Cream of Mushroom Soup

My mother is from Minnesota. I say this because, if you know Minnesotans, you know their affinity for casseroles. Apparently, it is genetic. I love casseroles. Tuna noodle, hamburger hotdish... if you put it in a casserole dish, throw it in the oven and forget about it, I will probably love it.

That being said, most casseroles require a soup base, and the majority use cream of mushroom. The cream of mushroom soup I grew up with(Campbells), is still my favorite, but unfortunately, contains flour as a thickener.

I met with a nutritionist a month ago, and she recommended Progresso's Cream of Mushroom. So, the next time I was at the grocery store, I picked up a can, and reading the ingredients, saw nothing particularly alarming.

I am happy to tell you that mushroom based casseroles are back on my menu. Thank you, Progresso.

Reaction This Morning.

So, I got to work this morning, and I remembered my coffee cup, and everything was good. I decided I was more in the mood for a cold beverage this morning, but I still needed my caffeine, so I headed down to the cafeteria to get a cup of ice and a bottled Starbucks frappucino. I didn't read the ingredients. I figured it was just coffee and flavoring.

And less than ten minutes after finishing it, I had a reaction.

Frappucino ingredients:
coffee, milk, sugar, MALTODEXTRIN, pectin, natural flavors.

Well... now I know.

I have been so careful! It makes me so angry that a stupid beverage is the equivalent of a pasta dinner.

Oh, well. What can you do?

Doing well.

I've been doing pretty well. A couple of reactions (inexplicable ones) that were probably due to something that snuck in without my knowledge. I am still gluten-free (though I had a dream where I ate a roll before I thought about it and was really disappointed in myself).

I even managed to eat Chinese food by being really careful. (Chicken with white-wine sauce, and plain steamed rice).

After all the times that I have ignored my disease and eaten my mom's awesome home-made rolls, or sticky buns, or my dad's brownies, I think my parents are finally beginning to understand that I mean it when I say I shouldn't eat that, and I won't. (I passed up soft pretzels at dinner Saturday night).

My mom still hopes that I will "grow out of it," but (as she is a research scientist at a fairly impressive University), I asked her to do some research about the disease in hopes that she might a)begin to understand or b)tell me something I don't know. My paternal grandma claims that my uncle suffered from something akin to celiac (wheat intolerance? gluten intolerance? Full-blown celiac?). But, as my parents don't often speak to my uncle, it is difficult to know what he did have back then, and what, if any, special diet he might follow now. (I do know, however, that he ate grandma's dressing at Thanksgiving dinner long ago when we all ate together).

I tried a rice stuffing (of my own invention) last night, and it was pretty terrible. I'd love a recipe if anyone knows one that is tasty.

Okay, okay. No more Cheese

After lots of advice and a few articles, I have decided to try both gluten and dairy-free for the next few months. (See there, I can't even commit to six months with no cheese.) *frown*

Oh well. I do want to be healthy... well, healthier. I still don't want to start jogging.

I made a gluten-free chocolate cake from a Bob's Red Mill mix, but it was really disappointing. It's been sitting in my cake stand for several days now. And you know, if I leave a chocolate lying around, there really must be something wrong with either me, or the cake. I think the mix had too much soy flour in it. Though I like soy milk, I can't stand the taste of soy flour. So, now I either have to find a mix with no soy flour or start experimenting with gluten-free flours on my own to find a mix I like.

I think I may give up on baking until my self-imposed dairy ban is over. I know I could mix in applesauce instead of shortening, but I just don't have the energy to start experimenting. Not when Tom is looking over my shoulder at the grocery bills. (I love you, honey.)

Besides that, I'm asking for a Kitchen-Aid stand mixer for my birthday in July, so I might as well wait until then.

The Question

Here's a question that no one seems able to answer (at least not definitively).

While I am eating gluten-free, the purpose of which is to repair my damaged small intestine, can I eat dairy products, or will I continue the damage?

