. Or can enjoy food at work events like our co-workers get to do. Or at family holidays. Our society revolves around food. We use food to celebrate or to commiserate. We want to travel places and experience the local cuisine. 

We want to feel normal.

What do you want to know about celiac disease or gluten? Let me know in the comments!

And be sure to follow on Instagram where I sometimes post yummy, gluten free foods!

Having a medical condition that requires a strict diet can be stressful. It makes normal everyday tasks, like grocery shopping or going out with friends, difficult. And traveling? That’s a whole ‘nother level of stressful!

Going grocery shopping can take longer when you have to be gluten free. You know you can trust certain brands but everything else? You need to read the labels, even if you previously were able to eat something because companies love to change ingredients, formulas, whatever. It can feel like an insurmountable task each week. And then you look at all the gluten free breads and realize you are paying over $7 for a loaf of bread that is as close to gluten as you’ve found. But you can’t just give up bread!

How can you reduce the stress of grocery shopping?

You can’t avoid it. Well, I suppose you could have your spouse/partner just do it all. Or do it all online if it helps but if you gotta go to the store, let’s figure out ways to ease the pain of grocery shopping!

Meal planning is a great way to know what you need to get at the store. Meal planning can be as simple or complex as you want it. A very simple meal plan is to decide on a meat and vegetable or another side for each night. For example, Monday you will have chicken rice bowls and you know that will last two days then on Tuesday you’ll make hamburgers and fries. You know you will need to have on hand chicken, rice, frozen vegetables, hamburger, buns, cheese, etc. If you can, make recipes or meals with similar ingredients. Want onion on your hamburgers? Use half for the rice bowls and the other half for burgers!

Then start a list. You did your meal plan, and checked what you already have so start with the meal plan ingredients you need. Then add your staples like milk, eggs, etc that you are low or out of. Having a list will help you remember what you need and keep that impulse buys down. Sometimes it’s even useful to write what items or flavors you have on hand already so you aren’t buying ham lunch meat when you already have ham at home.

Shop your ad and coupons. Most stores offer digital ads and coupons so check those before you leave the house. You can even make your list and meal plan for the week based on what is on sale or which coupon is the best. And don’t be afraid of store brands! Many of them are as good as the name brands at a lower price. Does your store have a free rewards or member program? Be sure to use that as they will often send you personalized coupons for items you buy a lot.

Don’t be afraid to grab frozen vegetables and fruit. Frozen vegetables make easy dinner sides and fruit can be tossed into a smoothie or thaw to eat. Plus, frozen doesn’t go bad as fast as fresh and it is as nutritionally good for you! Or maybe you prefer canned goods. It doesn’t always have to be fresh to be good for you.

So you got your groceries. Now your friend called and wants to grab a bite. What do you do?!?

First, don’t panic. It’s hard but with some research and talking to restaurants, you can find places to eat within your comfort level. The Find Me Gluten Free app is a great tool with many restaurants listed and reviews from users. Google can also help find places.

Start by reviewing their menu online. Do they have a separate gluten free menu? Do they indicate dishes on their regular menu that are or can be gluten free? Make notes of questions you may have about the dish. If you aren’t comfortable showing up and winging it give the restaurant a call. Talking to someone may help your comfort level. If the person answering the phone doesn’t know or isn’t sure don’t be afraid to ask for a manager. And if all else fails, skip this place and move on to the next!

As for traveling? Well, check out the post Gluten Free Travel.

How do you deal with the stress of eating while celiac? Drop your tips in the comments!

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Most holidays involve food. But Thanksgiving? It is basically celebrating stuffing yourself silly. Being gluten free on Thanksgiving can be tough.

If you get together with family, it can be difficult to navigate your food options. You don’t know how someone else prepared the food. Maybe they forgot they used the wooden spoon to stir the casserole but they normally use that same spoon for gluten filled pasta.

Maybe watching everyone else eat apple (or pumpkin) pie while you have no pie is torture. Because it is.

