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Ep 132 Celiac Lost
Let’s start the blog with the show notes for this Episode –
On this episode of the podcast I speak a Mother and Son who have collaborated on a book about the impact of a celiac diagnosis on a family. Their book is called “Celiac Lost: A Family Guide to Finding a Gluten-Free Life”. In it they give plenty of tips about organizing meals, arranging a kitchen, shopping and situations with others. This is a book which is a practical resource for anyone newly diagnosed or struggling with the gluten free lifestyle. There’s also plenty here for those of us who have been on the diet for a long time. Shelly and Christopher Shiflett wrote the book they wish they had when Christopher was diagnosed in his early teens. It was Ellen Bayens of theceliacscene.com who put me in touch with the authors. I have included links for Ellen’s article, as well as the book website. The Facebook and Instagram pages are at celiaclost.
https://theceliacscene.com/celiac-lost-family-guide-gluten-free-life/
Sue’s Websites and Social Media –
Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com
Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com
Facebook – @acanadianceliacpodcast
Twitter – CeliacPodcastCA
Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com
Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com
Instagram – @suesgfbaking
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL
Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com
Other Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – https://glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com
My Thoughts –
I’ve spoken about it before, and as a Mom of a celiac daughter, it’s worth repeating – kids will surprise us. When I was speaking with Shelly and Christopher, I saw the familiar dynamic.
Mom is very involved. Among other things she holds a degree in nursing and a Masters in Child Health from Virginia Commonwealth University. She is also certified as a Celiac Patient Advocate through the Celiac Disease Foundation. Shelly put her efforts towards understanding this disease and reaching out to help others.
Christopher learned to cope within his social groups by not being a picky eater, and learning to cook for himself. His interest in cooking was taken on by his friends and has become an activity they share together. He is setting himself up with the skills he feels he’ll need in the future.
In my family, I decided to tackle celiac disease with knowledge and action, just as Shelly did. I became involved in the Canadian Celiac Association, becoming president of our local chapter. I started a gluten free bakery and encouraged both of my daughters to help out when they could. My celiac daughter Deanna, enjoys cooking, but never felt the need to bake. She can bake, but she knows how much I enjoy it, and of course there’s only so much baking that needs to be done for two people.
What I find most similar in these two situations is the younger celiac is actually the more practical one. Us Moms are out to change the world, but Christopher and Deanna are just looking to settle into a comfortable, low-key gluten free lifestyle that works well with their friends and family. I think I get it – our goals are all good, but our motivations are different and uniquely individual and that’s just fine. Shelly is helping others in ways that she is skilled to do. Christopher is living his best life. Just as any parent would want. What more could we ask?
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Ep 131 Gluten Free Food Truck Insights
Let’s start the blog with the show notes for this Episode –
This week I chat with a food truck owner who goes out of his way to offer gluten free to his customers. His stationary truck has a big sign at the street announcing Gluten Free Fries. They are also a peanut free facility, so I know they take food restrictions seriously. I’ve been stopping by on almost every trip between Kingston and Ottawa for years now. Each time I’m greeted with a smile, when I asked for gluten free. Robert Firlotte owns T’s Chips in Smiths Falls and he has some great insights into doing business to please both his gluten free and gluten customers. You can find T’s Chips online at –
Twitter – @Ts_Chips
www.facebook.com/TsChipsandMore
You can find Purest Gluten Free from Perth, Ontario at www.purest.ca
The Inviting Sign, A Gluten Free Lamb Burger and A Gluten Free Canadian Burger
Sue’s Websites and Social Media –
Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com
Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com
Facebook – @acanadianceliacpodcast
Twitter – CeliacPodcastCA
Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com
Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com
Instagram – @suesgfbaking
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL
Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com
Other Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – https://glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com
My Thoughts –
I have to admit to being a bit of a food truck snob, well maybe not a snob, but certainly particular. Stopping at a chip wagon (as we call them in the Ottawa Valley) was a ritual experience. Some families head to dairies for local ice cream, some to country diners for traditional favourites; my family always searched for and found chip wagons. My mother was usually the one to decide which to stop at. She was a stickler for cleanliness as well as authenticity. Over time, our regular family drives always included an approved chip wagon.
