Sunday, July 31, 2011

One-Year Later...

Today marks the one-year anniversary of my Celiac diagnosis. I feel like I accomplished something this year...not just a gluten-free diet but an entire life change that has effected not only myself but also my friends, family, co-workers and various restaurant staff members.

After my diagnosis one year ago I was lost and unsure of how I would handle this on top of everything else that occupied my time, however, I discovered the world of blogging and everything took a turn for the better. My biggest challenges are were those within myself. Feeling self-conscious, annoying, out of place, frustrated...I could go on. Blogging has allowed me to step outside of my head and put my feelings out there with an added bonus of helping others along the way.

On July 31, 2010 I could have never imagined that Austin would have over 80 locations with gluten-free options (and growing) or that I could find friends and acquaintances that are struggling with the same lifestyle as I am. This diagnosis has made me realize how much everyone I surround myself with cares about me. I never could have guessed that I would receive the amount of support I've gotten: calling restaurants, sending me g-free food, mentioning g-free menus and simply being there when I've gotten upset and overwhelmed by a situation.

My own confidence and security isn't the only thing I've gotten from this experience, I have had the pleasure of teaching people everyday about Celiac disease and the gluten-free lifestyle. You don't know how many times people have asked me to elaborate, explain and teach them about what it means and how to handle it. That expansion of knowledge and learning can only help with the development of menus, products and even someday...a cure.

I'm about to embark on a new journey this year as an MBA student, which means I have another 300 people to teach about Celiac disease :) As some of them already know, I will have to bring my lunch every day, call ahead when we go out, and bug the McCombs staff for information group outings...but I feel so much better about it now. I no longer fear that I won't find anything to eat, will starve or will not be supported by those around me. My goal is to continue blogging and expanding my knowledge base through my blog and Twitter account, as well as establish some connections to move into the gluten-free world "officially" when I graduate school.

Thank you for all of the support from my best friends to my readers. It has meant the world to me and I hope what I have shared has made a positive impact on you.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Off the Menu: Abel's on the Lake

As an undergrad at UT Cain & Abel's was the place to be on Tuesday nights, however, once we graduated it was quite awkward to be the older individual surrounded by frat guys and sorority girls. Luckily, the owners of C&A decided to open a second location that is PERFECT for us "older folks" - Abel's on the Lake.

Since they've opened I've been there many times for drinks, to hang out by the water, etc. but numerous times have been disappointed that they didn't have gluten-free menu items. However, our MBA class went there for Sunday brunch and I was thrilled when the waitstaff told me they had finally put together and printed out a gluten-free menu...and a pretty good one at that!

Starters:
- Oysters on the Half Shell
- Poached Shrimp Cocktail

Salads:
- Spinach Salad (grilled chicken incl.)
- Southwest Chicken Salad (no tortilla strips)
- Texas Chopped Salad
- Salmon Salad

Entrees:
- Atlantic Salmon w/ red potatoes and asparagus
- Chicken Under a Brick - w/ rosemary potatoes and pan jus
- Grilled Airline Chicken Breast - w/ mashed potatoes, asparagus and chicken jus
- Skillet-Roasted Ribeye - w/ bleu cheese mashed potatoes and green beans
- Beef Short Ribs - w/mashed potatoes
- Trout Almondine - w/ vegetables

Enjoy the view and the food!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Living Without Article: Q&A with Dr. Alessio Fasano

There are a number of articles that catch my attention, but I thought this one would be extra interesting to my readers because it talks about some of the differences they are discovering between wheat allergies, gluten intolerance and celiac disease. The research is moving forward and that is great news for all of us leading a gluten-free lifestyle. Take a minute and check it out below:



