Trying New Things

I generally dislike trying new things. It feels like gambling. It's always this feeling of anticipation based on general conceptions about food.  It’s so misleading and totally skews my view on many foods and food products available.

Examples:
Fish: It has a certain smell… it doesn’t smell good – therefor anything associated with fish or sea creatures must not be good. (note- Because of the foul expectancy, I haven’t had fish other than tuna in approximately 20 years and have NEVER tried lobster, crab, shrimp, scallops, exct…) The exceptions being I tried a piece of octopus once and  I mixed up tuna salad with seafood salad back in college and was swollen and itchy for a few days but had no idea what I ate.

Grapeseed Mayo: sounds like it should be smooth, creamy, and slightly fruity. I took a big taste and it was vial- spoiled tasting- gritty obscenity.

I have made it a point to try some new things/ and some old things. It’s not like I have a lot of food options so I might as well broaden my horizon.

Coconut milk:  I actually picked it up on accident because it’s extremely similar looking to almond milk and was right beside it. Coconut milk is sweet. Very sweet, so only small amounts are needed to wet cereal- Not to be enjoyed as a tall glass with cookies. 

Agave natural sweetener: It’s syrup from a cactus! The light blend is like a honey and the amber is like a maple syrup. It’s great as a sugar substitute- and is better that it's alternatives. 

Shrimp: I was very scared to try this. I’ve been wanting to since I found out my shellfish allergy is just certain types of sea/fishcreatures.  Bill warned me that if was going to try seafood it shouldn’t be at a place like Applebee’s.  I decided to do it anyway and that might be my mistake here. 

Chain of events: Put shrimp in mouth…. bite… hear pop… it was like the moment your teeth break into a grape/lots of little grapes… chewy outside soft inside. This invoked an immediate disgust of texture. Slight gag. The taste itself wasn’t bad. It didn’t have much of a distinct taste at all, it just tasted like the sauce.  I couldn’t get over the texture. 

In other good news: I have completed the 3 month stage of my food allergies. No sensitive foods for 3 months means I potentially have cleared my antibodies to the lower reactive foods and can start trying them (1 serving of 1 allergy. Different allergens may be tried every 4 days with no reoccurrence of one particular item for 2 weeks.) Other words I may try a serving of eggs and then 4 days later try a serving of oats -but may not have eggs again for the 2 weeks from original trial date.

Eggs: I tried a little egg in Chinese food rice.  Results: I didn’t die… it was fine. No major upset.

Oats: Tried a granola bar. Results: Slight intestinal irritation. No long term issues. Mild sensitivity.

Dairy/sort of: I ate 1 cheese doodle. ONE cheese doodle with fake powdered cheese over a rice puff. Result: Stomach discomfort & intestinal issues.  Dairy did rate as my highest allergy. Guess I really have to stay clear of it and its byproducts.

ALSO as my research is pending, I have started to track all body changes.

I can’t get over the changes. It’s been incredible. I have also noticed that my vitamins are really helping to keep me well balanced. I hate swallowing pills so I got them in the form of gummies. I love gummy vitamins.

Vitamin C  is rated highly on my MUST DO list. Not only is it great at stabilizing histamine response, but it’s critical for cellular healing and protein synthesis. Literally every cell in your body uses Vit C. It’s a great boost for your body and a Great product.

My attempts at exercise are always just attempts. I can never stay on a schedule that works for me. I tried P90X/Insanity/Beach Booty/Yoga.  I must say- I like a little of each but I hate cardio.
Yogalates is my perfect fit. Yoga meets Pilates. It’s stretching with muscle resistance due to your own body weight. I love it. I do it roughly every 3 days for 1-2hours.  I know I’m getting results. These photos are taken roughly a month apart from one another.


Before:

I would still consider this great

After:

Pooch is gone!!!

Results:

YEAHHHHhhhhh    They just dont fit. I wont even tell you what size those are. New wardrobe here I come... again....

Stable/healthy/well balanced/ and feeling good.   Why didn’t I start elimination with exercise earlier?!?!?

Brief Hiatus- and now for more complaining

It's been a busy month and I've been slacking on the blog.

Food Allergies. I cant say it enough. It's so overlooked.
(Spoiler warning/Just plain warning- This entry is just me complaining a lot)

I find it fascinating that I'm in this whole mess because of how destructive food can be to your body/lifestyle/mood/ and health.  I decided I'm sick of wondering what's going on with my body, I'm going to find out for myself.  I have enrolled in a Masters program at the University of Bridgeport for their Nutrition program. Classes start in 5 days.

