So here is my opinion on the whole “junk food” mess going around the Gluten Free world right now. I suffered with crazy symptoms and pain for 15 years before I was diagnosed and learned I needed to live a Gluten Free lifestyle. When I first went Gluten Free I had no idea what I was going to eat, where was safe, and how I would be able to enjoy food again. As I progressed through my journey I began to find Gluten Free brands and products that I liked and could enjoy eating.
I can’t eat Gluten but everything else is fair game for me and our three year-old twins. I completely understand that we are blessed that Gluten is the only restriction we have, since so many have other food items they need to avoid. I understand many people with Celiac Disease also have to avoid dairy. If I have too much dairy I don’t feel awesome but it causes minor annoyances compared to Gluten for me.
You can see from our family weekly menus that I post every Sunday that we eat well balanced meals. By this I mean: meat, vegetables, and a starch. We eat real food, that is local when possible, organic when we can afford it, and grass feed when we find it.
However we do eat sugar, processed foods, and “junk food”. If this makes you mad or bothers you, I’m not trying to change your mind at all, I’m just telling you what we eat.
With 2 three year old Gluten Free kids life is not easy. Finding safe places to eat that provide kid friendly Gluten Free food is like looking for a lake in the desert. Having to take safe food to their preschool, parties, holiday events, and to church takes a lot of planning and communication. I’m not complaining, I’m just saying it ain’t easy folks.
When a brand comes out with a safe Gluten Free product that help our kids and myself feel like everyone else it matters.
Unless you have ever had to take a gluten-filled cupcake out of your child’s hands as tears run down their face because someone gave them the “regular” cupcake or have had to miss communion at your church for years or left an event with an empty stomach because there were no safe options or felt the embarrassment of being Glutened and dealing with the results in public – you may not understand.
As a Celiac there are so many things I have to say no to on a daily basis, so when I do find a new safe product it gives me hope. Hope that one day living this way won’t be so hard, hope that living Gluten Free will be easier for our kids, hope that restaurants and brands understand what gluten is and how to prepare safe food, and hope that one day we can eat anywhere without fear.
Do we give our kids processed “junk food” everyday? No. But if we find a new brand of snack crackers, cookies, cakes, or cereal that is safe we try it out. These are special treats for all of us. The two gluten eaters in our family don’t get “regular” food in our house since everything is Gluten Free. So when a product becomes safe it opens the door for our family of 5 to add another option to our pantry.
This blog is a way to share our Gluten Free journey, to show you what we eat, where we eat, and what products we enjoy. This is not a health food blog, it is a “living Gluten Free is hard so let’s stick together” blog.
I say bring on the Gluten Free junk food! The twins and I will be first in line to try them. And if you don’t want to eat them, send them to us.
I’m a Celiac but I don’t have to be trapped by it.
Just my two cents!
Pam
I hear you, I found out when I was 62yrs old. It is tough everyday and a fight but I also know the outcome if I don’t do it. Blogs like this help though and thank you.
So glad we can stick together and encourage one another!
It is hard for all of us at any age. Welcome to the Gluten Free family and know you aren’t alone! We are here to help one another.
I love this, Pam! If gluten free oreos are wrong, I don’t want to be right! 🙂
Totally agree! I’m down with some GF oreos – a girl needs her cookies!
Amen, sister! I am on countdown until I find all the General Mills’ new gluten free varieties in stores ;).
Woot! You and me both! I keep telling the twins that they can have the “bee cereal” soon. They are so excited because right now all they can have are Chex. It will be a happy day when Cheerios and Lucky Charms arrive.
Hi, Pam. I saw Celiac in the City post about this blog post on Instagram, and because I’m often one of “those people” in the celiac/gluten-free world who is very likely grimaced at for being viewed as sitting on a “gluten-free high horse” (I’m Southern, I hope that makes sense to you/readers lol) I wanted to read this post about your stance on “junk food”. The short of it: I like it a lot. 🙂 While I do not share the view of some on eating what I call “from the gluten-free box” and while I have never had a Red Robin meal (gluten-free or otherwise), that definitely doesn’t mean I don’t respect my fellow celiacs. I always tell folks who come to me for help or who read my blog, “we are in this together and I am here to meet you where YOU are, not where I am”. That’s how I feel. You and I are doing the same thing – sharing what works for us, in our unique situation, in hopes of helping others. So, in my opinion, who cares if you like Red Robin and I don’t? So what if you want to buy the latest GF “junk food” to try out with your kiddos and I don’t? The bottom line is, we are both doing what is right for US in our situation and if it works, that is all that matters. Personally, I would happily sit down with you over a box of GF cookies and coffee. I’ll bring the veggie tray… and the wine. 😉 Great post! Big hugs from France! xo ~Gigi
Gigi,
I totally agree. When you walk this journey you have to find your own path and discover what works for you. Your path doesn’t have to be the same as everyone else.
And I’ll take you up on that veggie tray and wine any time:)
Love the spirit of this post, Pam. And I totally get ya on the “you may not understand unless you’ve been there” part.
One thing that makes me a bit bonkers is when people complain about how unhealthy a GF diet is, and they’re pointing to gluten-free oreos and other such junk food. The thing is, there are stages of transitioning to a gluten-free diet (as with other medically necessitated dietary restrictions). In order to make the diet work for you … for life … it needs to be something that can be maintained.
If someone says to you that you need to go without gluten for the rest of your life and that means you can’t have your favorite foods or treats ever again, you are either going to be totally depressed or you’re not going to comply with the diet. There has to be a balance. And if gluten-free oreos make it easier on your GF kid to feel “normal” at school, then so be it! As long as you and your children aren’t living off of gluten-free oreos, there are plenty of other opportunities for good nutrition elsewhere in the diet.
