Tapioca Pudding and Being Gluten-Free

Every now and then, I am reminded of one very important thing: every single person who is gluten-free has had different experiences. We eat different things when we’re sick. We found out about our disease(s) in different ways, with different time spans and different amounts of doctors. We adapted to this diet in different ways, maybe by eating more natural foods or by racing to the nearest gluten-free product on the shelf. After all of those hours in waiting rooms, with sore stomachs or endless amounts of other symptoms, it all comes down to this: We are gluten-free because we need to be, because our bodies are happier this way.

I haven’t been glutened since January (thank goodness!), but I’ve become increasingly aware of the insanity that ensues in our bodies. I am incredibly lucky to know. And so are you (if you don’t, you could ask for it on your next blood test. Couldn’t hurt {I’m not a doctor though}). Yes, I realize this post is a few days late – May was Celiac Awareness Month, but the truth is that we don’t just have celiac in May. Gluten is a no-go for me and countless others, whether they have celiac or not, all year long. All day, every day. But don’t look at me with sadness or guilt. This is a fantastic thing. As I’ve said before: I know what is wrong, and I can fix it. Without any (additional) medication. That is not only a beautiful thing, but fairly miraculous, if you ask me.

So although I wasn’t sick, this was one of my favourite foods for when some gluten attacked my intestines. Except then, it wasn’t homemade. Now, it is. It’s the same recipe I used for the strawberry rhubarb tapioca pudding cake, just completing the tapioca part :).

Rather than type it out here, I’ll just direct you to Elise’s site. She has a fantastic resource of recipes, some of which are gluten-free (they have their own category even!), so you can definitely spend lots of time there, and find many fantastic things. The only (minor) change I made was to soak it for a very long time. It was only sort of because I forgot about it soaking in the fridge. So, I soaked the pearls in the 3 cups of milk for about a day and a half, but make it however you wish :). Oh, and I put little bits into these cute little bowls and covered them with plastic wrap and kept them in the fridge for a few days, having them as after-school snacks. Easy as pie.  But, well, pudding.

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This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.

It’s leveled off.  Chilled for a few hours.

The thing about going gluten-free is that before, you can look okay.  Like a normal person.  But the truth is that you’re fighting a daily battle – against yourself.  Cutting gluten out of that mix let my intestines take a rest.  It let me enjoy my food even more.  Trust me, when your tummy aches on a daily basis, the only thing that’s going into your body is comfort foods.  Or at least I did my best to have as much of those as I could.  They help your head when your body isn’t into the game.  When you don’t know what’s wrong, having at least half of the food equation happy is a good thing.  At least it was for me.

Take a bite.  A safe bite.

After diagnosis, diligence is key.  The possibility that there could be a wayward protein – Yes, just one – is not worth the risk.  Simple foods, such as this tapioca pudding are heaven.  They’re made from simple things.  Milk, Eggs, Tapioca, etc.  Foods that aren’t foreign.  Oh, the foreign ones will most definitely come, but they aren’t the only safe gluten-free foods out there.  There are so many more.  You just have to keep an eye out.

Eat as much – or as little – as you need.  I gobbled it up.

When food is both your cure and your enemy, it can be confusing.  But the truth is that it is here.  It is beautiful.  Once you’re sure it’s safe, gluten-free foods easily make their way into your mouth.  You don’t have to force it though.  In the beginning, I would try anything that was gluten-free, sometimes just because it was.  You can have delicious foods too.  Simple ones, extravagant ones.  Some with a handful of flours and time put into them, others straight out of the ground, washed and eaten right there.  Don’t be afraid.  Your tastes might change, mine did.  I also got better and better about understanding flours and how they interact.  Now I can recreate things just as I remember.  Sometimes even better.

So with all of that, I just want to say that gluten is a crazy thing, but we’re all on this beautiful journey together.  Our bodies demanded that we take note and having done so we were afforded the opportunity to rediscover food as a whole.  Don’t be afraid of it.  From simple tapioca pudding to complicated croissants, gluten-free becomes just like any other cuisine.  Except it has one advantage over all the rest – it gets to incorporate them all and morph them into a delicious mosaic of meals and treats which (almost) anyone can enjoy.

Lots of Love,
Lauren

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PS – I’m obviously not a doctor, so I’m not claiming to give any sort of medical advice :).