I'd like to learn more and help HEAL my body with food. I know it can be done because I'm in mid-process.

Healing is a strange process of epiphanies. You start to feel better and realize what you were doing to yourself. That feeling is followed by the questioning of our food, then the curiosity of our health care. What the heck is going on with our society? The whole concept of mass producing food derived from one main source (like corn ingredients- It's in everything) injected with steroid, coated in repellents, riddled with preservatives, and then given a 2year expiration date is nothing I'm feeding to myself.  It's alterations are making us more sensitive and unhealthy as a population. I have at least 12 allergies to foods that I was living with but was unaware of. It's normal. People live everyday not knowing that they are slowly poisoning themselves with food.

My current status update:
I feel like I'm having a heart attack because of my thyroid levels are high -I'm self adjusting back to normal and I no longer need high doses of medication for this.

Food isn't tasting the same... it keepss changing.  It's so strange. Some days salsa is really great and others its just ok.  This happens with all different foods. Guess it's just the mood I'm in.

Current craving- I want cookies covered in frosting.   Or pickle salsa, that I need to invent. Maybe that's what relish is. Sounds strange (No I'm not pregnant).

I'm cant seem to keep any weight on myself. This in part will be because of my high thyroid levels. I'm searching for ways to get my allergy friendly carbs other that just rice. I'm going to get my blood levels checked soon and I'll be interested to see how the last 2 years of testing relate to each other and my lifestyle change. GREAT RESEARCH.

 I have some before/after photos of when I originally switched from "normal diet" to the gluten free diet alone, and it speaks for itself.

Me in May 2008



Me in May 2010

Clearly the gluten alone was a large alteration in my appearance- 40 pounds and a bra size later. I know there were 2 years that passed between the photos but I literally did nothing else to change my diet or lifestyle at that point in time. When I stopped consuming my biggest allergy, my inflammation went down and my body was able to start processing food & nutrients properly. Self healing. Now that I've cut even more allergies out my diet- my build is the same but I FEEL so much better!!!

Cravings Call

I took a field trip to a healthfood store not too far away. They had a lovely gluten free isle, however with all the insight of making healthier food, some still contain certain allergens that I cannot eat. To be expected.

I hunted, read labels, and compared items for over an hour. I felt like I was finding lots of food that I could enjoy. I spent just under $100. Preposterous! All I actually purchased at the end of the day was different kinds of flour and butter. (both "fake")    

This did not make a meal. It made treats. Treats that  I don't actually desire currently.  I want meals. I did make brownies with one of the boxed items though. They tasted a bit like dirt :(  but they smelled magical.

Recently I know I haven't been eating enough of something.  I haven't been able to put my finger on the nutrient I'm missing. I cant seem to tame this insatiable desire for hot dogs. That is NOT normal considering I rarely enjoy a hot dog. I ate 4 of them in one day. ICK.

To help aid this feeling i've put myself on a new multi-vitamin, and I've cracked open some cookbooks. What a lovely starting point. Tons of recipes in one place that I can adjust and play with. I'd forgot about how useful those could be.  Remake number one was a chicken bake. I changed it up a little. I just used herbed oil over chicken and dumped a cup of water in the bottom of some rice and veggies. 40 mins in the over at 350F and done. No work to be done at all. My roommate even ate it and liked it a lot!  That in itself says something.

Remake number two happened to be a soup I saw at our local coop that I wanted to make. Italian Veggie soup. It contains all sorts of very healthy-hearty vegetables. Yummy too!

In health news.  I've been feeling great. No bloating. No headaches No fatigue for quite some time now. I'm at a healthy weight.
An occasional craving occurs when I am missing key parts of my diet -but- that has been dying down with my influx of fresh veggies, vitamins, and lean meats.

It's crazy how much food can change you- or just the way you feel. Either way- huge plus.

