Good Intentions

There is only one thing I want to say today: Having food allergies stinks. I had hoped that by tracking my caveman/woman diet through this blog, I'd be accountable: No straying from the restrictive list of foods I can eat if I have to advertise it.

But then summer came. The kids are home from school and eating three meals at home. There are picnics. There are games of golf followed by a quick meal (who wants to cook after 18 holes?) There just isn't enough time in the day for all this food planning, shopping and cooking.

And I had such good intentions when I started this diet on April 4th!

Back to the drawing board. The truth is I felt great when I was following the restrictive diet. Not so much now. So I am re-committing. This time I am going to eliminate foods until I feel well -- people say it will take a week or two. Then I am going to add one food at a time, starting with ones, like rice, which I'm pretty sure is not an offending food for me. This seems more manageable to me than the original 12 weeks I tried to do.

I want to be optimistic and hopeful . . . but some days I'd just like to not have to think about food!

Food Allergy Awareness Week

I couldn't let the week go by without letting you know that the week of May 11 is Food Allergy Awareness Week. Of course, being a newbie to food allergies, I was surprised that there is actually a week designated to letting others know about our allergies. I found several good web sites with information, including the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network and About.com: Food Allergies.

If I had been more prepared, I would have done something to commemorate this week. What? I'm not sure. Maybe it would have been fun to ask my friends and family members who don't have food allergies to try living without wheat, dairy, corn and soy for a week. Well, fun for me. Maybe not so much for them. Maybe I would have tried some new allergy-free recipes and invited some friends over for lunch. Hey, I could still do that. It's only Tuesday!

I find the more I let others know about my allergies, the better for me. Last week I attended a school-related dinner. Sheepishly, I let the organizer know about my allergies. "No problem," she said. And she was right. The restaurant simply eliminated the butter sauce from my salmon and veggies. That's it! If I hadn't asked, I would have been sitting there chewing ice from my water while everyone else ate.

So if you have food allergies, this is the week to spread the word! And if you don't have food allergies, this is the week to learn more about them so you can a help a loved one eat well.

Organic 101

I've been trying to eat "organic." However, I'm learning that not all organic foods, especially processed ones, are created equally. The US Department of Agriculture sets forth three levels of certification created by the Organic Rule in 2002. See USDA National Organic Program. Briefly, if a food is 100 percent organic, it contains only organically produced material inlcuding water and salt. An organic product contains 95 percent organically produced ingredients. Made with organic ingredients is 70 percent organic. Reading labels is important.

Since I am now eating only wild meats and fish (or at least making a genuine effort to) and fruits and vegetables, I don't have to worry about reading labels. If a single product (an apple, salad, a steak, a handful of nuts) is labeled "organic," it's organic. (I'll save discussing fish for a different post.) Prior to starting my "caveman diet," I noticed that sometimes I could eat beef without a reaction, and other times, a hamburger would send me running from the dinner table. My theory is that what bothered my stomach is what the cow ate, especially if the cow ate gluten! I have to say that I am feeling incredible since I have started this diet -- could it be that eating organic is making this difference? Or is it simply that I have eliminated gluten and the foods that trigger my allergies? Most likely, it's both.

When I begin reintroducing foods, I will make every attempt to look for the green or black circle designating "USDA certified organic." After all, why would I want to reintroduce the pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, and hormones that I spent 12 weeks removing from my body?

Blossoming Buds

My friend Lee gave be a pot of tulips this week. They started as closed buds. Then they blossomed. Within a few days, the petals had completely opened, revealing the intricate interior of the flowers. The tulips that seemed so simple at first were really quite complicated.

Our bodies are much like tulips: We can look one way on the outside and feel quite differently on the inside. It still amazes me that a crumb of gluten can set my body into a frenzy of discomfort. A nibble of cheese, a drop of soy, a kernel of corn can make me sick for days. On the outside, I don't look sick. But on the inside, I am constantly struggling to stay well.

This often makes it difficult to interact with family, friends and coworkers. I might not feel well enough to attend a school event or a party, but I look perfectly fine. My nose isn't runny. I don't have a cough. How do I explain that I don't feel well because I ate the wrong thing? Or that I don't want to go out because I don't want to have to deal with food? Sometimes, it's just easier to stay home, alone.

Fortunately, I have a few friends, like Lee, who understand. Lee and I have walked most mornings for almost three years. While we walk, we talk -- nonstop. She has been with me through the hysterectomy, the gall bladder surgery, the skin tests, the blood tests, the numerous specialists, the worry and the frustration. She knows not to invite me out to lunch on my birthday. She looks for recipes and foods that might work for me. She knows when to be empathetic, sympathetic or a cheerleader. Those of us struggling with autoimmune disorders all need a friend like Lee.

I've also found friends on the Internet. Where else could I find someone who has just started the elimination diet? Who is looking for gluten-free rice milk, too? Who teaches me that choclat.com has allergy-free candy!? I can't imagine going through this difficult journey without online support groups! Ironically, the people I meet in these groups don't know what I look like on the outside, but they know more about my insides than my closest family members do!

To take care of our bodies, we need to surround ourselves with supportive people -- people who will help us cope with our challenges and help us to blossom.