Q & A with Alessio Fasano, MD

The latest on gluten sensitivity and celiac disease

A groundbreaking study recently released by the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Center for Celiac Research demonstrates that gluten sensitivity is a distinct medical condition that differs from celiac disease. Living Without’s editor Alicia Woodward spoke with Alessio Fasano, MD, the study’s lead investigator. A world-renown expert on celiac disease, Fasano is professor of pediatrics, medicine and physiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and director of the Center for Celiac Research.
LW Thanks to your team’s research, we now know that gluten sensitivity actually exists. What does this mean to the gluten-free community?
Dr. Fasano In my humble opinion, it’s a big deal. First, we’ve moved gluten sensitivity, also called gluten intolerance, from a nebulous condition to a distinct entity—and one that’s very distinct from celiac disease. Gluten sensitivity affects 6 to 7 times more people than celiac disease so the impact is tremendous. Second, we now understand that reactions to gluten are on a spectrum. The immune system responds to gluten in different ways depending on who you are and your genetic disposition. Third, there’s a lot of confusion in terms of gluten reactions. Gluten and autism, gluten and schizophrenia—is there a link or not? These debates are on their way to being settled. And fourth and most important, for the first time we can advise those people who test negative for celiac disease but insist they’re having a bad reaction to gluten that there may be something there, that they’re not making it up, that they’re not hypochondriacs. Once it’s established that a patient has a bad reaction to gluten, it’s important to determine which part of the spectrum he or she is on before engaging in treatment, which is the gluten-free diet.
Do you believe people can move along this spectrum? Could someone be gluten sensitive and then develop celiac disease?
No, I don’t think so. The three main conditions—celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, wheat allergy—are based on very different mechanisms in the immune system. Given that fact, it’s hard to imagine the possibility that you could jump from one to the other.
Yet many of the symptoms of gluten sensitivity and celiac disease are the same.
That’s right. While there’s a clear distinction on the immunological side, there’s tremendous overlap on the clinical side. If you came to my clinic complaining of tingling in your fingers or depression or headaches from eating gluten, these symptoms (and many others) are associated with celiac disease. If your celiac tests are negative, these same symptoms could point to gluten sensitivity. There’s no question about that.
Up to 20 million Americans may have gluten sensitivity. That’s in addition to 3 million who have celiac disease and 400,000 to 600,000 with wheat allergy. Humans have consumed wheat as a staple for generations. What’s going on?
Although we’ve been eating wheat for thousands of years, we are not engineered to digest gluten. We are able to completely digest every protein we put in our mouths with the exception of one—and that’s gluten. Gluten is a weird protein. We don’t have the enzymes to dismantle it completely, leaving undigested peptides that can be harmful. The immune system may perceive them as an enemy and mount an immune response.
It seems like we’re seeing an explosion of gluten-related health problems.
Two components are coming together to create this perfect storm. First, the grains we’re eating have changed dramatically. In our great-grandparents era, wheat contained very low amounts of gluten and it was harvested once a year. Now we’ve engineered our grains to substantially increase yields and contain characteristics, like more elasticity, that we like. We’re susceptible to the consequences of these extremely rich, gluten-containing grains. Second, and this applies to the prevalence of celiac disease that’s increased 4-fold in the last 40 years, is the upward trend we’re seeing in all autoimmune diseases. We’re changing our environment faster than our bodies can adapt to it.
You mentioned the link between gluten and conditions like autism and schizophrenia. Can you elaborate?
This is very controversial. Some people believe undisputedly that gluten plays a role in these kinds of conditions while others say that’s bogus. Most likely the truth is in the middle. I have a hard time believing that all kids with autism improve once they go on a gluten-free diet. At the same time, I have a hard time believing that gluten has absolutely nothing to do with these behaviors. We know in clinic that people can have behavioral issues due to gluten, such as short-term memory loss, mood swings, depression so you can imagine schizophrenic and autistic behaviors. If it’s true, as I believe, that complex diseases like autism are final destinations but that you can take different paths to get there, I have to believe that one of those paths for a subgroup of patients could, in fact, be gluten sensitivity.
Is there a test for gluten sensitivity?
No. So far, the only way to determine gluten sensitivity is an exclusion diagnosis. You have a problem with gluten. The problem goes away when you go on a gluten-free diet and comes back when you add gluten back into your diet.
What would you advise someone who believes they’re gluten sensitive, given there isn’t a conclusive test right now?
Do not try the gluten-free diet before you see your physician. You must exclude a celiac diagnosis before you start the diet. If celiac disease and wheat allergy and all other causes of your symptoms have been excluded, then and only then is it worthwhile to do a gluten-free trial.
Do you recommend that most people avoid gluten, provided they get tested for celiac disease first?
I wouldn’t go to this extreme because the gluten-free diet isn’t a walk in the park. The bottom line is quality of life. If you’re suffering with symptoms that make your life miserable and you’ve investigated all possible causes, including celiac disease, I don’t see anything wrong with going on the gluten-free diet. If you’re gluten sensitive, you’ll see quick improvement on the diet, a matter of days or weeks at the most. It’s not weeks, months or years like with celiac disease.
Having said that, at the clinic we take care of athletes who are healthy but say they feel much more energetic and have increased endurance on the gluten-free diet. Novak Djokovic, the tennis star who’s gluten sensitive, claims his endurance, capability to concentrate and energy have skyrocketed since going gluten free.
I’ve heard you say that gluten sensitivity is where celiac disease was 30 years ago.
It’s déjà vu. The patients, as usual, were visionary, telling us this stuff existed but healthcare professionals were skeptical. The confusion surrounding gluten sensitivity—testing, biomarkers—is exactly the same confusion we had around celiac disease 30 years ago. So we’re starting all over again now.
What’s surprised you most about the studies you’ve conducted?
I was shocked to learn that certain people have tricks that allow them to tolerate gluten for 60 or 70 years without getting sick—and then suddenly in their mid-70s, they develop celiac disease. This means it’s not destiny. You’re not born to develop celiac disease. That’s mind-blowing to me. So I’m dying to know what kind of tricks these people use to tolerate gluten for so long. If we learn the tricks, we can apply them to everybody at risk for the disease and put them in a stage of tolerance so they’d never get the disease. And here’s another thing—why do they suddenly lose this trick? If we knew, we could use that knowledge to avoid other problems. Celiac disease is a prototype of other conditions, like diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, heart attack, stroke. The mechanism is all the same. So if we can understand what the heck is going on with celiac disease, it could lead to huge, huge changes in preventive medicine.
For more about the Center for Celiac Disease Research, visit celiaccenter.org.