Boiling Brownines

Brownies were an epic fail. I'm not really shocked by any means. I did replace butter with the fake butter... and eggs... well there were too many eggs to replace nicely. I decided to try the flax/water/oil mixture that works so well for other things. Unfortunatly I still need a rising agent of some sort. The brownies boiled and made a huge mess of my pan.   :(

I feel the urge to bake and I need to make cupcakes. A co-worker's birthday celebration is tomorrow and she also can't have gluten or milk. Cupcakes will be perfect.  If I can just get them to come out right

Due to the fact that my favorite gluten free cake mix is made with potato starch I decided to try a new brand. It's called 123..gluten free.  Free of the top most common allergens and also it allows you to add the kind of sugar you'd like. One major problem. 4 eggs.   One of my common viewers had sent me a link to a website that helps you replace eggs. Time to try it

http://vegetarian.about.com/od/vegetarianvegan101/f/eggsubstitute.htm

This has a few new options to try.  I went for the applesause/banana mix. The consistancy allows the batter to stay moist. Only problem is that it's a little heavy. I put in a little baking soda & baking powder. 

BAM!  It worked.  They look a little strange but it's nothing that frosting cant fix.   I have to admit they didn't taste revolting.  I am pretty impressed.

Beautiful!!! These will go great with the baby back rib dinner.  I'm hungry now.

Pyramid Observations

Traditional Food Pyramid (that isn't all that healthy)

 Now I have a hard time believing that with all the kinds of food allergies that are becoming more common, that this pyramid promotes a healthy lifestyle.

I find the milk section alone is a bit alarming.

Cow milk is most common and it's full on nutrients to support a baby cow, not a human. Milk feeding is not intended to exceed more that the first year of life. This first year when you need lipids, healthy bacteria, white bloodcells, ext- from the mothers milk. How can it be healthy to continue this? So very strange how society has let this become acceptable. (Note: I'm not anti-milk- just questioning the norms)

My Pyramid

I've made some adjustments based of my particular situation. The cow is just representing meat. Not what you call traditional by any means. Getting the proper nutrients can still be achieved with different foods. This is another reason why I believe the original is so flawed.

You can still have a balanced diet when you exclude allergens.

Now I've also included an example of what my pervious roommates food pyramid looks like. Just for comic relief.

Fried and breaded food. Candy. Cake. Beer. Meat.

Ohh ohh oh   Sooo Manlike.  That will catch up with him.

He's trying to eat some of my foods but he mostly doesnt' based on the pure fact that its still "Diet Food." Rubbish. I don't like diets either... but its different because if I cheat (as for-mentioned in the previous post) I pay with extreme stomach upset, not just a guilty conscious.

Dinner tonight (which he didn't try) was porkchop in a brown sugar pineapple sause, green beans, and squashfries.

Ps- Squashfries- need improvement. It was so very stringy and strange.

All and all- 2 veggies- 1 meat - a fruit slice- and a little from the sweets.  Covers my bases.

Cheating

I cheated- and -I had immediate regret. 

I went out to dinner at a small place and they didn't have much for sides.  I figured, how bad could a few french fries be? Apparently when you're allergic and newly detoxed to potatoes... pretty bad. Now here's my reasoning behind WHY I would do such a thing. 

I love potatoes. I've been eating them my whole life. I stopped eating them in early Feb. I had a small bit of KFC mash potatoes a few weeks later and that didn't go poorly. In fact- not bad at all. I thought... well if that didn't end catastrophically, then why would a few fries be any worse?!?!

Well maybe its because KFC only has fake dehydrated modified potato mush.  Maybe its because I really only had a taste of the fake stuff and big handful of real fries.  Either way- It took all of 15 mins before I was on my way home in the car with immense stomach pain. I made a pact with myself that night- No more cheating.


Cooking inhouse trying strange things: take 17.
An American take on spring rolls. I'll give it a shot. It's really just a sandwich in a thin rice roll.

Spring rolls come in a package of about 100. This is convenient.

Step one: Have contents ready to go. My first trials contain lettuce mix, alfalfa, radish sprouts, turkey, mustard, and carrot.

Step two: dip rolls in hot water for  a second and pull them out (they will instantly go soft). 

Step three: Stuff roll and fold onto itself to stick.

Done.

Not bad either.  Mix and match the contents based of what you like. Great variety idea to mix it up.
This is an item that I intend on perfecting. Very neat.

I like popcorn but cant have the butter. No problem! As long as you like sweet with the salt- Kettle corn is you're best bet.

Another thing I wanted to try was icecream.. Icecream no milk. They make Coconut Milk Icecream. I must warn you that it's incredibly sweet. It is better than Soycicles that's for sure. Small doses.

That's all for my current updates.

