diabetes and celiac disease-- celiac diet -- OT somewhat
Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2004 5:57 am
Dear Margaret,
At least in the US, the hardships of a gluten-free diet have largely been mitigated by the energetic initiatives of the health food industry -- one can now get gluten-free everything, from pasta to bread, crackers, cookies, pastry, snacks, ice cream, you name it. I tend to avoid Italian restaurants, but at home I make great pizzas with rice crusts that I buy ready made, and with rice cheese (to avoid dairy), and other typical pizza ingredients. When I go to a picnic or a potluck, I just make sure I bring something yummy that's gluten-free (and a lot of other folks will appreciate it, too). If I serve rice crackers for hors d'oeuvres, people are pleasantly surprised -- it's a bit offbeat, and they usually really like them. So it's no longer such a great hardship as it was 30 years ago or more to follow a gluten-free diet. Tell your friend that they'll probably enjoy exploring the possibilities, and they'll all most likely get to like the gluten-free varieties of food better than the wheat-based ones. They often use whole grains and better quality foods, and tend to be tastier than the more common wheat alternatives.
Rosemary
At least in the US, the hardships of a gluten-free diet have largely been mitigated by the energetic initiatives of the health food industry -- one can now get gluten-free everything, from pasta to bread, crackers, cookies, pastry, snacks, ice cream, you name it. I tend to avoid Italian restaurants, but at home I make great pizzas with rice crusts that I buy ready made, and with rice cheese (to avoid dairy), and other typical pizza ingredients. When I go to a picnic or a potluck, I just make sure I bring something yummy that's gluten-free (and a lot of other folks will appreciate it, too). If I serve rice crackers for hors d'oeuvres, people are pleasantly surprised -- it's a bit offbeat, and they usually really like them. So it's no longer such a great hardship as it was 30 years ago or more to follow a gluten-free diet. Tell your friend that they'll probably enjoy exploring the possibilities, and they'll all most likely get to like the gluten-free varieties of food better than the wheat-based ones. They often use whole grains and better quality foods, and tend to be tastier than the more common wheat alternatives.
Rosemary