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Gluten-free diet is tasty
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FarkAs a child, Susan Guetter remembers people talking about how much they loved to eat. She couldn’t understand it, since for her, eating usually meant pain.
The Rapid City woman lived 43 years with this reluctant relationship with food before finally being diagnosed with celiac disease four years ago. At the time, she carried only 90 pounds on her 5-foot 2 1/2-inch frame. “I ate as much as I had to … but only as much as I had to,” she said. “If I didn’t eat anything, I’d feel great.”
Celiac disease is a genetic disorder that renders people unable to consume gluten, the protein found in wheat and other grains. Gluten destroys parts of the small intestine in celiac sufferers. The disorder affects an estimated 3 million people.
The symptoms of celiac disease can include stomach pain, nausea and diarrhea. However, there are no “typical” symptoms for celiac because the symptoms vary with each person.
After a lifetime of suffering, Guetter found the news that she had a name for her problem somewhat of a relief. When an Arizona doctor recognized the symptoms in 2003, she immediately adopted a gluten-free diet, even before test results were returned.
Once the diagnosis was made, the trick was learning how to avoid gluten, says Guetter.
“You’d be amazed where you’ll find gluten,” she said. “Start looking for it.”
She started by going to the website www.celiac.com. She printed the list of gluten-free foods and headed to the grocery store. Initially, she had to do much of her shopping in natural food stores, but over the years, she found that more stores and more products cater to celiac sufferers.
Within three weeks of adopting a gluten-free diet, Guetter noticed the difference.
“I started to feel like my brain was back,” she said. “Eating and not having it hurt was a wonderful combination.”
Guetter’s husband John, who does most of the cooking nowadays, was thrilled with the result of the gluten-free diet. “She could eat again. Before, it was maybe we’ll eat today and maybe we won’t.”
Today, both Guetters follow a strict gluten-free lifestyle, even feeding their two dogs gluten-free dog food. The couple has found a few local restaurants that provide gluten-free meals, including Enigma, Pirate’s Table and Outback Steakhouse.
When eating such things as spaghetti, the Guetters replace regular pasta with alternative pastas, such as corn or potato noodles. They use fresh fruits and vegetables as much as possible, many from their own garden.
For meals that require grains, the couple has concocted a combination of flours that works for them. It includes sorghum, tapioca starch, gluten-free oat and amaranth.
Although to most people, a gluten-free diet might seem like a huge sacrifice, Guetter sees it quite differently. “I can have a lot of stuff now, it seems like to me,” says Guetter, who recalls a time when she could eat little more than baked potatoes.
Guetter says her husband’s apple pie tastes as good as any pie she’s eaten and his spaghetti dinner ranks right up there with a gluten pasta dinner.
Although John doesn’t have celiac, he also follows the gluten-free diet. He swears he doesn’t feel deprived.
He recalls a visit from his nieces. He fed them a gluten-free soup. When they went home, they informed their mother that they wanted Uncle John’s kind of soup. It doesn’t really surprise him.
“Because it’s good food,” he said. “And overall, I feel better.”
Celiac support group
Celiac sufferers now have a place to go to talk about ways to deal with their disease. Susan Guetter has organized the new Black Hills Celiac Group. It will meet for the first time at 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10, in the Rushmore Room at Rapid City Regional Hospital. The following meetings will be held the second Saturday of each month.
For more information about the meetings, contact Guetter at 341-0336 or e-mail at sue57709@yahoo.com. A free e-mail support group also has been established at BlackHillsCeliacs@yahoogroups.com
For more information about celiac disease, go to www.celiac.com.
Contact Lynn Taylor Rick at lynn.taylorrick@rapidcityjournal.com or 394-8414.
Susan Guetter helps her husband, John Guetter, in the kitchen. Since Susan was diagnosed with celiac disease, John does most of the cooking. The Guetters have adopted an entirely gluten-free lifestyle. (April Lutheran-Hill/Journal staff)
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