Road Trip

Today was day 1 of our Alberta bound road trip and it's been perfect.   My husband strategically packed our luggage into the van around the cooler, GF food tote, and his golf clubs, we threw a bunch of blankets and fluffy pillows on top, and headed east towards the Rockie Mountains.  Our first stop was with our family (4 cousins, 1 aunt, 1 uncle, and 2 grandparents) to a Rod and Gun Club, where it was an open house for kids.  After shooting a rifle each, we said our goodbyes (no pistols this time, kids...the road was calling!) to our family and headed to the grocery store.  There we stocked up on non-GF foods and snacks (I'd already stocked my food) and then drove off.  British Columbia is truly beautiful and I'm soaking in all the scenery and smells that I can.  Later, I will close my eyes and think on this beauty when I'm missing home back in Indonesia.

I was a little concerned about eating on the road, but rather than being hungry, I think the biggest problem I'll have is how to STOP eating.  I have an abundance of favourite snacks like ju jubes, Glutino lemon cookies, fruit, chocolate, salt & vinegar chips, Hawkins Cheezies, water and juice.  Of course, these snacks will be stretched out over the road trip (at least the first 3 days!) and then I'll have to find other goodies on the trip home.  Not sure where I'll look because I have found that the stores I had expected would provide a good variety of GF foods do not, but I must say, I was very impressed with London Drugs' selection.  I'd highly recommend a visit to this store if you're looking for GF crackers/cookies/snacks at a decent price.

I'm not sure what we'll do for breakfast tomorrow, but the Mexican place we went to dinner at here in Salmon Arm, BC was very accommodating to my Celiac needs.  After explaining my needs, we came to the conclusion that really, all I could eat was the shrimp salad with no dressing, but it was delicious and I walked away feeling like I ate a nutritious, filling meal.  Maybe tomorrow I'll be eating my Natures Path maple cereal with rice milk while my family eats a hearty greasy-spoon breakfast, but I don't mind.  I've got my other snacks to get me through the Rockies:)

Two Weeks into Canada

It's been almost 2 weeks and although time is flying by, we're really enjoying our trip home to Canada.   Like I said in the previous post, gluten-free/dairy-free food is in abundance here and I've taken full advantage.  The first thing my husband said to me this morning was "hello my Butterball," which is a really good sign that the 3-4 lbs I've gained are starting to show.  I'm curious what name he'll choose at the end of our 6 weeks when my foodfest is over and we head back to Indonesia.

In the beginning, I think I might have overdone it.  The day before we headed to Vancouver Island to my parents' house, and the eve of my 41st birthday, I got the sickest I've been since my diagnosis in January.  I don't know which upset me more, the way my body was acting or the fact that I might have to postpone our trip for a day or so.  Thankfully, the next morning I was feeling about 75% better and well enough for a ferry ride and lonely highway drive to my parents.  I'm not sure whether it was gluten, dairy, a combination (although I was being so careful!), or whether it was just traveling and the bugs we often confront just taking its toll on my travel weary body.  Regardless, it passed quickly and I've been feeling great (although a little sleepy) since.

Here's the dilemma of being Celiac:  when ill and tired, do you blame the disease or circumstance, ie/ travel, bad food, bad air, jet lag?  I wonder if I'll ever figure that one out.  It's becoming apparent that whatever life throws at me, I have to take it each day and tackle the issue at hand, using wisdom and intellect and lots of prayer to get me through.  Sometimes before I go to buy something I ask God, "is this ok?"  and I go with what I think He's telling me.  I figure if I can't count on Him to help me sort this out, who can I count on?

My wheatless hot cereal is just finishing boiling on the stove, and it's time to go and eat breakfast.  We're actually taking out our 3 nieces and 1 nephew to breakfast, and I need to fill up before we go to the restaurant just in case all I can find to eat is a cup of tea and a fruit platter.

Thanks for reading.

