I have quite a busy week ahead of me, my little one is getting ready to turn 4 (sniff) at the end of this month and I have some gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, refined sugar-free (and synthetic dye-free) Batman cupcakes to try and figure out how to make!
Where’s that magic wand when I need it??
Monday:
Zucchini and Yellow Squash “Pasta” with Pomodoro Sauce (Karina has a beautiful tutorial on how to make zucchini pasta over at Gluten Free Goddess), Grilled Veggie Lentil Salad (any leftovers of this salad will be great for lunch!)
Tuesday:
Rosemary Mustard Grilled Chicken and Grilled Zucchini with Tomato and Olive Salad
Wednesday:
Baked Salmon, Garden Fresh Sliced Tomatoes with S&P, Green Beans in a White Wine Cream Sauce with Almonds (I will use coconut oil instead of butter and canned coconut milk instead of cream)
Thursday:
Grilled Lamb Chops and Vegetable Kabobs (I will use quinoa instead of couscous), Green Salad
Friday:
Mayo-Free Chicken Salad and Quinoa Salad with Blueberries, Strawberries and Watermelon
Saturday:
Mexico City Broil and Grilled Sweet Potatoes
Sunday:
Green Goddess Burgers (recipe coming soon), Leftover Salads from the week
I read some great articles this week and thought you might enjoy reading them as well:
Low Adherence to Biopsy Guidelines Affect Celiac Disease Diagnosis In the United States
Gluten Free Diet Benefits Relatives of Patients with Celiac Disease you will first need to register (it’s free) in order to read this article
The next article was of particular interest to me given that my oldest son had a positive celiac panel (he was positive for EmA and tTG) and a negative intestinal biopsy (his GI took 9 tissue samples). We also did the celiac gene test for Sam and he came back positive for one copy of DQ8 (which, through process of elimination, means I have one copy of DQ8 as well since my youngest son does not carry either gene for celiac disease, DQ2 or DQ8).
Celiac Disease without Villous Atrophy in Children: A Prospective Study
I know there is a lot of debate in the scientific community as to what the “appropriate” next step should be in cases like Sam’s and sadly, the vast majority of physicians will simply say, “you don’t have celiac disease and therefore you can continue eating gluten. Come back and see me when you get sicker.”
If I have ever tried to get one point across in my blog, it’s this: celiac disease is a master chameleon. Why do some children get very sick, so very early in life? Why do some people (like me), develop celiac disease early in life yet don’t find out about it (because they don’t “feel” sick) until they are diagnosed with another serious condition(s) many decades later?
Anyone who has been diagnosed with celiac will most likely tell you that they would give their left foot in order to have been given the chance for an early diagnosis, before all hell breaks loose in the health department (at least I know I would), and I really just don’t get why we make this diagnosis so damn difficult. Maybe Sam doesn’t have full-blown celiac disease yet…and ya know what? He never will if I have anything to say about it. 😀
And welcome to my blog!
Whether you're here looking for advice on how to go gluten free (with delicious kid-approved recipes of course!), or to read some of the latest medical research on celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity...or even to read about one woman's rise from the depths of gluten-free despair to a place of downright enthusiasm, it makes no matter. The point is, you are here now so let's have some fun!
Hi Heidi! I just thought that I should quit lurking and say hello. You do a fantastic job with your blog, and I absolutely appreciate it. We've been on and off the gluten-free train for a while. My son has some autism-spectrum characteristics (asthma, adhd and some allergies– although we have never had an officially "adhd" diagnosis– and don't ever intend to seek one either).
In any case, for us, when life gets busy, we go back to poor eating habit and drop gluten-free like it's just a bad habit. Did getting an actual health report help you stay on course? At some point, I need to know that I know that making the switch is what we NEED to do. When I get overwhelmed with anything in life, our healthy habits are the first thing to fall to the curb. Do you have any advice?
Many thanks!
Hi Kirsten!
Oh boy, well…I guess the answer is both yes and no. I was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2005 via some tests that are no longer recommended for the diagnosis of celiac disease (the anti-gliadin antibody tests). My results were positive, but not outrageously so and because I had absolutely no understanding of what I was dealing with at the time, I took information that I read online (that these tests weren't reliable for the diagnosis of CD) and convinced myself that I didn't really have celiac and hence, did not need to strictly adhere to the GF diet (which was easy to do since I didn't "feel sick" when I ate gluten).
I cheated off and on for 3 years, even after I had the more current blood tests AND 2 intestinal biopsies (both of which were positive).
What ultimately changed my self-destructive course were the following 3 things:
1) A massive outbreak of dermatitis herpetiformis (I often credit my vanity for saving my life).
2) The death of my uncle to non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (a cancer that celiacs are at an increased risk for)
3) My son's "partial" diagnosis
What has turned me into a staunch advocate for the gluten-free diet, not just for people with celiac disease, but for anyone with an autoimmune disease, ADHD, autism, depression (and the list goes on and on) has been 2 years of obsessive medical research, learning about nutrition and physically seeing the dramatic changes in my family's health.
I know it can be difficult to change Kirsten and old habits certainly do die hard, especially when you don't have a doctor telling you that a gluten free diet is mandatory. If I could recommend anything at all, it's to do your own research. There was so so much that I didn't know back then, because if I had, I would have stopped cheating a heck of a lot sooner than I did.
Best,
Heidi
What's sad is I am realizing that I had lots of symptoms for years but just heard things like it was stress or nerves. Then about 7 years ago I was diagnosed with Hashimotos Hypothyroidism. Still didn't realize the dietary aspect. Then in the past 2 or 3 months started reading about the gluten connection. So I have been gluten free for a month. I'm seeing improvements in several areas. I went to the dr. last month and asked about gluten intolerance, celiac, etc. My dr. said there is no way I have that……I think he said that because I'm overweight. 🙁
I'm so happy I won the book "The Gluten Effect". It has really confirmed what I was already thinking. I'm not going back on gluten. And I'm disturbed that the gluten free is categorized as a fad.
I'm sorry to say that your doctor is dangerously behind the times Tracy.
YES, you can absolutely be overweight and still have celiac or non-celiac gluten sensitivity!!
I put on a significant amount of weight shortly before I was diagnosed with celiac (80 lbs. to be exact), and this was due to my thyroid being ablated for Graves' disease but then I couldn't absorb my thyroid hormone medication because of the underlying celiac disease (and went severely hypothyroid).
Click here for a really good video from Dr. Vikki on this very subject.
Hugs,
Heidi
Aw, how wonderful. Your little ones are growing up! Batman cupcakes! Can I come to the party? Maybe my husband can make some superhero cupcakes for my b-day in October. Okay, wishful thinking 🙂
You always have a standing invitation with me Alisa!
And don't write your hubby off just yet…they are superhero cupcakes, and not princesses afterall, he just might get into it for nostalgia's sake, LOL! 😀
Hi Heidi,
Happy Birthday to your little guy!
Can you post the recipe for those cupcakes?
Thanks!!!
You have built a great resource for us, thanks for making our lives Gluten Free
Heidi,
I feel your frustration. For myself, I have learned, MOm's observations trump the doctors advice at given times. There is so much more I could share on this subject. I desire a medical doctor who is open and can work with other fields of medicine, functional medicine or naturopath. Often what I have experienced, is a defender of "their side" Whatever that may be. It is a difficult place to be , when your child is suffering, and what you know to be true , is dismissed.
We are grateful to the community of people who share their experiences, postive and negative, in this journey of gluten issues. We are thankful for the courage and ability of those, life your self, who are willing to share. Thanks Heidi, you are a wonderful advocate for your kids! They are blessed to have you as a MOm.