Why do we feel embarassed about being a coeliac?

Although I am now very open and accepting of being a coeliac and of having a disease that effects the bowel, for many years I wasn't.

I think it was because I have endometrosis, which is very painful and has some rather horrible long term and short term affects and some doctors would completely dismiss that I had this disease and attempt to down play my symptoms by telling me I had IBS. My symptoms were always at the worse when the endometrosis was also at its worse (around that time of month). I always found it so hard to try and comprehend how someone could think that my problems were related to my bowel (wrong end)!!! I have since spoken to a nutritionist who has informed me that the combination of endometrosis and coeliac is a rather horrible mix! No wonder why I was in so much pain.

For some reason endometrosis and fertility based diseases are more socially acceptable than disease that affect the bowel such as coeliac disease. Thankfully this perception is changing in society and it will only continue to change for the better if people are more open and accepting about their condition.

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I had problems from childhood that now I can all refer to as coeliac disease. I remember having bad pains in my stomach for a long time, my mum actually took me to the doctor to find out what was wrong. I had some tests, I think x ray and maybe ultrasound which showed I was constipated (one of the symptoms of coeliac disease). I recall the doctor telling me (I was about 8), that if I didn't go to the toilet regularly I would end up with a bag!!!!. I was needless to say petrified, I didn't want to have to poo into a bag!! Thinking back now the doctor should have done some tests, changed diet etc not scare the crap (literally) out of a little girl and make me think it was my fault. I guess that's where my embarrassment about any bowel problems etc comes from.

Since being diagnosed I've spoken to many people about coeliac disease and endometrosis and I wasn't the only one who had that story. I've listened to people explain their symptoms (so so similar to mine) and then use endometrosis as the only reason for the problems. Even if they have listened to me and have been assured that it is a valid problem, that yes they have endometrosis but coeliac or a gluten intolerance is making the symptoms worse, they still are reluctant to even contact their doctor. I heard one lady I was speaking to say that she didn't want to be the one at the restaurant, at a barbecue, at a party who can't eat a vast majority of food and would rather put up with the symptoms then deal with the embarrassment of being the one who couldn't eat anything, a pain when going out.

My advice to everyone and particularly suffers of endometrosis or poly cystic ovaries, if you are suffering any of the symptoms that I spoke about in my post where I gave the symptoms and information, and you suffer from the puffer fish straight after eating gluten rich foods such as bread, pasta, pizza etc, go and talk to your doctor. Or if that thought scares you try and eliminate gluten from your diet for a short period of time, see how you feel without it, then introduce it after a week and see what affects it has on your body. The diet test will be the best indicator.

Recipe of the Day
Caramel Meringue Pie
This is a family favourite, mum used to make it for special occasions, I never understood why it wasn't a regular dish until I made it. It takes a bit of time, particularly stirring the caramel. I've modified this recipe to make it gf (thus the coconut based pastry).

Ingredients
1 large cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons flour (whatever gf flour available)
70 g butter (diced)
1 cup milk
2 egg yokes
2 teaspoon vanilla essence
4 egg whites
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1/2 cup maize corn flour
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cups coconut
120g melted butter

Method
 Pastry: Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.  Mix corn flour milk coconut and butter into a bowl, add more coconut if the mixture is too runny. with a spoon press the mixture into a pie dish (make sure it isn't too thick). Place in oven for 10-15 minutes to lightly brown.

Caramel: Place butter and brown sugar into an electric mixer for a few minutes, add flour. Mix 1 cup of milk a egg yokes to butter mixture. Put in a saucepan on low to medium heat stir constantly until thickened (takes 10+ minutes), stir in vanilla. Put caramel into the cooled pastry dish.

Meringue: Mix egg whites with a hand held mixer until it starts to get thicker. Add caster sugar and mix until soft peaks form. Put meringue on top of the caramel and put in the oven for 10 minutes to brown the meringue.

Enjoy
xxxx

What an effort, what a friend

Apologies readers for my absence yesterday, I actually thought at 11.45pm last night that may be I should get on and write a quick apology but then I figured I'm sure everyone will understand. I did spend a few hours in bed not very well yesterday (this was meant to be my blogging time!), by the time I actually managed to get up I had to start cooking for dinner (we had friends come over, a great night!), I had no time to blog.

So here I am.....

