On holidays and allergies and food ...
Monday, November 28, 2011 at 06:59PM 
Holidays seem inextricably linked with food, which makes it joyous for some, torturous for others, and probably a mix of both feelings for most of us. Spending more time in the kitchen, cooking things that you don’t make any other time of year, and eating more often and more heavily than usual. It’s tough to keep it simple, and for many it becomes a depressing struggle with weight. How is it going for you so far this season?
I’ve been blessed with a high metabolism and never really struggled with my weight, but the past year has added a food restriction to my world that makes holidays a lot more tangled and treacherous for me. It’s the gluten/wheat thing. I’ve alluded to it in the past, but not really come out and talked about it. Since early this spring I’ve been eating gluten free. I tried eliminating it from my diet because I suspected that Douglas was allergic to some food-related thing, and so I went off it to keep him company while we tested it out.
The result was that eliminating gluten made a big difference in my digestion and overall health, and a lesser but still healthy change in his. I have more energy (when I haven’t stayed up till 4am reading silly books on my Kindle that is … will I ever learn?!) and I don’t really crave it anymore either. Well, almost never. The only thing I still trip over is wishing for that chewy crusty french bread that really can’t be duplicated in the land of GF baking. It just can’t … and I so miss sopping up a good olive oil with rough chunks of that warm deliciousness!
For most baking-related items though, I’ve found good substitutes at the store or learned tried-and-true recipes from other GF blogger and bakers. Those biscuits in the pic above? My new super-easy-and-to-die for biscuits that are entirely grain free, fluffy, a bit sweet, and taste like dessert. I’ll blog the recipe tomorrow :). I took them to Thanksgiving dinner, knowing that there wouldn’t be any GF bread products for Douglas and I if I didn’t. They were a hit among the non-GF crowd, and disappeared like a shot. The GF pumpkin pie wasn’t far behind. The boys enjoyed their mini-ones for breakfast the next morning!
I tripped over the allergy thing though when I failed to remind my aunt that D and I weren’t able to eat wheat before she cooked the Thanksgiving dinner. I went through the dance in my head that it was easier not to remind her, because I didn’t want to change her plans and figured that I’d just skip anything that had any wheat in it. I knew gravy and stuffing would probably be off limits, but never thought that there would be a beer-basted turkey as the centerpiece. Ouch! I ended up convincing myself that there would be so little gluten in the portion of meat I ate that it was worth the chance, because I didn’t want to skip that gorgous turkey. Four hours later I was really wishing I had though, and it made me once again realize that it’s not worth compromising my stomach and health in order to have that one dish or not (potentially) offend my hostess.
Food allergies suck. They can be dangerous, uncomfortable, odd and irritating, and make you feel like an overly sensitive oddball. They are, however, real. I’m learning the hard way that cheating just isn’t worth it. If I were a true celiac (which I don’t think I am) I’d be seriously compromising my health if I took even tiniest amount. I’m thankful that it’s not life-threatening, and that there are many more options out there now than there used to be for the GF crowd. I’m starting to have pretty strong feelings about avoiding processed grains of any kind now, given all I’ve read and how my body reacts to them in general.
I won’t jump on that podium right now though because the question that I really wanted to ask this week was do you or any of your family have and food allergies/sensitivites, and how does it affect things like holiday gatherings? It’s already a complicated subject, so please chime in too if you hate or love the whole holiday/food thing. Making cookies and loving every minute of it? Do tell. Watching the scale and hating the sight of another groaning table full of temptations? Love to hear about it. Having issues with food is a new thing for me, but I’m betting some of you have much more experience in this crazy arena so let’s hear it!
Question of the Week, food, health, holidays, self care | tagged allergies, gluten-free
Reader Comments (6)
I'm happy to say we don't have any allergies, but I do wish I could pig out every once in a while without feeling like I shouldn't be doing so. I envy you people with the good metabolisms. That's not me. Still I just try to balance it out and enjoy. Afterall, January will be here soon enough and I can work off the extra pounds then.
Well, I have to say I miss the days when I could eat anything that I wanted and not gain an inch. It seems like when I was working, stress would strip the pounds off me. Funny how with 3 kids I don't feel any less stressed, but no more weight loss benefits! :( I am enjoying though the fact that they are finally old enough to not be a total disaster in the kitchen so that they can "help" me bake. It's still not pretty, but at least I'm no longer left in tears after an attempt at cookies or reduced to baking in the wee hours of the night after bed time... So this year I am digging out some of those old recipes I have been missing. Mostly the kids are not interested unless it has chocolate in it, but I have been longing for not-store-bought oatmeal raisins and pecan things and the way I used to try at least one new recipe every year. I might even get crazy and try doing cut-out cookies from scratch. Or maybe I'll treat myself to this year's latest cookie magazine at the grocery store check out aisle! Yay! The new trick, at least for the nut-free ones: take them to daycare and let the teachers enjoy them. I get to bake and lick the bowl, they get to feel loved. Perfect.
Bridget : It is all about balance and enjoyment, well said :)
Karin : Yay for helpers, it's such a relief in the kitchen dramas when they finally get to that stage! Love the trick of baking for enjoyment too, and sending the results away for others as a treat :)
I am gluten free and HATING it!!! I was told about 3 yrs ago to stay away but once I looked at the "no-no" list, I talked myself into the thought of "it's just the fad of the month." Well, after still dealing with constant stomach pain, bloat, fatigue, and brain fog to name a few, I decided to give it a whirl. Within a week, I felt drastically different but drastically bummed! I realized I LOVE gluten. We recently went on the Disney cruise and it was impossible to avoid. I feel like crap and am paying the price. I did ok at Thanksgiving but now struggling with trying to get back on the wagon. Just wondering if you could share some recipes or sites that you like. I'm new to your blog and loving it!!! :)))))
Hi Julie,
Welcome! I hear you, while I don't HATE it anymore, there are days that it drives me nuts because it's so damn inconvenient ... hungry and out in the city and I can't find any cheap snacks because they're all off limits! I try to always have Lara Bars in my backpack.
As for blogs/recipes ... see the next post after this for biscuits ... the blog (roost) that it takes you to is great, the recipes are always at the end of the post. For basics like what flours are good to sub, general ideas about baking issues and such, my go-to is Gluten Free Goddess ... the depth of info there is fabulous. Amie of The Healthy Apple has great recipes and resources too, and a restaurant list if you happen to be in the nyc area. She's given me recipes to post here on SaneMoms, you can find them here. I also love the Bob's Red Mill GF Baking mix for most substitutions, and Almond flour for any dessert/biscuit/cracker making. If i make it homemade, I eat less of it and savor it more. Good bread becomes pretty precious! If you have any favorites I'd love to hear about it too, always on the lookout for ideas :).
No allergies here, but I'm on a long term but temporary strict diet. The point is to preempt trouble down the road. At home it's been pretty easy after the first month or two of cravings for sweets and bread. Now I'm usually not even tempted. Thanksgiving was at our place, one of my SIL's is on basically the same diet, so we made most things in a way that everyone could eat and enjoy them. The kids loved my mom's rolls and my SIL in I just passed them on. Travel though is another story. I'm headed out on Wednesday and will take plenty to munch on while on the road. This time my destination is one where my hostess won't take offence at my diet and has some similar restrictions herself. I feel extra awkward about saying, "I really shouldn't eat that." while in someones home since I am not truely allergic to it. The more I cheat though, the longer I'll be restricting myself.