Food Allergy Free

10 Day Update

2011-06-02T09:03:00.000-07:00

The great news is that:

I'm down from 116 to 110 lbs. which is AWESOME!
My energy is also more consistent.
And I don't feel so bloated from the carbs or so guilty!

Since starting to eat a lower/healthy carb diet again, I've also been trying to go on a longer dog walk almost every day. And I've thrown in a few crunches here and there. Oh, and though I don't usually do "cheat days," I did do one on Sunday, which was pretty insane!!

I'd say that the biggest challenge at this point is just trying to come up with dinners that we're not tired of. So here's my latest concoction:

Take 1 package of gluten/dairy free chicken sausage (I use organic or all natural)
Grind this up in a food processor and set aside
Beat 3 eggs
Add 1/4 cup or more of Daiya cheese
Add 3 TB garfava flour
Mix in the ground sausage
Pack into small, greased muffin tins
Bake at 350 for 25 min, with 5 min. at 400 at the end

It is the yumminess! And I've done it using Spicy Jalapeno sausage w/ chilli beans on the side, or with Sundried Tomato sausage with red sauce over it!

Wednesday, 5/25

2011-05-26T05:36:00.000-07:00

Breakfast
-Shot of Kombucha
-3 Al Fresco Sausages (2 Country, 1 Apple) toasted in EarthBalance on cast iron
-1 Bready Square
-Stash Chai Green Tea

Snack
-Couple of bites of Valdosta by Salhale, but still seems too sugary, so no more
-Few sips of KeVita

Lunch
-Drank more KeVita
-Ate half a 22 Days Nutrition Bar, but it REALLY hurt my tummy

Dinner
-One and a half Sundried Tomato Sausages
-w/ Rao's and pizza sauces over it and Daiya cheese

Drinks
-Glass of red wine
-A low carb margarita

Snack
-More Valdosta

Tuesday, 5/24

2011-05-24T09:38:00.000-07:00

One really cool thing about limiting my carbs to healthier sources, like beans and veggies, is that according to the scale, I've already dropped 4 lbs. in just a few days, yay!

Today's Food Journal:

Breakfast
-Shot of Kombucha
-3 Al Fresco Sausages (2 Country, 1 Apple) toasted in EarthBalance on cast iron
-1 Bready Square
-Stash Chai Green Tea

Snack
-Couple of bites of Valdosta by Salhale, but still seems too sugary, so no more
-Few sips of KeVita

Lunch
-Beanitos (nachos)
-w/ Daiya
-w/ 1 slice AppleGate Farms Roast Beef
-w/ Guacamole

Snack
-Beanitos
-Valhala Mix

Dinner
-Spinach, Egg, Daiya Cheese, and Sausage Frittata
-w/ Red Wine (Fish Eye)

Snack
-Valhala

For Dinny I think I'll make something w/ ground sausage. TBD

Summer Shape Up 2011

2011-05-23T12:10:00.001-07:00

LOL, it is actually a bit funny when I think about it. You see all snowy Winter long I stuck quite loyally to a lower-carb version of my gluten and dairy free diet. So in the cold, layering months my body was pretty much beach-ready.

But somewhere around March I fell off and away from the horse. Darn it. While much of America was heading to the gym to get in shape for Summer, I was eating more empty carbs and getting out of shape.

And you know how that can feel. It can just feel hopeless to re-lose those last 5-10 lbs. Fortunately for me, I know what my body doesn't like, and that's carb-based foods like sugary desserts, corn-derived foods, chips and cereals.

So last week I made the commitment, and back onto the wagon of eating only healthier carbs, like bean and nut based foods. Of course, this is while still being gluten and dairy free, though DOH! I do think it'd be a whole lot easier if I could still eat real cheese (sad face).

Well the great news is that I'm seeing results REALLY fast!

Actually, the very first day I was seeing some results, but not in weight loss really. Now this is just me personally, so I'm not recommending that it will work for you, but in the first day of eating a largely protein and vegetable based gluten/dairy free diet I actually went to the bathroom much more than I had been doing in a day. It was as if my body had been having trouble digesting some of those starchy foods I was eating and by not adding any more by eliminating them from my diet, my body was more able to process what I was eating.

So yes! Talk about motivation! After just the first day, though I felt somewhat sluggish, I already FELT thinner b/c I was far less bloated, b/c my body was having a much easier time digesting the lower carb foods. Yay!

I'm just a few days into it so far, and it's not a perfect battle--yesterday I felt my tummy was flat and bikini ready, but today maybe not as much so. But still, it's WAY better!

So what have I been eating then?

Breakfast:
-Splash of Kombucha first thing
-About 3 Breakfast Sausages by Al Fresco or AppleGate Farms
-With 1 Bready Square derived from this gluten-free, low carb recipe I relied on last Summer (but altered as such: double salt and use Celtic, half xanthan, Barney Almond Butter instead of almonds, just 5 packs of NuStevia and no pecans) This is esp. good if I toast it with EarthBalance Buttery Spread in the cast iron with the sausage.
-With Stash's Chai Green Tea

Snack
-Bready Square or
-Pecans
-or Pumpkin Seeds
-or Applegate Farms cold cuts

Lunch
-Adzuki or Pinto Beans w/ chicken or beef added

Snack
-Same as above

Dinner
-Meatsauce or
-AppleGate Farms Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets with vegetables or
-Oven Fried Chicken
-etc.
-With red vegan/gluten-free wine or a low-carb margarita**

*I've been doing some research lately and found out that wheat paste is used in the barrels of some wines. Usually French wines, but it can happen anywhere. I've been drinking red wine lately and as long as I stick with vegan (i.e. casein free wines) I do not have my previous bad reactions. The wines I usu. buy that are casein and gluten free are Castle Rock's Pinot Noir (nice, kind of cigar smelling), any red by Yellow Tail and any red by FishEye. Wines that are more often made w/ gluten in the barrels are Sauvignon Blanc.

**For easy lower carb margaritas I do the following:
-2 shots silver tequila (I buy Sauza, but prefer Hornitos when I'm spending more)
-4 shots cold water
-1 3/4 shots organic lemon juice (I like Lakewood or SantaCruz bottled lemon juice b/c there's no sulfites or chemicals in there like most brands of lemon juice)
-3-4 drops good orange extract (look for this at the natural groceries like WholeFoods, try to avoid the cheaper kind from McCormick)
-1/2 to 1 tea. of agave syrup (or use NuStevia to taste, but agave is better, and w/ so little in there, not much carbs)
-Celtic Salt to taste (I like about 5 shakes from a Celtic Sea Salt Shaker)

I mix all of the above in a cocktail shaker, gently shake it up (too intensely will cause bubbling), then pour over ice. Then I just place the shaker in the fridge to refresh our drinks as needed.

I heard that using lemon juice instead of lime juice makes it less acidic. And I have noticed that seems to be true.

Now, if I'm going to continue on my lower-carb path, I'd better get to the grocery to pick up some more of these foods!

Food Diary for Monday:
Breakfast
-Shot of Kombucha
-3 Al Fresco Chicken Apple Sausages toasted in EarthBalance on cast iron
-1 Bready Square
-Stash Chai Green Tea

Snack
-1 Bready Square

Lunch
-AppleGate Farms deli chicken toasted on cast iron, topped w/ pizza sauce and Daiya (vegan cheese) I call it Deli Chicken Parmesan--I really need to get to the grocery!

After Grocery Trip:

Snack
-Couple of Bites of Salhale Valdosta, but seemed too sugary, so stopped
-Beanitos Black Bean Chips

Dinner
-Oven Fried Chicken (battered in garfava, added EarthBalance)
-w/ Crushed Tomatoes w/ Basil poured over it

Drinks
-Low Carb Margaritas (2)

Casein in Wine Causing Your Hangover?

2011-01-31T13:37:00.000-08:00

Something that I have noticed since I started drinking mostly vegan wines is that when I drink vegan, I do not get hungover. This seems to be the case even with bolder, histamine heavy red wines, which for a while seemed completely out of the question.

But even with my handy list of vegan wines, there are times when ordering a vegan wine is not an option. So I do go ahead and drink it, but in most of these cases, the next day I seem to pay the price.

I'm not quite sure if there's much of an explanation for this, perhaps vegan wines are just less "polluted." Either way, I'm very glad that Ingles sells those eco-friendly boxes of Fish Eye's Pinot Grigio for just $17!

Day 38

2010-04-07T07:53:00.000-07:00

I was pretty worried about traveling this w/e while still on an Elimination Diet, but it all went quite well. I did, however, have a little help from Enzymedica. I've sworn by their Gluten Ease digestive enzymes for aiding in the digestion of gluten and dairy when slip ups occur during travel (despite great care to avoid them, they do happen when dining out).

But two weeks ago, after having some garlic and onions in my meal while dining out, about an hour later I was feeling VERY ill. I rushed to Green Life Grocery for some Gluten Ease just hoping it might help my system usher the offenders along. Though once there, I noticed a bottle of Digest Gold PLUS Probiotics which are known to help the digestive system heal.

I compared the ingredient lists and since the Digest Gold did have the Gluten Ease enzymes in it, along with many others, I though I'd give it a shot. Well, I am SOO pleased with the results. When I take the Digest Gold with each meal I never feel ill afterwards, AND--now this part really amazes me--I just spent the weekend covered in tree pollen and my usual seasonal allergies are nowhere to be found! So I don't know if maybe it never was the pollen, and just the onions all along causing my ridiculously runny nose, or if my system is so much less reactive on the Digest Gold that my allergies are being kept at bay, but either way, THANK YOU Enzymedica.

I know this totally sounds funny to be recommending one company so strongly, but I have tried competitor's versions of the Gluten Ease, and I have been disappointed. That, and I'm just so excited to feel so much better!

As for the foods, here's the latest.

Already Intolerant to:
-Gluten
-Dairy

Don't Like:
-Kiwi
-Lentils

Foods to Still Phase Back In:
-Yeast
-Peanuts
-Cashews
-Soy
-Brazil Nuts
-Hazelnuts
-Chili Peppers

Foods I Seem Okay With:
-Sunflower Seeds
-Corn
-Eggs
-Almonds

Foods I Do Not Do Well With:
-Onions
-Garlic

I suppose the next food I will phase in is Soy.

And by the way, in an effort to really get in shape for summer, I've also decided to cut carbs. This sounds crazy, I know. What can I eat?? But I do want to get in shape and diet and exercise are what I'm focusing on.

I made some low carb "bran muffins" I found a recipe for this morning for breakfast---ick! They're not very good, but maybe I'll get used to them.

I also took Waylon (dog) on a long walk this morning before eating to jump start my metabolism.

For lunch, I'm planning to make chili.

Day 24

2010-03-24T05:38:00.000-07:00

Corn: I've been eating bits here and there and have not continued to notice any side effects.

Sunflower Seeds: I've just begun using sunflower oil in cooking again, as well as soy-free butter containing sunflower derivatives. Still need to try the actual seeds or butter though. No noticeable reactions thus far.

Yeast: I've stayed away from baker's yeast, but am enjoying nutritional yeast on my food with no problems. Though I did just read that grape juice contains yeast, hmm. As does wine. These are different types of yeast than in bread though, I'll have to research this further.

Garlic: I did not begin officially phasing this back in, but twice "snuck" some garlic powder or dried garlic and twice had awful reactions. The first time was a bit of garlic powder mixed into an organic mashed potato mix (gluten and dairy free) and afterwards I felt nauseaous for that night and the next day. The second time I actually threw up hours later and felt sick for two days afterwards. The smell just from cooking it is enough to make me ill just remembering!

Onions: Though onions were not one the original avoidance list, I don't normally eat v. many, as I've long suspected a connection to eating onions and having a hay fever like reaction. It turns out, they still do just that. Perhaps once my system is better healed I will be able to enjoy garlic and onions, but right now, the bad FAR outweighs the good.

Foods I Will Continue to Avoid:

Already Intolerant to:
-Gluten
-Dairy

Don't Like:
-Kiwi
-Lentils

Foods to Still Phase Back In:
-Almonds
-Peanuts
-Cashews
-Soy
-Brazil Nuts
-Hazelnuts
-Chili Peppers

Day 14

2010-03-14T19:03:00.000-07:00

Well, day by day my weight has gone down and though my waist measurements are not dropping as drastically as they did at first, I'm feeling much less bloated and am well over 1" and 2" at and below my waist respectively.

Here are some updates:

I have been having nutritional yeast for the past 2 or 3 days, from what I can tell, it is not the same as baker's yeast, and has had no adverse reactions.
Two nights ago I began phasing in corn products, corn starch at first and then corn chips, I felt awfully icky afterwards though, so I have stopped having corn.

I don't know that I definitely have a problem with corn, in that I would have to avoid it fully and even avoid xanthan gum and derived products, but I just felt kind of "yech" afterwards, so am going to avoid it for not, and have in only in moderation in the future.

My allergies have been nuttso, which seemed to go haywire when I made carmelized onions one night. So after a couple of days I tried them again, and had the same reaction. For now, however, I am not sure if this is being caused strictly by the onions, or if since this is my first Spring back in the South I am suffering from seasonal allergies BIG TIME. I did find that Zyrtec helps, Claritin does not, but I have not been able to call CVS (they are actually generic versions) to verify the ingredients (i.e. no gluten).

Here's what I had today:

Breakfast:
AppleGate Farms Turkey
Bites of Nana's Choc. Cookie

Snack:
Nana's Choc. Cookie

Lunch:
White Rice Noodles w/ Marinara and Chicken Italian Sausage

Snack:
Kettle Chips

Dinner:
Chebe Crust Pizza w/ Marinara and Chicken Italian Sausage
w/ Mustard and Nut. Yeast (cheese)
Sparkling Water and Grape Juice

My latest measurements:
115.6 yesterday 116.4 today (suspect corn yesterday) 30"/31"

Day 9

2010-03-09T09:38:00.000-08:00

Well, my meals were very exciting to me last wee, but by last night, I was a bit "over" them. So I ran off to the grocery to do the week's shopping, in search of some additional options. This morning is looking up already, but here's what I ate yesterday:

Breakfast
Rice w/ Tomato Sauce and Leftover Chicken
Green Tea

Snack
Low Sugar Choc. Chip Cookies

Lunch
Rice w/ Tomato Sauce and Leftover Chicken

Snack
Low Sugar Choc. Chip Cookies

Dinner
Apple Chicken Sausage + AppleGate Farms Ham + Mustard
Kettle Potato Chips
Sparkle Water + Grape Juice

Snack
Rice w/ Tomato Sauce

116 30"/32"

Food Allergy Elim. Diet Day 2

2010-03-02T20:17:00.001-08:00

Breakfast
Rice Chex w/ Chockies and a Bit of Ground Flax
Stash Black Chai Tea

Snack
Cape Cod Potato Chips
Choc. Cookies

Lunch
Smashed Tomatoes, Olive Oil, Spinach w/ Leftover Chicken/Tomatoes

Snack
Choc. Cookies

Dinner
White Rice, Olive Oil, Diced Tomatoes
Grape Juice and Sparkle Water

Snack
Choc. Cookies

Measurements
118 31/33

Food Allergy Elim. Diet Day 1

2010-03-01T11:33:00.001-08:00

This week I embark upon yet another food allergy adventure! Yes, I am making another valiant effort to maintain a modified food allergy elimination diet in hopes of uncovering any lingering intolerances I might have formerly missed.

