Gluten is the new blog

I've been away from my own blogging for some time.  Put my foot in the water and it got wet.  Go figure.  Lots of stuff happening in my life (lives).  On the eating front, hubby has been diagnosed with Celiac disease.  This means that his body cannot absorb gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and other flours.  His intestine has been damaged, but a life-long, gluten-free diet will restore.  Or at least this is what we are led to believe.

The problem -- is and you know that there is always a problem -- gluten can be found in just about everything.  Flour is the great food binder.  Apart from the usual cakes, cookies, breads and other yummy treats, wheat and its derivatives can be found in all kinds of things, including, but not limited to soya sauce, deli meats, worcestershire sauce, pasta, and  most fast foods.  

The good news,  and yes one can always find some, is that we live in a city where gluten-friendly food can be found.  My favourite place so far is Choices, a local market chain that has really tapped into the niche market of GF grocery items.  Additionally, they have their own bakery, which generates some relatively palatable  baked goods.  They also mark their grocery shelves with a blue label to indicate whether or not a food item is gluten free.  It is important to read the ingredients anyway, but this blue label system certainly helps gear us neophyte GF shoppers in the right direction.

So this is all well and good, as long as you are doing your own cooking (and I haven't even begun to talk about cross-contamination issues yet), however (and you knew that there would be a "however") going out to eat is a far more daunting task.  The conventional wisdom is that the better (i.e. the more expensive) the restaurant, the more likely that your meal will be made to your specifications.  We tried this during Dine Out Vancouver at the Savory Coast restaurant.  I emailed them in advance, my husband spoke with them before we went and our server seemed to know about gluten.  We both had the steak, which we have been told is a safe GF bet, and were delighted that flourless chocolate cake was among the dessert options.  Nevertheless, the food did not agree with my husband.  Somewhere, somehow gluten had found its way in to his food.

Needless to say, the restaurant thing is a work in process.  He's had better luck with sushi as long has he uses his own GF tamari and even at Red Robin, which he says were very accommodating.  On a recent visit to White Spot, I asked about GF options, they let me have a look at their allergy binder.  Unfortunately, my husband will not be able to eat about 95 per cent of the food on the menu; however, the manager said that they would be willing to accommodate his special needs.  We will have to test this one out. 

My daughter and I have not gone completely gluten-free.  My daughter is a very fussy eater, so we already don't always eat the same things.  As a result, cross-contamination is a big issue in our house.  I am forever washing my hands between handling his food and her food.  I throw any cloths that have been used to wipe down counters or wash dishes which may have any gluten residue.  This is also a work in process.  I am keenly aware that even a microscopic amount of gluten can affect my husband adversely. 

I am certain that I will continue to chronicle our new GF lifestyle in this blog.  BTW, the masala tin up top is completely gluten free!That's not why I included it.  I just liked the picture.