We went out to dinner on friday night to a friends house, shes a great cook! Having been out with me several times, listening to the frustrations I've had trying to find somewhere or something to eat and reading the blog, she was on a mission to cook me something nice that I wouldn't normally eat or cook myself.

After being on a gf diet for over a year, I've become accustomed to the lack of choice, the high prices and the non appetising choices of gf products that are sold at supermarkets! Saying that it does still annoy me at times! But my friend was not used to it at all, she scanned the small section of gf products at the supermarket, looking for gf bread crumbs (she was going to make a schnitzell!). The closest thing that she found was rice crumbs and being someone who is a fantastic cook she knew they just wouldn't work the same. Being very determined, she remembered how her mother used to make breadcrumbs (from bread not out of a box!), so she set off to find some gf bread.  This was an ordeal in itself as it took a trip to 3 different supermarkets before she could find somewhere that stocked gf bread!

I'm going to endeavour to tell you all how she made the bread crumbs for the schitznel and the schitznel itself and I am going to have this as the feature recipe......

Recipe of the day
GF Schnitzel

Ingredients
1 loaf gf bread
Chicken breast
gf flour
egg yoke
Oil

Method (this is read like a story as I didn't make it and am telling you how to make it as I was told by my friend)

She spread the bread out on a baking tray or dish and placed it in the oven on a low to moderate temperature (the purpose of this is to dry out the bread). We all know that gf is horrible to toast it burns on the outside but is still goey on the inside!! Consequently this made the drying process in the oven a lot longer than non gf bread. My friend said it took about 1 hour to try properly, after 20 minutes of cooking, she checked and turned the bread every 10 minutes. Once it was dried properly, she then placed the bread in a hand held mixer but a food processor etc would do the same thing, and mix/puree bread into a fine crumb mixture (if the bread is still too wet, return to oven for further drying).

The crumbs are now done, cut chicken breast in half (so they aren't too thick to cook). Have three bowls or trays/plates prepared with gf flour, egg yoke and bread crumbs. Then coat chicken in flour, egg and press down in bread crumbs. My friend lightly fried the schitznel in a pan then finished cooking in the oven.

The schitznel was beautiful and no one else (including the 3 men) couldn't tell the difference between these gf schnitzel and ones that they had eaten before!

What a friend, and what an effort she went to! Just to ensure I had something nice to eat that was something I wouldn't normally have! The recipe will definitely be something I will be trying in the future! I didn't turn up empty handed though, I brought a caramel meringue pie!! (it will feature in tomorrows recipe).

A thank you to the people who have contacted me about my research project into the impact of a gf diet on people or children with autism or who are on the spectrum. I will be going to meet with some parents of children with autism who are using the diet and seeing benefits. I will keep you posted on my findings.Please continue to contact me if you have any experiences with the gf diet and autism.

xxxxxx

Hot bread and homemade soup

I made bread today..... It was just a packet mix gf (on special) but boy was it good!

My sister came over and I got to play with my gorgeous nephew, always guaranteed to make you smile. We had the capsicum soup I made yesterday (see yesterdays blog for recipe) with some lovely warm, hot bread! The bread was steaming when we spread the butter onto it! Yummy!

It was so nice to have hot, nice bread to dunk into some hardy, homemade soup. The best thing about the bread was that fresh from the oven, it didn't actually taste like gf bread. My sister enjoyed the bread as much as I did, then she had a bit when it had cooled down. The GF taste was back! Yuck!

Tomorrow I will use the rest of the bread for toast or toasted sandwiches, because it will have that chewy, glue like texture that gf bread does, unless it is steamy hot. And I will savour the flavour of that fresh bread straight from the oven.

Recipe of the Day
Beef Stroganoff

I got this recipe from Taste, here is the link for the recipe
http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/19959/beef+stroganoff
 I used chuck steak not rump much cheaper I follwed all steps of recipe but once everything was cooked, I transferred to the slow cooker for 6 hours! Meat was beautiful! I did have to add more water and stock and additional tomato paste, make sure you check it after a few hours and add more water etc as needed.

I also had this with gf corn and rice pasta. I was a bit cautious, but it actually tasted rather nice! Better than other pasta I have tried, just be careful not to over cook it!

The restaurant of the week will be in tomorrows post!

Enjoy
xxxx