Beer!

When I first learned about Celiac disease and that I may have it, I knew that if I did I would not be able to drink beer ever again. I'm not the type of person to get hung up about bad things happening and I was not overly upset about my limited dietary choices. But one thing that really got to me was the fact that I could no longer drink beer. Beer is by and large the best type of alcohol because of its taste and safety compared to hard liquor. So I stopped drinking beer for a while until I came home for Thanksgiving break. Before break, my dad, who is also a celiac, discoverd a gluten free beer and went to the local liquor store and bought some. When he picked me up from the airport he told me all about it and I was very excited. Its called Red Bridge and it is made from sorgum instead of wheat. Sorgum is a grain that does not contain gluten and is similar enough to wheat that brewing is possible. We got home and I asked my mother if I could have one. She said "you may but I'm not sure your uncle (who was staying with us) would approve." I decided that my uncles trust was worth the wait. Eventually I aquired my own gluten free beer. Red Bridge is actually manufactured by Anheuser Busch so it is not overly hard to find. Gluten Free beer is just one thing that makes being a celiac easier not to mention it tastes pretty good too.

Finding Food

Another challenge that I often face at Trinity while eating gluten free is finding food that is gluten free. This last Sunday was Easter Sunday and the majority of the students had gone home for the holiday. In anticipation of this, the dining halls prepared to close many of the stations. Mabee was closed all weekend and Coates only had the BBQ station open. The only place I can eat at Coates is the sandwich line and it was closed until Sunday. I was a little upset because I dislike asking my friends to take me places to eat but I had no choice. Luckily, I the BBQ line at Coates was able to find some lunch meat for me and I was able to eat and my friends WANTED to go out. However, it is often hard to find food unless I bring it myself or start checking lables. If I go to a restaurant I have no choice but to attack the waiter with questions and the almost always end up running to and from the kitchen, bombarding the chef with strange questions about the marinade on the chicken. Im not one to complane but it is frustrating at times. Now here is a place I would like to be! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSxehMiACyA

The Sandwich

At Trinity University, the options for eating at the dining halls are extremely limited, you may not realize this but wheat is an incredibly common ingredient being used as a preservative and a thickener in many foods. Anyways, I have been noticing some side effects of eating gluten again and needed to find out what was effecting me. After exhausting myself talking to the dining halls and experimenting with different foods I was getting inconclusive results. As mentioned earlier my limited diet forces me to improvise to feed myself and I frequently ask my mother to send me a type of bread that is gluten free, its very similar to regular bread except it crumbles more easily because of the absence of gluten. When I ask the people in the sandwich line to make me a sandwich they have to change their gloves to avoid contamination. Also, if I want it toasted I previously asked them to place the sandwich on a grate and send it through the toaster. I hadn't got one toasted for a while and yesterday I did get it toasted and got a ton of heart burn. I will not be able to toast my sandwiches from now on because of the seemingly large amount of gluten contained in that toaster. I don't mind to much because eating right makes me feel better but having so many setbacks is frustrating.