The same happens when people (usually dietitians) say there’s not enough fiber or protein or whatnot in my gfJules flour blend. Here’s the thing: when I bake bread, I add all kinds of yummy whole grains and seeds in there beause it makes it taste like a whole grain bread (which I like); when I prepare our meals, we eat healthy, fresh, whole foods; and when I want to bake a cookie or a pie or a cake or pizza or a doughnut … I want it to taste like a NORMAL one! I don’t want it to taste like bran or rice grit or bean flour.
So let me have my delicious baked goods and get my nutrition from the proteins and the vegetables that make up the majority of my diet.
There. I said it.
And as you said, Pam, “living Gluten Free is hard so let’s stick together.” AMEN!
~jules
gfJules.com
I love you Jules and I’m honored to call you a friend. Thanks for doing this Gluten Free life with me!
I also want to thank you Jules for all your hard work creating your flours and mixes..your AP was the first thing I tried that made us feel “normal” and I felt like I could bake again and it actually taste good! Thanks again! ❤️
Hi, I live in Haw River, NC and have found out I am Gluten Intolerant. I began having hives in August 2014, they would go away and then come back worse. I have seen my dermatologist and allergist. Finally a client where i work asked me to do a Elimination diet and I slowly found out “gluten” and some food dyes were responsible for the hives. I would like to know if there is a group in Burlington, NC or do you travel for meetings. Any help you can give me would be appreciated!
Thanks so much.
Tami,
Would love to talk to you more about some NC options. Please email me and we can chat more. pam@imaceliac.com
Thank you for this post. And ditto to what Jules said. It’s easy to condemn food choices when you have the whole world of “whole grains goodness” available to you. When I first found out I had Celiac – I cried- at 40 years old. And last Christmas when I made the first batch of cinnamon that tasted like my children had had for the first 12 years of their lives, I cried again – of happiness. While this may be a bit dramatic, it’s hard to overestimate the special part that certain favorite family foods have in a person’s life. So glad we CAN stick together.
Melissa,
I have shed my share of tears over Gluten! You are completely normal, promise!
So glad the cinnamon roles were awesome. I still haven’t mastered them… one day
I agree 200%! My son was diagnosed with celiac at age 4, so whatever I can buy him that makes him feel “normal” and he likes, then I’m all for it! I feel EXACTLY the same way as you..gf lucky charms announcement was a MAJORLY happy day for us..yes it’s junk food but it’s another choice he has that makes it easier for us to go on vacation and just LIVE without gluten once again stealing our joy! Thanks for your blog and support – ❤️
Pam I can’t tell you how much I love this post! Thank you for sharing your opinion xo ~Celeste
Heart you too Celeste!!!
Well said, friend! Love it! ❤️
I am also a celiac person I was diagnosed at age 62. It took years to find out what my problem was once I found out it was the Gluten what a difference. Thanks for the info.
Thank you!! My husband was recently diagnosed with celiac, and it has definitely not been easy! He is 34 and stuck in his ways…. His ways being Wonder Bread, pizza, Little Debbie snacks, quick on the go foods, etc. Now take that all away. Ugh. He has a super high metabolism and all the “healthy gluten free meal recipes” leave him starving now that his symptoms are better. We just want NORMAL, not “ultra healthy free of EVERYTHING” meals. It is so frustrating and I’ve tried everything right along with him and most of it is god awful gross! A gluten free Pop Tart or Nutty Bar would make a killing! A pizza that’s exactly like a REAL pizza would be heaven on earth. Gluten free wonder bread that’s an exact match for sandwiches would be amazing. It’s hard and totally frustrating, I just wish he could feel like a normal person and get a McDonald’s burger if he wanted, with a bun. :/
Anyone have any really good gluten free products that they like? NON paleo, vegan, free of dairy eggs cheese etc that taste like real food? 🙂
Pam, love your blog. This post hits home for me. My son was diagnosed at 14- talk about a life changer for a teenage boy! We try and keep everything in perspective- things could be so much worse. Nonetheless, it is rewarding to see a child feel “normal” when it comes to what he eats. I, like you, try and serve balanced meals, but treats are great too. Thanks for being so real.
You are welcome! We all need those “normal” moments to keep us going.
I couldn’t agree more! Myself and all of my kids have Celiac Disease. It’s pretty awesome that our church offers a GF option for communion now. And they are super diligent to make sure I get the right tray. We have a few other families in our church that deal with CD so we rotate on GF baking treats for after service. I would say the biggest issue is my kids getting miffed when the “regular” kids eat all of the GF treats.
And on the junk food topic… I didn’t know until I was 38 so I had the opportunity to be a kid in the 80s and eat all sorts of wonderful crap like Hostess cupcakes and Strawberry Shortcake ice cream bars from the ice cream man and all the other processed magical trash I was able to experience growing up. Honestly, it kind of breaks my heart how my kids live in this experience bubble. While I’m all for swimming against the current and being an individual, there is something to say for the comfort in just feeing a little ordinary once in a while.
We definitely put snowcaps on our popcorn. 😉
Love it!
This made me feel so good! After dealing with symptoms for nearly 20 years, I was recently diagnosed with Celiac disease. There are so many treats that I miss (namely, the ones that aren’t necessarily good for you), so when I hear about something new that’s safe for me, I am thrilled! It’s nice to know that there are companies that see us and that take us seriously. You’ve made me feel a lot better about being me. (:
So glad it helped! Eat what is safe and what you enjoy!