Natural Nutrition Month

The American Dietetic Association  has come up with a healthy eating guide and they have some amazing recipes (a lot of them gluten

free) to help advertise National Nutrition Month. Check them out @ http://www.eatright.org/nnm/

The guide alone is very helpful when trying to come up with a variety.

Today I've been craving a cucumber sandwich. I doubt it would be the same without the mayo so I switched in my favorite replacement- Guac! Guacamole has a great mayo like consistency but it has a much better taste.
For a funny guacamole recipe in song version check out Rhett & Link recipe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRlqsvphYww. I dont reccomend peppers.
On my sandwich I ended up not adding the additional slice of bread because of the pure size. The combo was DELICIOUS!  So good.

I added this to dinner- which was ground sirloin smothered in onions and mushrooms.

Perfect.  I do notice that I need a better camera for food photos.

Bill picked me up dessert. - soy bars. They do mimic icecream pretty well. I'll have them occasionally when I want icecream. There is also a coconut ice-cream a well. Not bad.

I am mere days away from my one month mark. Eliminating the foods has been one of the best things I've ever done.

I've noticed some changes.

My congestion is gone. Migraines gone. Fatigue gone. Bloating is way down. My weight only has a 3 pound variance instead of 6.  My mood is terrible when I am late for a meal (which isn't abnormal for me- but now its worse). I like this though. Sofar Sogood. This upcoming month I'm going to toss in a workout routine to see if this will help my overall mood. I'm optimistic.

Taco Tuesday



Alburritos in Littleton NH.

Tonight we dared to try the locally famous Taco Tuesday.
                                  $1 a taco.
Due to the price and the size of the location it seems to be bursting with patrons on Tuesdays. Alburitos in Littleton NH makes a lot of their food right on the spot so it's fresh, with the tradeoff of it taking a little longer to recieve your food. You can request corn tortillas and chips instead of soft shells and pitas. They are made in the same hot oil so if  you're highly allergic this is not such good news.



Salsa/Chilli and Chips App

We had a starter of salsa, chilli, and chips. Amazing!



With our group of 4, our waitress offered us a 16 taco platter. 8 soft shell, 8 hard shell (3 no cheese just for me). It comes with chopped lettuce, tomotoes, and onion that go right up the middle. If you like sour cream or guacamoli its extra. Not a bad price I must say.

With that being said- the idea of a taco was sort of a miss here for this particular trip.



Half eaten platter

The filling of the handmade shell was just beef.  It lacked any taco seasoning and flavor but not oil.  Ehhh... I've had better. The only reason why I think it's as popular as it's become is due to the cost. It costs a total of $25.06 at a little over $6 a person. I would prefer to make my own tacos at home. I'm seeing a general trend here with food. Eating out just isn't as satisfying as it used to be. To top it all off my stomach hurts from this. I'm sure the tanted shells aren't a big help.  We shall see how the night goes. Hopefully no wild taco dreams.

Since March is National Nutrition month I'm going to try to cook and eat in for the remainder of the month. That's easy. It's almost been a month of this new diet and it's been amazing. Tomorrow's a new day.



The Common Man Experience

Visit @ http://www.thecman.com/

Dinning out. When you're allergy ridden, this only speaks of disaster. I've been to the Common Man before when I first learned of my gluten allergy and I remember they had some special items on the menu just for my situation. Uncommon however is the other allergy avoidance's.

My special menu had 2 proteins, 2 starches, 8 sauces, and 2 desserts.
The proteins were finely listed although I would have to ask for them without nuts or cheese. The 2 starches were both potato which I cannot have. Who on earth needs 8 sauces that  you cant really put on anything (some had milk in them anyway)?!?! Also.. the 2 desserts were milk products.  FML. 

Now I understand that I'm the one with complications so I try not to get upset especially at the waitstaff because they do try quite hard. I also, having done some waitressing in my time know; allergies are difficult, vacationers can make or break your day, and often it feels thankless when you try so hard. Our particular situation that night with our waitress HAS to be addressed.

.....Here is a list of events......

We arrived early and were seated at 4:30pm. I requested the Gluten Free menu. My menu sucked.

Our waitress came over and asked how the skiing was. We did not ski.

Waitress said she wished it would snow. We said we'd had enough snow. She agreed, no more snow.

We ordered. I ordered the GLUTEN FREE chicken with no cheese or nuts. She made special note of my request for no butter.