Last night I too some waistline measurements and confirmed what I have been suspecting, which is that despite my yoga and dog walks, and even cutting out alcohol, the bloat is back.

The measurement I gave in the past were taken after my initial elimination diet, after my weight had already dropped from the 118-120 range to the 109-110 range. So a couple of weeks ago I was quite startled to find my weight back up, and my waistline as well.

This morning was a little hairy, as I hadn't been to the store and was stuck all morning with only Enjoy Life Foods chocolate chips and green tea to hold me over. Fortunately, I did make it to the grocery later on, and by tonight my meals may once again resemble actual meals:

Breakfast(ish)
EnjoyLife chocolate chips (condiment serving)
Twinnings Jasmine Green Tea

Snack
Rice Chex
w/ Whole Flax Seeds
w/ Chockies
w/ Organic Welch's Grape Juice and Sparkling Water

Lunch
Med. Grain W. Rice Cooked w/ Water and Coconut Oil
Spinach (frozen) Cooked in Olive Oil w/ Onion Powder, Salt, Nutritional Yeast (messed up on the yeast, oops!) with a Few Black Beans Cooked in Water

Dinner
Chicken in Rice Flour, Red Pepper and Salt w/ Diced Tomatoes and Sauteed Mushrooms
Over Med. Grain W. Rice w/ Sauteed Spinach

Drink
1 Shot Vodka w/2 of Grape Juice w/ 2 of Sparkling Water

Snack
Choc Cookies

Measurements: 118.6 31/33

Drew Brees is Gluten-Free

2010-03-01T06:36:00.000-08:00

Wow! My hometown hero Drew Brees has food allergies! According to Sports Illustrated: Brees's long list of food allergies includes dairy, wheat, gluten, eggs and nuts.

Brees has been such a positive figure in New Orleans, hopefully public knowledge of his food allergies will help inspire children out there, for whom adhere to allergy free diets can make them feel like outcasts.

Maybe a big gluten-free company will lock him in as a sponsor? A girl can dream, can't she!

Making Beauty Happen

2010-02-01T08:31:00.000-08:00

When I first went gluten-free, in many ways my skin improved, but one challenge I began to face was seemingly irreparable dryness. Finally, I have a gluten-free moisture serum that works wonders for my skin and complexion!

For years I researched ingredients and tested out personal care products in search of the best of the gluten-free beauties. Finally, I've gotten a chance to put all that hard work to the true test in the form of a product formulated by my very own hands!

Introducing:

The formula is blended upon order--no waiting around. Using only healthy, nourishing oils and extracts.

What's Hiding in Your Wine?

2009-08-10T09:41:00.000-07:00

I had a breakthrough in my wine investigations recently, and that came with the realization of what is really hiding in our wine glasses: casein, albumen, isinglass and gelatin. All of these icky ingredients are commonly used to fine or clarify wine before it is racked.

Fortunately there is a wonderful site called Barnivore.com which has helped me to discover many wonderful casein-free "vegan" wines that I can enjoy with lessened repercussions.

Click here for my article about how casein makes it into your wine glass and how to avoid it.

Lecithin/Egg-Free, the Way for Me?

2009-05-29T21:52:00.000-07:00

Well, I must be onto something.

I'm ruling out placebo effect since when Dr. Vikki mentioned that I could have a starch or fat sensitivity, I hopped on board. Wasn't starch, and going low carb--yet again--was not fun. I did, however, expect to see startling results since pre-gluten/dairy free I always lost weight on low carb diets. But alas, no mas.

And then low fat was more fun than low starch, but still, no progress.

It's been just two and a half days now, but I've got to say, I do believe that whatever is plaguing me may very well be processing out of my body, and leaving me the healthier/happier for it. Today my waist measurements were improved slightly and my energy, attitude and outlook has been just amazingly better.

I was even hyper this morning, wow! I have not been hyper in . . . too long!

So then, is it eggs, or lecithin (which would include eggs)? I'm not sure yet, but in the meantime I have no problem avoiding the suspicious foods considering how much better I feel!

I even spent half the day mixing up a delish, allergy-free cookie recipe for Waylon--which he liked, very, very much!

@ waist 28.9"
2" below belly button 31.6"

Modified Elim. Diet

2009-05-28T10:56:00.000-07:00

I've been wondering whether this blog is worth keeping up--what with all of the other blogs and sites I work on. But a perusal of entries past has me remembering the value of this 'lil blog.

For the past three months I have been trying to sort out what's gone wrong in my diet.

Symptoms:
-bloating
-fatigue
-acid stomach

Old symptoms popping back up, and I have yet to lay a finger on just why that may be. I've consulted an expert (Dr. Vikki Petersen), been charting through my book about acupuncture (r/e symptoms and related foods) and now perusing back through old posts on this here blog to determine how my diet's changed, and what are my possible offenders.

Now, I may be completely off, but here are some possibilities, far as I can tell:
-eggs
-bell peppers
-onions
-garlic
-rice
-potatoes

I figure the offender(s) must be something(s) that I have virtually every day, so those are the most likely, but a bit of research has rendered most of these foods relative. To a lecithin intolerance that is.

Foods containing lecithin include:

Tomatoes
Potatoes (not yams or sweet potatoes)
Eggplant
Bell peppers
Tobacco
Soy
Peanuts

This could very well be it, and here's why I think so:

I stopped eating potato chips about a week and a half ago since I was having Kettle chips daily and suspected that those were part of the problem.
We eat bell pepper strips nearly every single night.
I've not been much of a soy person since going gluten & casein free, but lately have been having it more often.
Peanuts give me a sore throat.
Too many tomato products leaves my tongue pale.

This is not the most imperfect or scientific experiment, but hopefully I am onto something.

I figured all of this out yesterday evening after a meditation on the subject and then began my modified elimination diet, using prior food journals and the above research to create a menu for myself.

Here are today's stats:

@ waist 29"
2" below belly button 31.6"

(yesterday was 30 and 32" respectively)

Breakfast:
-TJ's Chicken Apple Sausage (1 piece, microwaved, since Tay made eggs on the Le Creuset)
-1 of the Awful Almond/Coconut Cookies I made last night

Snack:
-1/2 Inspired Cookie, Choco./Jasmine
-1 of the Awful Cookies

Wine Contains Casein?

2009-03-29T21:28:00.000-07:00

For months I have been trying to figure out why sometimes I feel so much better than others. I've suspected that I am getting "glutened" or even "caseined." But how?

Who'd have thought I could be getting "caseined" from wine?!

I am not even certain how I first came to realized that wine is sometimes fined with casein, but in the course of me research, I found this helpful article: Is Your Wine Fined?

Looking over my diet, it made perfect sense. But how am I to know which wines are safe? Look for vegan wines. Wines labeled "vegan" (not vegetarian) contain NO animal products/byproducts.

Unfortunately, finding vegan wine is not as easy as it sounds--even at Whole Foods. Some stores have begun labeling vegan products, but others do not. I did however fine this incredibly helpful resource: Barnivore's Vegan Wine List.

Cheers!

Crazy for Cider Quinoa

2009-02-04T10:56:00.000-08:00

Since even just the suspicion of a gluten sensitivity I have been cooking up quinoa. Though about a month ago I was ready to give up on the stubborn grain after my favorite marinade was no longer available at Whole Foods.

Flavoring this stuff is just never very easy--it requires just the right balance and potency. So unless you can actually still eat dairy and thus enjoy a good quinoa risotto, I am sure you know have fought similar battles.

Recently, however, I figured out my personal, perfect quinoa dish! After learning more about the possible digestive benefits of garlic and apple cider vinegar, I began incorporating them into just about every dish. I buy the brand Bragg's, since the pasteurized stuff never tastes the same, but I do microwave or cook it in, since there is supposedly a slight risk in consuming raw cider vinegar.

I wash my quiona, dump in a one-t0-two count of apple cider vinegar, add a splash of olive oil, a couple of chopped garlic cloves and begin to simmer. Once the quinoa is stirred and coated, I dump in the water and cook away, adding kosher salt to taste.

This is the best tasting quinoa I've had. The sour cider completely changes the taste, much to my liking!

The costs/benefits of apple cider vinegar are still controversial, but for girl who can't even eat cheese, I crave some complexity of flavor, and the cider really hits the spot.

Whole Foods Chicken: An Educational Experience

2009-01-27T10:38:00.001-08:00

During the week I often make lunches easier by picking up a Whole Foods rotisserie chicken. I usually opt for the perfectly plain, and then de-bone it and flavor it with a marinade. Though I have always appreciated the clear list of ingredients in case I might want to branch out and try another seasoned variety.

Today, however, I learned something very interesting. The chickens were still in the cooker, when a very nice cook asked which kind I preferred, then removed and packaged one for me. Unfortunately, she misheard me and I realized that I cannot eat the lemon-herb seasoned chickens because of the ingredients (I can't have wheat or dairy).

I apologized and said that either the classic or perfectly plain would be find, but the lady was very nice and grabbed the plain chickens off of the top bar, informing me that the classic chickens are cooked at the very bottom of the cooker--so all of the other chickens (including barbecue and lemon herb) drip down, contaminating the classic chickens.

Needless to say, this is disturbing. Nowhere on the label does it say that that the chickens could be contaminated, but then again, they do not say "gluten-free" either.

Fortunately, I just received a very positive response when I called national headquarters. I spoke with Customer Service Specialist Jessie Walker who said that he would send out a global e-mail immediately on this subject. He was careful to warn that their kitchens are unfortunately, not dedicated gluten-free, so there is always a risk of cross-contamination. But that this is an easy enough fix: cook the plain on top, the classic right below, and all else underneath those.

I sure hope that my phone call does make a difference. Though in the future, I will definitely try to only buy chickens fresh out of the cooker so that I can ask on which level the were cooked.

Gluten-Free, Casein-Free and Really Good Spinach Frittata

2009-01-12T11:09:00.000-08:00

Today I wish I were a better photographer. So many bloggers have these gorgeous images of the foods they cook that just makes your mouth water. Sorry y'all, I am not one of them!

But if you are looking for a healthy, lower-care recipe, this one's quite good!

My Aunt Di introduced me to oven baked spinach frittatas a few years ago, and since then, I have been trying to create my own gluten-free, casein-free version

What You'll Need:
2 pkgs. of frozen chopped spinach
1 pkg. cheese singles (we used Rice cheese, gluten and casein free)
1/2 cup gluten-free flour blend
1/2 tsp. xantham gum
4 eggs
4 egg whites
1 pkg. bacon
butter substitute

Heat oven to 425, take a muffin tin and put a small dollup of gluten/casein free butter substitute into each cup (about 1/3 tsp.) and place this in the oven for a couple of minutes until the butter substitute is melted to leave a thin layer coating the bottom of the tin and set aside.

Spray a cooking skillet with olive oil and cook spinach just until thawed adding Tony Chachere's or salt for flavoring.

Beat eggs and egg whites in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Add in gluten-free flour blend, xantham gum and mix. Then add about 6 squares of Rice cheese crumbled or sliced into little bits and add in the cooked spinach (spoon the spinach in, trying not to pick up excess moisture left at the bottom of the skillet). Mix.

Take the bacon and wrap a slice around the inside of each muffin cup, then fill the bacon cup about 3/4 full with the spinach mixture. Top each cup with slices of the remaining pieces of Rice cheese.

Bake for 35-45 minutes. You may want to take one out and check the filling to cook it to your liking, for crispier, cook 45, for more gooey, cook 35, but be sure the egg is cooked completely.

These are even great stored in the fridge and heated in the microwave for about a minute!

Enjoy!

Okay, It's Not ALWAYS Easy

2009-01-04T16:22:00.000-08:00

For the most part, when asked whether sticking to a strict gluten and casein-free diet is challenging, I say, "no." Restaurants are usually so accommodating, often preparing me a personalized dish that is simply off-the-charts in taste and completely safe. Natural grocers like Whole Foods Markets offer a growing number of gluten-free specialty foods. And the web abounds with the creative, ingenious creations of thousands of gluten-free bloggers/chefs.

So for the most part, avoiding gluten and dairy like the plague is no big deal. For New Year's I even baked the most amazing gluten-free pizza for my boyfriend and I, of course my half had just a sprinkling of soy/rice cheese, since the rice cheese we'd bought for him we realized contained casein. But still, with homemade marinara sauce, fresh baked crust and fresh, deli-sliced prosciutto and salami, it was a masterpiece.

Then, occasionally, there comes a day like today. After napping away most of the afternoon, I finally felt well enough to plan a menu for the week and venture out to my neighborhood Whole Foods Market. I had planned to make chicken tenders breaded in smashed brown rice crispies, a spinach frittata and get some different veggies. We were both starving, and off we went, list in hand.

But when we made it to the butcher counter, there were no packages of chicken breasts left. Well, there were two very large--too large, packs, but apart from being larger than we needed, they were the sort of packs that were left behind only because they were the sort of packs that you pass over when selecting the best looking chicken. And considering that the chicken behind the glass case was several dollars more expensive, I was coming to terms with the fact that my menu was quickly going out the window.

I decided instead to head towards the perfectly plain roasted chickens. I could de-bone it in shredded pieces and mix it with a flavorful gluten/dairy free marinade. Plus since these are already cooked, this would at least be easier to make a meal out of. However, these too were sold out. Durnnit.

Starting to feel quite discouraged, my boyfriend and I decided to scrap our grocery shopping plans for this evening, I would come back tomorrow after the shipments had arrived. But we did still need to each find something to enjoy for dinner tonight. I scoured the hot dishes in the prepared food section, only everything that appealed seemed to have some random glutenous ingredient added into the mix. Double durnnit.

At this point, I was hungry, feeling unwell, and left without a clue over what to eat. I wandered aimlessly, but nothing appealed. My boyfriend came home with a bag of food to enjoy tonight, I came home with one box of cereal.

Okay, yes, I am feeling sorry for myself. No, this is not the worst thing to ever happen, but, these days do happen: days that I want to yell at someone for making my body this way, days in which I want someone to blame.

But it will pass.

Tomorrow I will be glad to know how to best nourish and care for my body. Tomorrow I will be proud to be a part of a community of people who watch for their body's every reaction to the foods they eat, a community that is open-minded and supportive. And tomorrow I will wake up, go back to the grocery and make a lovely gluten-free, casein-free meal.

Lou's Famous = Wellshire Farms

2008-12-31T09:36:00.000-08:00

It seems that I've made a Wellshire mistake.

I was so excited this morning to fix these new gluten-free sausages that I just bought for the fist time from my local Whole Foods. I had never seen this brand before, and when I saw Lou's Famous sausages in flavors like skinless chicken apple and artichoke/olive I was thrilled!

