April Peveteaux - The Gluten-Free Cheat Sheet: Go G-Free in 30 Days or Less

If you are here because someone has told you, or youve discovered on your own, that gluten should be banished from your diet, you may be wondering how to start this new life without wheat, barley, rye, and triticale. (Youre also wondering what the heck triticale is, right?) Youre probably looking for some guidance, someone to scream with (or at), and a killer recipe for gluten-free cake. My gluten-intolerant friend, you have come to the right place. In 2010, I began having incredibly unpleasant gastrointestinal distress. I think you get where Im going with that. I had unexplained eczema that did not go away with traditional treatment, had joint pain that was fit for a ninety-year-old, and lost a dramatic amount of weight.

It started slowly, then amped up by the end of the year, during the month I tried to be a vegetarian. Yes, I did consume a ton of pasta, and yes, that helped to really kick things into gear. After being violently ill for three months straight, I was diagnosed with celiac disease in January 2011, thanks to a super-sharp gastroenterologist who sent me for an endoscopy (the gold standard for celiac diagnosis). The diagnosis was quickly and positively confirmed, and I was in for an extreme lifestyle change, or risk even more illness. Naturally, I jumped in with both feet, because no pastry is worth ruining your life. Having never heard of gluten, celiac, or cross-contamination, I was in for a huge learning curve as I navigated this new, and unpleasant, state of being.

As a writer and an editor, I headed right to the bookstore and online to learn as much as I possibly could about what I was being forced into. The news was not great. At the same time, I was struck by the ridiculousness of having a disease that is activated by a sandwich. I was pretty sure I wasnt alone out there in wondering what the heck was up with gluten, and so I started my blog, Gluten Is My Bitch. After experimenting with gluten-free flours, throwing myself on the mercy of waiters and chefs all over the country, and complaining endlessly about the lack of donuts in my life, I found my groove and my audience. It turns out that a lot of you out there are just as irritated about this forced diet and are also wondering where all the good gluten-free donuts are actually hiding.

I decided to dig in even more by writing my first book, Gluten Is My Bitch: Rants, Recipes, and Ridiculousness for the Gluten-Free, and voil! Here I am today to continue educating about gluten-free living and providing you with delicious recipes to make you happy no matter how sad you are about pizza. Ive been there (actually, Im still there and will continue to be there for the rest of my life), and Im here to tell you that you will get through this time of soft pretzel deprivation and come out on the other side feeling healthier, happier (that is, until you find yourself walking by a pizzeria), and more well adjusted, digestion-wise. Will there be rough times? Oh yes, there will be. (See smells of pizzeria, two sentences ago.) Will there be times when you take the word quinoa in vain? You bet. But there will also be many delicious meals, fun travels, and new food discoveries as you change your diet, which was probably overloaded with donuts anyway. Or perhaps thats just me.

If youre exploring the idea of a gluten-free diet, or are being forced into going on a gluten-free diet, there are tricks and tips that will make this journey a heck of a lot easier. One might even say there are cheats. Hence, the title of this book. After living with, writing about, and complaining to friends and loved ones about the gluten-free diet, Ive got some pretty great solutions to those moments of You mean I cant eat that either? And Im committed to empowering the gluten-free; which is why I cant wait to teach everyone how to eat, live, and survive this dramatic lifestyle and/or medical change. Its easy! Okay, its totally not easy, but with my tips, recipes, coaching, and regular rounds of cursing and punching the couch pillows, WE CAN DO IT. Wait, why do we want to do it? Thats an excellent question.

You may have just received a celiac disease diagnosis or another autoimmune disease diagnosis that requires a gluten-free diet. Or you may have just realized that every time you eat at the Olive Garden, you find the unlimited breadsticks to be more of a problem than a bonus. Some of you just feel better when you go gluten-free even without a diagnosis of celiac disease, intolerance, sensitivity, or any medical reasonand youre welcome here, too. Now, for those of you who were given this book by a concerned relative, or a friend who swears going gluten-free changed her life, or (more embarrassingly) a roommate/coworker/spouse who thinks you need to change your diet for, umm, odiferous reasons, Im going to help you understand the weird world of the gluten-free diet as well. Maybe youll join us, or maybe youll ignore us and go back to your brioche-eating ways. Either way, read on! Youll certainly have more of a handle on dining out in mixed company and perhaps some sympathy for those of us who have no choice in the matter of diet.