With this gluten free order she offered me sides of potato (cant have) veggies (no butter) or rice pilaf (which contains GLUTEN) she obviously doesn't know what gluten is and this distresses me.

I request salad instead. She says this cant be substituted. What a load of Bull.  I'll pay more for the salad. She says spinach is suitable for my allergy situation- whatever spinach with a salad thanks.

Waitress brought out bread that she said she cut special with different knifes so that the nuts in one bread didn't contaminate the plain bread. Bread contains GLUTEN, EGGS, YEAST, MILK. She just doesn't get it.

Salad was fine.

Dinner came out. Waitress said no cornbread for me because of the milk/butter in it. No shit, that's the gluten free part of my gluten free chicken.

My chicken was just that.... chicken.  Just chicken. Spinach on the side was soaked in oil. Oh yum :( . She brought out the sauce on the side that was just apples and applesause. Eh not worth it.

Maybe try dessert? Our friend Ryan suggested the baked apple they had.  I'd ask for it without the icecream. Apple rolled in cinnamon and sugar- baked. How bad could that be?
I ordered it first because it cooks for a long time.

After she started it cooking she came back to get everyone elses dessert order. THEN she informed me that it had butter sauce all over it, not concerning to her was the part that she mentioned later that it was rolled in flour too!!!! I ordered "Gluten free" all night how could she not mention this to me. BAH. If someone request no gluten you should educate yourself on what this is. I was FRUSTRATED. Well dessert was ruined.

Poor quality photo of Ryans food

On the other hand Ryan enjoyed his.  Sugared flour deep fried smothered with icecream, chocolate sauce, and butter sauce.  Ohhhhhh there is just not substituting this. Dessert is less fun than ever.

Dinner out is also less fun.  Some places are trying to make menus more "friendly" but being able to feel satisfied after a meal is something that I really miss with food outside of my own house. Bugger. Now that I've had dinner, its time to make myself dessert.

The Bakery



Millet and Flax Breads

Bread without Gluten, Yeast, Wheat, Eggs, or Milk-  Not impossible!!!  A wonderful surprise. I found it mostly by mistake. Google is an amazing tool. Check out everything available @
 http://www.samisbakery.com/
Sami's is dedicated to low carb and allergy friendly delicacies. Only drawback is the location is in Florida which means shipping is a must.


When I first went in search of Gluten free bread, I was reccomended the kind in the freezer that they have at shaws and the co-op.  That bread was dry and it falls apart so easily. It could really turn someone off to a gluten free lifestyle.


If you dont have other allegies, there is a semi local bakery that has tasty products that are gluten free. I believe it's out of Plymouth NH called Berry Delicious Bakery. Check them out at http://berrydeliciousbakery.com/

I was excited to try my newly purchased breads and other products. Cinnamon Toast was first on the list!  Just (fake butter) up some bread throw it in the toaster oven and put a 50/50 mixture of sugar and cinnamon on. Yum!

 

I got a little excited when ordering the products that I forgot that I cant have cheese. I've heard of pizza with no sause... but no cheese? Worth a try. I put down my sause, tossed some onions on, and COVERED it in pepperoni. Not bad.  Nothing like pizza, but still worth the shot.

All of these new bread products do set heavy on a tummy that hasn't had this kind of stuff in a long time. Lighter dinner meal.

Dinner was chicken, butternut squash/quinoa mix, and broccoli.

Broccoli is packed with nutrients such as calcium and folate -- but broccoli is also rich in fiber and disease-fighting antioxidants. Since it contains plenty of vitamin C, this popular green vegetable will help your body absorb iron when it's eaten with an iron-rich food.

I cant forget that its not just binge eating replacement items, its also about keeping a well balanced diet that provides me with all my nutrients.

If you don't get all your nutrients and vitamins then cravings will still occur and food will be less satisfying.

The food is a little better everyday and I'm feeling amazingly better. Better unless I'm craving something, in that case i'm a monster. It's been less than a month but I am still very hopeful about the outcome of these food cuts.

Repulsive Replacement Product

Grapeseed Mayo Replacement

Ok THIS is a Problem!  

I'm starting to see a few trends in the "Healthfood"  that is generally available. 1- The amount of Soy. I worry that I am over consuming the soy that is hidden in most "healthfood" options. I know that soy has a similarity to estrogen and gives some of the negative effects such as holding fats.
2- Also concerning is the frequency in which the food is modified and altered. Hydrogenated oils in every meal just screams DANGER!

