I'm happy to say that I now realize this is all doable. Stephanie has helped immensely; I cannot thank her enough. Because of her advice and recipes she's sent my way, I have made homemade salad dressing (yet to be tried, however) and a gluten-free, egg-free, milk-free flatbread to have with our potato kale soup. The bread was decent; Kyle even claimed he liked it! She has also guided me through what flours and starches and gums I need to buy in order to be able to bake and cook. This is invaluable information, people! So is the egg substitution of 1 Tb ground flaxseed + 3 Tb water. Life Saver!
I think I've eaten more fruit in the last week than in the last month prior. But that's perfectly okay with me; I love fruit. Now I need to increase my uptake of vegetables, which the salad dressing and roasted red pepper hummus should help. I don't like eating plain fresh veggies, so I'm hoping these toppings will fancify the lettuce and baby spinach and peppers, carrots and celery sitting in my fridge. My fridge has NEVER ever been so full. Leslie, you've got to see this!
Yesterday I met up with my local contact who eats gluten-free. She let me borrow two issues of Living Without, a food magazine for people with all of the allergies/sensitivities that I have and more. I have found several helpful ideas, brands, and recipes in those issues, which is another huge encouragement. My friend also let me have some gluten-free, egg-free, milk-free cookies and gave me two boxes of cereal to try (one is a GF version of Grape Nuts! I can live again!). My assessment of all is that they weren't bad; the cereal was even good.
I spent the week eating rice chex with coconut milk for breakfast, but I was delighted to find out I can still eat corn chex. They are perhaps my all-time favorite cereal. This morning I moved on to rice milk, and I can tell I prefer it to the coconut on cereal. I never drank either plain. I can't imagine doing that.
I feel like I'm armed with information (a fantastic feeling for a Librarian to have, let me tell you) and ready to figure this out. I have a plethora of web sites and stores in the quasi-local and regional area recommended to me. I have enough recipes to get us through another week. As long as I'm home and in control of what I eat, I feel like this isn't as scary as it was last week when I found out.
However, I'm nervous about an upcoming trip that unfortunately falls in the timeline of my one-month off of everything under the sun restricted diet. Friends swear to me that the region of the South we're headed to is super friendly to gluten intolerance folks, but I imagine I'll still need to pack up a bunch of snacks and foods that I can make for myself. It's a little awkward since we'll all be staying at a bed and breakfast -- our entire huge family + others.
I can't tackle that right now, though. I've got to get going on my thesis again. A little rusty and my brain is consumed by this food issue. Now that there is some sort of solution, I'm hoping for inspiration on this project.
PRAY FOR ME! I need it. My brain is all a-jumble most days.
25 February 2012
20 February 2012
Day One: A Success
Truthfully, I wasn't sure how I'd fare today. But I'd say I did rather well.
I tried unflavored coconut milk on rice Chex for breakfast. I was pleasantly surprised by the coconutty flavor and how well it went down. My mid-morning snack was an orange--they are so good this time of year. But by lunch time I had a major food headache, as in lack-of-food.
I didn't have a ton of time for lunch, so I stuck with ready-made food: 3 corn tortillas (so dry), a serving applesauce, 6 carrot sticks, 6 celery sticks (no dip...gross), and half of the most amazing grapefruit ever. I was satisfied but not full.
I supped on a gluten-free, tomato-free beef taco with black beans in corn tortillas and a tiny Braeburn apple. Aside from the dry corn tortillas, it was a filling meal. Boring, but filling. I miss tomatoes. and Cheese. I do not, however, miss milk.
This day of not having any cravings and not giving in to the doughnuts and pastries in the office lounge was a major success. Now, on to tomorrow.
Baby steps.
I tried unflavored coconut milk on rice Chex for breakfast. I was pleasantly surprised by the coconutty flavor and how well it went down. My mid-morning snack was an orange--they are so good this time of year. But by lunch time I had a major food headache, as in lack-of-food.
I didn't have a ton of time for lunch, so I stuck with ready-made food: 3 corn tortillas (so dry), a serving applesauce, 6 carrot sticks, 6 celery sticks (no dip...gross), and half of the most amazing grapefruit ever. I was satisfied but not full.
I supped on a gluten-free, tomato-free beef taco with black beans in corn tortillas and a tiny Braeburn apple. Aside from the dry corn tortillas, it was a filling meal. Boring, but filling. I miss tomatoes. and Cheese. I do not, however, miss milk.
This day of not having any cravings and not giving in to the doughnuts and pastries in the office lounge was a major success. Now, on to tomorrow.
Baby steps.
18 February 2012
Life Change...Wasn't What I Expected
It's astounding how pivotal a few weeks can be in the trajectory of one's life. The last 5 weeks have been incredibly busy and brought so many new and not always pleasant transitions to my life. There have been two deaths in the family, both of which leave a void. I have seen two different doctors as I continue to pursue answers to all of my body issues. The sciatic pain ebbs and flows; this week it has flared up, but several weeks prior I hardly noticed. I continue to see the chiropractor for my back that keeps un-aligning itself. Frustrating.