So I was a bit disappointed when, while cooking them, I realized that this "Lou's Famous" is actually a Wellshire Farms company, durnnit. Now, for those who don't know, several Wellshire Farms kids foods which were labeled "gluten free" were found to be contaminated with gluten when tested by the Chicago Tribune.

I am just hoping that these sausages are perhaps made in a different facility, or are somehow not cross-contaminated. I looked up the website, and I really do have to say, that the Wellshire Farms family seems very nice, but I can't ignore the fact that their saftey standards have failed so many who are gluten sensitive.

I know that this is very risky, but I am eating the sausage--since it was already cooked when I realized. I am just hoping that it is manufactured in another facility. I may also e-mail the company to inquire. Only time will tell now.

At Least Whole Foods is (Finally) Doing the Responsible Thing

2008-12-30T23:33:00.000-08:00

For any who hasn't seen it, this is a very interesting article in follow-up to the whole Wellshire Farms conspiracy. Okay, so "conspiracy" is a bit of an exaggeration, but in the gluten-free community the company's blatant disregard for the health of its customers is just utterly mind-blowing.

Well, yes, I am being dramatic, but I must admit that even though I do feel badly for the employees of that company, it does give me pleasure to see the shelves overflowing in unpurchased, unpopular Wellshire products. Now, do understand, that if the company were to do the responsible (and yes, expensive) thing and pull those products, and immediately begin relabeling or safety testing to ensure the absence of any gluten contaminants, I would be much kinder. But a disregard for your and my health leaves me with a somewhat sour taste.

Anyway, here's the article, I'll be quiet now:

Whole Foods pulls 'gluten-free' products that contain the substance

Honey Baked Disappointment

2008-12-17T11:01:00.000-08:00

I do apologize for my little hiatus here. But very soon (maybe even by tomorrow) I will be able to proudly introduce you all to the gluten-free site that my boyfriend and I have been busy building. So, shall I get to the point of why I am so utterly disappointed in the HoneyBaked Co.?

A bit tired of the same ole' recipes, I decided to purchase a turkey breast from the HoneyBaked Co. It would feed us for the better part of the week, and seemed like a nice treat for out tastebuds.

Well, I looked online to verify their gluten-free status and found this under the FAQ section of the HoneyBaked website:
Do your hams or turkey breast contain glutens? We have reformulated our glaze to be considered free of allergens. This means our hams and turkey breasts DO NOT contain glutens.

I even called ahead to be sure that my venture out in a hail storm would prove successful. I showed up at the HoneyBaked store and waited in line patiently for 20 minutes or so, and then it was my turn, I was starving, and about to possess a delicious HoneyBaked Turkey!!

I voiced my order and was asked whether I preferred the smoked or roasted version. I asked if both were gluten-free. This question quickly managed to stun the entire staff at work, no one knew a) what was in the turkeys and b) what gluten was. I informed them that gluten is the protein of wheat, barley or rye, and simply asked for an ingredient list, so that I could check--even though the website stated that all the turkeys (and hams) are gluten-free.

Sadly, the only ingredient list that even the manager was able to produce was a 10 yr. old small sliver of plastic plastered to one of the registers which listed off one solitary ingredient list. Now, against my better judgement, I could have chosen to ignore the fact that "corn syrup" was a main ingredient, but "wheat starch" was NOT okay. I mentioned the website, and offered that the formula might have been changed, but the manager insisted it hadn't.

I was starving, and bummed, but went to Whole Foods and wound up making chicken tenders dipped in crushed brown rice crispies and sauteed/pan fried---YUM! I also e-mailed the HoneyBaked Co. to find out their take on this situation, and whether or not their products are in fact gluten-free. Here is their reply:

Can you tell me what store you visited? The gluten free formula is for the South East division of the HoneyBaked Ham Company. You may have visited a store outside of our division.

All I can say is, SERIOUSLY?! I have, however, replied asking whether this is indicated anywhere on their website, or if they plan to mention it at all.
I just received another reply:

There are different divisions of the HoneyBaked Ham Company and they do have different ingredients. When you visit the main website which is www.honeybaked.com you will be asked to specify what state you reside in. Once you pick the state, it will direct you to the division in your area. You will need to visit the website for our California division to find their nutritional information. They may have gluten free products but I am not sure.

Ultimately, when you consider the severity of food allergies and intolerances, and HoneyBaked's levels of irresponsibility, it is simply mind blowing. An internet search for "HoneyBaked, gluten-free" can quickly lead you to any of their division's web pages stating that the hams and turkeys are gluten-free, but if you don't live in that same state, you may get a glutened ham or turkey.

The company would do much better to list states which offer gluten-free turkeys and hams, instead of being so vague. I for one, will be avoiding the HoneyBaked products from here on, and consider that HoneyBaked products are not gluten-free, since unless you know the origin of the ham or turkey, you won't know whether or not it has gluten until perhaps too late.

Do Not Purchase Wellshire Farms Products

2008-11-21T15:07:00.000-08:00

This is astonishing news--and not the good kind!

According to an article in today's Chicago Tribune, Wellshire Farms, who markets their products with "gluten free" labeling, has not been upholding thier safetly standards. Children have been having severe allergic reactions to supposed "gluten free" products. Here is a link to the article:

Children at Risk in Food Roulette

Interestingly enough, I switched my morning breakfast a few months ago to include Wellshire Farms sausages. After eating them I always notice those all too familiar old acid stomach symptoms. I know that I have the symptoms after eating them, but they are labeled "gluten free," so I assumed I may have some other obscure food allergy or intolerance. I have also been suffering from an incurable sinus infection, that despite multiple antibiotics has refused to go away.

I am on my way to return my recent Wellshire Farms purchases now. I have also contacted Whole Foods regarding this issue, I will let you know what I find out.

Off The Wagon Already?

2008-11-19T22:04:00.000-08:00

Well, it is now day 2 and my food allergy elimination diet is . . . goingish.

Yesterday I expertly adhered to the diet:
Breakfast-chicken apple sausages
Lunch-jambalaya
Snack-allergy free chocolate chips, potato chips (kettle)
Dinner-jambalaya and (gluten free) beer battered asparagus
Cocktail-tequila and cranberry

Today I was not so good:
Breakfast-chicken apple sausages w/ gluten free bread and spinach w/ gluten free margarine
Lunch-hamburger w/ gluten free bread and potato chips (kettle)
Snack-allergy free chocolates
Dinner-hamburger w/ tortilla chips and a bite of leftover jambalaya
Wine-a glass of white (French)

Now, the reasons today's diet was not allergy free, was the margarine, bread and burgers. All contain soy. The problem is that I have all of this gluten free bread and am not yet prepared to let food I have go to waste for this sake.

I guess all I really can do is continue to monitor my diet. Days that I feel better or worse, I can at least gauge what I ate and then investigate. Oh well.

Food Allergy Free--Again?

2008-11-16T23:14:00.000-08:00

With the year nearly over and my overall health better than it has been in years, I may be crazy for pushing this envelope, but I am planning on giving the food allergy elimination diet another go.
A lingering sinus infection and occasional bloating are the vices I am looking to eradicate. And with more time at home to plan and prepare meals, now seems the perfect time. Of course, upcoming holiday travels may push me a bit off course, but I will just take it one day at a time for now.
Tomorrow I will have to wrangle up a breakfast that I already have on hand, but I am working on a menu for the week, something easy and nutritious that will feed me and my boyfriend for a week. I'm thinking jambalaya!

My Take on the Whole Gluten Trend

2008-11-10T18:50:00.001-08:00

The article which left me fuming last week inspired me to take action.

After discussing it on the forums, I first realized that people who do have a severe gluten sensitivity, such as celiac, are concerned that this growing trend may undermine the severity of their conditions. Initially, this was not what I saw, all that I saw was that the author was undermining the millions who are still undiagnosed, by failing to realize that more attention and awareness means more diagnoses.

I thought about all of this long and hard over the weekend, trying to consider the feelings from both sides of the fence, and came up with, what I believe, is a pretty good summary.

And thus I give you, my latest article on Celiac.com:

The Gluten Free Diet--Trend or Staple

Enjoy!

Kristen

The Most Ignorant Article I Have Read In A While

2008-11-05T17:25:00.000-08:00

I was very glad when the following article was forwarded to me, as it completely and utterly ignorant and inaccurate. I challenge all who are gluten sensitive to leave your remarks as well.

Article:
http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/digestive-disorders/2008/10/31/gluten-free-diet-a-cure-for-some-a-fad-for-most.html

My Response (via comment):
Gluten Free Facts, This Author Has Them All Wrong
As someone diagnosed with severe gluten intolerance, this article doe not sit well at all.
Were Adam diagnosed with a gluten sensitivity, I am sure his perspective would be much changed. You see, it is the lucky few who after years of symptoms and multiple doctors have finally been diagnosed. According to Peter H.R. Green, MD of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University, only 3% of celiac patients have actually been diagnosed. And according to Shari Lieberman, PhD, nearly 30% of the American population is gluten sensitive.
So for those millions of Americans with unrelenting symptoms or genetic predispositions, the fact that the popularity of a gluten free lifestyle is on the rise, could prolong, greatly improve, even save their lives.
Sadly, this disease is one of still much controversy. Most doctors have yet to encounter it and may therefore have a hard time recognizing gluten sensitivity. So articles like this, articles based on questionable resources are damaging to all who are trying to get diagnosed. Every person who wonders if there is a correlation, a real cause for symptoms deserves open ears, not uneducated opinions that it is simply a personal choice.
This is why it is so important that those who are diagnosed continue to raise their voices, continue to ask restaurants for gluten free options, ask grocers to stock gluten free goods, ask one another via groups and forums how to handle certain aspects of this lifestyle.
And for those who are suspicious of a gluten sensitivity and in need of guidance (where to be tested, which method should be chosen, etc.), ask your questions. Ask until you get the answer that feels right to you. Ask until whatever your symptoms may be, and whatever their cause, you are finally, accurately diagnosed.
Sincerely,
Kristen Campbell
www.NaturallyDahling.com

Soy, Peanut, Egg, Wheat and Dairy Free Goodness

2008-10-14T21:50:00.001-07:00

I am just loving SPEWDFree.com, not only is it the cutest site I have seen lately, but it is also an amazing resource.

I have been e-mailing with Heather, the mastermind behind SPEWD Free's amazing soy, peanut, egg, wheat and dairy free recipes. Her son is allergic to all of the above, and Heather has really taken his allergies to heart, developing SPEWD Free and keeping others alert of invaluable allergy free news.

I also love that Heather has created such an amazing resource for those going through food allergy elimination diets. I continue to think that I could really benefit from going back on a food allergy elimination diet, eliminating all of the eight most common food allergens. This is, after all how I first saw my body recover to full function.

Regardless, I urge you to visit Heather's incredible site SPEWD Free.

It's Really Not Easy Being Cheesy

2008-10-05T13:28:00.000-07:00

As I recall a widely popular ad from some mid-period of my lifetime, "It's not easy being cheesy," I honestly must agree. I would have bet money that being diagnosed with severe gluten intolerance would be the most difficult to treat, since the only cure is a lifetime avoidance of gluten from wheat barley or rye. But this former cookie-addict knows that with the costs far outweighing the benefits, gluten free living is not so difficult.

But the additional diagnosis of casein intolerance, which requires a complete avoidance of cheese, milk, butter, anything containing milk protein was a bit more than I bargained for. At first I foolishly believed that sheep and goat's milk products were allowable alternatives, and during that time period, I fell in love with some of the most delectable, most intoxicating sheep and goat's milk cheeses that Whole Foods has to offer. The fine cheese section boasted sheep's milk Gouda, goat's milk cheddar, and sheep’s milk brie. And the butter and cream section introduced me to the most flavorful butter, made from goat's milk which for that time became my secret ingredient to the most amazing dishes.

Unfortunately though, I realized that while most of my symptoms had cleared up from the avoidance of gluten, my digestive system was still not entirely pleased. I finally looked into the severity of an intolerance to casein, and deciphered that dairy too was off-limits for me if I wanted to be at optimal health.

I now adhere to a gluten and casein free diet and my overall health is the best it has been in years. And while I do still miss those amazing cheeses, I know that without them, I am simply better off.

Wine of the Times

2008-09-18T13:13:00.000-07:00

A quick wine update:
The switch to foreign white wines has really helped my rosacea (which is also improved by adhering to a gluten and casein free diet, a I am intolerant to both). I have also had no further bouts of waking up with the symptoms of a bad cold after a glass of wine.

As much as I formerly loved red wine, somehow, the switch has fully converted me into a drinker of white. Red now tastes quite alcoholic to me and almost immediately stuffs up my nose. And oddly enough, it seems that more and more people I know have made the switch to whites as well. It used to seem that everyone drank red, but now, every time I have a sip among friends, someone is mentioning his/her poor reaction to red wine.

Wine of the Times

2008-07-21T15:30:00.000-07:00

A new suggestion was offered to me this weekend: switch the vino to blanc. Not skip the vino, or don't drink alcohol--both of which are not the most practical of advices. But simply, switch to white, a move that with temperatures rising is actually quite practical.

Apparently foreign whites are preferable, as California white wines tend to contain more sugar--which may account for the fact that I do not prefer them, as a drier white wine tends to be my fav.

And it seems that this simple switch is actually working in my favor! The swapping of white for red wine and addition of some new skin care practices have my complexion more even than ever. For months I have milled over which wines are best for me, leaving me the least congested. I have wondered whether it is the sulfites, the histamines, the tannins, etc. Perhaps this switch to dry foreign white wines will solve my vino dilemma. Fabulous!

Why Milk and Cookies Make Me Feel Fat

2008-04-27T14:13:00.000-07:00

It seems a quasi-miracle these days how many gluten and dairy free cookies and chips I can consume while keeping my waist size smaller and skin clearer than ever. Formerly, I could literally see my tummy and complexion growing in the wrong directions throughout the day.

Bloating is not a reason most would take a trip to the doctor for; acne breakouts, constant nausea, digestive troubles, migraine-level headaches, and rosacea, however, are.

Doctors soon linked all of the above "symptoms" to my stomach and digestive tract. When those worked better, so did all else improve. Though the solution, rather than an examination into my diet, was popping pills in hopes of establishing a bit of harmony.

These did work, most of the time. My nausea was kept at bay by Protonix, my acne and rosacea were not awful and flared up only occasionally, and supplements worked some of the time to keep my digestive tract in check. Bloating, however, seemed to be a fact of life.

The day I first began to wonder whether it was the food I was putting in my stomach and not my stomach itself, was after reading an article my beau had recommended. A fitness author spoke of how common food intolerances and allergies are becoming, and could likely be sabotaging dietary success.

I soon decided to try eliminating all common food allergens from my diet. These are largely known as the offending eight, but at the suggestion of Allergy-Details.com I eliminated all of the following:

cow's milk, eggs, yeast, soy, wheat, corn, almonds, cashews, peanuts, garlic, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, oats, lentils, kiwi fruit, chili peppers, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds.

Eating became a very tricky thing. Getting all of my nutrients was quite the challenge, and eating out was out of the question. But after the first week, my weight had dropped and I realized that my body was fully functioning, better than ever, sans pills! I confirmed with my doctor that I could go off all pills and have stayed off since.

