Finding Food at the Market

Grocery shopping was, at least initially, a huge struggle for me. Every single thing I bought or wanted to buy required that I read all the ingredients. I am continually frustrated by the fact that, although packaged foods are required to highlight their allergen information, they oftentimes do not explicitly state that they contain wheat or gluten or dairy. Therefore, I have to read every ingredient and try to decipher the "questionable food items" for myself.

After many grocery store visits looking like I had some sort of eating disorder for reading every ingredient on every food, and then reluctantly returning it to the shelf, I have finally come to realize that eating the whole foods is what's really best for not only me, but anyone trying to eat healthier. Surprisingly, it is not any more expensive, but it is infinitely more healthy.

In a typical trip to the grocery store, I usually seek out the least expensive, whole food vegetables first, and then build my meals from there. First, I oftentimes buy bananas, which arguably give you the most "bang for your buck." I like to think of bananas as nature's candy bar because they have their own wrapper, are easy to transport, and will fill you up pretty well after eating just one. I also really love to buy frozen fruits and vegetables. Living on my own and buying fresh produce is tough because it can go bad so quickly, frozen vegetables and fruit, however, are actually arguably better for you (because they pick the produce at it's peak and then freeze it, so it has more nutrients) and it will last for months. Some of my favorites are frozen corn, spinach, berries, and mangoes. Just be sure that you buy the frozen items that don't have any added sugar or sodium. They usually will advertise that fact right on the package, but you can also look at the ingredients where it will list anything in addition to the vegetable or fruit.

Beyond that, canned food is actually pretty good too. While you should watch out for sodium, most of the naturally canned products that are gluten and diary free are not too bad for you, and will similarly keep longer. Moreover, they are way less expensive than fresh produce. My favorite dinner recipe I find in canned food items.

"Canned" Mild Chile
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 c. Onions, chopped
- 1 c. Celery, chopped
- 1 bell pepper, chopped (optional)
- 2 12 oz cans of ground chicken, packaged in water (always double check the ingredients to avoid gluten-containing preservatives!)
- 1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce
- 1 15 oz. can of kidney beans
- 2 tbsp. chile powder
- 1 tsp. garlic powder

Saute the onions, celery, and peppers in the oil for about 3 minutes. Add the chicken and continue to saute the mix for about 2 more minutes. Then add in the tomato sauce, chile powder, and garlic powder. Mix everything pretty well, and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes or so. Add in the kidney beans, and continue to simmer for about 20 more minutes.
The total cost of this recipe (which usually makes about 10 servings) is roughly $12. Thats $1.20 per serving!
My favorite way to eat this chile is to bake a sweet potato in the microwave for about 7 minutes, cut it in half and serve the chile over it. It is ABSOLUTELY delicious!

Even though grocery shopping can be a challenge, and may initially take longer to find all the "good" items, at a certain point you;ll be able to sweep through your local grocery store, swiftly picking up all the necessary items that will keep you going with delicious variety and freshness!

Introductions

In this first post I've decided to include some details about how my gluten and dairy free diet came into my life, how I've adapted, and my inspiration for writing this blog.

1. Gluten Filled Life
This time last year I was living in Paris, eating lavish amounts of freshly baked baguettes and brie cheese. I also did some traveling to Italy, where I had pasta, pizza, and gelato. Needless to say, I very closely followed Elizabeth Gilbert's "no carb left behind" diet while traveling around Europe, much to my body's dismay.
When I returned from Europe I was EXTREMELY tired. Initially I thought it was jet lag, then maybe Paris withdrawl, but after a month of persisting exhaustion, along with the inability to lose weight (despite abandoning my rich diet and introducing a serious exercise regimen into my life), among other symptoms, I visited the doctor. Fortunately for me, my doctor treats patients very progressively, chiefly working to find cures through nutrition rather than introduction of drugs and supplements. It was at this meeting that I was first introduced to the word "gluten."

2. Weaning myself off of Gluten and Dairy
After an entire summer's worth of blood tests, elimination tests, and other hospital tests, my doctor and I came to the conclusion that gluten and casein was the source of my discomfort and therefore should no longer be in my diet.
While it may seem cut and dry, I by no means have had an easy time with my diagnosis. Chief among my frustration is the fact that while my body is intolerant of gluten and dairy in terms of how it is able to process food, I don't immediately feel sick after eating a bread crumb. Sickly, I am envious of people who do have such severe and definitive reactions.
I've also certainly had my "falling off the wagon." In February a friend and I traveled to New Orleans. I decided to have a "diet free" weekend (i.e. gluten and dairy filled, complete with King Cake, Po'boys, Fried Chicken, and Pizza) This is when I learned my lesson and had my intolerance re-affirmed.
Ultimately, I am grateful for this experience because it really showed me that I am, in fact, intolerant of gluten and dairy, and I really do feel better without either of these things in my system.

3. Inspiration for writing this blog
After my diagnosis last summer, I was desperate for any and all information. I spent countless hours googling "gluten" "dairy" "restaurants", etc., checked out every book there was on gluten from the library (I believe there were 6), and spoke to anyone who had ever even heard the word "gluten" before. Although I did learn A LOT, I still felt starved for information about being gluten AND dairy free. All of the research I did left me to discover that people who can't eat gluten eat copious amounts of dairy, and vice versa. I couldn't find any blogs about people with a similar experience, and all the information I found when searching "gluten and casein free" came up with information on Autism Spectrum Disorder (which I will talk about at some point in this blog). What I really wanted to learn was:
a.) Basic recipes that were gluten and dairy free
b.) Information on how to eat out
c.) How to go grocery shopping
d.) How I could go grocery shopping without spending exorbitant amounts of money, or feeling like I had to buy specialty products.
Mostly, I had to learn all of this on my own. Having been through the experience, and still learning every day, I want to share the information I have acquired.

Some facts that may inspire you to follow my example (I hope!)
a.) I have found (and made up) TONS of recipes that are really simple, delicious, and nutritious
b.) I am able to eat out regularly with my friends and let them choose the restaurants. Sometimes I run into problems, and oftentimes I don't have a large variety from which to choose, but I have even travelled to Istanbul, Turkey, and Cancun, Mexico (where I can't communicate my allergy) and have been successful in finding something to eat.
c. + d.) I easily go grocery shopping every week (I love it!), spend roughly $25 to $30 a week (which is relatively cheap), and, after many hours of studying ingredients, can quickly buy different delicious items with no problems!




*note - in my blog I use casein and dairy interchangeably. I'm still trying to figure out the distinction, but have been told by eliminating cow's milk, I escape my risk of consuming any casein.