Gluten-Free Heaven...so it seems

There is definitely something to be said about being gluten-free in Canada, and I'd use one word:  easier.  We've been home for 3 days and I've enjoyed all kinds of pre-made foods like cookies, crackers, pepperoni, hot cereal and tons of fresh fruit and veggies.  I even enjoyed store-bought, gluten-free bread.  Heaven!  It wasn't exactly fluffy white bread, but with some  non-dairy margarine melted on it, coated with cinnamon and brown sugar, it was such a treat that it was the first thing I thought of this morning as my eyes popped open to the early morning Canadian sun.  I must admit, I was a bit overwhelmed with all the choices in one of the local grocery stores in my in-laws hometown (city).  So overwhelmed, in fact, with my 3 shopping companions excitedly showing me all the gluten-free products that they were finding, that I had to ask for a few moments just to peruse the aisles alone.  Very graciously all 3 left me alone for a bit, and then my mother in law came to shop alongside me and I used her natural-foods knowledge to help me shop more nutritiously.  It was such a success that I've spent the last 3 days eating fun foods rather than the usual basics that I tend to fill my belly with.  Of course I'm still eating nutritious foods, but the gaps are filled with treats.  My weight goal:  to gain about 3 kilos while I'm here.  So far this hasn't seemed like an option but I believe that as the toxins of traveling evaporate from my body in those ways that toxins tend to travel, the tables will turn and weight will increase.  That's the hope, anyways.

At first when I arrived home I thought that the gluten-free meals I had eaten on the flights were the culprits for my stomach upset, but watching the rest of my gluten-eating family go through the same symptoms as me, I think that it's just the way of traveling.  I was actually quite impressed with China Airlines' meal plans for gluten-intolerance.  They were quite bland but they had lots of meat and veggies, and filled in all the gaps with fresh fruit.  I think I'd rather go bland than wonder what's in the sauce smothering the chicken breast.  I have to admit that I didn't eat the cake that they served me...nor did I touch the apple juice cup that was only written in Chinese.  My level of trust just doesn't go beyond the unknown (rice flour or wheat?  What DO those characters say about the stabilizer in the juice?).  Other than that, it was all good.

Before I sign off, I've been made aware through a fellow blogger in Singapore of a link to gluten-free travel cards for Celiacs at this link.  This is a great idea, as even though I'm learning Indonesian, there's ALWAYS some kind of miscommunication between myself and the server in whatever restaurant I choose to eat at in Indonesia.

The countdown is on...heading home to Canada in a bit.  Less than a week and we'll be wearing long sleeves and jeans, at least for the first few weeks, although we're hoping the rumours of "colder than usual" weather are going to change to "unbelievably beautiful, sunny"weather.  Aside from our trip home from Germany, the day after finding out I need to avoid gluten, this will be my first long trip as a Celiac.  I've already contacted the airlines and they do have a 'gluten intolerant' food option, although nothing remotely close to a dairy-free one.  I figure I'll pack a few things to eat on the side and hope for the best from the menu.  I read online about so many unfortunate meals being served to Celiacs, like breaded meat or pasta being served, with careful attention to there not being any rolls or cakes served with the meal.

I still haven't gotten used to ALWAYS asking what is in something, and I try to avoid it in social settings as much as possible.  Instead of asking my girlfriends "what did you put in this?" I just choose not to eat it...except when it looks way too delicious and there is a chance I can eat it.  I know it'll be awkward on the plane when they serve things like drinks..."may I look at the orange juice box to read the ingredients....?" so I'll probably just stick with water.  I figure some people fast for 24 hours on purpose, and if that's what ends up happening (except I'll have my boiled eggs and gluten-free fruit bars), I'll definitely survive.

It's exciting knowing that I'm not only going home to family and friends, I'm also heading to a place where I can eat and sample and try new things.  We'll be buying totes to bring home and you can be sure that they'll be stuffed with GF goodies.