ShaneKSmith's Blog

Marty threw a party at Rosewood Farm for her friends that have a Gluten Intolerance. It’s nice not to have to worry about what to eat, but when you have a problem with Gluten each meal is specially planned. Eating out is almost impossible without calling the restaurant ahead of time. Even eating food at home can be very expensive. One of the people at the party became very excited when they found out that they could have a Ball Park Hot Dog! This person explained they hadn’t had a Hot Dog in years!

Although it seemed to be 100 degrees in the shade, those that attended had a great time. Marty was disappointed however, that a special kid didn’t show up. This kid told Marty that they would like to go to a picnic just like “Regular People”. Personally, I had a great time. I couldn’t tell the difference in the Burgers Hot Dogs and other snacks served. Pony rides were available and Bert the Horse was The Star. A couple of the regulars were seen jumping their Horses. I hope she does it again when the weather cools. 

From Marty:

Celiac disease occurs when a person does not have the enzymes to digest wheat, rye or barley proteins. These proteins literally pack the villi of the small intestine down so the person does not absorb any nutrients. So, a person suffering from this will have many various GI symptoms and vitamin deficiencies until diagnosed. Many Celiac's are misdiagnosed with many other syndromes that explain the symptoms (IBS, migraine, allergies, anemia, B12 deficiency, stress, etc.), but don't fix the problem. Many Celiacs are finally diagnosed when they have so much damage to their system that they have to undergo surgery for GI repair. There is no pill to fix this condition; you must just give up gluten for life.

The problem with a person not being able to eat gluten is that it is in EVERYTHING. Most of the additives and preservatives on the market are gluten based. So, you have to be able to read labels and identify all the ingredients in order to not be exposed. If exposed, the symptoms will come back and actually damage you GI system again.

Our cookout today was for a get together, but was mainly for the kids. Children with Celiac are set apart from their peers. They can eat in school cafeterias, they can go out for pizza after a ball game, and it is difficult. So, we planned an event for the kids to have fun and eat GF too! They had a ball so it was well worth it.

Our group is very helpful for celiac because we get together and have gluten free dinners and try to help other newly diagnosed learn to read labels and figure out what is safe to eat. There is a lot of bad information out there on the internet so it is confusing. I can't remember our initials (NCPTGIG I think), but we are affiliated with the national GIG group. Our consumer guide is VERY helpful to celiacs.  I just convinced to start a website, so that will be coming soon!

More Photos by Shane K Smith here:

http://tinyurl.com/5xjhxj