One of my doctors diagnosed me with Fibromyalgia, on the day my grandma died. That was a hard week. I haven't even had time to process that diagnosis yet.
We were out of town for a week, and then came back, at which point I got that nasty throat-sinus bug going around. During that week, we drove over 9 hours in one day for me to have blood drawn for a test that we hoped would show what foods I've been consuming that my body treats as poison. "Toxic" to the cells, the literature says. I got those results yesterday, the day after my great aunt passed away.
Those test results were ones I have been anxiously awaiting. Ever since learning about this test for delayed reaction food sensitivities, I knew it would hold answers. Sometimes it made me nervous--what food(s) would I have to cut out? I joked with Emily that it might be cheese, since I eat that about every day. I was a little nervous about milk. I wasn't sure if wheat or gluten would be problematic, but had a sneaking suspicion they might.
I got the call in the middle of the afternoon, and within 30 minutes I'd talked with the doctor about a plan of action and our conversation was over. But my mind was reeling. Let me show you why.
There were two tests - one for gluten, by itself; one for 154 other different foods.
The gluten one showed a "weak positive" for gluten sensitivity. Doctor's orders are that I'm off gluten for at least a year.
The test for 154 foods showed 31 are causing reactions. I have to cut all of those out for at least one month, at which point I can add back in the weakest reaction-causing foods at one serving per week. For the highest scoring reactants, I can't ever have them again (this is my understanding).
The highest reactive foods were cheese and eggs. I can't have those anymore.
The next category included kidney and navy beans, pineapple, and brewer's yeast. Those are out for at least 3 months, if not forever. (This isn't a huge deal. I like kidney and navy beans, but they will be easy to eliminate.)
The following group of foods I can't have for at least 2 months: milk from a cow (and all byproducts), wheat (which was already cut out by the gluten test), and baker's yeast (no breads!). This is a hard group for me to cut. I consume a lot of dairy products.
The final group is the lowest reactive foods, and I must cut them out for 1 month, at which point I can add back in, like I said above. This includes bananas (a staple for me), tomato (we eat this or its products in everything), cranberry (I drink this daily), oat, green beans (I love), asparagus, blackberry, lemon, ginger, thyme, sage, malt, perch, rye, goat's milk, papaya, and several others that I never consume.
Right away, I see baked goods are out (it's so obvious--milk, egg, wheat). I might have a love affair with baked goods. This is hard. I had planned on eating oatmeal, if the gluten test came back positive, but I can't even do that. What do I eat for breakfast, let alone other meals.
The list of results showed all the foods that didn't give reactions, so there are well over 100 there. Several of them are nuts, however, and I have immediate allergic reactions to nuts, so those are out. And, the rest are fruits, veggies, and meat. Good things, healthy things. But what do you DO with them? I always add tomatoes and make a stew or shove things between slices of bread and have a "sandwich" or burrito, if I use a flour tortilla.
I'm overwhelmed, I must admit. With a thesis hanging daily over my head, that I have hardly touched since mid-January, I have enough brain-fodder for a lifetime. And now this. How do I plan?
Food used to excite me. Cooking was something I enjoyed. Today, that is gone. Today, this weekend, this week, this month...it's a chore to figure out how to feed myself.
I'm thankful for numerous resources in people and the Internet to help me figure this out, but holy cow. In one day, my world has been turned around.
One of my doctors diagnosed me with Fibromyalgia, on the day my grandma died. That was a hard week. I haven't even had time to process that diagnosis yet.
We were out of town for a week, and then came back, at which point I got that nasty throat-sinus bug going around. During that week, we drove over 9 hours in one day for me to have blood drawn for a test that we hoped would show what foods I've been consuming that my body treats as poison. "Toxic" to the cells, the literature says. I got those results yesterday, the day after my great aunt passed away.
Those test results were ones I have been anxiously awaiting. Ever since learning about this test for delayed reaction food sensitivities, I knew it would hold answers. Sometimes it made me nervous--what food(s) would I have to cut out? I joked with Emily that it might be cheese, since I eat that about every day. I was a little nervous about milk. I wasn't sure if wheat or gluten would be problematic, but had a sneaking suspicion they might.
I got the call in the middle of the afternoon, and within 30 minutes I'd talked with the doctor about a plan of action and our conversation was over. But my mind was reeling. Let me show you why.
There were two tests - one for gluten, by itself; one for 154 other different foods.
The gluten one showed a "weak positive" for gluten sensitivity. Doctor's orders are that I'm off gluten for at least a year.