Off the Menu: Z'Tejas

Today for lunch I met a great friend of mine at Z'Tejas and found a very good gluten-free menu! If you look at the link above I've taken you to the gluten-free menus for the Arboretum location where I dined today. I've been to the 6th street location and the gluten-free menu was not as extensive, so please keep this in mind when you are choosing where to go!

G-Free Lunch Menu:
- Z'Salad (with grilled chicken or grilled shrimp)
- Grilled Fish Salad
- Smoked Chicken and Black Bean Salad
- Wild Mushroom Enchiladas
- Grilled Salmon
- Pesto Rubbed Chicken
- Sides: green chile rice, black beans and vegetable of the day
- Drinks: 6th street frozen margarita, Redbridge beer and Republic of Tea (many varieties)

I had the Pesto Rubbed Chicken with the green chile rice and vegetables and was very satisfied!

Here are the remaining menus:

Arboretum: http://austinarboretum.ztejas.com/menus/Austin-menu.html
Downtown: http://austin6thstreet.ztejas.com/menus/Austin-menu.html
Avery Ranch: http://averyranch.ztejas.com/menus/AveryRanch-menu.html

Please note you need to have updated software to see the java menus. Enjoy!

Monday, July 11, 2011

Off the Menu: Opal Divine's Freehouse

I had no idea that Opal Divines had a gluten-free list! Now, there are multiple locations in Austin but this one was for the Freehouse location (West 6th). It may be the same across the board but I don't want to make that assumption so make sure you ask!

The list is not necessarily a menu, but it's there to guide you along with the menu on what you can order. There are a few missing things (salad dressings, etc.) so there might be a little back and forth with your waiter, but they are laid-back there and ours was more than willing to help me out.

- Chicken Soup (no tortilla strips)
- Garden Salad (with chicken, mahi or shrimp)
- Honey Mustard, Lite Italian, Prickly Pear Vinaigrette dressings
- Grilled Chicken
- Beef (that's all it says, not sure what that means!)
- Bacon, Eggs, Sausage Patties
- Steamed Veggies
- Bratwurst and Sauerkraut
- Cole Slaw
- Mahi-Mahi Plate
- Burger (no bun) - be careful with cross-contamination
- Black Bean Pico
- Mexican Vanilla Ice Cream

Good luck and enjoy! Sounds like brunch is a good call :)

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Weed as a means to alleviate gluten mistakes?

I will start with a disclaimer in that I am simply sharing some information, not advising anyone!

Okay, so I know you are reading this because I said weed in the title, but seriously...what is the best way to alleviate symptoms when you 'get gluten-ed'? There are a number of medical marijuana states that say Celiac Disease diagnosis qualifies you for a card. I know this is a controversial topic, but it's worth sharing because let's face it when you get sick you will do almost anything and it isn't talked about much. According to the PharmCannabis.com website marijuana can be used to treat many symptoms including nausea and pain and can even slow down the digestive system to provide some relief. There have also been a series of articles justifying the same.