Once I was diagnosed with celiac disease, and was able to get over the initial shock of the gluten free diet, I began to question whether I would be able to enjoy my chip wagon chips. Turns out, some chip chefs believe in only frying potatoes in the oil, and having a separate fryer for other add-ons. The purests win out!
There are businesses throughout Canada like T’s Chips which serve casual food, but take all the precautions necessary to make the food taste great gluten free. On my personal list of favourite restaurants, I have a wide variety of places ranging from T’s Chips to a make-your-own pizza place, to a family style Vietnamese restaurant, right up to a fancy dressup full scale memorable dinner restaurant. Like most of us on a restricted diet, I appreciate good food that is prepared with my restrictions as a priority, and I guess that’s what makes me a bit of a food snob. I’m demanding that food be prepared with all the care I take at home, taste good and not make me sick. I’m particular, when it comes to food trucks, but more importantly, I’m particular about my food – to that end, I’ll proudly wear the food snob title.
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Ep 130 Understanding Alcohol Labelling – A Converstion with Selena Devries
Let’s start the blog with the show notes for this Episode –
This week’s episode is a comprehensive guide to reading alcohol labels. This may not be something you’ve thought much about, or maybe it’s something that has caused you much confusion. My guest, Registered Dietitian Selena Devries, breaks it all down for us. She explains what needs to be on the labelling of each different category of alcoholic beverage, and how to determine if it’s gluten free or not. You can find Selena online at –
Instagram -@celiac_dietitian
Sue’s Websites and Social Media –
Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com
Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com
Facebook – @acanadianceliacpodcast
Twitter – CeliacPodcastCA
Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com
Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com
Instagram – @suesgfbaking
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL
Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com
Other Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – https://glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com
My Thoughts –
Alcohol, it’s a big subject. I’ll let you in on a little secret. After my weight loss surgery 6 years ago, I was instructed to give up alcohol, at least for the first 6 months or a year. That was just fine for me, I didn’t miss it at all, so I never went back to it. My husband, grown children and friends all drink alcohol and it doesn’t even both me to be around them. Maybe that’s from my gluten free training; being able to watch others enjoy something I wasn’t going to have.
In any case, I find the labelling information Selena passed on to us was very interesting. I hadn’t known alcohol was classified as “standardized” or “unstandardized”. The more I thought about it the more sense it made.
In this day and age, when sports drinks, power drinks and exotic smoothies are all the rage, we still have to pull back and check the ingredients. We tend to think if we stick with familiar flavours like fruit, we should be fine. It’s not quite that simple. Which makes what I learned from Selena all that more surprising. Deciphering labels on alcohol for gluten content is really quite easy, in Canada anyway.
I’m not expecting to travel out of the country any time soon, but when I next do, I’ll be curious to read how alcohol labelling is done in other countries. I’m sure I’ll look odd reading liquor bottle and cooler drink labels only to put them all back on the shelf and leave empty handed. That’s the price I’ll pay for my curiosity.
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Ep 129 GF Menu Switch Up with Cathy
Let’s start the blog with the show notes for this Episode –
It’s sometimes hard to admit you’re in a rut, but I am currently in a food rut, or to be more specific in a creative meal rut. Over these past few months of stay at home, I’ve been cooking the same old thing. It’s hard to get inspired when you’re only out at the grocery once a week. Cathy of cathysglutenfree.com is my guest on this episode of the podcast and is coming to my rescue. We discuss new options for breakfast, lunch and dinner along with a great idea for a watermelon drink! I’m challenging myself to add at least one new item to my menus each week from Cathy’s extensive website. I hope you feel inspired to do the same. You can find Cathy online at –
Twitter – cathyglutenfree
Instagram -@cathysglutenfree
S’mores Pie, Carrot Cake Baked Overnight Oatmeal, Breakfast Baked Potato
Sue’s Websites and Social Media –
Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com
Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com
Facebook – @acanadianceliacpodcast
Twitter – CeliacPodcastCA
Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com
Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com
Instagram – @suesgfbaking
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL
Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com
Other Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – https://glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com
My Thoughts –
We do it to ourselves. We rotate the same recipes in our daily meals over, and over again. Of late, I have been practicing an intermittent fasting lifestyle during which I limit my eating time each day to a certain number of hours. I find it’s a great way to discipline myself to not over-eat. There are many other health benefits as well, but let’s not get into that here. The result of my lifestyle choice is that I’m eating less and fewer meals, but the advantage of intermittent fasting is that I don’t count calories or anything, I simply reduce the time during the day when I’m in eating mode.