Some of the replacements have been alright. Some are just nasty. I've decided to start being more selective with my choices. I don't want overly modified replacements. This is contradicting my cause of getting rid of the things I'm becoming sensitive too.  I've decided this because of the replacement items I tried today.  I sampled them in the car and had to chase it with some salad to get the funk out of my mouth.
Let's start with the Mayo Replacement.  I was hopeful. I liked mayo and this seemed like a great idea. Grapeseed oil is good for you, it's all natural, and made in a green facility. It seemed too good to be true and that's because it IS.
I removed the safety wrapping and opened it up. Smells like mayo. I tried to dip a finger in to get a little taste. This is where I knew my selection was not ideal.  The velocity of my finger stopped as it hit the product and I couldn't scoop any up due to it's thickness. It was harder than I anticipated.  Similar to butter after it's been in the fridge. The taste is something that is almost indistinguishable. Bad. Bad. Bad. Some kind of dirty taste. Maybe like fake old eggs that are slightly moldy. Terrible.

Next is "cheese".

Soy slices actually. Flavored like .. what they call cheese. I should have known as soon as I opened the package not to even try it. The smell was unattractive. The consistency seemed spot-on. This had a similar taste to the mayo, only more gritty like it had been dried out and dropped in sand. VILE!  Not even burnt. EWWW.

This has turned me off to trying wild items. I just want something I know is good.

I will cook foods I'm familiar with for now.

Seasoned hamburger over lettuce with cooked onion and ketchup. The side is a corn noodle in guacamole with cucumber.  It's my version of a pasta salad. Sounds strange but amazingly tasty!

This is where it's at. Making a replacement for pasta salad wasn't that difficult either. This is just one of many new recipes I will be adding to my allergy cookbook. Yay! Easy and Yummy.

Dear King Authur

Dear King Authur,

   They look like cookies, they smell mostly the way I remember cookies smelling, and they taste like sugar and beans. Certainly not the high fat treat I was hoping for. This might be due to the fact that I had to make a few manipulations replacing butter with the olive oil "butter" and also switching out the egg for a flaxseed/water mixture. Mostly I think its because you Sir King have discluded the top 8 highest ranked food allergens. Bravo for that. I will warn a fellow food hunters however that not all of your products are this friendly.

The fact that I haven't consumed a real cookie in 2 years makes it hard to remember exactly what I used to like so much about cookies. I cant fully remember how they taste. I'm sure  however that this mixture isn't palatable to most people. For me, it's merely alright. It will due for my purpose but if this is how "sweets" are going to be, I much rather prefer a grapefruit.  That cant be a normal thought.

It might just be the fact that I'm looking for something baked that feels hardy.
Do you have a tasty anwser for that King?  I feel as though if I am going to eat those calories they will at least have to be desireable. You'll have to do better than this.

Perhaps your basic recipe will help guide me in making my own version which real people will be able to eat. Without the gagging or the unfortunate aftertaste. (Update 2014- Yes the KA all purpose GF Flour is perfect for all baking purposes. I'm hooked)

I'm going to have to get good at food manipulations. 
Comfort food weekend approches.
Good day to you King!
-Signed- A loyal customer.

Chocolates and Sweets.....OR Not.

On a holiday immersed in chocolate and sweets, I find myself getting teary-eyed in the candy isle. My challenge, find something with no milk or peanut content.  I could go with the dark chocolate but it's just not what I want! I want the lucious Milk Chocolate covered Peanuts and Truffles! My sweet tooth is disappointed.   Dinner is usually customary with this holiday as well. Forget about going out for dinner! Where would I eat?!?!?

This is forcing me to get a little creative.

Today was my first day at work with my new "diet". It took me a little longer than normal to make lunch today so breakfast was 2 cups of coffee. One of the girls at work brought in candy conversation hearts as a special treat, and it turns out, I can eat those pure sugar lumps of sweet-talk. By lunch I was headed for a small sugar crash :).

Lunch went well.
I had my corn noodles with a nice serving size of chicken in a tomato based sauce.
I also brought a grapefruit and a salad that had onions, avacado, cucumber, and mushrooms.
I made a dressing with squeezed lemon juice, light evoo, and a little lemon pepper spice blend that I found at Homegoods.
Not too bad! I was so very full that I couldn't finish my salad. I'm sure it was because I just bring way too much food. 