With my weight dropping down a quick 10 pounds, my skin clearer than it had been in years and my overall health improved, I became certain that I had a food allergy or intolerance. Being officially diagnosed was perhaps the hardest part, but with persistence, I did get my answers, finally.

Officially, I have a severe gluten intolerance as well as casein intolerance. This means that it is recommended that I stay strictly off gluten and dairy permanently, as ingesting these ingredients will cause my body to create antibodies that will attack itself. Results from prolonged damage could include:

small intestinal damage and malnutrition, osteoporosis, and damage to other tissues like nerves, brain, joints, muscles, thyroid, pancreas, other glands, skin, liver, spleen, among others.-EnteroLab.com

Unofficially, eating gluten and casein makes my cheeks rosy with rosacea, my waist size climb, my face to breakout like a teenager and my tummy to be most unhappy.

I love cookies, and I can continue to eat them as well as chips, chocolate and many other delectable treats that many suggest avoiding if plagued with breakouts and bloating. Of course, I opt for the gluten and dairy free varieties.

Research shows that up to 30% of Americans are gluten sensitive. Being tested was for me, one of the best choices I have made, as it helps me on a daily basis to better nourish my body, prevent future illnesses and look more fabulous than ever!

Moooo Cow

2008-04-08T22:47:00.000-07:00

Lately I have noticed that on some days my tummy is flatter than others. So I ask: what is the cause for this belt tightening bloating?

There seems to be a correlation to dairy. I have been pretty much sticking to goat and sheep's milk products as a source of dairy, but perhaps even these typically more user friendly forms of calcium are even a bit much for me.

I will continue to watch and see. I really ought to start logging in everything I eat again, but it requires so much more discipline than I have. I will consider it.

REALLY?!

2008-04-08T21:44:00.000-07:00

I was utterly shocked today to discover that mass runway copier, Forever21 is, oddly enough, selling . . . soy candles. Handmade soy candles. At Forever21. Really?

First of all, I must wonder whether Brook Harvey-Taylor (Pacifica Candles) knows that Stella Mare has totally ripped off her scents and packaging design. I have adored and been a loyal purveyer of the Hawaiin Ruby Guava body creme and candles by Pacifica for some time (though I have had to give up the creme since going gluten free). Then again, who is the originator of these fab soy scents: Stella or Brook?

After a bit of googling of "Stella Mare," "Stella Mare Candles," "Stella Mare Soy Candles," etc. I came up with plenty of places to purchase these lovelies, but no information about the elusive "Stella Mare."

I can't swear they are based on original scents, but they are only $7.80 at Forever21 and smell phenomenal! Plus they are made with food grade soy, lead free wicks and "Made in the USA." I don't know who Stella Mare is, but her cheap soy candles sure smell nice.

WineO

2008-04-07T22:31:00.000-07:00

As I await my test results from EnteroLab, I figured I might as well do some alternative inquiries: allergies.

Last week my allergies attacked so fast and hard I was sick in bed for a day. Since then Claritin, local honey and green tea have helped me in fighting the good fight. Honestly, I think that local honey (honey that is from my state or region) and green tea are doing the trick. The Claritin is sort of a last resort.

What is still left to discover is what in wine is causing severe allergy attacks. I have noticed over the past few months that certain wines leave me with more than a hangover. I wind up waking up feeling the effects of an awful cold. This is likely histamines, but sulfites can not yet be ruled out.

Here is what I have learned thus far:
-champagne: little to no reaction
-merlot: bad reaction, sneezing and runny nose while drinking, bad cold symptom hangover
-cabernet: I just had some tonight (what a rough experiment!), no symptoms until about two hours in, chest tightening, asthma, hangover? still to be seen

Awful Gluten Experience

2008-03-21T22:01:00.000-07:00

Last night I stayed in with an estranged friend, PF Chang's. I did at least ask a couple of different servers if they could verify whether wheat was in the "secret sauce" as I suspected. No one knew.

I ate and ate, and then I paid. A couple of hours after dinner I was in massive abdominal pain. By this morning my digestive system had decided to sleep in. And by this evening I was on the floor in a ball, crying in pain.

Of course, this all has me wondering whether eliminating gluten and then having a bit of a glutenous binge left me with more advanced symptoms.

Fortunately, my EnteroLab testing supplies arrived. The whole process is a bit icky, but I am so excited about the concept of more accurate, conclusive results.

Gluten Free= Dry Chapped Skin

2008-03-11T20:53:00.000-07:00

A week or more has passed since I have found myself with awfully chapped lips and facial skin so dry it hurts.

I purchased some jojoba oil last week which makes my hair look fab, and adds a nice sheen to the fronts of my legs, but doesn't do anything good on my face. And the gluten free vitamin E capsules have not even made a dent. For days I have been popping them open to soothe my aching lips with no improvement.

I have some skin care ideas, and ultimately am working on some gluten free, natural skin care products. In the meantime, however, I am desperate for a little relief.

I bought some pricey rose otto essential oil this evening and dropped a bit in my bath--resulting in some serious skin smoothing.

I also got a lotion from California Baby which is pretty effective, though I still seem to need a bit more nourishment.

Exciting Stuff

2008-03-09T21:57:00.000-07:00

After a wild weekend in Napa with friends, I am ready to get back to my food allergy/intolerance research. By the way, I am happy to admit that continuing to avoid gluten led to a weekend away without any funny tummy troubles.

I am so grateful for the recommendation of Entero Lab for testing. And after spending some time on the site tonight, I am quite excited about their innovative testing methods. The Gluten Sensitivity Stool and Gene Panel Complete test seems incredibly thorough and the best answer to my questions.

I am also anxious to order some new gluten free, natural skin care and make-up products to try out. Hopefully this next paycheck will arrive shortly ;-)

Gluten Free Beauty

2008-03-06T19:26:00.000-08:00

Good news! I heard back from Larenim, who verified that all of their products are gluten free, containing only mineral ingredients. I feel an order coming on . . .

On another gluten free salute to skin care, has anyone else avoiding gluten found their skin drying out and lips perpetually chapped? I am wondering if it is common for the absence of gluten based tocopheral to leave the body dried out and depleted of moisture. Plus, finding a great natural moisturizer that is gluten free is not easy.

After days of chapped lips, I finally set out for a Whole Foods remedy. I wound up making two seemingly smart purchases: Dessert Essence Jojoba Oil, Whole Foods Vitamin E Capsules.

Post purchase, I immediately popped open a capsule and smoothed some oil upon my lips . . . relief. I also rubbed some rapidly between my palms and on the backs of my hands for some emergency hand moisture.

Tonight, in preparation for a dinner out with friends, I worked some jojoba oil between my palms and smoothed over the ends of my hair in a pulling the ends motion, any residue I smoothed over the fronts of my legs (where light reflects). I also dabbed on a bit of sassy Larenim eye colour on my lower inner eye rims for some added appeal.

My now shiny, messed hair is sexed up, my lined eyes are glaring and my oil coated lips are looking lush.

Natural, gluten free beauty can rock, it just takes a bit more try-and-seeing.

Silly Sunday Sugar Cookies

2008-03-02T19:44:00.000-08:00

Cheers!

A dear friend came over today to help bake and decorate (gluten free/allergy free) cookies for the Naturally Dah'ling site. Thank goodness she was here, as my cookie decorating abilities are horribly lacking.

A bottle of bubbly and batches of gluten free sugar cookies make for quite a lovely Sunday!

A Real Life Expert!

2008-03-01T21:48:00.000-08:00

Wow! How incredibly exciting, I have just met Jacqueline Mallorca, the author of The Wheat-Free Cook!

An unusually late trip to the bookstore found my beau searching for a book about metabolic typing and me for a gluten free cookie recipe. I was hunched over in front of the gluten free section, when a chance encounter found me chatting with Ms. Mallorca.

She is an incredibly nice lady and confirmed my suspicions that a Celiac blood test would be falsely negative if I had been cutting out gluten for weeks--even if I did try a last minute flour binge just two hours before. She said that she may have some doctors she can recommend and also referred me to a website, EnteroLab for alternative tests.

She seems an incredible expert on cooking and gluten free living. Ms. Mallorca's book on Amazon has 5 stars overall--I've just ordered a copy!

Gluten Free is the Way for Me!

2008-03-01T16:40:00.000-08:00

After nearly a four days of waiting for my Celiac test results, I called the lab to inquire. Fortunately the bad doctor put down that a copy of these results be mailed to me, so in spite of privacy laws, I was able to have my report faxed to me (the snail mailed version has yet to arrive).

Only problem, I was not able to interpret the cryptic results. I hurriedly called the bad doctor's office: they could not find my file. I called back: the nurse searching for my file had gone in with a patient. I called back: my results had supposedly not been faxed to them as yet. I for the umpteenth time informed the nurses that I had a copy in my hands, only I needed help interpreting it. I told the nurse I was faxing my copy over now, she said it would be placed on the doctor's desk to get back to me at his convenience.

Frustrated and impatient, I faxed a the results to my mom, who was many lifetimes ago a med tech. She took the results as negative, I took this news as depressing. When my least favorite doctor called that night to reiterate that I do not have Celiac Disease, I finally asked all the questions I was still seeking answers to.

-If I do not have Celiac, then why do I feel SO much better when I do not eat gluten? My skin is clearer, my tummy flatter, my digestive system working properly. I seem to clearly have poor reactions to gluten, so why if not Celiac?
-I was diagnosed as allergic to pork and lamb. So what does this mean? I am never to eat bacon or fancy lamb dishes again? If I slip up, will I go into shock, develop a rash or simply have a tummy ache?

Though I am still swearing off ever going back to that particular doctor's office, he is a brilliant man and seems very well informed. What he lacks in personality he almost makes up for with intelligence, almost. He said that I am probably gluten intolerant and that by watching for reactions to my diet I would be the best one to diagnose this.

For the pork and lamb he was also a proponent of the "eat and see" mentality: eat it and see what happens, and how bad the reaction if any.

My next step is to go to a gastroentrologist--one recommended by a friend, not by yelp! And as for my diet, I think I will steer clear of pork and lamb for now, as I don't tend to prefer either. As for gluten, I will continue to follow a gluten free lifestyle: from food to skincare. Everything for me just works better sans gluten. I have also noticed that my body seems to prefer goat's milk products to cow's milk. The latter tends to leave me bloated and puts my tummy in a bit of a funk.

Naturally FOOD ALLERGY FREE Dah'ling

2008-02-28T23:37:00.000-08:00

My biggest "blogging-ish" venture yet has just been reborn! Well, partially!

I am so excited, a site I launched last year, Naturally Dah'ling, has been weighing heavily on my mind. I was never quite satisfied with the graphics considering my self-taught skill limitations. Finally I came up with just the concept: marry Naturally Dah'ling to Food Allergy Free.

Throughout my adventures with food allergy dieting I have realized that gluten free products keep my skin clearer. But finding natural skincare products to address food allergies is not too easy a feat.

So, I have decided to share with the web any fab finds I come across that meet the requirements of being natural and gluten free.

Yippie! I am so excited--I even ordered make-up shaped cookie cutters. This weekend I am planning to make gluten free cosmetic shaped cookies so I can add pics of them to the site.

What are My Food Allergies?

2008-02-23T23:16:00.000-08:00

It took over a week's wait to get allergy tested, about an hour and a half for the testing and a day to process the experience.

The long awaited verdict:
-I am allergic to pork.
-I am allergic to lamb.
-Like most of the rest of the world, I am allergic to dust mites.
Plus, the doctor suspects Celiac Disease, I am getting the blood drawn for this test on Monday.

The testing experience was a bit of a rude awakening. I felt as though the doctor and the assistant who handled my visit, felt that input from me the patient was sheer pain to their ears. Any logs I kept or reactions I have noticed, unfortunately, became a moot point. Not to mention the fact that 20 seconds of talk is not nearly enough to leave one feeling comfortable standing before three strange men with just a piece of paper between them and my chest.

On the plus side, the doctor did know a lot about his field and offer some interesting facts. First off, I was quickly corrected in assuming that wine has yeast, or at least the fact that causes allergic reactions. Apparently brewer's yeast is very different from baker's yeast. This means that even the yeast containing chicken broth which seemed to have an effect could not have done so through yeast, yet it did also contain dextrin, which can contain wheat.

As for Celiac facts, whether or not that is what's ailing my digestive tract, I was pleased to hear that with the surge in cases over recent years, testing may soon become a standard. He also mentioned that many diseases can actually be symptoms of Celiac.

I am not certain if that is what I have. But oddly enough, just hours before the testing, I indulged in a bit of irresistible pop-over bread at lunch. By the time the meal was over, my stomach was already singing the upset song. So maybe this is it, maybe it is Celiac. And to be honest, I really hope that it is.

I am so tired of IBS suspicions and Acid Stomach diagnoses, I do not want to take a pill for the rest of my life in order to have a working digestive tract. What I believe, is that something in my diet is responsible for the upset, and I hope to find the culprit. I hope to find it is gluten, as I am not sure what to do next if it is not. I suppose I would have to visit a gastroenterologist.

For now I will assume my issues are with gluten, that is after all what I grocery shopped for today!

The Night Before

2008-02-21T21:22:00.000-08:00

I am a very, very bad food allergy eliminator! Actually, I haven't been eating up tons of allergens, but what I have not been doing is logging my food or taking daily measurements.

My boyfriend and clothes size both swear that the weight lost since I first began eliminating the top 20 most common food allergens from my diet has mostly stayed off. And yes, it mostly has, but my tummy got flatter in that first month and skin clearer than it is today. Why? Because I have been cheating, of course!

A regular (i.e. not allergy free) chocolate here, a glass of yeasty wine there, a dash of pepper, a taste of corn syrup, a shampoo complete with wheat and soy.

I am just so excited that tomorrow I should have my answers once and for all--I hope! The allergy doc I have chosen is HIGHLY recommended on YELP and I am feeling pretty good about his office--especially considering they made sure I contacted my insurance to see that it was covered and called me today to forewarn me of my $40 copay.

My best guesses for what they will find: a mold allergy, a dust mite allergy . . . any standard airborne, runny-nose-causing allergen.

As for food allergies: yeast, gluten, soy and sulfites if they can test for them. Possibly peanuts, but that one seems more far-fetched.

And what if I do not seem to have any food allergies? I don't buy it. My tummy and skin seem to scream otherwise. If they do not find them tomorrow, I will keep searching, they are there, I just do not know what they are.

Day 6, Week 3

2008-02-16T09:55:00.000-08:00

I am back home and still recovering from the incredible meals of my Las Vegas trip. Conforming to a low-carb diet was quite helpful in keeping my tummy under wraps.

My skin did go to shite during the trip, but my tummy made it back in tact. No amount of miracle creams could remedy the redness, splotchyness and breakouts. So I am glad to be home and hopping back on the food allergy free wagon.

