The Beginning

Welcome friends!

Quick recap: On April 8, 2010 (just 2.5 weeks ago), I received a diagnosis of Celiac Disease* from my gastroenterologist's office and my whole dietary world changed in an instant. Gone was the option of swinging by any ol' fast food joint for a quick bite when I was hungry while out and about. Gone were most of the easy desserts I knew and loved -- especially the prepackaged grab-and-go ones like store-bought cookies or even break-and-bake ones. I was going to have to relearn how to make many of the dishes I regularly served because not only did many of them contain obvious sources of wheat (like flour tortillas, pastas, or bread crumbs), but many also contained hidden gluten sources (like condensed cream of chicken soup). I was instantly transformed into a grocery store label reader, whether I liked it or not. Worse, I am now, at least for the short term, forced to be a high-maintenance restaurant patron who has to ask for a special menu or assistance from a knowledgeable manager every time we go out to eat.

At the urging of more than one of my friends, I have started this blog. Part of it will undoubtedly be about venting my frustrations over failed batches of cookies and unavailable replacement products for some of my favorites from days of yore. Some of it will be sharing my elation when I find a perfect brownie or a main dish my family all loves to eat with me. In the end, I hope to structure it in such a way that it can help others who may find themselves forced onto this journey due to their own diagnosis down the line. There are countless resources online that have already been a HUGE help to me, so maybe this will end up being more clutter than help. If I decide that's the case, I'll abandon it and/or take it down because the LAST thing I want to do is make this transition HARDER for someone else to deal with in their life!

Since I've already been through several triumphs and let-downs in the first 2 weeks, I'll probably create a couple of posts in the next couple of days about some of that, just to have a complete-ish log of my journey. Stay tuned...


*NOTE: Celiac Disease is an inherited autoimmune disease in which the lining of the small intestine is damaged from eating gluten and other proteins found in wheat, barley, and rye. Oats are also often forbidden (unless they're certified gluten-free oats) not because they are a problem in and of themselves but because they are often cross-contaminated with wheat.