Last Thursday, my good doctor informed me that I now need to "avoid gluten." My test numbers are not quite Celiac Disease, but pretty close. I am still trying to figure out what this means.
There is gluten in just about everything: processed meats, colorings and flavorings, all sorts of things you wouldn't expect. Grains are easy: wheat, barley, rye, and spelt. Oats too but only because they are processed in the same plants as wheat is. Well, that is fine. I have been playing with grains the last few years and they don't really scare me. Besides, there are plenty of yummy non gluten foods to eat. But I have to wary of everything processed. I guess I have more food experimenting ahead of me.
What I didn't know was how easily gluten can be transferred. Cross-contamination is a huge deal. The gluten sticks to everything. If I cut a piece of bread, I need to wash my hands and all utensils before I cut my apple. If, while pouring the spaghetti sauce, the spoon touches the noodles and then goes back in the pot, the whole pot of spaghetti sauce is contaminated and is no longer gluten free. Gluten is that sticky. I have to now pay attention to the order of my preparations. That will probably be the hardest; more than preparing foods for my family that I can't eat, checking labels, and worrying about what to eat away from home.
Avoiding gluten is not like avoiding a particular food. A little bit does matter. It is more like an allergy. You have to stay away completely.
It wasn't until Saturday night that Jonny mentioned the Sacrament and what to do about that. I hadn't even thought about that. I skipped it this last Sunday and we will have to figure out what to do after this. We have been in several wards that alternatives were provided. Jonny forgot to ask last Sunday; I'll have to get after him about it.
I guess I am now officially high maintenance.
Oh, WOW! I had never thought about what to do for the sacrament. I wish you all the best on your new "adventure" ahead!
ReplyDeleteLove ya,
Rachel
Our first ward after being married had several people who could not eat wheat. For the sacrament they served this awful tasting tortilla thing. Apparently there were several complaints and they switched to a corn tortilla. But that was 17 years ago. Gluten free has come a long way in that time. I remember visiting another ward where an alternative was served, but I don’t remember where.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I gather on the internet, some people bring a single piece of bread and one tray is gluten free or, if for only one person, the bread ca be in a baggy on one of the trays (that cross contamination thing. The priest has to make sure he breaks the gf bread before the others. What a pain!)