People living gluten free need good memories. It is not reasonable to assume we will always have our research notes available when we read a menu or an ingredients list. I remember at least one thing from my childhood music lessons. Whenever I was required to give the letter name of a musical not, I thought "Every Good Boy Does Fine". The first letter in each of the words was the same as the name for a note E, G, B, D, F.  It was even easier to remember the notes in the spaces since this could be reduced to a single word F, A, C, E.

Sentences like this are called Mnemonic devices, and I have written a few to help me recall a few of the terms that I must remember when reading an ingredients list.

THE COURAGEOUS QUEEN MADE SALLY BECOME A REPULSIVE MONSTER TODAY. Memorizing this sentence will save you the trouble of memorizing all the alternatives to wheat flour. T= tef, C= corn, Q=quinoa, M= millet, S= soy, B= buckwheat, A= amaranth, R= rice, M= montina, T= tapioca.

DID PAULA MEET MARY’S CRAZY SISTER? D= dyglycerides, P= processed cheese, M= malt flavoring,M=modified food starch, C= caramel coloring, S= soy sauce. Repeat this sentence when you are looking for questionable items in an ingredients list.

Since having all related information in the same place jogs memory, I’ll repeat the sentence that I published earlier this month. It will help you recall the eight terms that mean "wheat" and are thus off-limits to us. SARAH BUILT ENOUGH FENCES TO SATISFY KING DUDLEY. S= semolina, B= bulgar, E= einkorn, F=farina, T= triticale, S= spelt, K= kamut, D= durum.

Published 4/27/09