Thursday, August 24, 2006
Sandwiches and celiac....
One of the most aggravating things about celiac disease is its inconvenience. You can't just buy whatever strikes your fancy at the grocery store, drive through a fast food joint of your choice, order take-out or have pizza delivered, or even just grab an ordinary sandwich. In fact, eating a sandwich at all is practically a miracle.
First, there's the whole issue of bread. Yes, I am aware that gluten free bread exists, but have you ever tasted it? It weighs a ton, crumbles at the slightest touch, and is about as yummy as, say, cardboard. There are mixes, but my hands are too arthritic to make me want to deal with it. I was never much of a bread eater, but I did relish the occasional visit to Subway when I was healthy. And I LOVED naan, tortillas and pitas.
Secondly, there's the sandwich meat problem. Unless you have access to a real deli (not common out West), the "deli" meat in the grocery store has nitrates and may contain caramel coloring, which may or may not come from wheat. Some might even have dextrin, which is another ingredient of dubious origins. Roast beef, which was one of my faves, has been off limits to me for three years now because I just can't be sure of its safety.
Luckily, a local bakery/restaurant came to the rescue with gluten free bread that is actually edible. Their Italian bread is tasty, but what I really like is their mock rye. Yes, it's heavy and crumbly, which can't be avoided, but it actually tastes like real rye bread. A few days ago, I got tired of looking at the three bottles of mustard Dan left behind and decided I would use at least some of it up by purchasing two loaves of mock rye, one for now, and one to freeze so I have something portable to eat when I move.
And I found the solution to the whole sandwich meat nightmare. Hormel now has natural deli style meat which is minus the nitrates, detrixn and coloring. They are even labeled gluten free! How cool is that? I bought some honey ham and some turkey. And I found reudced fat cheddar and Swiss cheese SLICES! I bought one pack of each.
So I've been having actual, honest-to-God sandwiches, just like healthy people. I consider this a major victory in my battle against inconvenience.
Sometimes it really is the little things that matter.
First, there's the whole issue of bread. Yes, I am aware that gluten free bread exists, but have you ever tasted it? It weighs a ton, crumbles at the slightest touch, and is about as yummy as, say, cardboard. There are mixes, but my hands are too arthritic to make me want to deal with it. I was never much of a bread eater, but I did relish the occasional visit to Subway when I was healthy. And I LOVED naan, tortillas and pitas.
Secondly, there's the sandwich meat problem. Unless you have access to a real deli (not common out West), the "deli" meat in the grocery store has nitrates and may contain caramel coloring, which may or may not come from wheat. Some might even have dextrin, which is another ingredient of dubious origins. Roast beef, which was one of my faves, has been off limits to me for three years now because I just can't be sure of its safety.
Luckily, a local bakery/restaurant came to the rescue with gluten free bread that is actually edible. Their Italian bread is tasty, but what I really like is their mock rye. Yes, it's heavy and crumbly, which can't be avoided, but it actually tastes like real rye bread. A few days ago, I got tired of looking at the three bottles of mustard Dan left behind and decided I would use at least some of it up by purchasing two loaves of mock rye, one for now, and one to freeze so I have something portable to eat when I move.
And I found the solution to the whole sandwich meat nightmare. Hormel now has natural deli style meat which is minus the nitrates, detrixn and coloring. They are even labeled gluten free! How cool is that? I bought some honey ham and some turkey. And I found reudced fat cheddar and Swiss cheese SLICES! I bought one pack of each.
So I've been having actual, honest-to-God sandwiches, just like healthy people. I consider this a major victory in my battle against inconvenience.
Sometimes it really is the little things that matter.
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