Ok, I'm back. My IC and Fibro pain had become so unbearable that it left me little energy for blogging. The pain was a little better yesterday evening and this morning, but after I got frustrated/angry with an interpersonal issue I was dealing with this afternoon, I think I literally became "pissed off" and the IC pain returned. Bummer...
After doing more research on the affects of supplements and IC (supplements can often lead to "flares"), I realized what may have caused the BB to worsen my condition (if indeed it was the BB). The aloe in BB is preserved using citric acid. Not a big deal for most people, but for people with IC, it can exacerbate symptoms. I was also taking 800 mcg of folic acid twice a day at the advice of my rheumatologist, not knowing that folic acid can also trigger symptoms. Yesterday I didn't take my morning dose of folic acid; instead, I took only one capsule with two Prelief tabs and lots of water after dinner. It seemed to help. I might even switch to taking just 400 mcg once a day to be on the safe side. The only supplement I take close to bedtime is my calcium combo, as the calcium, magnesium, and Vit D in it are supposed to help calm the body and allow for improved sleep. Just don't take it right before bed with a big glass of water unless you like waking up to pee.
One other big trigger that I cut, especially because I shouldn't have been indulging in the first place, is chocolate- in the form of Trader Joe's scrumptious GF/CF brownies. What a find! I baked them twice in the past two weeks, once when a friend visited and the second time when I was going to my "girls' night in"; although, I didn't end up bringing the brownies because they are almost impossible to cut into nice, square pieces. They look more like blobs- gooey, moist, chocolatety blobs. I doctor them up with CF chocolate chips and pecans- delish! Sorry, I'm drooling as I write this. Every day, I would come home from work, eat a chunk, and then an hour later, I would have fire shooting through my UT. They also have quite a bit of sugar in them, another no-no with regards to my "diet." However, as far as brownies go (for those of you not sensitive to chocolate), I would highly recommend them. Even if you're not eating GF/CF, they are quite tasty and don't have any of the artificial additives you'll find in other brownie mixes. But sadly, no more for me for now.
Yes, I'm learning that even if products are GF/CF, they are not "freebies." I can't eat them with abandon because all those calories will eventually add up. Trader Joe's also sells ginger snap cookies that are GF. Those don't trigger flares for me and the ginger calms my stomach; still, cookies aren't exactly health food, so I've got to cut back. They are too tempting, especially when I'm starving and don't have any other quick and easy snack choices. I've put on a couple of the pounds that I lost, and it's likely because of all the empty calories I consumed in brownies and cookies. I'll have to save those treats for an occasional indulgence.
Belly troubles are back today. Not quite sure why except that maybe all the calcium in Prelief is slowing things down too much. I didn't even finish lunch because I felt so bloated.
One last comment: Did you know that the soy based "veggie slices" of cheese, sold as a substitute for American cheese, have casein in them? Yes, they do, and I was just as shocked as you are. LOL. Seriously though, I ate a slice yesterday morning on my oat bread toast and felt "bubbly" a couple of hours later. When I got home and checked the ingredients, I saw the dreaded words, "milk protein." They are lactose-free but not dairy free. WOA: Read the ingredients list carefully if you want to get results. Little slip ups here and there will have an impact, even if you don't want to believe it. Do your homework. Your bowels will thank you for it. : )
Showing posts with label diet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diet. Show all posts
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Monday, August 31, 2009
The Dinner Party
One of the most difficult aspects of eating a gluten-free, casein-free, organic diet is maintaining a social life that was once centered around food. In my Italian family, no family gathering or special occasion is complete without ample amounts of starch. As a self-proclaimed foodie, my primary means of exploring the world is through my taste buds. Some of my best memories from my year of weekends in NYC (where my now husband, then boyfriend worked) were of the meals I ate in some of the finest upscale restaurants and dives in the world. Ah, Papaya King! I remember cities by the food I ate. Baltimore’s crab cakes, Philly's cheese steaks, Napoli's pizza, Roma's gelato, Playa del Carmen's tortilla soup...
So, entertaining G/CF (gluten/casein-free) was not going to be easy. My husband and I just bought a home and were excited to have our first dinner guests over. However, my normal standbys were not going to work if I was going to stick to my dietary changes. Lasagna, one of my favorite feed-a-bunch-of-people-cheap meals, was not even a consideration anymore. I ended up making Mexican Shrimp Cocktail (my husband's family recipe) and Chicken Calabrese (my dad's recipe). I used regular ketchup when making the shrimp for my guests, but gluten-free for myself. Word of Advice (WOA): label the one you've made gluten-free. One of my guests accidentally ate my GF cocktail. I ended up eating one that wasn't and paid for it later in the evening.