How can you make it easier for yourself this year? Here are my top tips:

1. Talk to the host ahead of time. Find out their menu and help them navigate gluten free cooking. Remember, you do this every day. They don’t. Tell them how to keep you safe.
2. If there is something you don’t want to miss out on, make it (or grab it from the store). You want to make sure you can have stuffing? Or maybe you want a delicious dessert after the main meal. If you make or bring it, you can enjoy AND share with others. Maybe they’ll see gluten free doesn’t eaqual flavorless.
3. If you think, or know, there won’t be much for you to eat at your gathering be sure to eat beforehand. There’s nothing wrong with having a little snack before you leave if you know you can only eat the chips and salsa at the party.
4. Heading to a restaurant? Check their website and menu beforehand. Call and speak with the manager to make sure there’s something you are comfortable eating. If not, see number three. Eat ahead and grab drinks with your friends and family. You don’t have to stay the entire time!
5. If all else fails and you have the means to do so, be the host! Invite over your friends and family and show them what a gluten free feast can be! If they ask to bring items, see tip one and remind them of how to make things safely or ask them to bring a bottle of wine, extra napkins, or flowers for the centerpiece.

How do you stay safe during the holidays? Drop your tips in the comments!

One thing that is hard to find gluten free is soft pretzels.

Sure, they have frozen options. I’ve tried several and they were all meh. Nothing that made me go, ohhhh I will buy this again! And I’ve never seen a gf option at a restaurant. I had kinda given up in ever having a soft pretzel again.

Until Mom’s Place Gluten Free sent me a package for March’s Nourished Festival.

I saved them for October in a (late) celebration of Oktoberfest. Too bad I don’t have any gf beer on hand! Growing up Oktoberfest was a big part of my life. My hometown put on a two week (now one) celebration with a famous Maple Leaf Parade, torchlight parade, taping of the golden keg, and the medallion hunt! Plus beer. Lots of beer.

There are a lot of memories surrounding Oktoberfest so it was fun to pretend I was participating by making pretzels.

I was a little intimidated to make pretzels because the idea seemed complicated and the process long. Boy was I wrong! The instructions were easy to follow and it really was a simple process.

I did make pretzel nuggets because I didn’t want to attempt the twist!

My package was missing the sea salt but they still turned out great. I used a little table salt and it was fine. You get just a hint of salt, which is what I prefer. I would definitely recommend the gluten free pretzel mix and plan to order another package (or two) for myself. I think my next batch I will toss in cinnamon and sugar. Or maybe get some cheese sauce.

OMG! I can eat soft pretzels again!

Here are the list of ingredients in case you were wondering:
MOM’S FLOUR BLEND (WHITE RICE FLOUR, POTATO STARCH, TAPIOCA FLOUR, XANTHAN GUM), BROWN SUGAR, PRETZEL SALT, YEAST, SALT

I decided I am not good at cooking videos so instead of torturing you with that, I made a short TikTok.

What foods do you miss since going gluten free that are hard to find?

Do you consider baking self-care? Or is trying new foods considered self-improvement?

If so, I’ve done a little of both this week! I usually find baking to be a fun hobby. Except when a gluten-free recipe doesn’t turn out but that’s a whole other story! Usually, baking something is a fun way to relax.

Usually, I don’t eat (or drink) anything pumpkin because I am not a fan of pumpkin spice, which is always in EVERYTHING pumpkin. I’ve figured out that I do not like nutmeg. I’ve since had other pumpkin things that do not contain pumpkin pie spice and I actually like those. 

But for this week I’ve decided to try pumpkin bread!

As part of the Nourished gluten-free online festival, I was sent this pumpkin bread from Other Foods. I figured September is a good month to make it because September means fall and so do pumpkins!

So let’s talk pumpkin!

The Good

The mix contains no grains, no gums, no corn, and no soy. 

The ingredients list and recipe are easy to read and follow.

Ingredients:

Cassava flour, coconut, sugar, pumpkin powder, organic coconut flour, golden flax meal, cream of tartar, pumpkin pie spice, sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), sea salt
-It does contain tree nuts (coconuts)

The Bad

Sigh, it has the dreaded pumpkin pie spice 

The recipe calls for ¼ cup of oil. I am trying to be healthier and work on my weight and cholesterol so I substituted unsweetened applesauce for the oil.

Final verdict

I snuck a sample of the batter, well I guess it’s not really sneaking when I’m the only one here LOL but I was not a fan. That darn pumpkin pie spice was so strong! According to Justin, the bread was good. You couldn’t tell it was gluten free and it was moist. I am guessing that would be the applesauce.

I thought the bread was really easy to make. Simple ingredients and minimal prep and cleanup. I would definitely try their other mixes, just not the pumpkin again. 

Well, there you have my thoughts on Other Foods Pumpkin Bread Mix. 

Also available on their website: Banna bread, Almond Bread, Sandwich Bread, Pancake Mix, and Brownie Mix! If you’re interested in trying for yourself, head over and check out their website!

