For a while I just assumed I could continue to cook "normally" for anyone else I ate with and then scrounge up whatever tasteless morsel actually had the stamp of GFLF. How miserable. I've given that up and, in the interest of finally coming to terms with reality, will be clearing out my flour-laden products cupboards. No more licking the batter from my fingertips. No more temptation. No more cheating.
Going lactose free -- as I've found over the past two years -- isn't all that difficult. You can also take pills when you occasionally sneak a bite of dairy. And you're [relatively] fine. Eliminating gluten isn't all that simple. Not only is there complete unawareness on the part of those around me (including doctors!) save Celiacs and Intolerants themselves, but gluten is in everything. Throw out the cereal, the pasta, the bread, the bagels, the cookies, and everything explicitly flour based...and then throw out everything else that "may have been processed with wheat."
This is an opportunity. Without exception, every type of pre-packaged gluten substitute has been terrible. The rice flour bread crumbles and falls apart as though it's been sitting out waiting to become a crouton. The corn pasta has no flavor and the texture is off. The cereal is boring (how many times can you eat Rice Chex or "Glutinos" wannabe Cheerios?). [This all excludes actual alternatives, such as the rice noodles popular in so many Asian cultures.] I think food should look and taste great. What I'm saying is that somebody has got to get this right. This is an opportunity to do better on my (our) own and feel better.
I also have friends (like Dr. Bodybuilder) that have gone GF for other reasons ("It's how our ancestors ate") and found the results to be miraculous (increase in ability to focus, weight loss, clear skin, better sleep...). So this isn't restricted to proclaimed Glutinos. It's for everyone.
But first, some vocabulary:
Gluten
A protein composite that's found in foods processed from wheat (and related species such as barley and rye). Many (I'd bargain to say most) processed foods are processed with ingredients that include gluten or have exposure to gluten because of their processing facilities; this I'll call trace gluten. Gluten intolerance can result in serious, long-term health problems (digestive and non-digestive) as a result of malabsorption if not addressed. The cure: a strict, gluten-free diet for life.
Lactose
A disaccharide sugar present in milk. As a general rule, the more liquid a dairy product is, the more lactose it contains; this creates a spectrum from cheese to milk, with yoghurt and butter somewhere in between. Lactose intolerance results from the deficiency of the enzyme lactase, which aids in the digestion of lactose. The cure: avoiding lactose or taking supplements such as Lactaid.
Explicit gluten
Bagels. Bread. Cereal. Pasta. The obvious culprits. Personally, I do well when I eliminate explicit gluten. I'm generally OK with trace, so if you're Celiac, know that my ingredients may contain trace gluten.
Explicit lactose
Imagine milk, butter, yoghurt, or cheese and you've got explicit lactose. That of course means non-explicit lactose is baked or cooked into other foods, changing its molecular structure and [in general] the effects it has on your body. Generally, explicit lactose is the only type of lactose that causes problems for Intolerants. Note bene: Casein allergies, which are also directly related to milk and dairy products, are significantly different. And second, a lesson in [forcing your body to start] listening to your gut:
I'll be back at work (here) soon.
