Celiac Warrior Gal's Favorite Recipes: Gluten Free Papaya, Mango and Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

This is a recipe that I saw on the back of an Annie Chun's Maifun Rice Noodle box. 

This recipe is filling, delicious, and GLUTEN FREE!!! It is super easy to make and is a perfect summertime lunch or dinner meal.

Here is what you will need:

• One green papaya (peel the papaya and slice it into matchstick strips)
• One slightly firm mango (peel the mango and slice into Matchstick slices)
• One small cucumber (thinly sliced)
• 1/2 package of Annie Chin's Maifun's Rice Noodles (cook, drain, and rinse as directions state for salad usage).
• 1 cup of small to medium sized shrimp. Make sure the shrimp are cleaned, deveined, and cooked (recipe says prawns, but shrimp is the same thing).
• 1 head of rinsed lettuce (separate leaves)
• 5 to 6 TBSP of peanut butter (recipe says to use Thai Peanut Sauce, but we improvised)
• 2 TBSP of fresh cilantro

 Directions:

1. Mix papaya, mango, cucumber, cooked noodles and shrimp in a bowl.
2. Add peanut butter to above mixture and toss.
3. Arrange lettuce leaves on a plate and divide noodle mix among the leaves.
4. Garnish with the cilantro (if you wish).
5. Wrap the lettuce leaves and eat!

The lettuce does have a hard time staying in a 'wrap' position, you might need to use a toothpick to hold it in place if you're making this for family or guests. I ended up just getting a fork and eating it like it was a noodle salad. Using peanut butter instead of the Thai Peanut Sauce gave it more of a hearty texture and made me full after eating just a little bit of it. I do recommend that you pick up gluten free Thai peanut sauce. Annie Chun doesn't make gluten free sauce, but San-J does! Thai peanut sauce will definitely add some spice and flavor to the dish. While the dish already has some flavor, I had to listen to my better half complain about the dish being a little bland. I think next time we will have to actually follow the recipe and use Thai peanut sauce.

To purchase the Annie Chun's Rice Noodles, click the photo.
If you are interested in the peanut sauce, you can purchase it here.

[photo credit: www.luxebc.com]

Soon, you could own a scanning device that checks for gluten in food.

Wouldn't it be great if we never had to worry about being 'glutened' when dining out? It would be freaking fantastic, right?
With the wonders of technology, this could be a reality. The science and technology gods may be blessing us with a scanning device that could determine whether or not there is gluten in our food.

A company in San Francisco, California called 6SensorLabs, is in the process of developing a portable device that has the capability of detecting gluten in food.
The company is only one year old, and was founded by a woman who was diagnosed with a gluten allergy in college. She, and her co-founder wanted to create a device so others could have a stress free dining experience while out to eat.
As for the size, it will be half the size of an iPhone, but will also be thicker. It will contain a sensor that will quickly detect gluten in food.

The company is hoping to have this device available sometime next year. There is no word on how much it will cost. I'm pretty sure it will be expensive. Then again, there is no price on freedom to go out to eat with your hunny and your friends and family.

They are working on devices to detect other allergens in foods. Right now, they only have the device that detects gluten. 

I, for one, am excited about this device. While I do have a bunch of restaurants that I am comfortable eating at, I do have others that I want to go to, but am too afraid to even try out of fear that I may be 'glutened.' It certainly isn't easy having Celiac Disease. I am thankful for the restaurants that I am able to go to. This device will make it much easier to become more adventurous.
Plus, this girl has been dying to go to restaurants with some spicy foods. This girl wants some Thai or some Mexican food!

Hey, can any of you recommend any Thai and Mexican restaurants that are nice to the Celiac crowds?

Also, what do you guys think of this device? Would you buy one?

