Jens Gluten Free Blog

So you were sick as a dog, found out you were a celiac, and now you feel great, right? One mistake many celiacs make is the assumption that now that their stomachs are no longer giving them problems, as long as they stick to gluten-free food they no longer need to watch what they eat. This is the attitude that leads to a lifetime of poor eating habits which nobody can afford, especially celiacs.

Anyone out there enjoy crunching on ice? I remember as teenager I liked to do that. I think it was the sound it made that appealed to me in some inexplicable way. I also liked the cool sensation going down my throat. But after a few months of it I gave it up. A friend told me that it was very bad for my teeth. I recently read that there are people who are unable to give up the ice-crunching habit. They are simply addicted to it. It has caused teeth and jaw problems, but they relent. If you know someone like that, take her or him to get blood tests. This is one of the classic symptoms of anemia. And anemia can be caused by celiac disease.

I want to start by thanking all of you who responded to the vegan blogs. I learned a lot about veganism from reading your comments, and I admit that I have had a change of heart regarding certain issues. The most important thing that I have learned, however, is that both the vegan and the non-vegan world harbor misconceptions about each other that can create animosity.

Well … the verdict is in. My endoscopy came back negative. I must admit I was a bit torn by the results. On the one hand, I was a bit relieved to find that I do not have celiac disease. A gluten-free diet is a difficult diet to maintain, and it has nutritional deficiencies as well. On the other hand, now I don’t have anything to account for my symptoms. If I don’t have celiac disease why have I developed IBS and lactose intolerance in the last six months?

I sat across from my doctor shaking my head in utter disbelief. Throughout our conversation I kept thinking about the incredible statistic I read in Peter Green’s book: as of 2006 (when the book came out) it took an average of 9 years for a person to get a celiac diagnosis. I was just beginning to understand how that could be possible.

When you introduce yourself to people, how do you identify yourself?

In trying to come up with the proper method of introducing ourselves in this blog we have gone through various alternatives. Julie is a writer, a teacher, a wife, and a mom. Jen is a lawyer, a cook, a wife, and a mom. But we are not just any moms. We are gluten-free moms. And to be brutally honest, over the past year that is how we have begun to identify ourselves.