Work seemed a little different than normal. I felt really good all day. I'm not sure if I can completely give credit to the new lifestyle but it sure does seem to make a difference.  I woke up feeling a strange sensation in my nose.  I think it's because air is flowing to an area in my nose that has never been opened up before. My sinuses are clearing. I also dont feel fatigue (and i usually do after a full busy day). I'm liking this.  I'll be interesed to see how this evolves.

Dinner tonight! I wanted Thai but am currently a little scared to try to break the language barrier and discuss allergies with the staff. I dont mean that to sounds crule in any way. It just seems like a big hassel on a very busy dining night. No thanks. Thai is known for using rice noodles, but also known for using deadly amounts of peanut oil. I have to be careful. I read my labels carefully and founds this:

It does contain fish and soy. Tonight it works for me! It's just noodles in a sause that you add your own items to. This is nice and all but I still want chocolate! Allergy friendly chocolate is few and far between. This is where I decided to make a little magic.

I found in the baking isle. A replacement chocolate made for.. well baking. The ingredients are cane juice, chocolate liquor, and milk free coco-butter. I melted this and dipped slices of apple in it. Just enough to kill the craving. Im glad this worked. I wasnt pleased watching my previous roommate eat a whole candy bar in front of me!  I'm still in chocolate recovery, and it wasn't nice of him.



He made everything ok by purchasing me flowers.

If i can survive a holiday based around one of my greatest vices, I'll be able to do this!  I'm gaining ground. Happy Valentines Day to me.

"For every ill, there's a pill"

Picture from: bayazidt.wordpress.com

A popular concept in today's medical industry is that all can be cured or treated by a magical pill.

Reoccurring infections?? Anti-biotics.
High cholesterol? Lipitor,   and so on.

So what happens when your body has finally gotten used to these drugs and your still have this sickness. The pills are just treating the symptoms and not the main cause.

An autoimmune sickness is what let my doctor to start looking at my food allergies. Your body literally attacks itself, and unfortunately it's quite common.

Today I focused on my "options".  I think I'm going to be rotating my diet so that my body doesn't start attacking other foods that I eat. I am also starting on a Vitamin C regimen.

"Vitamin C is a general anti-allergy supplement. We experience allergic symptoms when an allergen-antibody complex causes mast cells to release histamine and other allergy-mediating chemicals. Vitamin C helps stabilize mast cells so they are less likely to release these substances." http://www.food-allergy.org/

I reccomend the Adrenal C offered by Eastern States Compounding Pharmacy located in Littleton NH. Visit them at www.easternstatescompounding.com.

I've read over my paperwork that the doctor gave me.  More bad news. Potato starch is a no-no. My beloved pretzels are now officially off limits.  Boooo.  

I needed food. So Breakfast. My coffee with my french vanilla almond creamer.

Breakfast was a 50/50 mix of the crunchy rice and flax cereal with a half cup of vanilla flavored almond milk, and a banana to cover up any unpleasant flavor.  The nutritional benefits are surprisingly amazing. Total outcome= 10% of my daily calories. 7% of my daily fat. No cholesterol and no saturated fat. 8% of my daily sodium. 26% of my daily fiber. 7 and 1/2 grams of protein!  Plus its loaded with tons of vitamins and minerals.

This inspired me to do a little online menu browsing. I had to go to the health food store to find what we had avaiable.  I went to the Healthy Rhino in Littleton, NH.  They have bulk grains and strange things.  I asked a few questions and found a few tasty things.

Sunbutter!!!  Like Peanut butter but made of sunflowers.  Yummy. It's still a nut so it has all the fats and oils but its natural so its good for you!

The other thing is quinoa grain. It isn't related to my allergies at all. It's also easy to cook and has a light flavor that you can mix with almost anything. It's good warm or cold. either in soup, salad, as a side dish with veggies. Not quite crunchy. Oh and it's packed with protein. It's worth trying. 

Unfortunately it doesn't look that appetizing all the time.

I know what it looks like.  It really wasn't that bad though. I mixed it with squash, onions, and mushrooms.

I plan on putting the grain in my salad tomorrow. I'm excited.

The other thing I picked up was Apple butter. I was thinking it would be a spin-off of peanut butter (like sunbutter). However it was just condensed apples... it is like applesause only a little thicker. Just purchase applesause. Sad waste of $3.