[photo credit: www.pinterest.com]

One of my most disappointing 'being glutened' experiences

Before my life-crushing Celiac disease diagnosis, one of my favorite restaurants to go to was Chili's. I loved going there to kick back, drink a few beers, and get the restaurant-made tortilla chips and salsa. I'd scarf those down while waiting for my meal to be made. I'd usually order a burger or steak or something along those lines.

Then I got that darn diagnosis. My first time at Chili's after my diagnosis, I was nervous. I decided to skip the beers, and get a margarita instead. I got my chips and salsa, because they are tortilla chips and I asked if they were GF and the staff said 'yes.' I told the staff that I had Celiac disease and needed to eat gluten free, so they gave me options that were GF. I ordered a meal that they recommended, and I felt safe with their recommendation. I talked with my friend and enjoyed stuffing my face with the chips and salsa.
The meal came, and we dined.
After the meal, I went home, and I was okay after a while. A few hours later, I was in the bathroom, and it seemed like I didn't leave for months. I was fatigued, I was moody, I was achy, and it was hard for me to work through it while doing my job every day.

I did try Chili's again last year, and I got 'glutened' again. I guess I'm like one of those kids who is told that the burner on the stove is hot, but I touch it anyway. I just wanted to see if Chili's was still a bad restaurant for me.

One of my "bad" restaurants is Olive Garden. Despite the fact that they do have a gluten free menu, and I ordered off of it, I still got sick.

I keep telling people that eating out is like playing Russian Roulette: Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you get the shaft. You never know how you take to a restaurant unless you try. Each Celiac sufferer is different. We all react differently to different restaurants. Some people are okay at Olive Garden and Chili's. Others, such as myself, aren't.

If you are recently diagnosed to Celiac disease, and you aren't sure which restaurants have gluten free options, you can search each state here
If you live outside the United States, you can use the World Map

Even though I've had bad experiences, I have had some fairly wonderful ones too. Outback Steakhouse has been absolutely amazing in handling my requests. So has Red Robin, Mario's Pizza in Connecticut, Nardelli's in Connecticut, Margaritaville and Cheeseburger In Paradise in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I may have forgotten one or two. Cheeseburger in Paradise was my favorite find. The manager of the restaurant had come out and talked to me and made sure I was taken care of.

Fellow Celiacs, some restaurants DO care about us. Not all of them are going to "roll their eyes" at us. Stay encouraged, everyone!

Can a gluten free diet lower your risk of Diabetes?

There are a lot of benefits to being gluten free. Whether you're gluten free because of Celiac Disease, wheat allergy, gluten allergy, your physician prescribed it for you, or you're making a lifestyle change, you'd be pleased to know that a gluten free diet may actually help lower the risk of Diabetes, especially in women.
Researchers in Denmark theorize that women who are pregnant and are on a gluten free diet can lower the risk of Diabetes in their babies.
More about this study can be found here.
When it comes to a gluten free diet, make sure you're eating the right foods. Gluten free baked goods tend to have a lot of processed carbs, butter, and ingredients that no human being can pronounce. While these baked goods are okay to have once in a while, I recommend sticking to naturally gluten free foods: meat (if you eat meat), fruits, vegetables, and dairy (if you aren't allergic).
By staying away from the processed baked goods, you're helping to keep the risk of developing diabetes very low. Plus you are doing something very good for your body. You're feeding it nutrients to keep it strong and healthy. You and I both know, us Celiacs need all the nutrients our bodies can absorb!

[photo credit: diniwilliyanti.com]

Could "Nanojuice" help diagnose Celiac Disease?

Researchers at the University of Buffalo have developed an imaging technique that could help with diagnosing Celiac Disease in patients.
This imaging technique, called "Nanojuice," could allow doctors to see the muscles contract as food moves through the small intestine. Observing this process in "real time" could really assist doctors in accurately diagnosing patients with gastrointestinal disorders.

