Bits and Bites in the Burgh

Now that I have been eating gluten free for three months and have been mentally writing blog posts and reviews about this, that, and the other thing, I figured I might want to actually write those posts in the real world and share my insights. Because you know that after three months, my pools of knowledge make me the BIG EXPERT IN ALL THINGS THAT ARE GLUTEN FREE. Of course they do.

One thing that makes me extremely anxious is trying to avoid gluten while eating out. We don't eat out all that often, but it was nice sometimes if we had an extremely crazy day in store to either eat out or grab and go from one of our local favorites. The one thing I have learned is to just ask as many questions as I need to really ascertain whether something is going to be ok, make me sick, or falls into the horrible grey area of "we're just really not sure" meaning that the only way I will know is to try it. Most of those "uncertain" items have been filed away for future reference, and will only be tested when I decide that I really want to eat Item X.

When I find that someone in food service really gets what I am dealing with and doesn't just hide their eye roll thinking that I am just another loony bird doing another fad diet, I want to do a happy dance. Instead of torturing you with that visual, I will share with you some of my best GF experiences around Pittsburgh so far (remember, I don't eat out much, so the list is short...)

Mandy's Pizza
This cheerful, yellow, but otherwise nondescript building in Pittsburgh's West View neighborhood has a lovely collection of GF items that fool you into thinking you're eating the real deal. The owner's son has a host of food allergies, so he decided to create items that his son could actually enjoy--and for that I thank him. On my first visit, I tried the GF pizza, and it lived up to expectations. The crust is a thin, dense dough (so, you're not getting a fluffy, pan-pizza type crust) with a great flavor and texture to support the generous toppings. After that, I went for the hoagie (turkey) and it was love at first bite. I am a huge fan of a those sandwiches, and I didn't realize how much I missed biting into a freshly toasted hoagie until I had one at Mandy's. YUM. I have not strayed from my order since then, except the one day when I added a side of GF french fries. They are made from fresh-cut potatoes and Mandy's has a dedicated allergen-free fryer so I know I'm not accidentally ingesting a crumb from a mozzarella stick or the like.

Church Brew Works
When my in-laws came to town, they asked if we could go to the Church Works because they enjoyed it so much on their last visit. "Of course," we said, because it's one of our favorites, too. The last time I had been there, though, was pre-GF eating, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I will say that my choices were somewhat limited, BUT our server and the chef were extremely knowledgeable about what it meant to need a GF meal, what items contained gluten, and how we could construct a meal to work for me. I ended up having the quinoa salad with raspberry vinaigrette (the lemon dressing listed in the menu contains gluten) and topped with grilled shrimp. I enjoyed it thoroughly but more wanted to give the shout-out for them being so helpful and understanding.

P.F.Chang's
I realize that this is a national chain, not a local venue, but I was completely impressed with the size of their GF menu as well as their care in the kitchen for using GF pots, utensils, and plates. I felt as if my needs were definitely being addressed. I had the caramel mango chicken and loved every bite. Although I will say that I wished I had been able to help the family eat their plate of crispy green beans. They looked awesome (note to self: figure out how to replicate with GF flours).

As I find more gems around the city, I will post them here. I have also been keeping track of products and recipes that really impress. And the Italian husband (we'll call him Piatto...that's Italian for "dish" in case your translator isn't handy) is sticking around even though I can't eat semolina. I believe that might be punishable by witch trial back in the old country. {smirk}

Disclaimer:  I have not been compensated by any of the above for my opinion.  Just sharing what I think with you, free of any strings.

Turning Around

When I was a kid, my dad used to sing, "Give me 40 acres and I'll turn this rig around," by the Willis Brothers every time my brother or I would take on a task by going about it the long, drawn out, and (unnecessarily) complicated way. As I came to the decision that I would try on the gluten free idea, I imagined it as one of those complicated, awkward tasks that would take me a lot more effort than needed and that would not give me the satisfaction I desired. I was very, very wrong.

First, eliminating gluten has not been complicated at all. True, I am a bagel fanatic, so I have had to eliminate one of my favorite carbs from the safe list of foods. But there's more to life than bagels (or so I tell myself). And I had stopped eating most prepared foods because they made me ill (gee, I wonder why), so that side of the gluten purge was easy.

Second, the difference in how I feel pre- and post-gluten is dramatic. No. Dramatic is an understatement. I feel energized. I feel positive. I feel light. I feel hopeful. I do *not* feel sick. I do *not* feel depressed. I do *not* want to go back to eating gluten. If someone had told me that I would feel this much better, I would never have believed them because this type of reversal is a thing of fairy tales. Or so I thought. I mean, seriously, the amount of energy running through my body almost makes me feel as if I'm tingling...in a good way.

I'm still making minor tweaks in what I'm eating so I can have my (gluten-free) cake and eat it, too. For instance, I found some lovely GF crackers that taste just like the whole-grain ones I eat anyway. But, it appears that the chock-full-o-flax-seed contents are not agreeing with me after all. And I've always had a problem with flax seeds, so I need to stay aware since they tend to creep into GF foods. I'm actually testing my diet to be sure it's them, but I'm pretty sure. Today I was able to eliminate that the issues were not a result of the GF pizza crust I made the other day. Excellent news since that crust was pretty darn yummy. Tomorrow I test the fruit/yogurt smoothie, and then Sunday I test the crackers again. You know the old saying, you can take the scientist out of the lab...

At this point, my husband jokingly refers to my "miracle cure" because I talk about how good I feel. All. The. Time. But it's been such a contrast to how bad I felt earlier, that I walk around each day thinking, "Really? This is how people feel? Because this is AWESOME."

Here's to more awesome with a side of "Oh yeah."

Free as a Bird

I have decided after far too long that I am tired of feeling ill every time I eat. I have always been a fan of food, and the size of my rump will attest to that fact fervently. But, I have reached the point where food is simply an unfortunate necessity, not a pleasure. I try very hard to eat things that will not make me sick. And I fail most of the time. And so I have begun to dread feeling hungry.

At this point, most people would consult their family physician or a specialist. Someone who might, perhaps, alleviate the onset of the ill at every meal. But I walk to the beat of a different drummer. The drummer who is banging on my hard head trying to knock some sense into me. "I should be able to figure this out," I tell myself. "You're a doctor, make it better," I insist. Yeah, because a PhD in psychology is well-equipped to handle GI distress. I think I can, I think I can...

Enter some careful research combined with wanting to do something positive for my health in Lent, and here I stand on the first day of my gluten-free journey to Easter. When I decided the other day that what I would like to do for Lent is just give up food altogether, I realized that cutting out the gluten was a must-do activity. My symptoms primarily point to gluten sensitivity/intolerance (but not quite to celiac). And six weeks of dietary restriction certainly won't hurt. For lack of a better blogging motivation, I'm going to track myself here. I know what you're thinking. Wow--does it get any more exciting? No. No, it does not.

At the end of day 1, I actually feel pretty good. No meal-related illness, which is a huge plus. But one day does not mean it's fixed, so march on I will.

Stay tuned.