Suffice it to say, the key lessons learned:
1) Allergy Testing is Incredibly Important--had I known which foods are my own culprits, I would have a much easier time eating out, as I could specify to waiters and order around my allergies. Since I am still just guessing off the mixed results of my Food Elimination Diet, I assumed I was best off avoiding yeast.

2) When Unsure of Your Allergies, Avoid Processed Foods--because I think my reactions are to yeast, but I am still unsure, eliminating baked goods (breads, cookies, processed chips and crackers) helps me to also cut back on egg, dairy, soy, yeast, gluten, and other possible culprits. Restaurants may add a bit of each here and there, but for the most part, snacking only on honey roasted macadamia nuts, I knew that I was less likely to overindulge on one particular food allergen. Because I have not previously experienced any severe reactions, small doses are probably okay for me. (But not for everyone, those with severe reactions must work with their doctor to determine safe levels, if any.)

Ultimately, I am happy to be home and back in charge of my own meal preparation and purity. But knowing that I will be traveling for work at least once a month, I am excited to have my allergies diagnosed next week, so that when eating out, I am aware of the proper boundaries to set.

Here is a little view from our Vegas room (I tried to get the fountain show, but a camera phone only does so much):

Day 2, Week 3

2008-02-12T19:50:00.000-08:00

I cannot guess at my current measurements, though I assume they are unfavorable. I woke at 3:40am to depart for a work trip to (not the healthiest city on the planet) Las Vegas.

Unfortunately, the fact that I have not eaten out in two months speaks volumes for how easy it is to eat out allergy free--especially while avoiding 20 common foods ingredients. There is not one single meal that I consumed today, which I am sure did not upset my tummy. I am bloated and feeling less than fabulous. There is a scale in our suite, but I am quite sure I could not currently be paid to hop up on it.

The great news is that I have my allergy testing scheduled, and that I have found some pointers for ensuring accurate results (an article forwarded by my beau, I will share soon). Now hopefully I can just keep from exploding until I am back at home.

Here's what kept me going today:

Snack
Pringles

Breakfast
Bunless Burger with French Fries

Snack
Half of a Sugar Free Red Bull

Lunch
CPK Lettuce Wraps

Snack
Honey Roasted Macadamias

Dinner
Chicken Satay
Fried Calamari

Day 7, Week 2

2008-02-10T23:30:00.000-08:00

weight 109 lbs.
waist 2" below the belly button 30"
waist at the belly button 28"

I have some pretty awesome recipes to share this week. And hopefully tomorrow I will be able to schedule some food allergy testing.

Though blood tests would be the ideal (they seem most accurate), I do suspect they are quite pricey, so I will see what the doc recommends. Also, if it is a matter of skin prick tests today or blood test next week, I will actually take the former as I am quite anxious to figure all of this out.

I have felt pretty well today, no serious dips in energy and only a bit of asthma. Though my digestive system seemed on holiday today. Of course, I am hoping that is related to the fact that I slept until 1:00pm today--it is Sunday . . .

Here's what kept me going today:

Breakfast
Rice Cereal with Allergy Free Chocolate Chips

Snack
Allergy Free Jambalaya

Lunch
Allergy Free Jambalaya

Snack
Prosecco Sparkling Wine

Dinner
Unbelievable Spinach, Pepper and Beef

Snack
White Rice with Tomato Sauce
Rice Cereal with Allergy Free Chocolate Chips

Wonder Doc?

2008-02-10T13:50:00.001-08:00

If I am going to get tested, I want to know which method is most accurate. According to Dr. Robert Wood (autor of Food Allergies for Dummies) the RAST method seems to be the most accurate, 95%.

My next step is to find an allergist under my insurance who can see me this week--I am impatient, and want to feel better ASAP, to explore testing for food allergies and a possible candida digestive tract infection (the acid stomach and constipation seem to raise flags for this).

So then here is how I will find this wonder doc: check my insurance website for providers, check Yelp for ratings.

Okay, so I have found an allergist who is covered by insurance, has a 4.5 in reviews on yelp and is apparently very web savvy--even responding to patient e-mails. Hopefully he will turn out to be the wonder doc!!

Day 6, Week 2

2008-02-10T13:16:00.000-08:00

weight 109 lbs.
waist 2" below the belly button 30"
waist at the belly button 28"

After over two months of trying to eliminate food allergens from my diet, I find myself more than ever wanting a food allergy test.

This week's reintroduction of yeast left me feeling worse than I have in some time: mild headache, fatigued, bloated, fog-headed, forgetful, etc.

My internet research seems to indicate either a yeast allergy or digestive tract infection. OR, there are other completely unexplored possibilities including a rice allergy.

This whole "experiment" has been so educational, and hopefully will still help me to successfully weed out my food allergies. But I am also, this week, seeking the guidance of a medical professional. I just cannot continue to feel so drained, I fear I shall never get anything accomplished.

Here's what kept me going today:

Breakfast
Allergy Free Jambalaya

Snack
Allergy Free Chocolate Chips

Lunch
Allergy Free Jambalaya with Spinach and Pepper Passion

Snack
Rice Cake

Dinner
Allergy Free Jambalaya
Spinach and Pepper Passion

Snack
Vodka with Organic Lemonade
Rice Cake with Allergy Free Chocolate Chips

I Just Don't Know

2008-02-09T13:33:00.000-08:00

Woke up this morning with a mild headache, but feeling the best I have all week. I had energy and felt pretty "normal." Then early afternoon hit and I crashed.

My asthma is acting up just slightly and I do not want to move, my body is so fatigued.

What is going on?

Day 5, Week 2

2008-02-08T23:47:00.000-08:00

weight 110 lbs.
waist 2" below the belly button 30"
waist at the belly button 28"

Today rounded up a week of not feelin' too hot. By Tuesday I wasn't sure I'd survive the workday, and this morning I about fell asleep driving to work.

So what the heck is up?

The only changes that I have made to my diet include a) the addition of goji berries and juice b) the addition of yeast back into my diet

Last night was my last dose of goji for now and I started cutting back on yeast on Wednesday. Yesterday's only real culprits of yeast were some Nana's Cookie bites and goji products.

I felt just awful today though. I have had a dull sinus-like headache for days (but my sinuses have not been at all sore to the touch). My body has been utterly fatigued and my head cloudy. Plus my acid stomach has been acting up, creating a feeling of nausea throughout my day.

Finally by this evening I felt better. I am not sure if the yeast just processed out of my system, my power nap was truly powerful, the handful of chocolate chips really energized me or having abstained from eating for a few hours helped.

I am at this point seriously looking into some allergy blood testing. And quite afraid of eating yeast. So I suppose I'll just avoid yeast and see how my body reacts.

Here's what kept me going today:

Breakfast
White Rice with Buffalo Burger

Lunch
White Rice with Buffalo Burger

Snack
Allergy Free Chocolate Chips

Snack
Sauted Spinach with Charred Red Peppers

Dinner
Allergy Free Jambalaya
Vodka with Organic Lemonade

Day 4, Week 2

2008-02-07T22:50:00.000-08:00

weight 110 lbs.
waist 2" below the belly button 30"
waist at the belly button 28"

I have not felt good all week long. My beau has been sick, so I cannot rule out the possibility of something random. But I do think it is something I am eating, as my tummy troubles seem to be resurfacing.

This may mean that I do in fact have a yeast allergy, as that is what I have reintroduced this week. But I have also added goji berries and juice to my diet. And I am probably even a bit undernourished--today my coworker announced that she believes I am becoming anemic.

I came home and a few quick handfuls of chocolate helped, and then I nourished with a spinach/quinoa mixture cooked in an iron skillet (that helps with iron, right?). I felt better for a few hours, now I am back to feeling like doodoo.

Is it the yeast? The lacking nourishment? The addition of gojis?

I have begun cutting the yeast back out so that I can get back to good, and nourish my body. Then I will try something quite yeast heavy to determine. I must go sleep now, I'm exhausted. Night!

Here's what kept me going today:

**1 oz. Goji Juice

Breakfast
Quinoa with Seasoned Tomato Sauce and Bits of Buffalo

Snack
Rice Cakes

Lunch
Quinoa with Seasoned Tomato Sauce and Bits of Buffalo

Snack
Allergy Free Chocolate Chips

Dinner
Quinoa with Seasoned Tomato Sauce and Bits of Buffalo with Spinach Mixed in

Snack
Allergy Free Chocolate Chips
1/2 of a Nana's No Gluten Lemon Cookie
**1 oz. of Goji Juice

Days 2, 3 Week 2

2008-02-07T07:33:00.000-08:00

weight 109.4 lbs.
waist 2" below the belly button 30"
waist at the belly button 28"

On Monday and Tuesday I felt a bit unwell. My digestive system had seemed to slow its pace, I had a mild headache and I was quite fatigued. In general, I felt as though I were walking around with a sinus infection. Yesterday I felt better, but still tired and bloated.

I laid off of the sulfite-free vino until last night and found that while I was a bit stopped up by the end of the evening, it was only a bit, nothing enough to deter me from wine. But I am still not convinced that yeast is not my problem, so I decided to lay off of the yeast for a day and see if I feel better. Then on Friday, when I try yeast again, if I feel improved, I can suspect that yeast is an allergy of mine.

Mind you, this does not rule out sulfites, these could still be a problem for me--notably, they could be the cause for my asthma. I will settle this matter after I can make a good judgement on yeast by popping some taurine supplements (taurine is the sulfite/sulfur derivative found in Red Bull).

Here's what kept me going today:

**1 oz. Goji Juice

Breakfast
Quinoa (prepared with chicken broth with yeast) Seasoned with Italian Herb Marinade (containing yeast) with a Glass of Green/White Tea

Snack
Rice Cereal with Goji Berries

Snack
Honey Nut Rice Cakes (nut free, of course!)

Dinner
Savvy Chicken Sticks with Seasoned Tomato Sauce Over Quinoa

Snack
1/3 of a Nana's No Gluten Lemon Cookie
**1 oz. of Goji Juice

Here's What Kept Me Going on Tuesday:

**1 oz. of Goji Juice

Breakfast
Quinoa (prepared with chicken broth with yeast) Seasoned with Italian Herb Marinade (containing yeast) with a Glass of Green/White Tea

Snack
Rice Cereal with Goji Berries

Lunch
Savvy Chicken Sticks

Snack
Honey Nut Rice Cakes (nut free, of course!)

Dinner
Quinoa (cooked without chicken broth, but with garlic free/yeast free tomato sauce and ground buffalo)

Snack
1/3 of a Nana's No Gluten Lemon Cookie
Potato Chips Cooked in Olive Oil
2 Glasses of Sulfite Free Red Wine
**1 oz. Goji Juice

Morning Thoughts: Sugar-Less, Gojis-More?

2008-02-05T07:35:00.000-08:00

As I notice that the scale goes up a bit daily (though my waist measurements go down) I am quite glad to have discovered gojis. Eating a diet free of soy, corn, egg, yeast, dairy, etc. is not easy, so like any diet, as I have discovered snacks here and there that I can eat, I have become far too reliant on them.

Now, I am going to go out on a limb and guess that the rice cakes and rice cereal are not to blame here, but rather the Allergy Free Chocolate Chips and Nana's No Gluten Cookies. I do adore both, but should probably do so while practicing a bit more moderation.

My only new concern: do dried gojis contain sulfites?

Last night marked my return to (sulfite free) wine. My asthma continues to improve, but I did have quite a sinus attack last night. Does correlation equal causation?

Day 1, Week 2

2008-02-04T07:47:00.000-08:00

weight 109.4 lbs.
waist 2" below the belly button 30"
waist at the belly button 28"

My asthma is not gone, but improved.

Oh, and by the way, I have a new love--his name is Goji! It's okay though, my boyfriend loves him too ;-)

While researching about sulfites and rosacea (as sulfites are about the only food allergy I have found linking to rosacea) I decided to check the ingredients on my favorite rosacea products. Guess what they all contain: goji berry.

Curious about this "miracle" superfruit, I headed this evening to the Whole Foods for goji juice and dried goji berries. The juice I will take am/pm, but begrudgingly. The berries are soooo good. I am thrilled to have something with nutritional value to add to cereals, rices dishes, snack on. (With nuts out of the picture, I have spent way too much time munching Allergy Free Chocolate Chips.)

Funny thing is, despite our skepticism, after just 15-20 minutes, we both felt a bit exhilarated. Could goji berries be the answer to all life's questions? Perhaps not, but I will keep you posted on their progress in fighting rosacea.

Now, I must go and enjoy my sulfite free Red Truck vino and see what happens . . .

Here's what kept me going today:

Breakfast
Quinoa (prepared with chicken broth with yeast) Seasoned with Italian Herb Marinade (containing yeast)

Lunch
Beefed Up Fajita Bowl with Quinoa

Snack
Honey Nut Rice Cakes (nut free, of course!)
Rice Cereal with Allergy Free Chocolate Chips

Dinner
Savvy Chicken Sticks with Seasoned Tomato Sauce Over Quinoa

Snack
Glass of Sulfite Free Red Wine
1/3 of a Nana's No Gluten Lemon Cookie

Day 7, Week 1

2008-02-03T21:15:00.000-08:00

weight 109.4 lbs.
waist 2" below the belly button 30"
waist at the belly button 28"

I did read somewhere that fruit juice concentrates have sulfites, so I stayed away from any vodka/juice cocktails. Though especially with it being the weekend, I certainly wish I, like most, could indulge in a glass of an over 21 beverage.

My asthma is still quite annoying today, hopefully it will clear up for tomorrow so that I an start to watch for yeast reactions as I reintroduce it into my allergy free diet.

Here's what kept me going today:

Breakfast
Rice Cereal with Allergy Free Chocolate Chips

Lunch
Savvy Chicken Sticks with Seasoned Tomoato Sauce and Rosemary Potatoe Chips (cooked in olive oil)

Snack
Nana's No Gluten Chocolate Cookie

Dinner
Savvy Chicken Sticks with Seasoned Tomato Sauce

Snack
Rice Cereal with Allergy Free Chocolate Chips

Day 6, Week 1

2008-02-03T21:07:00.000-08:00

weight 109 lbs.
waist 2" below the belly button 30.25"
waist at the belly button 28"

So I have yet to discover much more research on the topic of sulfite allergies, strange. I suppose I will only really know once my asthma clears up and then I can watch for triggers.

Hopefully things will clear up tomorrow and then I can try a sulfite free wine and watch for reactions. Next I can try a taurine supplement and see if my asthma starts up.

I also think I may get back to exercising, I have not wanted to skew any weight loss results by adding in exercise, but I am feeling quite sedentary.

Here's what kept me going yesterday:

Breakfast
Rice Cereal with Allergy Free Chocolate Chips

Snack
Half of a Sugar Free Red Bull (I didn't make the taurine connection until last night, after the asthma had begun)

Lunch
Rice Cereal with Allergy Free Chocolate Chips (it was Saturday, I was not the healthiest)

Snack
Nana's No Gluten Lemon Cookie

Dinner
Savvy Chicken Sticks

Snack
A Fruit Juice and Vodka Cocktail

Day 5, Week 1

2008-02-02T22:15:00.000-08:00

weight 108.8 lbs.
waist 2" below the belly button 30.75"
waist at the belly button 28.5"

I am so ready for the arrival of Monday. An unusual statement, yes.