What makes this imaging technique function is ingestion of liquid that contains suspended nanoparticles. The nanoparticle base has a "family of dyes" called napthalcyanines. These molecules are great at absorbing light, which makes them an ideal contrast agent. However, it doesn't make them suitable for the human body. Reason being, with having the dye as the base, particles could become absorbed in the intestines and then venture out into the blood stream.
In order to remedy this problem, researchers decided to INJECT the dye into the nanoparticles. This change actually helped for successful disbursement.

Researchers did experiment with the Nanojuice using mice. They injected the Nanojuice, orally, then used ultrasound imaging to help visualize (via the nanoparticles) what was happening in the intestine.

Researchers are currently working on taking this breakthrough to the next step, with human trials.
They also want to use the Nanojuice to test other regions of the gastrointestinal tract.

My Two Cents:
With the surge of people being diagnosed with Celiac disease, I think it's amazing that they are coming out with new methods to diagnose people with. I also suffer from other GI diseases, and I am "inconclusive" for Crohn's Disease. If we could get more accurate testing methods, can you imagine how many more lives could be spared from years of sickness and pain? It just blows my mind.

[photo credit: www.digitaljournal.com , www.1ohww.org ]

Demi Lovato went rogue on her gluten free diet to eat pizza with the president.

Former Disney darling Demi Lovato went rogue on her gluten free/dairy free diet in order to enjoy pizza at a friend's house in Texas, where the guest of honor happened to be none other than President Barack Obama. Demi Lovato suffers from a gluten allergy and a dairy allergy, and ever since she learned of her allergies, she has been 100% dedicated to sticking to her gluten free and dairy free diet.
However, when she found out that her friend, Robert Rodriguez was making pizza for his guests, she didn't want to offend him by not eating the pizza, so she decided to join in on the festivities.
Lovato told Extra that she eats a lot of raw food, but sometimes when she goes "all in" to a diet regimen, she gets bored.
She eats GF and dairy free because she has to. She eats raw and vegan because it makes her feel better.
When asked why she broke her gluten free and dairy free diet on pizza night, Lovato explained, "But you kind of can’t turn down pizza that Robert Rodriguez handmade - and that you are also eating with the President."

My Two Cents:
I've seen this happen a lot to people who have gluten allergies, or any kind of food allergy. Heck, I've been tempted to eat food I'm not supposed to, even though I have Celiac Disease. But, I don't do it. I think about the several months I spent deathly ill before my diagnosis and then my desire to eat that pasta, or sneak a piece of my boyfriend's wheat bread just goes away. The consequences just aren't worth it. I'm too much of a busy body to deal with the aftermath of a stupid mistake. 

Of course, Demi Lovato's consequences of eating pizza are far less severe than a Celiac consequences from eating pizza, but, I know she probably didn't feel good after eating it. 
People with gluten allergies cannot be veering off course and giving into temptation. It's not worth feeling sick afterward.

This is also a lesson to those of you with Celiac Disease. You cannot cheat. Don't let your friends and family tempt you. Gluten can literally destroy your insides, and it has been known to kill people. 

Don't give in to temptation, no matter what food is in front of you. This goes for those of you with gluten allergies too! 

[photo credit: www.newsrender.com]

"I'm sure these cookies aren't gluten free.." Weird Al's "First World Problems."

 Weird Al Yankovic has been making these spoof music videos for a couple of decades now, and he has quite a following.
In his latest video, he tackled "First World Problems." In the video, he gives a shout out to the gluten free population. He is in the airport scarfing down a cookie, when he realizes that the cookie may not be gluten free. He has crumbs coming out of his mouth. #firstworldproblems <--joke!

You may be wondering why I am posting this video on a Celiac/Gluten Free blog. Well, I have a few reasons.
-One, it's a pretty funny video.
-Two, it does bring up an interesting subject: staying gluten free at an airport. Of course the obvious option is bring your own snacks with you. That's pretty much what I would do. I do know that more airports are offering gluten free options and I know some airlines even have gluten free options for their on-board meals. Of course you need to use your best judgment when out and about.