One side effect that I’ve felt from my new lifestyle is that some foods don’t seem to have as much flavour, and my body is craving, high quality, flavourful foods. I know it sounds crazy, and before I started this journey, I would have been sceptical. In any case, I’m finding myself searching for ways to add more flavour and variety to my same old, same old.
Having Cathy on the podcast was a bit of a selfish act for me. I wanted her advice, I wanted her to be able to add a spark to my regular, now boring menus. As I write this, I’m excited to begin my challenge to add a new food from her website to my weekly meal rotation each week this summer. Who knows, maybe some weeks, I’ll add more than one. Although my husband and I aren’t doing much entertaining this summer (all for the public good), we will be getting together with our very small social group and close family. I’m excited to blend up a refreshing watermelon drink for them on a hot day at the lake. As well, the overnight carrot cake oats can be a simple make ahead, toss in the oven dessert after a summer meal of fresh corn on the cob.
Having a boring menu, doesn’t have as much to do with a restrictive gluten free diet, as it does my restricted imagination. I’m breaking free and I have Cathy to thank. I’ll keep you posted as to how I do. You can follow my attempts at Cathy’s recipes on Instagram. You’ll find me at @suesgfbaking. I’m excited!
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Ep 128 July 2020 Roundup – A Conversation with Ellen Bayens
Let’s start the blog with the show notes for this Episode –
It’s the end of June and the beginning of July – time for Ellen Bayens of thceliacscene.com to join me to discuss the current celiac and gluten free diet news. With the Corona Virus stay at home gradually easing off in Canada, new studies and findings regarding celiac disease are few and far between. As well, it’s not a good time for food companies to be introducing a new gluten free product into the marketplace. Ellen does however, have a couple of timely articles which we discuss regarding recent changes in food service labelling regarding foods labelled for the US, and an article written by Mia Kennedy about getting back out into social groups for pot lucks, barbeques and picnics, from the point of view of a 20-something celiac.
Here are the links to the articles and the contest from Grimm’s –
Hidden Barley! Heath Canada Relaxes Ingredient Labeling for US Products
Musings by Mia – Summer Fun for Twenty-Something Celiacs
https://grimmscontest.com/ with inspiring meal ideas almost daily on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GrimmsFineFoods
My Friend Ellen Bayens Sue’s Websites and Social Media –
Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com
Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com
Facebook – @acanadianceliacpodcast
Twitter – CeliacPodcastCA
Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com
Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com
Instagram – @suesgfbaking
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL
Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com
Other Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – https://glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com
My Thoughts –
I have two daughters in their late twenties, one who is celiac, so I thought I was in touch with many of the current social norms for that age group. Whenever I read Mia’s articles, or speak with her, I realize how thoughtful and observant she is of her surroundings. As a Mom, I was mostly in protective mode for my celiac daughter, but to see things from their perspective is quite eye-opening.
Much of the advice Mia gives is very adaptable and suitable for anyone with a food allergy. I remember years ago, when invited to an eating event, it was always a decision we had to make – do we mention our celiac disease and gluten restriction, or do we just take lots of precautions and “wing it”? Either of these scenarios was fraught with difficulty. How much explaining do we want to do? How much monitoring of the food table is appropriate? Should we eat first? Should we just bring everything we need and sequester somewhere off to the side?
It seems that nowadays, things are different. Celiac and gluten free don’t require much explanation. I always appreciate getting the question “Oh, are you celiac?” Once I answer yes, there is invariably a connection made with someone’s friend, or co-worker, or brother’s fiancé. I like the recognition our celiac disease is afforded these days. As a celiac, I never identified as someone with an allergy, because it’s not, but on the other hand, I appreciate the “respect” an allergy commands, especially a food allergy. I won’t identify as having an allergy, but there is some benefit to having others recognise it in the same way. From reading Mia’s approach to social events, it just takes following a few simple rules to be able to enjoy an event and not get hung up on food restrictions. I think I should try to approach life in such a positive manner, and think like a twenty-something. Who knows, maybe I’ll start to feel younger as well.