Monday marks Day 1 of Week 2 in this latest go round of my food allergy experimentation. All week I've been quite careful to avoid the top 20 most common food allergies. And come Monday I will reintroduce yeast.

My results in the previous months have varied a bit, dropping weight, stopping medications, though they have not been entirely conclusive. The second go round (when this blog began) I was allowing yeast and garlic, two common ingredients that I did not suspect myself allergic to. The yeast, of course, I was most frequently consuming in the form of wine--without realizing, oops! Plus I was enjoying daily bits of goat's milk cheese. But since decided to eliminate all dairy until the week of reintroduction.

This past week, I believe I have been better than ever, avoiding wine, dairy, yeast, garlic as well as the other common food allergens. I have, as a result felt as though my tummy has slimmed, and all systems seem to be functioning quite well. The only oddity, my asthma. It seems to have built up over the past couple of days: today producing the most annoyance. Could it be Red Bulls?

I do hope not, as I quite adore the stuff. Sure I was once a skeptic, especially back in college when the caffeinated company came asking our Marketing department how to best become the mixer of choice in collegiate bars across the country. It seemed dangerous, people suspected it could actually injure a person--or change personalities. All of which I am now sure made it perhaps a bit more appealing. Hmmm, did Red Bull start those rumors itself--what amazing PR that'd be. Anyway, I digress.

So then, is it possible that my favorite focus enhancer is triggering my asthma? And if so, what ingredient is to blame. Well, I have been doing some wiki research and listen to this: Taurine is a derivative of the sulfur-containing (sulfhydryl) amino acid, cysteine. Taurine is the only known naturally occurring sulfonic acid

Is this enough sulfur to cause a reaction? Does my sulfur allergy continue to hunt me down? Has it now allergified my favorite carbonated beverage. Please say it isn't so!

Holy sh*te! I've just found an interesting article linking wine and Red Bull (my two favorite beverages!) to allergies due to sulfur. And for the past 15 years I have been marking on doctors' charts "sulfur" next to known allergies, i.e. doctors discovered years ago that I react badly to sulfa drugs. So could the taurine have enough sulfur to be triggering my asthma?

Okay, no, apparently sulfa and sulphur are unrelated. But still, taurine is derived from sulfur as are sulfites, so I guess the likely culprit in my case is sulfur. So yes, that would make me allergic to sulpha and sulphur derivatives.

Here is a link to the article I just referred to, though I warn you, I am not sure of the reputability of the source. I will keep searching and let you know what I find. I will also now be even more curious to see what happens when on Monday (i.e. yeast reintroduction day) I sample some sulfite free wine. I'll also have to try some other form of Taurine and see if that is the trigger.

Here's what kept me going yesterday:

Breakfast
Quinoa

Snack
Rice Cakes with Allergy Free Chocolate Chips

Lunch
Bestest Buffalo Burger

Snack
Rice Cereal
Allergy Free Chocolate Chips
Sugar Free Red Bull

Dinner
Bestest Buffalo Burger with Lemon Potato Chips (cooked in olive oil)

Day 4, Week 1

2008-02-01T08:25:00.000-08:00

weight 108.8 lbs.
waist 2" below the belly button 30.75"
waist at the belly button 28"

Having all meals precooked from Sunday with fresh, allergy free ingredients: priceless. Eating the same three dishes for two or more meals a day for five days straight: tasteless.

So we find ourselves quite relived to be arriving at the weekend. Perhaps tonight or tomorrow I will even find the will to cook the next batch of meals.

Last night I was happy to make some bacon in an effort to add a little varitey to what has become a somewhat boring diet. But oops! It was not until noticing a bit of asthma and a drip in my throat that I realized that in switching brands, I had purchased one with lactic acid. Glad I only had two pieces!

Here's what kept me going yesterday:

Breakfast
Quinoa

Snack
Rice Cakes
Sugar Free Red Bull

Lunch
Quinoa with Dicey Chicken Dish

Snack
Rice Cakes
Allergy Free Chocolate Chips

Dinner
Quinoa with Organic Turkey Bacon

Snack
Rice Cakes with Allergy Free Chocolate Chips

Day 3, Week 1

2008-01-31T07:33:00.000-08:00

weight 109.4 lbs.
I forgot to take measurements.

Finally my tummy seems to be back in check, and I am thrilled because it did not require medicine or OTC remedies. Instead, eliminating the top 20 most common food allergies (and, thus whichever of those I am allergic to) my system has done its thing and got caught up.

Having all meals previously prepared for this week has been such a treat. Coming home and not having to deal with the stove, the dishes,etc. Though I find myself jumping ahead to next week, wonding what we can make that may be just a bit more enjoyable.

This week's dishes have been quite good, but as I previously mentioned, slightly lacking in flavor. I am seriouly considering a baked chicken first sauted with rice flour (sort of a healty, mock fried chicken) and perhaps beef fajitas (instead of this week's chicken). And since I will be reintroducing yeast, perhaps a balsamic concoction.

All in all, know this: I feel better each day and know that I am on the right track. I do not feel as though a miracle hit, and today am so tired I am craving Red Bulls (I have previously heard tea linked to allergies, so until I reasearch it, none for me thanks!) but my tummy is causing my no problems and, therefore, the headaches have ceased and my breakouts clearing. Plus my tummy seriously feels flatter each day.

Here's what kept me going yesterday:

Breakfast
Quinoa with Dicey Chicken Dish

Snack
Rice Cakes
Allergy Free Chocolate Chips

Lunch
Quinoa with Dicey Chicken Dish

Snack
Rice Cakes
Allergy Free Chocolate Chips

Dinner
Sweet Potato Fries

Snack
Rice Cakes with Allergy Free Chocolate Chips

Life without Taste is . . . Boring.

2008-01-30T21:23:00.000-08:00

It does seem a bit silly to order cookies online, but then again, when eliminating 20 common ingredients, the need for a rush of taste becomes vital.

I ordered 20 LARGE Nana's No Gluten (Chocolate and Lemon) Cookies on Sunday and even on Monday was insanely checking for packages. Yes, I do realize that would be an impossible arrival date, but one day without Tony Chachere's Seasoning, bread (from wheat, or rice), peanut butter, chocolate, cheese, wine . . . is long enough to teach the tastebuds how not to salivate.

By yesterday afternoon I had gone into instinctual hunt and gather mode, and thus headed to yet another gourmet grocery in hopes of securing some Nana's cookies or some remedy to my tasteless curse. Thank goodness for Draeger's in Palo Alto!

Draeger's has an entire (1/4 aisle) section devoted to gluten free goodies, many of which also address other common food allergies.

And thus some mini chocolate chippies and flavored rice cakes saved my day. And they are still saving me, one day at a time.

Following are the pics of my new fav snack foods and their brand logos--click to visit their websites. And to the two following brands, who address food allergy concerns, THANK YOU!!

Day 2, Week 1

2008-01-30T08:37:00.000-08:00

weight 108.4 lbs.
waist 2" below the belly button 31"
waist at the belly button 28.50"

For two days I cheated, and I am still paying the price. My skin still looks less than fab and my digestive system seems to be on strike.

Boo.

Oh, and by the way, I did stick closely to a diet of Dicey Chicken Dishes, but darn is that stuff good and good for you!

Here's what kept me going yesterday:

Breakfast
Quinoa with Dicey Chicken Dish

Snack
Rice Cakes
Sugar Free Red Bull

Lunch
Quinoa with Dicey Chicken Dish

Snack
Rice Cakes
Allergy Free Chocolate Chips

Dinner
White Rice with Dicey Chicken Dish

Snack
Rice Cakes with Allergy Free Chocolate Chips

Day 1, Week 1

2008-01-28T19:43:00.000-08:00

weight 110.8 lbs.
waist 2" below the belly button 31.5"
waist at the belly button 28.50"

Small new breakouts grace my skin, I feel as though I might vomit and I seem to have to go to the bathroom, but my body is not being very cooperative. After 2.5 days of eating all the foods that my body might not like, today marked my very first back on the food allergy free horse.

I did have a couple of insatiable cravings for sweetness and flavor: hopefully the Nana's No Gluten (no egg, no dairy, no yeast, etc.) Cookies I ordered will soon arrive and satisfy. In the meantime, it is incredibly nice not to have to think about what to cook.

Last night we made decent quantities of four different meals, in hopes of knocking out a bit of weekday food preparation. Of course, without recipes to meet my food allergy and my beau's low carb/high protein needs, cooking is also a bit of an experiment. I am happy to share these recipes, and will warn you where flavor is lacking. Oh, and just to be sure that any weight lost by avoiding belly bloating food allergens is not confused, I am adding in rice or quinoa to each meal to makeup for any missing carbs.

Food Allergy Free Recipes

Bestest Buffalo Burgers
Cook in whatever quantity you wish, but I recommend one onion per 5 or 6 burgers.

-Uncooked Buffalo Patties (Whole Foods sells the best ones near frozen seafood and frozen specialty meats. Trader Joe's are more fatty, which can be good if that is your preference, but the heaviness can get old quickly.)
-One Red Onion Sliced into Thin Slivers
-A Bit of Olive Oil
-A Bit of Brown Sugar
-Salt and Pepper to Taste

Start with prepping the onion and then saute with olive oil and add a pinch of brown sugar. Cook for 20-30 minutes, or until brown and tender. Set aside. We then add a bit of olive oil to grease the pan if necessary and cooked defrosted burgers. Once finished, top each burger with some of the yummy caramelized onions.

To store uncooked burgers, top with onions and wrap individually in tin foil. Freeze or refrigerate.

Dicey Chicken Dish
We did not marinate the chicken, I would recommend marinading, though I have not decided with what.

-Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (about 6-10)
-Two Cans of Diced Tomatoes (free of food allergens)
-Shitake Mushrooms (one pack is fine)
Preheat oven 375

Brown boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a pan greased with olive oil. Brown each side, not cooking thoroughly. Saute mushrooms until tender.

Place browned chicken in a baking pan. Pour diced tomatoes over the chicken (make sure they do not have garlic or any other allergens listed). Cover with foil and bake 10 minutes. Flip breasts and bake another 10 minutes. Keep checking the chicken to be sure it is fully cooked (should not be pink). Store in a deep dish container so that the chicken can continue to soak up the sauce.

Super Chicken Stir Fry
Again I would recommend marinating the chicken, though I do not know in what.

-Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
-Red and Green Bell Peppers (one of each is enough for 6 breasts of chicken)
-Red Onion (one is plenty)

Cut up boneless, skinless chicken breasts into bite size pieces. Chop up red and green bell peppers and a red onion. Marinate chicken.

Stir fry veggies in a bit of olive oil. Set aside. Stir fry chicken until thoroughly cooked, add in veggies to warm.

Quick Quinoa
I have come to appreciate quinoa as a staple of my allergy free diet. It is a perfect breakfast food offering a bit of protein and other nutrients. Plus it mixes into about any type of dish (unlike rice or pasta).

I always prepare mine with safe organic chicken broth instead of water. Follow instructions on package, making sure to rinse thoroughly as directed, and substituting chicken broth for water.

All of these are great options for that week or so of eliminating all of the top 20 food allergens. Of course, the two chicken dished could use more flavor, if you have any recommended a marinade, please e-mail me.

Here's what kept me going today:

Breakfast
Quinoa

Snack
Rice Cakes

Lunch
Quinoa with Super Chicken Stir Fry

Snack
Rice Cakes
Half of a Sugar Free Red Bull

Dinner
Bestest Buffalo Burger with White Rice

Snack
Rice Cakes

I Fell Off the Horse

2008-01-27T20:23:00.000-08:00

Happy Mardi Gras! Or last night in our apartment it was "Happy Party Gras!"

After weeks of avoiding cow's milk, soy, gluten, corn, yeast, most nuts, sesame, eggs, garlic, lentils, oats, kiwi, chili peppers, peanuts and sunflower seeds I decided that if we were going to throw a Mardi Gras party, we were doing it right. I made jambalaya, king cake, a good friend (and excellent chef) made red beans, got corn bread from Hard Knox (no one does it like them) and New Orleans' cocktails were in abundance--I even had a top secret mix shipped up for the party! I did not have any major reaction, but I also had taken a pill for upper respiratory infections, as my asthma was already quite annoying. Plus, my skin did breakout a bit, and my tummy was not its happiest (gas, bloating, etc.).

So last night I did "laissez les bon temps roulez," though just as Mardi Gras is all about the storm before the calm (i.e. going full glutton before Ash Wednesday delivers lent), I abandoned all "good eating habits." And tomorrow is eating "Ash Wednesday" if you will. As I have made a resolve to begin all over again.

The tricky part with food allergies is that there are so many possible culprits, so determining which food is to blame causes quite a limiting eating situation. By my third week of eliminating all 20 common food allergens, I about go crazy, in need of taste, flavor, satisfaction. Life without a couple of foods is fine, but 20 common ingredients gets quite complicated.

So tonight, as I enjoy a glass of white and a slice of king cake, with my chest wheezing for the past two days, and newly erupted breakouts, I ready myself for tomorrow. A time of solemnity and "being good," a time to follow the eating rules, only this time, in an expedited fashion.

I have done three weeks twice and both times fallen off the wagon before I could determine even one food that I should not eat. This time I will go one week at a time.

Week 1: I will eliminate all 20 most common food allergens. And this time I am being quite good about it, not even allowing cow's milk alternatives, etc. In preparation for the week we even cooked for an army:
-Chicken with Diced Tomatoes and Shitake Mushrooms
-Chicken, Red/Green Pepper and Onion Stir Fry
-Buffalo Burgers with Caramelized Onions
-Quinoa (prepared with allergy free chicken broth)

So armed with plenty of allergy free meals, I will avoid all 20 of the most common food allergens for one week. Plus all alcohol.

Week2: I will reintroduce one of the most common food allergens. I have yet to decide which: yeast, gluten, cow's milk, yeast. I will see how my body reacts. If the asthma returns, the tummy troubles, the skin breakouts, etc. I will know not to eat that particular food. If it does not, it is now a "safe" food for me. And after the week is done, I am ready to reintroduce another food.

Chest Wheezing, What Food Caused This

2008-01-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

Last night, while baking a king cake, I was incredibly good sampling only a half a pinch of praline mixture, and no dough at all. Once the cake was baked, though I did want to taste test the small piece I had baked separately to try. I even semi-psychotically spit it out after enjoying my taste, so that no reactions would follow.

This morning, however, I did straight up eat a small bite. I figured one small bite couldn't possibly do much. A few minutes later I started feeling ill and noticed my chest had become significantly tight. Ok, so maybe it is a delayed reaction to last night's wine, though I had barely half a glass. And what about the obvious, the king cake? What in it could I have reacted to: yeast, gluten, egg, dairy?

Yeast, I feel is unlikely after last night's skin test. Gluten, perhaps. Egg and dairy, I would be pretty surprised if the small amount of one egg per batch or one stick of butter could produce enough in one bite to cause a reaction. However, it seems that asthmatic reactions are seldom linked with Celiac--though constipation is (my problem of the past). I suppose the only way to tell is to "be good" for today and then tomorrow try allowing only gluten of all the food allergies, and see what happens.