I found this information when I was trying to figure out how to avoid being stuck in the bathroom after eating a very unfortunate meal. I have never smoked weed and do not plan to start, but it could be a viable option for anyone who cannot seem to find other alternatives and live in a state where it is legal to alleviate symptoms in this way. Here are a number of forums that discuss the topic:

The Ann Arbor Chronicle
MedHelp
Celiac.com
Celiac Home Test
Yahoo! Answers

Now that the debatable topic is out of the way I also wanted to share other remedies that I found from fellow Celiac patients while perusing the web, these include:

- a shot of tequila
- digestive enzymes (not well defined what this means)
- forced vomiting
- Mint Tea
- Ginger
- Cider vinegar
- Slippery Elm powder
- Marshmallow root
- Benadryl/Claritin

As you can see there is no easy solution and no easy remedy except trying any or all of the above and waiting it out. Hopefully down the line a pharmaceutical company will save us all with a pill that works quickly, efficiently and can be found in the drug store!

If you are reading this and have found a great solution, or one of the above that works well please comment and help us all!

Friday, July 1, 2011

Gluten-Free Options at Austin Food Carts/Trailers!

I found a great website that outlines what is available gluten-free at the different food carts and food trailers around Austin. If you've been here, and driven around south of the river at all, you will notice that we LOVE our food trailers - there are entire lots of them everywhere. They are quick, easy and from what I hear...very tasty. So, instead of avoiding them (although cross contamination can be an issue) I can pick and choose!

The website can be found here: http://austinfoodcarts.com/gluten-free-options/  but I'll go ahead and outline them for you below! Enjoy! - They have a map as well.

Trailer Gluten-Free Options Comments & Notes
Coolhaus Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Make sure to request
Bits & Druthers Makes a gluten-free batter Note: Is fried in same fryer as other gluten products
The Local Yolk Deviled Eggs
Vegan Yacht Gluten-Free Options
East Side King Some gluten-free options Note: Ask about sauces used
The Flying Carpet All dishes are gluten-free Advise your gluten-free when order so no bread is included with meal (It is stored separately from other food & is not in contact w/ prep area. Abdul & Maria are familiar with cc & how to prepare meals that are gluten-free based on their current menu & dressings are 100% gluten-free.
Bananarchy Banana with vegan chocolate & nuts Must select vegan chocolate and non-gluten toppings (e.g. nuts)
Odd Duck Farm to Trailer Soft boiled duck egg with cheddar grits, mushrooms and butternut squash , grilled quail, Roasted corn, paprika and goat cheese, Grilled half of quail with grilled sweet potato, cider, raisins, pecans *Note: Menu changes so be sure to ask how prepared. Staff is knowledgable
Man Bites Dog Vegan hotdogs with no bun
Torchy’s Tacos Gluten-Free options (must order corn tortilla) *Note: I always ask if they heat corn tortilla’s separately from flour and if not, I ask them to not heat my tortilla (differs by location)
Sushi A-Go-Go* Several gluten-free options (be aware of sauces used (soy sauce/eal sauce contains gluten)
Cazamance Several gluten-free options
G’Raj Mahal Several gluten-free options
El Naranjo Several gluten-free options *Note: I always ask if they heat corn tortilla’s separately from flour and if not, I ask them to not heat my tortilla
Down Town Burgers Burgers available in lettuce wrap upon request
The Jalopy Several gluten-free options (most dishes can be made without bread upon request) & Owner is gluten-free friendly & knowledgable on cross contamination
Kebabalicious* Several gluten-free options, but check on marinades used
One Taco Several gluten-free options *Note: I always ask if they heat corn tortilla’s separately from flour and if not, I ask them to not heat my tortilla
Conscious Cravings Several gluten-free & vegan options; Check on ingredients
Chi’lantro BBQ Several gluten-free options: Be aware of sauces used /request corn tortilla
Max Parfait Burgers available with no bun
The Peached Tortilla Catfish/Pad Thai Taco’s are gluten-free (request corn tortilla) *Note: I always ask if they heat corn tortilla’s separately from flour and if not, I ask them to not heat my tortilla