Okay, enough of the shop talk. Grab some gluten free cookies and enjoy the music video:

Food Review: Bamboo Lane's Crunchy Rice Rollers

Ladies and gents, I have another awesome food find for you!

This is an item that I learned about last year, but was able to sink my teeth into just recently. It is Bamboo Lane's Crunchy Rice Rollers. It is sort of like a rice crispy treat, except for the marshmallows, butter, and nasty chemicals.
There are only four ingredients in this gem of a treat:
-White rice
-Natural cane juice
-Rice syrup
-Agar

One roller is 45 calories. For those of you counting carbs, there are 10 grams of carbs in a roller. This treat only has 5mg in sodium.

Yes, this item is Gluten Free, and it is also Vegan.

I bought this item in bulk at Costco to help me curb my ice cream addiction. For a while, I was having a serving of ice cream for dessert after dinner. I decided that I wanted to stop doing that. I picked up these rollers and decided to have one of these after dinner as a dessert. They are sweet enough for my sweet tooth.

If you shop at Costco, definitely keep an eye out for this amazing product. You can also find this item at your local grocery store and online.

To purchase this yummy treat, click the photo above. 

Backlash continues to slam the gluten free community. How can we fix it?

 The gluten free diet continues to be the most talked about diet in the country. With so many people looking to make healthy life changes, people feel that the gluten free diet is the answer to their prayers.
Go into any store and there are entire sections chock full of gluten free food items. Most chain restaurants have gluten free menus, and even some localized restaurants are offering gluten free options. With gluten free being everywhere, many people (those who aren't gluten free) are now on gluten free overload.

People who are not gluten free tend to roll their eyes or groan whenever someone even mentions the term gluten free. These folks have even become vocal and made comments about the gluten free diet being "trendy" and "ridiculous."
Those of us with Celiac Disease end up getting caught in the war between the non-GFs and those using the GF diet to lose weight (the trendies).

A lot of people in the Celiac community do take the ridicule personally, and end up lashing out at those who make the comments. I actually don't take it personally, because I know the ridicule isn't directed toward those of us who have Celiac disease. It is directed toward those who are being trendy.
The ridicule is a result of advertisement overdrive. People have had enough.

Now, how can we fix it?
-Well, we shouldn't be lashing out against people who ridicule us. We should look into why people feel this way. When I was in college, I majored in psychology. I loved picking people's brain. I love the way the mind works. I know that when people are on sensory overload, they will erupt and go crazy. If we react to it, we add fuel to the fire.
The fight ends up looking something like this:

-We can educate our communities about Celiac disease, gluten intolerance, and the gluten free diet. A few years ago, I went out to a bar with a friend of mine, and I asked the bartender if he had any Redbridge beer. He had no idea what that was. I told him it was gluten free beer, and I explained to him that I have Celiac disease. We had a 2 minute discussion about it, and he said that he was going to put some on order. Whether he ordered some or not doesn't matter. What matters is, he took the time to listen. Also, those of us in the Connecticut area have probably seen the commercial for Quest Diagnostics, asking people to get tested for Celiac disease if they have the symptoms.
-Family gatherings are one area that I've started to get the hang of. Every once and a while, I make a GF dish to bring to my boyfriend's grandmother's house for Sunday dinner. They are an Italian family with very strong palates. If I can win them over, I can win ANYONE over. I've definitely won them over. Make some GF food for your family/community gatherings or potluck.

Most of all, we need to be a strong, thick-skinned community. The world is not against us. However, we should always try to be strong and also calm (especially for the sake of our immune system).
The backlash doesn't seem like it will let up, so long as there are people buying into the "fad." During this time, we need to continue living our lives.
The only good part of the GF popularity is all the good GF food it's brought us. 

Readers, what else can we do to help fix the problem? Comment below.