Why Oh Why Part II

2008-01-24T22:51:00.000-08:00

Wine allergies are said to be incredibly common. People suffer from headaches, congestion, even "flu like" symptoms. But figuring out to just what you are allergic, that's a bit tricky. Often blamed are sulfites, but yeast, egg whites and tannins can also be to blame. Personally, I am doubting today that yeast is my culprit, while baking a king cake for my weekend Mardi Gras Party, I purposely smeared yeast on my wrist. If I am allergic, I would expect to see some little skin reaction on that sensitive bit of skin on my inner arm. Not a thing.

Tom Ciocco offers some interesting insight into the allergens of wine in this article.

Though Tom is arguing against sulfite allergies as a targeted culprit, I think that he may perhaps have hit the nail on the head for me. My chest tightening and wheezing after drinking wine actually began over the Holidays when I switched to white wine. After about a week of white wine, I could not even have another sip. I even had trouble breathing after cooking with it.

Realistically, unless I am on the floor gasping for air, I am not going to get a little asthmatic reaction checked out, so this food allergy "experiment" that I am doing is all I've got.

And the wealth of knowledge available on the web. But for now, I am going to focus my research on sulfites.

Day 15 and Counting

2008-01-23T23:32:00.000-08:00

weight 110 lbs.
waist 2" below the belly button 31"
waist at the belly button 28.50"

I am a very, very bad food allergen eliminator. I went to the grocery yesterday and got ingredients for two great chicken dinners. What I failed to purchase were the staple foods of my diet: quinoa, chicken broth (for the quinoa), rice products. Basically, I left myself without meals planned for the entire day.

This morning was fine, having leftovers from last night's dinny, but by snack time, I was not at all excited about all of the macadamias and chips I knew to be ahead of me. Ugh, I feel like a junk food machine.

I'm prepping for a Mardi Gras/Housewarming party this weekend, so my commute home and a trip to Target left me dreading the grocery. Instead I opted for a quick trip to the neighborhood corner store--besides, there is never any telling what they'll have, as I often am impressed at the selection. No quinoa, but I did get plain white rice and some grainy rice mix.

It was pretty bland without any chicken or other broth to flavor it, but I swear I never enjoyed a hot bowl of rice so much! Thank you hot food!

I also had some interesting slip-ups today: a few bites of soy sauced rice noodles around lunch time and a glass of red (with sulfites).

The soy did not seem to have any affect: score! I really do feel for those allergic to soy, as it is in nearly EVERYTING. The wine has me a bit stuffed up, but nothing intolerable. Maybe histamines are my problem, if I'm congested, that is.

Here's what kept me (kind of) going today:

Breakfast
A Bit of Quinoa (cooked with organic, yeast free, gluten free, soy free chicken broth) with a Few Bites of Organic Chicken Breast (cooked with honey, spicy mustard, cumin and garlic powder)

Snacks
Salted Macadamia Nuts
Potato Chips Cooked in Olive Oil with Rosemary
Salted Macadamia Nuts
A Very Small Serving (maybe 1/8 cup) of Rice Noodles (with what I think was soy sauce on them)
Half of a Sugar Free Red Bull

Dinner
A Rice Grain Blend (with several different grains of rice in it) and a Glass of Cabernet

Why Oh Why

2008-01-23T21:11:00.001-08:00

So how is it that the wine I drank the other night left me not nearly as congested as that drunk last week, and over the Holidays?

And why today did the soy sauce on the rice noodles that I ate not cause the chest-tightening asthmatic reaction of the honey roasted macadamias I ate a few days ago?
I did first have a tylenol for my headache and half of a red bull when that did not work (today is the second day in a row that I have skipped my morning tea).

First thing is first, what causes wine allergies: sulfites, yeast and tannins. Which annoyed my nasal passage, and why is it worse sometimes than others?

WAIT, I just jumped ahead and may have found my answer. I thought that the culprit in the honey roasted macadamias was the soy lecithin (which is not supposed to irritate those with a soy allergy, but it is possible), but I missed the warning label mentioning that the macadamias are processed with equipment that also processes peanuts. So that could be my culprit. I have eaten an extreme amount of nuts in recent years, the years that have seen my tummy and skin troubles on the rise.

As for the former, what's with the wine allergy? I don't know, but I have a headache and am having an awful girl time, I think I'll go and have a glass and see what happens.

Day 14 and Counting

2008-01-23T08:01:00.000-08:00

weight 110 lbs.
waist 2" below the belly button 31"
waist at the belly button 29"

I recently signed up for a membership through Kids with Food Allergies. It seems like a really great place to learn more about food allergies and discover new recipes. The process of registration I found a bit funny though, as they must actually "approve" members, even though a "Family Membership" requires forking up $25. Of course a refund is promised for those not approved. Thankfully, I am in, phew!

The recipe database is pretty helpful, it even flags recipes according to which allergies they are safe for. Last night's chicken dish was pretty great, and tonight I am trying another with chicken and bell peppers. Oh, and yes, last night's dish had garlic powder in it. A risk I had to take ;-)

I wish I could share what recipes I like, but I worked hard for that membership, and I'm not risking it. So get your own--if you want one ;-)

Hopefully today I will have time to reasearch wine allergies, in an effort to learn why one day I react severely, and another day I barely notice any "side effects."

Here's what kept me going yesterday:

Breakfast
Quinoa (cooked with organic, yeast free, gluten free, soy free chicken broth)

Snacks
Salted Macadamia Nuts

Lunch
Quinoa (cooked with organic, yeast free, gluten free, soy free chicken broth)

Snack
Salted Macadamia Nuts

Dinner
Chicken Breast (cooked with honey, spicy mustard, cumin and garlic powder) with Potato Chips Cooked in Olive Oil with Rosemary

Wine, Bad?

2008-01-22T22:04:00.000-08:00

So last night's glass, ok, glasses of wine surprisingly did not cause quite as much of a stir this time.

Last week when I had a few glasses, my allergies basically went out of control. Fortunately my tummy remained in tact, but my nose ran, my head clogged. For about 24 hours it basically felt like a moderate cold. My throat is a teensy bit sore and I've a bit of a headache, but nothing so severe. And seeing as how it is now 24 hrs. later, I may very well have ingested something else I shouldn't have.

As for the wine, I did probably only consume 1/2 to 2/3 of the amount of last week, but still, I find myself surprised. How is it that last week my almost immediate and lasting reaction was quite intense, and this week, barely noticeable. Perhaps a bit of congestion occured, but nothing significant.

I've been researching for some time tonight. There are quite a few possibilities: sulfites, yeast and tannins. I do think that something here causes an upset, because my skin even seems to have produced a few breakouts since last night.

Day 13 and Counting

2008-01-22T21:55:00.000-08:00

weight 110.4 lbs.
waist 2" below the belly button 31"
waist at the belly button 29"

Girl time may be skewing my results a bit. I hope so.

This whole thing is getting a bit rough, and I am sure that I have read more than once that girl time is not the time to start any new diet. But then again, as much as slacking would make life easier and a bit more tasty today, I definitely do not want to wake up tomorrow suffering the consequences.

Yesterday and today have been tough. Yesterday especially. In desperate need of a trip to the grocery, I literally ate quinoa and cookies all day. By the time dinner rolled around I was so starving that I couldn't even bring myself to fit in an after work grocery stop, instead I ate more quinoa.

For anyone who is familar with the mentality: I will just eat it all today so I can't eat anymore tomorrow. That was really and truly me yesterday. Unfortunately, I did not finish the very last of the Nana's cookies I bought, the half a cookie in the cupboard calls out to me (shhh!).

Here's what kept me going yesterday:

Breakfast
Quinoa (cooked with organic, yeast free, gluten free, soy free chicken broth)

Snacks
Bites of a Nana's No Gluten Chocolate Cookie

Lunch
Quinoa (cooked with organic, yeast free, gluten free, soy free chicken broth)

Snack
Bites of Nana's No Gluten Chocolate Cookie
Potato Chips Cooked in Olive Oil with Rosemary

Dinner
Quinoa (cooked with organic, soy free, gluten free, yeast free chicken broth)

Snack
Bites of a Nana's No Gluten Chocolate Cookie and a Glass of California Cabernet (with sulfites--bad!)

Days 11-12

2008-01-21T07:55:00.000-08:00

weight 110 lbs.
waist 2" below the belly button 31"
waist at the belly button 28.50"

So I feel less bloated, but my measurements do not seem to reflect this. Hmmm.
I am beginning to wonder whether one or two yoga DVDs per week were responsible for my tummy flattening rather than diet.

But then, there have been results, just not as "extreme" as I had hoped. Though I should remember that I was doing the food elimination throughout December, and should not expect huge results until it has been nearly one month.

Here is a recap of the progress of these past 12 days: weight down 2 lbs., waist down 1" and 2" below the waist down 1/2". Not bad.

Tonight I have some interesting skin findings to share . . .

Here's what kept me going yesterday:

Breakfast
Quinoa (cooked with organic, yeast free, gluten free, soy free chicken broth) with Organic Turkey Bacon

Snacks
Brown Rice Cake with Goat's Milk Cheese
Bites of a Nana's No Gluten Lemon Cookie

Lunch
Quinoa (cooked with organic, yeast free, gluten free, soy free chicken broth)

Snack
Potato Chips Cooked in Olive Oil with Lemon

Dinner
Meat Sauce (made with organic buffalo, tomato sauce free of soy and garlic, and some spices for flavor) Over Quinoa (cooked with organic, soy free, gluten free, yeast free chicken broth)

Snack
Bites of a Nana's No Gluten Chocolate Cookie

Breakfast
Quinoa (cooked with organic, yeast free, gluten free, soy free chicken broth) with Goat's Milk Cheese

Snacks
Brown Rice Cake with Goat's Milk Cheese
Bites of a Nana's No Gluten Lemon Cookie

Lunch
Quinoa (cooked with organic, yeast free, gluten free, soy free chicken broth)

Snack
Potato Chips Cooked in Olive Oil with Lemon

Dinner
Spinach and Goat's Milk Cheese Mixed in with Quinoa (cooked with organic, soy free, gluten free, yeast free chicken broth)

Snack
Bites of a Nana's No Gluten Chocolate Cookie

Valuable Information

2008-01-20T23:09:00.000-08:00

On the one hand I feel like there is so much information out there on food allergies. Then on the other hand, the actual published books on the topic seem so . . . propaganda.

I do wish finding out which foods to avoid was a bit easier, but then again, thanks to what information is out there on the subject of food allergies, I have changed the way I eat. Avoiding all 20 most common food allergens is not an approach I will continue for too long, but I do certainly plan to ride out this process until I am sure of just which food(s) is to blame for my "symptoms."

Thus far, sites I really do enjoy and encourage others to visit include are:

Allergy Details- not the most easily navigated site I have found, but the best information source by far, in fact, the reason I began the Food Elimination Diet in the first place

Gluten Free Girl- a gorgeously done blog/memoir/recipe site by an incredibly admirable woman with always a lovely story and meal to share (keep in mind, this is an amazing source for gluten allergies, not all food allergies, but still worth a visit, many recipes may be allergy free anyway)

Day 10 and Counting

2008-01-19T12:07:00.001-08:00

weight 110 lbs.
waist 2" below the belly button 30.75"
waist at the belly button 28.50"

So my tummy has not gotten flatter, but oddly enough it feels as though it has. Perhaps my day to night bloating has lessened. I am unsure.

What I do know is that due to lack of snacking options I downed some honey roasted macadamia nuts knowing full well that they have soy lecithin. Soy lecithin is not "supposed" to trigger a soy allergy, but boy did it. My chest felt tight and wheezy and still feels that way a day later.

I therefore suspect that I have a soy allergy, but in a few days, once this reaction has disappeared, I will try a small dose of straight up soy and see what happens.

Here's what kept me going yesterday:

Breakfast
Quinoa (cooked with organic, yeast free, gluten free, soy free chicken broth)

Snacks
Half a Nana's Gluten Free Chocolate Cookie(soy free, dairy free, egg free) and a Glass of Organic Strawberry Sparkling Water

Lunch
Organic Chicken, Stewed Tomatoes and Shitake Mushrooms with Quinoa (cooked with organic, yeast free, gluten free, soy free chicken broth)

Snack
The Other Half of Nana's No Gluten Chocolate Cookies (soy free, egg free, dairy free)

Snack
A Handful of Honey Roasted Macadamias (knowing full well they have soy lecithin)

Dinner
Meat Sauce (made with organic buffalo, tomato sauce free of soy and garlic, and some spices for flavor) Over Quinoa (cooked with organic, soy free, gluten free, yeast free chicken broth)

Symptoms Low-Down

2008-01-19T11:12:00.000-08:00

Headaches, nausea, constipation, acne, rosacea, asthmatic wheezing. These are the "symptoms" that have convinced me to try the Food Elimination Diet.

Constipation is the one subject I least like talking about, as it is embarrassing as all heck when explaining to someone who has never had this problem. This started a few years ago. I figured that being too busy in my job and not listening to my body's natural signals was the culprit. That was, after all what the doctors said. Finally I was recommended by my MD to down a dose of Citrucel every night before bedtime in hopes of a morning bowel movement. Sometimes this worked. Sometimes.

The headaches, which many suspected to be migraines due to their levels of severity, were pinpointed to the constipation. This does actually add up. My body's toxicity level would increase, getting high enough to trigger a reactionary headache. In extreme cases the only relief was not two Aleve, or pain killers, but something instead to induce a bowel movement.

Nausea that felt like a day long case of motion sickness, whether in the car or not was diagnosed by my MD as acid stomach. I was prescribed a pill that I was to take daily and fortunately loaded down with samples of it, for a prescription was going to cost $50 or so per month after insurance.

My back and chest started breaking out before the constipation even began. Doctors decided that hormones were to blame and put me on birth control. When one brand of pill made my hair become thinner, I was pulled off it all together. A year or so later when my hormone levels dropped significantly and my period about disappeared, I was put back on the pill, only this time to lose my libido to it. Birth control side effects are very normal, do a bit of Internet research and you will be surprised. So back off the pill, there was nothing to control my "hormonal" acne. So another doc tried antibiotics, these were useless.

Rosacea is something my brother has lived with all his life. And so when I was diagnosed a year or so ago, I was not surprised. I also was not phased by the fact that certain prescribed creams only "help" but do not eliminate the cheeky redness. I did, luckily find a natural serum which really reduces the redness,more than anything else I have tried.

I had mild asthma as a kid and have lived with allergies my whole life. After being prescribed three medications per day at once, I quit them altogether in favor of the herbal remedy of a spoon of local honey a day, to keep allergies at bay. This does help, but lately I have had awful occurrences of chest tightening and wheezing.

In short, I believe that my body is trying to tell me something: it does not like something that it is being exposed to. In December I began the Food Elimination Diet to find that my asthma, acne, constipation, nausea and headaches were gone. Plus my tummy had be come flatter than ever, and I was all around less "puffy" and bloated. I talked to my doctor about this and even quit my nightly fiber dose and daily acid medication completely.