Ignoring the convoluted nature of the question, basically, I want to know if I eat cheese and drink milk, will my belly still heal itself, since I have knocked off eating bread and all the other tasty gluten products.

Here is what a volunteer with the Gluten Intolerance Group (www.gluten.net) has to say:
"If you are lactose intolerant and not avoiding dairy, you are delaying the healing process. You should not be intentionally consuming dairy until you are healed and then incorporate it slowly to see if your body can tolerate it. As to how long it will take, every individual is different and depending on their avoidance of having accidental or intentional ingestion will determine the length of time to heal. I hope this helps."

Here is what the celiac disease foundation (celiac.org) had to say:
"Many celiacs are lactose intolerant. That does not mean you are causing yourself harm. But taking the Lactaid tablets and drinking lactose free milk will help you digest dairy products. Sometimes, we overcome the lactose intolerance after we are on the GF diet for quite a while."

And a volunteer with the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (celiaccentral.org) said:
"Thanks for contacting the NFCA your question. I am also lactose intolerant. You are not harming your intestines by eating dairy. The discomfort you may feel after eating dairy is because (like many, many adults) your body no longer produces the enzymes to help digest the sugars in dairy product (that's basically what lactaid is - the enzyme that digests the sugar). So, it's fine for you to eat dairy and take a supplement - just make sure the supplement is gluten free. But, you might be interested in knowing that there are some cheeses that are naturally very, very low in lactose: Asiago, Blue, Brie, Camembert, Cheddar, Colby, Edam, Gorgonzola, Gouda, Gruyere, Havarti, Limburger, Monterey Jack, Muenster, Parmesan (that you grate yourself – not out of a green shake can!), Port du Salut, Roquefort, Romano, Stilton, Swiss. Basically, firm, aged cheeses tend to be low in lactose. Fresh, creamy cheeses like feta, mozzarella and ricotta have more lactose. Also, some lactose intolerant people are able to digest goat milk product more easily. Hope this information is helpful for you."

While I really appreciate the fact that people have answered my email from all three of these organizations, I still don't feel particularly comfortable with the answers. I also called a nurse line associated with my insurance company and got another wishy-washy well-I-don't-see-why-you-couldn't-eat-dairy sort of answer.

It was a big step for me to give up gluten. And it took me three years to decide to finally do it. I don't know if I can say no to dairy too. So, if anyone out there in cyber-land knows the answer-- and can back it up with some reference (preferably scientific), I would love to know.

What is Celiac Disease?