A Plan for Feeling Better

It seems my gut is "permeable" or "leaky," according to my doc. That's why I am developing new allergies and getting sicker and sicker. The plan is for me to eat a very restrictive diet for 12 weeks (three months!), then start reintroducing foods slowly. Today is Day 6 (but who's counting?). Basically, I'm eating wild game, wild fish, fruits (except apples and citrus), and veggies (except tomatoes, potatoes, and legumes). I'm drinking only water or sparkling mineral water. It's called the "caveman diet."

The first few days were awful. Probably because of the lack of caffeine and sugar. I had such a headache and I wanted to sleep all day. Even my joints ached. No energy to blog. But today I actually feel human again. The sun is shining here in Colorado, and I actually feel happy and hopeful that this diet will help heal my leaky gut (what a description!). People have told me that they couldn't follow the restrictions, but I don't see how I cannot do so. For me, it's more restrictive to not be able to leave home because of pain and the need for a bathroom!

So what have I been eating? Last night the whole family enjoyed fresh turkey, grilled zucchini and yellow peppers, and acorn squash. For lunch today I'm having a crab and shrimp salad. Not so bad, huh? Breakfast is the toughest. Mostly fruit. I've tried lamb patties. Just have never liked the taste of lamb. In my freezer, I have some tuna, quail, and buffalo. The hardest part is the planning, and I need to go to the store a lot more to keep the fruit bowl well-stocked.

It is impossible to eat out; I don't even try.

Here is the positive side: I am finally losing weight! I had eliminated dairy and wheat from my diet a long time ago, and I actually gained a few pounds! But now it's slowly coming off. Hooray!

If you've ever tried an elimination or rotation diet, I'd love to hear about your experience . . .

Testing the Water (or, um, Muffins)

Something I ate last week triggered seven days of stomach pain, diarrhea and cramping. Confession time: I know exactly what I ate that did this. A muffin. Blueberry lemon. I made them from a mix for my kids. They smelled so good. It was snowing outside. They were warm. Straight from the oven. Need I say more?



I read about people with celiac and/or food allergies who never stray after getting the diagnosis. How do they do it? Please, tell me -- I want to know!



After this past week, it will be a long, long time before I "accidentally" eat something I shouldn't. The pain and discomfort just isn't worth it. But I know from past experience that a time will come when I will want to "test" a food to see if I still react to it. Eggs, for instance. I'm supposedly not allergic to them, according to the tests, but I have an immediate reaction to them. Food intolerance perhaps? But I am so sick of rice cereal for breakfast! And every Sunday my two sons and husband cook up some scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon and the smell calls to me. One Sunday I'll probably tell myself: If I'm not officially allergic, maybe I won't react to eggs this time . . .



I try not to beat myself up when I make a mistake (my stomach is already punishing me enough!). But I also know I can't expect to feel healthy if I'm not taking care of myself, and this means avoiding many, many foods.



It's only April, early in my year of eating allergy-free, perhaps by the end of 2008, I'll know how to turn my back on those tempting blueberry-lemon muffins.

Nothing Like Home Cooking

My Spring Break eating didn't go as planned. Breakfast was easy because we didn't eat out. But lunch and dinner were another story. We were in Hilton Head Island, but you wouldn't believe how difficult it was to order "naked" fish. Easter Brunch was a complete disaster. I couldn't eat one thing on the menu, and when I asked the waiter if the chef would prepare me something special, she came back with "salad." I asked for shrimp to be added to the lettuce. She returned with four shrimp.



Lesson #1: Call the restaurant and review the menu before making reservations!



Shopping at the local stores was awful. Only one, The Food Lion, had an aisle and freezer section for allergies and celiac. But most of the packaged foods contained soy, which I'm allergic to. I was left with the usual brown rice cakes. On a positive note, I did buy some coconut macaroons made with potato starch for passover. These were a treat!



Lesson #2: Search for health food stores on Internet before leaving home. If there aren't any, order staples online and have shipped to destination.



One thing did go right. My Easter candy -- soy-free, dairy-free, gluten-free -- arrived from choclat.com! So at least I could enjoy a treat while my family had chocolate bunnies (actually, they had chocolate alligators I found at the local island chocolatier).



I also had a few really bad can't-be-far-from-the-bathroom days because of food I ate in restaurants. This is probably because I still find it difficult to ask for what I need. If only I could ask for gluten-free foods! But I have to ask for gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, wheat-free. Then when the waiter suggests a fish with a tropical relish, I have to make sure there is no pineapple involved. Oh, and could the waiter please substitute a different vegetable for that asparagus . . . but not corn! A few times I thought I knew what ingredients were in the dishes, but when they arrived, there were a few surprises, like sprinkles of cheese or a dollop of sourcream. Instead of sending the foods back, I tried to remove the offending foods. I paid for that the next day.



Lesson #3: Send the meal back if it contains allergic foods! Or expect a bellyache the next morning.



Needless to say, I am happy to be back home. Right away I made a delicious beef soup for the weekend. On Saturday night, I made chicken parm (with gluten-free breadcrumbs) for my family and left the cheese off for me. Today I made a run to Vitamin Cottage where they are having a sale on Larabars and organic fruits and veggies. I bought some brown rice vinegar and grapeseed oil for a new recipe I'm going to try tonight. I've never been happier to stay home and cook.