Then around Christmas I began to slack on this food "experiment." A bit of dairy seemed okay, so then garlic, yeast, soy, etc. Eventually all "symptoms" came back. Refusing to live on pills day and night for the rest of my life--especially since I am only 28 years old, I decided to document my allergy free food intake daily to determine once an for all what foods I should be avoiding.

For the past 10 days I have made the following connections:
-When I cheated and had the better half of a bottle of red wine (after my car was broken into) I had an almost immediate reaction. My nose was running, my head clogged, I felt that night and most of the next day as though I was suffering from a bad cold. Possible allergies: yeast and oak. I am betting on yeast.
-One day I did suffer from constipation and a resulting headache. I still cannot determine which food was the culprit in this case.
-Last night I decided to try having a handful of honey roasted macadamia nuts. These contain soy lecithin, a derivative of soy that is "not supposed" to trigger soy allergies, but it is possible. Since about an hour after eating them, my chest has been tight and wheezy.
-Curious as to the connection between gluten and soy in hair and skin products in relation to food allergies, I packed away all shampoos, conditioners, face washes, soaps, moisturizers, etc. with gluten and/or soy. I have notice that the tiny breakout bumps that I usually live with behind my ears and hairline are almost completely gone and my back and chest seem to be clearer. I've yet to learn much about allergic reaction to skin products I am quit curious not. Come to think of it, I've not checked out my makeup, hmmm, could this be contributing to the rosacea?

I hope this helps for anyone wondering some of the same questions. And feel free to ask away if you have any about my experiences. Thanks!

Day 9 and Counting

2008-01-18T07:35:00.000-08:00

weight 110 lbs.
waist 2" below the belly button 30.75"
waist at the belly button 28.50"

With over a week under my belt now, I am really quite curious as to which foods are keeping my tummy from being flat as I want it to be. Is it gluten, yeast, soy, sugar? I may have to do some spreadsheet comparisons this evening.

I am just not sure why I am not seeing the results that I did a month ago. My tummy felt flatter than it has ever been. What am I doing differently? Did the once weekly yoga DVD actually have an impact? Am I simply not eating enough, for I know that too few calories can cause weight gain?

I guess in the meantime I will step it up, eating often enough can be challenging when placing limitations on the diet.

Here's what kept me going yesterday:

Breakfast
Organic Chicken, Stewed Tomatoes and Shitake Mushrooms

Snacks
Macadamia Nuts (Salted)

Lunch
Organic Chicken, Stewed Tomatoes and Shitake Mushrooms

Snack
Macadamia Nuts (Salted)--I was so starving for something and these were ALL I had, finally though, Whole Foods got in a shipment and I emptied their shelves of Nana's No Gluten Chocolate Cookies (and thus ate an entire one)

Dinner
Organic Chicken, Stewed Tomatoes and Shitake Mushrooms over Quinoa (cooked with organic, yeast free, soy free, gluten free chicken broth) Also Drank Some Yummy Strawberry Sparkling Water

Snack
The Few Plantain Chips Left ;-)

Day 8 and Counting

2008-01-17T07:38:00.000-08:00

weight 109.8 lbs.
waist 2" below the belly button 31"
waist at the belly button 29"

Some good did come of the burglary-related broken window that my car suffered: I got to work from home yesterday (in order to sort out the insurance and repair.

What a treat it was, so nice to get to be productive at work and at home. I even "got home from work" early enough to make a pretty great dinner. I used this recipe: http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/featured_recipe7.php
from Kids with Food Allergies. I think I overdid the chicken just a bit, but it is still a pretty good dish.

Here's what kept me going yesterday:

Breakfast
Quinoa (prepared with gluten free, yeast free, garlic free, etc. organic chicken broth) with a Few Bites of Buffalo Burger

Snacks
Plantain Chips
Brown Rice Cake with Cheese

Lunch
Organic Buffalo Burger with Tomato Sauce and Goat's Milk Cheese (a sort of "pizza" if you will)

Snack
Plantain Chips

Dinner
Chicken Cooked in Brown Rice Flour, Olive Oil and Goat's Milk Butter with Stewed Tomatoes and Shitake Mushrooms

Snack
Brown Rice Cake with Goat's Milk Cheese (melted, yum!) and a Dash of Dill and a Small Hurricane--I've got to find a better tasty alternative to wine, this is too sugary and has FD&C colors, eek!!

Day 7 and Counting

2008-01-16T12:13:00.000-08:00

weight 112 lbs.
waist 2" below the belly button 31"
waist at the belly button 29"

Yes, this post is a day late. Unfortunately, yesterday upon leaving for home I learned that my car had been broken into. Suffice it to say, yeast or oak or whatever is bad about red wine was not near enough to prevent my consuming the better half of a bottle last night.

And ugh, as of late, I cannot drink the durn stuff without resulting in a complete allergy attack. My nose gets stopped up and runny, my voice all nasally. The second half of that bottle is going straight down the drain.

Interestingly enough, my tummy suffered no woes over this. Things were great tummy wise as soon as Tuesday arrived. In other words, something on Sunday was a tummy no, no, which gave me problems on Monday and set my measurements back. But what?

Here's what kept me going yesterday:

Breakfast
Quinoa (prepared with gluten free, yeast free, garlic free, etc. organic chicken broth) with a Few Bites of Buffalo Burger

Snacks
Maple Walnuts

Lunch (got caught in the office)
Plantain Chips

Snack
Plantain Chips

Dinner
Quinoa (prepared with gluten free, yeast free, garlic free, etc. organic chicken broth), Buffalo Burger, Carrots and Onions (cooked slow in combination)

Snack
Red Wine (lots and lots of it)

Day 6 and Counting

2008-01-14T21:08:00.001-08:00

weight 110 lbs.
waist 2" below the belly button 31"
waist at the belly button 29"

This morning the progress of the past few days was hard to find. I still felt like my tummy was flatter, but somehow my system seems to have gotten stopped up. No headaches though, so there may not be a problem, perhaps those rice noodles did turn to glue in my tummy?

Tonight I hope to have made up for any past mistakes with some good hearty quinoa grains, some nutritiously delicious cooked carrots and onions and a protein-rich buffalo burger.

Oh, and the plantain chips I bought today--sinfully addictive. Plus I got the most amazing walnuts ever, I will have to look them up so I can share the brand name.

Here's what kept me going today:

Breakfast
Organic Rice Noodles with a Dash of Dill and Onion Powder

Snacks
Brown Rice Cake with Goat's Milk Cheese

Lunch
Very Small Amount of Quinoa (prepared with gluten free, yeast free, garlic free, etc. organic chicken broth) with Organic Turkey Bacon (free of soy and gluten) and Goat's Milk Cheese with a Bit of Onion Powder and Dill with Plantain Chips

Snack
Seasoned Walnuts

Dinner
Quinoa (prepared with gluten free, yeast free, garlic free, etc. organic chicken broth), Buffalo Burger, Carrots and Onions (cooked slow in combination)

Day 5 and Counting

2008-01-13T21:41:00.000-08:00

weight 109 lbs.
waist 2" below the belly button 30.75"
waist at the belly button 28.5"

Today's adventure in allergy free eating did not offer much excitement, but tomorrow I am off to Whole Foods armed with some yummy recipes. One involves chicken, carrots and onions. The other includes chicken, shitake mushrooms and stewed tomatoes.

After five days, it seems that my tummy has consistently gotten just a bit tinier. This is awesome, but until I have a solid two weeks of measurements to compare, I won't jump to any conclusions. So, I guess I shall just have to wait and see.

Here's what kept me going today:

Breakfast
Quinoa (prepared with gluten free, yeast free, garlic free, etc. chicken broth) with a Dash of Italian Herb Marinade (garlic and soy free)

Snacks
Not So Bitty Bites of Nana's Chocolate Cookie

Lunch
Quinoa (prepared with gluten free, yeast free, garlic free, etc. chicken broth) with Organic Turkey Bacon (free of soy and gluten) and Goat's Milk Cheese with a Bit of Onion Powder and Dill

Snack
Brown Rice Cake with Goat's Milk Cheese

Dinner
Rice Noodles with Organic Chicken Hot Dog (free of gluten and soy)

Snack
Salted Macadamias

Day 4 and Counting

2008-01-12T23:00:00.000-08:00

weight 109.8 lbs.
waist 2" below the belly button 31"
waist at the belly button 29"

My only tummy mistake today was foolishly deciding to lay down directly after eating. Ouch! That always makes my tummy all crampy. That's why I do usually try to sit up very straight (bar stools are so great for posture I find) while I eat.

And being the weekend I did take full advantage of sleeping in (my favorite pastime) so breakfast and lunch sort of meshed together as brunch. Tomorrow I really must get in some veggies!

Here's what kept me going today:

Snacks
Bitty Bites of Nana's Chocolate Cookie
Salted Macadamias

Lunch
Quinoa (prepared with gluten free, yeast free, garlic free, etc. chicken broth) with an Organic Chicken Hot Dog

Snack
Brown Rice Cake with Goat's Milk Cheese

Dinner
Sweet Potato Bites and Organic Turkey Bacon (free of gluten, soy lecithin, etc.)

Snack
Brown Rice Cake with Goat's Milk Cheese (free of cow's milk) and some nibbles of Nana's Chocolate Cookie

Day 3 and Counting

2008-01-11T22:25:00.000-08:00

weight 112 lbs.
waist 2" below the belly button 31"
waist at the belly button 29.33"

Today I felt great and noticed no "symptoms" (headaches, bloating, nausea, etc.). My only ailment stemmed from slamming my hand in a door--I can still just barely type. In other words, ouch! so no embelleshing tonight.

Oh, but I do HAVE to mention an absolute new fav: Nana's Gluten Free (Egg and Dairy Free) Chocolate Cookies. They are allergy free and AWESOME! Whole Foods sells the large cookies individually packaged near the cookie aisle, but you can also order them online at Nana's site. I just added a link to her page (see right: Nana's"). I have tried other substitutes, and FYI solguhm flour is not tummy-friendly: it messed up my tummy just as much as wheat gluten, but none others are as "pure" as Nana's or as yummy. So seriously, try it, you will fall in gluten free, egg free and dairy free love!

Here's what kept me going today:

Breakfast
Rice Noodles

Snack
Salted Macadamias

Lunch
Quinoa (prepared with gluten free, yeast free, garlic free, etc. chicken broth) with a Buffalo Burger and Carmelized Onions

Snack
Salted Macadamias

Dinner
Rice Noodles

Snack
Brown Rice Cake with Goat's Milk Cheese (free of cow's milk) and some nibbles of Nana's Chocolate Cookie

Day 2 and Counting

2008-01-10T22:43:00.000-08:00

weight 111.6 lbs.
waist 2" below the belly button 31.5"
waist at the belly button 29.75"

Day 2 and I am feeling good. My tummy has been fine, my skin is doing okay, but my belly is not flat yet. Oh well, Rome was not built in a day, and my tummy will not magically disappear in anything under a week I am sure.

So, any cheats or slip-ups? Not that I can figure. I was even a very, very good and held strong against my craving for a glass of wine. Instead I made an allergy free vodka cocktail.

Here's what kept me going today:

Breakfast
Quinoa (cooked with organic chicken broth free of yeast, gluten, garlic, soy, etc.)

Snack
Salted Macadamias

Lunch
Quinoa (same as above)

Snack
Olive Oil and Rosemary Potato Chips (free of yeast, soy, gluten, corn oil, etc.)

Dinner
Buffalo Burger topped with Caramelized Onions and a small bowl of Quinoa (same as above

Cocktail
Vodka and Hurricane Mix (very small amount)

Day 1 and Counting

2008-01-09T22:39:00.000-08:00

weight 112 lbs.
waist 2" below the belly button 31.5"
waist at the belly button 30"

First day back on the horse and I worked very hard at eliminating the top 20 out of my diet. So I was a bit frustrated when I realized that Tony Chachere's has garlic, since I had been more than generous in sprinkling it on the dinner I'd just eaten. And finally it occurred to me that since I am avoiding wine (which has yeast) I probably should not have had balsamic vinegar, durnit. Hopefully these "cheats" wee in small enough doses not to hurt, hopefully.

Day 1 is thus, a valiant effort, but much like myself not perfect. I do however suspect already that my food enemies lie most likely with gluten, soy and possibly yeast. But only time will truly tell.

Here's what kept me going today:

Breakfast
Quinoa (cooked with organic chicken broth free of yeast, gluten, garlic, soy, etc.)

Snack
Salted Macadamias

Lunch
Quinoa (same as above)

Snack
Olive Oil and Rosemary Potato Chips (free of yeast, soy, gluten, corn oil, etc.)

Dinner
Chicken, Red Peppers, Onions (cooked with olive oil, balsamic vinaigrette, oregano and Tony Chachere's) with Quinoa (same as above)

What You Can Eat

2008-01-08T23:18:00.000-08:00

So you can't eat the Top 20, what can you eat? Here are a few suggestions, and feel free to share any of yours.

Rice (Brown or White)
Rice Flour
Rice Products (Noodles, Cookies, Crackers, but check the label for other allergens)
Macadamias (Salted are great, honey and chocolate have soy lecithin!)
Goats Milk Cheese (check ingredients, "goat milk" is okay, "milk" is not)
Goats Milk Butter
Quinoa (a rice like grain, best cooked with chicken or other broth to mask nuttiness)
Proteins (Chicken, Beef, Pork)
Veggies (but if suspicious of a soy allergy, avoid peas and beans)
Rice Cakes
Potato Chips (if cooked with olive oil--no sunflower oil or soy lecithin)
Gluten Free, Egg Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free and Sorghum Free Cookies
Teas
Sparkling Water

Food Elimination Diet

2008-01-08T23:08:00.000-08:00

How does one determine which foods cause an upset to the system? The Food Allergy Elimination Diet.

Simply weed out the Top 20 Most Common Food Allergens from your diet. Give it one month allergy free and watch the progress! Then phase in each suspicious allergen one food at a time, watching for symptoms.

Here are the Top 20 Most Common Food Allergens:
Cow's Milk
Wheat gluten (gliadin)
Gluten (in wheat, oats, rye and barley)
Yeast
Egg Whites
Cashew nuts
Egg Yolk
Garlic
Soya beans
Brazil nuts
Almonds
Corn
Hazelnuts
Oats
Lentils
Kiwi fruit
chilli peppers
Sesame seeds
Sunflower seeds
Peanuts

Step 1: Go one month Food Allergen Free

Step 2: Each month phase in One Suspected Allergen at a Time, give each at least two weeks to watch for delayed symptoms and then if reactions are bad, mark that food on the bad list, remove it from your diet, wait a week for your body to process it out and then move onto the next food. If there is no ill reaction, give the food two weeks to be sure, then keep enjoying this food and introduce the next one.

Step 3: Be aware of how your body reacts to what you eat and when necessary try a magnesium supplement to aide in digestion.

Check out www.Allergy-Details.com for more info.