Food Review: Skinny Pop Popcorn

What better way to kick off Celiac Warrior Gal's triumphant return than with a food review of everyone's favorite snack food: Popcorn! We buy it at the movie theater, pile it into our mouths before the movie starts (I know I'm not the only one who does this), and we pick the kernels out of our teeth on the way home from the theater (don't lie, you do it too).
Well, if you want to save yourself the money, the calories, and the guilt, you can try out Skinny Pop popcorn. Only 39 calories per cup, this popcorn is chock full of flavor. One serving is 3 and 3/4 cups (only 150 lovely calories). For all of you counting your carbs, there are only 15 grams of carbs in a serving. Those of you keeping track of your sodium intake, it is only 75mg of sodium per serving.

Here's the best part:
-Dairy Free
-Peanut Free
-Tree Nut Free
-GLUTEN Free (yes, it is certified GF)

*For those of you worried about GMOs, this item is Non-GMO verified*

As for ingredients: All natural popcorn, Sunflower oil, and salt. Yes, ingredients you can actually pronounce! *gasp!* The company guarantees that there is "No Artificial ANYTHING in this popcorn.
For those of you wondering where this item comes from, it comes from Chicago, Illinois. Yep, this item is 100% all-American!

So, if you're looking for something to snack on while you're marathoning your favorite Netflix original programming (if you're marathoning "Orange is the New Black," you are my new best friend), you might want to consider purchasing Skinny Pop popcorn. It's all-natural,  GLUTEN free, and yummy.
This item can be found anywhere and everywhere. I'm actually snacking on some right now. I'd share some, but, I haven't mastered passing items through the computer screen yet.

To purchase this amazingly delicious snack, click on the above picture.

Psst...She's baack!

 Hey everyone! So, I know I was supposed to shut down the blog last year after everything that went down in the Celiac universe, but, I decided that would be a travesty. I been looking at my views from the time I stopped writing up to today, and I've been getting a couple hundred views, so people are still interested in hearing from lil ole me. Those of you who have been coming to check up on me, I think that's pretty cool of you. It's because of you guys that I am revamping this blog!

So, I'm going to come back, and talk about all things Celiac related.

Here's what I will be sharing here on Celiac Warrior Gal:
-The latest in Celiac news.
-Some of my favorite recipes.
-Reviews of food items that I've tried.
-I will also be sharing what I've gone through, and things that I will be working on.
-I will probably talk a lot about my grandmother, since she was the reason I grew up knowing about Celiac disease in the first place. Plus she's the one that passed the gene to me.

Also, if anyone needs any advice, I'm here to help.

I do have a few rules. Before I get to the rules, I just want to say that I know this disease sucks. However, with everything that we have, we don't really have anything to complain about food-wise. Yes, getting 'glutened' stinks. The diarrhea is awful. The stomach pain is awful. The rage we get makes us want to go Linda Blair from The Exorcist on everyone around us. But, we have so much food at our disposal than we did 20, 30+ years ago.
With that in mind, I won't tolerate complaining, in terms of food. If you want to talk about restaurants, we can talk about the ones that we haven't had the best of luck at. I will be discussing the ones I've gotten the shaft at.
I won't tolerate bullying. It was because of bullying that I had to 86 this blog in the first place. I don't want to do that again. Bullying myself, or anyone that comments will not be tolerated.
If you are following me on Google+ (and I hope you are), you will see several different blog shares on there, I write for a ton of different blogs. Of course, you are MORE THAN WELCOME to read those posts. However, if you are offended by any of the titles you see, don't read it. Simple, right?

Anyways, I hope you like the new (and improved) Celiac Warrior Gal blog. I won't be involving myself with any of the more popular bloggers because that got me in trouble last year (the whole bullying thing). I'm pretty much doing my own thing in order to avoid all the drama. Anywho, I hope you like what you see, and I look forward to hearing from you all soon!

Yours truly,
Celiac Warrior Gal!