Dinner tonight will be a classic steak with a salad side. That requires less effort at this point.  I'm already missing dessert. Tomorrow will focus on finding some sort of sweet or frozen treat.

Welcome to the Jungle

My Journey begins! It'd be easy to cut out just one thing in your diet right??

I've never been so wrong.

Hunting through supermarket turned out to be a nightmare. In a Jungle of food, what can you eat after you get the devastating news of a food allergy? Sometimes finding a replacement for your favorite foods is impossible.  Nothing really tastes like the original that you're used to. It takes the comfort and the mental relaxation out of eating. The items designed to replace allergen-tainted food is almost always disgusting. So whats the point?

Take a little time to read the back of the food labels for 10 items. Almost everything contains peanuts, gluten, milk, eggs, or soy.   From 2008-2010 (With the help of the small gluten free section at our local co-op and Shaw's) I did pretty well staying away from gluten.  That means no bread, no pasta, no crackers, limited snack items, no cake, brownies, some salad dressings, and tons of processed foods. Those were my main food groups that I just cut out.


Things were looking up. I lost 20 pounds easily. Unfortunately only half of my problems were resolved.
It was time to take a food panel allergy test.  So in January of 2011, I went to an ENT and had my blood drawn to get some answers.

I found out my results today.  Feb 11, 2011.  I don't like it.

Sensitivities: Bay leaf, Crab, Dill, Gluten, Sweet Potatoes, Rye, Safflower, Walnut

Allergies: Cheese of all brands in a deadly manor. Cows Milk, Yogurt, Eggs, Haddock, Oats,  White Potatoes, Peas, Peanuts, Sesame, Wheat, and Yeast.

My Jungle Thickens.  Now it really is impossible.  What made to replace Gluten and Wheat is filled with Potatoes and Oils from Peanuts or Sesame. It's certainly a learning experience.

I did some shopping today. It took me almost a hour in the store just reading labels.   All I could keep thinking was- no butter, no mayo, no pizza, no cheese.

I found a few things.  The flavored almond milk is a lifesaver. I don't like almonds,  but I cant live without my coffee creamer, and because this is flavored it doesn't have that nasty neosporin/bean taste.  This has been an acceptable substitution. 

This Earth Balance "butter" however.... tastes fishy!!!  It's oil, and surprise.. its fortified with omega.  No wonder. This needs improvement.

I would like to offer a mixed review about these crunchy cereal-esque products.  I understand the necessity for flax as a nutritional supplement, however I find that it tastes almost identical to a hay/sawdust mixture. My previous roomate thinks it tastes like those little crispy onions on top of casseroles. Either way not the best.  The Rice flavor however is eatable. Tastes like rice crispies but is twice as expensive. Don't waste the cash.

In the salad dressing section there was a small situation. They all contained my new poisons.  If it wasn't gluten, it was sesame, or eggs. After 6 mins or so of looking and reading all the labels. I found this one  to the right -suitable for my purpose. It has a light taste and its not vomit inducing.  This leads me to                     The other Magical thing, Glutino Pretzels!!!!  They are yummy and they are super friendly to allergies.  I would classify them as better than original pretzels. There're two drawback for me.  They contain traces of sesame and they are made from potato starch.  Now my allergy is to white potato so how does potato starch fall on that chart?  I'll have to email my allergy contact to find out!  I'll be sad if I cant eat those.



PASTASSSSS

For those of you who are replacing pasta in your life. I reccomend the Tinkyada bunny pasta. It's a rice  base product that does a good job. It takes some getting used to for sure. I've heard a few bad things about it.  It doesn't reheat well. It's consistancy can be mushy, and if you over cook the pasta it dissolves. The other option is the Mrs Leepers corn pasta. It mimics real pasta a little better but it also takes some getting used to. It is also more expensive but so are most of the allergy replacement foods. (Update 2014- Quinoa pasta is the best, replacement hands down. It doesn't fall apart, is not mushy, and is loaded with nutrients.)

At this point in the grocery store I am exhausted. I just want to be done... and then I hit it.  The cheese isle.  I am devastated. I love cheese. How will I live without it?  There aren't any substitutes that I have found yet for cheese. I'm still searching though.

This makes me feel like a mixed drink.  Of which I can no longer have... but I did make one final purchase. Woodchuck Cider. It's too sweet. Angry Orchard is much better.

I will finish this drink tonight in my sad pouting denile stage. Tomorrow I'll continue on to see what my options are. Boo.