Are you a pumpkin spice fan? A pumpkin everything fan? Drop your favorite pumpkin foods in the comments!

What kind of gluten-free/celiac blogger never logs about food?

It me.

I’ve been a little behind on the food front. I have a ton of things I need and want to make! I have a ton of mixes I was sent and I need to make and review. I just haven’t been feeling like baking much after my last disaster. 

But I finally made a plan to start working through my mixes with one a month. Hopefully, it will spark my love for baking again and I’ll get in more than once a month.

I started back this week with a personal favorite, BROWNIES!

Brownies are one of my favorite desserts and I noticed the Josie’s Mufin & More mix had a recipe on the back for brownies. I decided to give it a try. First, I had to grab some chocolate chips at the store and because I’m extra I grabbed dark chocolate over semi-sweet. Whenever I can upgrade to dark chocolate I do. 

I first read through the recipe and ingredient list and prepped as much as I could. I believe having as much done before you start, the better. And I always read through the recipe a few times before I start. Ok, at least once before starting.

I wish the recipe on the back had been easier to read. The directions were before the ingredient list, which is odd. I usually see ingredients then directions. The directions were also one big paragraph. I would have preferred for the steps to be numbered and an enter/return between each step. It was hard for me to read as one block of writing.

I felt the batter was a bit thick. I felt like I missed something but I double-checked and I followed the instructions. The recipe also called for a 9×9 pan but I only had 13×9. My square pan needed to be replaced so I got rid of it but haven’t bought its replacement yet. Oops. 

Now, for the taste test!

A bit dense which is not surprising for gluten free. The top was a little crunchy. I probably should have left it in a few more minutes. I did 30 minutes of the suggested 30-35. They’re not too sweet. Chewy. Overall these are decent homemade brownies! I would make them again.

They would be delicious with ice cream! Maybe coconut ice cream. Yum!

How do you top your brownies? 

Summertime usually involves vacations! It’s a great time to shake up routines and see somewhere new. Vacations should be a worry-free, stress-free time. 

But what about those of us with dietary restrictions?

It can be hard to know if the place you are traveling to will have options for you. Or if the airport and plane will have something you can snack on. It can be stressful. But what can you do to guarantee your needs will be safely met? How about a road trip and camping!

You are in control because you bring all the foods! 

Make sure you have your own grill to guarantee there is no cross-contamination. You never know what was made on the campsite or parks fire pit grates before. Plus, with fire restrictions, you may not even be able to use your fire pit! We use a propane grill for both of these issues.

We tend to keep our meals pretty simple and do as much prep work before we head out. For breakfast, we make either scrambled eggs or oatmeal.

For the eggs, we save an old coffee-mate creamer bottle. We make one day of scrambled eggs, pour the mixture into the bottle, then mark the bottle with a sharpie where day one is. Repeat for as many days as needed. In the mornings when we make eggs we add meat, usually chorizo or bacon, diced onions and peppers, and chredded cheese.

We buy Picky Bars pop-up cups for oatmeal. They are flat and easy to pack and you just boil water, open the package, and add water! It’s simple and filling.

Of course, we always have coffee with breakfast. We have an all-in-one French Press. We boil the water and then add the coffee. It’s not the greatest coffee but it gets the job done.

We keep lunch simple: sandwiches, fruit, baby carrots, and single-serve bags of chips. We buy a tub of lunch meat and a package of cheese and assemble our sandwiches the day of so nothing gets soggy. We keep our bread in individual zip lock bags since one of us has gluten bread.

For dinner, we pre-season steak and chicken and use our FoodSealer to vacuum seal. We either have a salad kit or foil potatoes for a side. To make the potatoes, buy cans of sliced potatoes at the store, make a tin foil packet, season (we usually do garlic powder, onion powder, and chili flakes), onion & peppers, and cheese. You can use your favorite seasonings and whatever toppings you like. They can go on the grill with the meat. We usually flip them when we flip the meat. If you wanted, you could add sour cream after cooking as well.

We keep it pretty simple but when we are hiking and off-roading we want filling foods that are gluten-free and easy to prepare.

What tips, tricks, and hacks do you have for camping foods? Drop them in the comments because we are always looking for fresh ideas!

Amazon links in this post are Amazon Associate links. If you purchase through the links, Amazon pays me a small percentage. It does not cost you anything extra to buy through the links. 

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