This Christmas, I discovered that my mother-in-law did not know the extent of my gluten intolerance. And this past week, I discovered that my mom was hoping that I would get used to gluten, like the way I got over my cat allergy when I was younger. I don’t know the difference between cat allergies and gluten allergies, but I know this; I have known about my celiac disease since 2006 and up to now, I have continued to eat gluten. It’s incredibly hard to give up. I love pasta. I love cake. And I couldn’t very well skip the cake at my wedding. Or go to France and not enjoy the Patisseries.
So, perhaps it’s my own fault that my nearest and dearest don’t understand my illness, or the fact that I should be avoiding all gluten. To be honest, I don’t fully understand. No one ever told me that I had to avoid all gluten. No one ever said that I had to be careful about even a particle of flour getting into my food. Being that careful eliminates a lot of eating options.
And, again, in all honesty, it depresses me. How can I possibly avoid gluten to that degree? And, if I can’t avoid those miniscule amounts of gluten, and those miniscule amounts are damaging my intestines, then what is the point of eating gluten-free at all?
Gluten-free is a LARGE hassle. It is expensive. It is time-consuming. And sometimes… it’s lonely. My mom makes wonderful sweet rolls and press cookies at Christmas time—and I can’t eat them. My dad loves food—and though I’ve intrigued him with gluten free cake once or twice, I can’t imagine he will let Thanksgiving pass without my great-grandmother’s dressing. I wouldn’t want him to. That dressing is Thanksgiving for us. When my sister returned from studying abroad in France (she missed Thanksgiving with the family) all she wanted was a traditional turkey dinner with dressing.
And Tom, my husband, comes from an Italian pasta-loving family. His mother works in a bread store. And why should he give it up? Why should he stop eating pastrami on rye?
Now, that should take care of my moping for the day.
Celiac disease is an auto-immune response to wheat gluten, a protein in wheat, rye and barley. Unlike an allergy, in which the body attacks an outside substance (like peanuts or a bee sting) an auto-immune response attacks the body itself. Wheat gluten causes a reaction in the intestine and the person’s body is no longer able to absorb nutrients properly. There aren’t a lot of outward symptoms. A person with celiac disease may be really gassy (because foods aren’t digesting properly), they may have bouts of constipation and/or diarrhea, especially after large amounts of wheat gluten (a big spaghetti dinner, etc).
But if someone with celiac disease eats a stray crouton in a salad, we don’t immediately swell up and stop breathing. We may not even know about the mistake until later. But when it catches up with us, believe me, we know. That may be why it seems like those of us avoiding wheat gluten are just being picky. That’s not it. We’re trying to prevent our own bodies from slowly killing us. We’re trying to ensure our own health and long-life. And some of us (like me) are trying to make sure that when we are ready to get pregnant and have children, our bodies are healthy enough to support two, and, more importantly, bear a healthy baby.
So, even if my own health wasn’t enough to get me to give up cupcakes, pasta, pizza, beer (made from malt, which comes from barley), and all the other gluten-tastic products I love, the hopes I have for healthy children just might be.

Diagnosis: Celiac Disease

I was diagnosed with gluten-intolerance roughly three years ago. I had been having trouble eating for a long time. In times of stress my indigestion would get so bad that all I could eat was white bread turkey sandwiches and milk. Even with that limited diet, I was bloated and gassy all the time.
When I traveled to my college during the summer before freshman year for my first-year orientation, I was so sick I could barely get out of bed for any of the required activities. In fact, the second day I spent sleeping on a sofa in the upstairs of the University Center because I couldn't sit through the rowdy presentation in the UC Auditorium. I couldn't eat, I was constipated, and I had the worst indigestion I had ever had. I thought I was dying, and all I wanted was to be home (which was a three-hour drive away).
The height of my misery was the summer of 2004. I was doing an internship at home, and my boyfriend, Tom, (now my husband) was at his parent's house. I spent my life figuring out where the nearest bathroom could be found at all times. I was always prepared to buy gum or a soda, just so I could use a restroom.
My mother and I commuted together that summer, and I remember that several times a week, we had to make emergency stops at the first gas station we could get to. The diarrhea was that urgent, and it was terrible. It felt like my insides were tearing loose and coming out. I couldn't eat anything. I tried vegetarian (terrible idea, because all "replacement" meat is made out of wheat protein). I tried bland (the "white" diet: if it's white, you can eat it: rice, white bread, egg whites, potatoes). I tried lactose intolerance pills, I tried soy milk and fake cheese, and nothing helped. Even the slightest amount of stress would send my stomach reeling into gas, bloating, and indigestion. My parents bought me every kind of pill or food there was to ease indigestion.
Tom thought it was stress, and that once we got back to school things would settle down and my tummy would be alright. I won't go into details, but that was also the summer that Tom's father passed away. Tom's sadness over his father's death, and his stress about our new apartment, and what to do with his life post-graduation, made the next few months no less stressful.
I started seeing a gastroenterologist, who put me on a dairy-free diet. It didn't work, and we were contemplating our next step when fall break rolled around. I went home to visit my parents and while there, I stumbled upon a Time (or Newsweek, my parents get both) article about gluten intolerance. It was woefully under-diagnosed and hard to catch. And it sounded exactly like what was bothering me.
I went back to my doctor and asked to be tested for gluten intolerance. She agreed to perform an endoscopy and take a biopsy from my upper intestine. Shortly after that, I had my answer. I have celiac disease.