Gluten-Free Burnout: Making it all better

By Debbie Bernhardt R.N.

Navigating a lifelong commitment to a strict diet can be an enduring challenge. It's a journey that doesn't come with a resignation option; it's a constant companion in your life. The way you approach and tackle this challenge can profoundly influence your health and overall well-being. Life may not alway

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gluten Free
• Release date: Jan 22, 2024
• ISBN: 9798869131638

Book preview

Gluten-Free

Burnout

Making it ALL Better

Debbie Bernhardt, R.N.

Disclaimer:

The content presented in this book, GF Burnout: How to Get Through the Next Few Days & Re-Start Your Success, is intended solely for informational reasons and does not constitute professional medical or psychological advice.

Readers are advised to consult with qualified healthcare professionals or relevant experts for specific guidance tailored to their individual circumstances. Any actions taken based on the information provided in this book are done at the reader's own discretion and risk.

All rights to the content, including text and exercises, are reserved by the author. Reproduction or distribution, in whole or in part, of this material without explicit written permission from the author is strictly prohibited.

Copyright © [YEAR] [Author Name]

ISBN-13: [ISBN]

For any inquiries regarding the content of this book, please contact [Author Name] at [Contact Information].

Contents

Forward

Dedication

Chapter 1—Gf Burnout

Exercise Number 1

Exercise Number 2

Exercise Number 3:

Chapter 2—Gratitude

Grateful Exercise Number 1:

Grateful Exercise Number 2:

Grateful Exercise Number 3:

Chapter 3—Work With Your Doctor

The Murky Waters Of Diagnosis:

Neurological Anomalies

The Hard Reality Of Special Diets

Chapter 4—Cookies & Cake

Cost:

Single ingredients:

Yeast and leavening:

School Lunches:

Disaster Planning

Let’s find out

Chapter 5—Burnout

Factors In Burnout: Grief

Factors In Burnout: Anger

Rituals:

Chapter 6—Flotsam & Jetsom: Odds, Ends, Rumors & Findings

Redheads:

Table 1

The Five-Hour Rule

Oats In The U.S.

Gluten-Free Sauces

Baking Bread

Baking Pans

Dinner

Dinner Starts With An Onion

Jetsom

Toasting Flours

More To The Point

More Jetsom

Bread Resuscitation

Chapter 7—On The Sweet Side

The Slow Rise.

Thermos Cooking

Restaurants

Library Paste

Final Notes

Toxins

My Favorite Recipes

Hungarian Chicken and Dumplings

300-year-old cake, the way I do it.

Brazilian Cheese Bread, my way.

References

Celiac Disease Foundation

Forward

This book is just a labor of love. It is not meant to diagnose or treat anything other than burnout from having to be gluten-free. I hope you will find some of the information useful. I hope you will share this with a friend or someone who needs it.

Dedication

To my son who has lived with this dietary requirement for most of his life. He has been my inspiration to keep learning and Make it Better because he deserves nothing less than my best efforts.

Chapter 1—Gf Burnout

After nearly 20 years of cooking and baking gluten-free, I can truthfully say I have experienced gluten-free burnout – more than once.

This book is intended to help you feel less alone and give you some encouragement and maybe a few skills to help you through. If you are one of the millions of people who must follow a gluten-free diet or you care and cook for someone on a gluten-free diet, you have probably realized this is not just a fad. It is not something you can try and reject. You don’t get to decide that it’s just too hard or inconvenient. Gluten can cause serious illness and physical damage to people who can’t digest it.

Burnout. The word itself is very appropriate. I have experienced it as a nurse of forty years, as well as in my efforts at gluten-free cooking. At one point in my nursing career, I wasn’t just burned out but more fried to a crisp. The only thing I wanted to do was leave my job and go sit in an empty room that was painted entirely in white with nothing disturbing my silence.

The noises of the hospital– bells, chimes, and beepers that made me run to see if my patient was the one who was trying to die. The emotional toll of nursing – doing everything I could to keep someone alive, whether they liked it or not, and then having the family or a doctor throw a temper tantrum directed at me: the physical exhaustion, the aching feet, the torn tendons from lifting too much without assistance. A different monster caused the symptoms, but the result is the same. Burnout is burnout. No matter the cause. We can all get to a point where we no longer want to participate. We no longer want to engage. No amount of happy speak can bring relief.

In a way, I was very fortunate. I was able to leave my job. I could step back and take time to heal. I could move to a different area of practice. I could rewrite my career. Making a complete change from scrubs to business suits and a nine-to-five day really was possible.

As I look back, I realize that the tough times gave me some skills that I would not otherwise have obtained. They gave me a tougher skin. I now know that there is never just one right way to handle a situation. Finding resources and solutions is now second nature. Accepting that the way things have always been done is not the way that I must do them. Sometimes, you just need to enter the building through a different door. Your job is in the same building, but you are wearing a different hat. The same is true of other aspects of life, including diet.

I do not have Celiac Disease, but my son does. We discovered this when he was four years old. This was not my idea of a life change I wanted to make. While I could deal with my own dietary problems, I was quite miffed that my son had to go through this for the rest of his life – or at least until some genius medical treatment could alter his genes to fix the matter. That is what it will take, so I’m told.

So, let’s assume that since you picked up this book, you are feeling like charcoal. You were thrown into a burn barrel without your consent. The good news? Well, you made it through to this point. Believe it or not, that is your victory for today. You are still here. You may feel like a shadow of your former self, but you can now serve a vital purpose, just in a different way. You have years of quality life remaining, so let’s figure this out together. Let’s change our clothes and walk in a different door.

So, do what you can to leave your current job, either in reality or figuratively. You may not be able to quit being gluten-free. You may not be able to quit being a caretaker of someone who must follow a special diet. And no, you do not get to run away from home. Well, you can, but your problems are just going to follow you. Now is the time to reassess the whole situation. You can adjust the way you participate in the life you have been dealt.  I know no one is going to come to your rescue, but you can do that for yourself. You need to step back and give yourself some time to heal. But how do you DO that?

Exercise Number 1

Before you go back into your kitchen, let’s take a look at the world around us. Let’s start at the grocery store.  If you usually drive your car to the grocery store, consider taking the bus or train if that is an available option. We are changing everything we do, so let’s start at the beginning.

While you are on the bus, take a moment to look at the other passengers. You are not the only one with a story. Feeling isolated because you need a special diet or care for someone who does can turn your gaze inward. Did you know that somewhere between one and two percent of the population has Celiac Disease? Another five to six percent have a food allergy. One of those riders on the bus may be a part of those statistics. Maybe they are also a caregiver for someone who needs a special diet. You are not alone. You may feel isolated, but that is only a feeling. It is not a fact. Learn to recognize the difference.

Back to the exercise. I’ve never liked buses, so let’s get off. Just so happens this is our stop. We are standing in front of the grocery store that has become the symbol of all things bad. But you’ve got hungry people at home, so let’s get to this.

My first piece of advice? Don’t even go to the bread section. It no longer exists for you. That loaf of gluten-free bread that costs more than a full meal at a fast food restaurant can just sit on the shelf. Get a grocery cart and follow me. We are going to the