The test for 154 foods showed 31 are causing reactions. I have to cut all of those out for at least one month, at which point I can add back in the weakest reaction-causing foods at one serving per week. For the highest scoring reactants, I can't ever have them again (this is my understanding).
The highest reactive foods were cheese and eggs. I can't have those anymore.
The next category included kidney and navy beans, pineapple, and brewer's yeast. Those are out for at least 3 months, if not forever. (This isn't a huge deal. I like kidney and navy beans, but they will be easy to eliminate.)
The following group of foods I can't have for at least 2 months: milk from a cow (and all byproducts), wheat (which was already cut out by the gluten test), and baker's yeast (no breads!). This is a hard group for me to cut. I consume a lot of dairy products.
The final group is the lowest reactive foods, and I must cut them out for 1 month, at which point I can add back in, like I said above. This includes bananas (a staple for me), tomato (we eat this or its products in everything), cranberry (I drink this daily), oat, green beans (I love), asparagus, blackberry, lemon, ginger, thyme, sage, malt, perch, rye, goat's milk, papaya, and several others that I never consume.
Right away, I see baked goods are out (it's so obvious--milk, egg, wheat). I might have a love affair with baked goods. This is hard. I had planned on eating oatmeal, if the gluten test came back positive, but I can't even do that. What do I eat for breakfast, let alone other meals.
The list of results showed all the foods that didn't give reactions, so there are well over 100 there. Several of them are nuts, however, and I have immediate allergic reactions to nuts, so those are out. And, the rest are fruits, veggies, and meat. Good things, healthy things. But what do you DO with them? I always add tomatoes and make a stew or shove things between slices of bread and have a "sandwich" or burrito, if I use a flour tortilla.
I'm overwhelmed, I must admit. With a thesis hanging daily over my head, that I have hardly touched since mid-January, I have enough brain-fodder for a lifetime. And now this. How do I plan?
Food used to excite me. Cooking was something I enjoyed. Today, that is gone. Today, this weekend, this week, this month...it's a chore to figure out how to feed myself.
I'm thankful for numerous resources in people and the Internet to help me figure this out, but holy cow. In one day, my world has been turned around.
02 February 2012
A Week in Arizona
There are few places in the US that I love more than the Sonoran Desert. I love the random wildlife (burros, anyone? Yes, please, at Lake Pleasant Park), the beautiful Saguaro cacti that cover the Phoenix valley, the various colors of the sunsets, sunrises, and desert landscape. I love the sun, and yes, I love the heat, especially in January.
Kyle and I were in charge of Emily's little ones for 5 days. The great news is: WE ALL SURVIVED! The bad news is: We lost one glass to the antics of the puppy and got two skinned palms on an outing (poor Jackson!). The girls seemed no worse for the wear, thankfully. (I must admit, I wasn't fully prepared for the drama that accompanies sisters, ages 9 and 6.5. I had forgotten my own childhood years of pestering and playing.)
We are terrible picture takers. And thus, we failed to document our time with these precious kids. What we did snap were mostly of Jackson. I hope the girls will forgive me. :o)
Here we have a man hard at work, tinkering away on his car and a Corvette, no less. I love the concentration and I think he looks so grown up here.
I cannot lie--being a primary caretaker was exhausting, but definitely had its rewarding moments. It also gave me a new appreciation for my sister's amazing skills of parenting, organizing, creativity and being awesome, in general. Very few can do as well as she has done. At the end of the day, I had only had enough energy to crawl into bed. No movies, no TV, no relaxing. Just bed. And sleep. Perhaps it's good that most people don't start parenting immediately with three kids. Just another thing to be thankful for!
Kyle and I were in charge of Emily's little ones for 5 days. The great news is: WE ALL SURVIVED! The bad news is: We lost one glass to the antics of the puppy and got two skinned palms on an outing (poor Jackson!). The girls seemed no worse for the wear, thankfully. (I must admit, I wasn't fully prepared for the drama that accompanies sisters, ages 9 and 6.5. I had forgotten my own childhood years of pestering and playing.)
We are terrible picture takers. And thus, we failed to document our time with these precious kids. What we did snap were mostly of Jackson. I hope the girls will forgive me. :o)
Here we have a man hard at work, tinkering away on his car and a Corvette, no less. I love the concentration and I think he looks so grown up here.
He's super ornery, but look at this face!
You can't help but LOVE it!
Such a sweet puppy, this Max is.
So sweet, he left us this ribbon in the shape of a heart one afternoon.
Thanks, buddy!
I cannot lie--being a primary caretaker was exhausting, but definitely had its rewarding moments. It also gave me a new appreciation for my sister's amazing skills of parenting, organizing, creativity and being awesome, in general. Very few can do as well as she has done. At the end of the day, I had only had enough energy to crawl into bed. No movies, no TV, no relaxing. Just bed. And sleep. Perhaps it's good that most people don't start parenting immediately with three kids. Just another thing to be thankful for!
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