Chicken Calabrese calls for dusting the chicken with flour, which I omitted, before browning. Not a good idea consistency-wise since the flour thickens the sauce. I've since learned that tapioca flour can be used instead of wheat flour with good results, but I didn't know this the night of my dinner party- unfortunately for my guests who were served dry chicken in a liquidy sauce. Whole-wheat penne was served on the side, just so I wouldn't totally deprive my guests. Cooking it required my husband nearby to taste as I seasoned. I miss my penne but have found some decent brown rice pastas that aren't too bad. Trader Joe's has a brown rice penne and fusilli that are good, as long as you cook them al dente and rinse them with cold water when they are done cooking.
Explaining to people why you aren't eating the lovely, crusty French bread your guest has just brought hot from the local bakery isn't easy. While most people are understanding, there are always the few out there who think you're just a neurotic health-nut when you turn down the staff birthday cake in the teacher's lounge, especially if you're eating gluten free and are not actually diagnosed Celiac. I was tested for Celiac, for which I tested negative; however, since I didn't have a biopsy (the gold standard), my doctor said Celiac can't totally be ruled out yet, especially because my system seems to do better eating GF. I could have a gluten sensitivity (for which I have tested positive for in the past), and by omitting gluten from my diet for a while and giving my body a break, eventually I could reintroduce it into my diet and see how I react. Either way, avoiding gluten seems to do my body good; still, unless one has a diagnosed medical condition, eating GF isn't always easily accepted by others who can't fathom why I would impose such torture upon myself.
Eating out is very difficult as cross-contamination can happen easily in a busy kitchen. On two occasions I've eaten salads out, the only "safe" food left on the menu, only to suffer the same G.I. effects as had I eaten a slice of pizza (which makes me just want to go ahead and eat the slice of pizza instead of the boring salad). I could make the very same salads at home and have no negative consequences. Who knows if the cook cut bread on the same board used to chop lettuce or if the vinaigrette had modified food starch as a thickener? Even yesterday when I ate prepared foods from my local health food store (which were not guaranteed GF), I noticed a difference in how I felt, and not for the positive. Sometimes it's hard for me to fathom how such a tiny amount of gluten could have such significant effects. Is this possible? Seriously, it's not fun at all, and can even be dangerous for people with Celiac, where any tiny amount of gluten will do damage to their intestines.
It may be time to start keeping a food diary since today I am feeling as lousy- achy, bloated, tired- as I was before I started this experiment. What may have caused it, I'm not sure. Whatever it was, I could sure use a nap.
Cento Anni!
So, entertaining G/CF (gluten/casein-free) was not going to be easy. My husband and I just bought a home and were excited to have our first dinner guests over. However, my normal standbys were not going to work if I was going to stick to my dietary changes. Lasagna, one of my favorite feed-a-bunch-of-people-cheap meals, was not even a consideration anymore. I ended up making Mexican Shrimp Cocktail (my husband's family recipe) and Chicken Calabrese (my dad's recipe). I used regular ketchup when making the shrimp for my guests, but gluten-free for myself. Word of Advice (WOA): label the one you've made gluten-free. One of my guests accidentally ate my GF cocktail. I ended up eating one that wasn't and paid for it later in the evening.
Chicken Calabrese calls for dusting the chicken with flour, which I omitted, before browning. Not a good idea consistency-wise since the flour thickens the sauce. I've since learned that tapioca flour can be used instead of wheat flour with good results, but I didn't know this the night of my dinner party- unfortunately for my guests who were served dry chicken in a liquidy sauce. Whole-wheat penne was served on the side, just so I wouldn't totally deprive my guests. Cooking it required my husband nearby to taste as I seasoned. I miss my penne but have found some decent brown rice pastas that aren't too bad. Trader Joe's has a brown rice penne and fusilli that are good, as long as you cook them al dente and rinse them with cold water when they are done cooking.
Explaining to people why you aren't eating the lovely, crusty French bread your guest has just brought hot from the local bakery isn't easy. While most people are understanding, there are always the few out there who think you're just a neurotic health-nut when you turn down the staff birthday cake in the teacher's lounge, especially if you're eating gluten free and are not actually diagnosed Celiac. I was tested for Celiac, for which I tested negative; however, since I didn't have a biopsy (the gold standard), my doctor said Celiac can't totally be ruled out yet, especially because my system seems to do better eating GF. I could have a gluten sensitivity (for which I have tested positive for in the past), and by omitting gluten from my diet for a while and giving my body a break, eventually I could reintroduce it into my diet and see how I react. Either way, avoiding gluten seems to do my body good; still, unless one has a diagnosed medical condition, eating GF isn't always easily accepted by others who can't fathom why I would impose such torture upon myself.
Eating out is very difficult as cross-contamination can happen easily in a busy kitchen. On two occasions I've eaten salads out, the only "safe" food left on the menu, only to suffer the same G.I. effects as had I eaten a slice of pizza (which makes me just want to go ahead and eat the slice of pizza instead of the boring salad). I could make the very same salads at home and have no negative consequences. Who knows if the cook cut bread on the same board used to chop lettuce or if the vinaigrette had modified food starch as a thickener? Even yesterday when I ate prepared foods from my local health food store (which were not guaranteed GF), I noticed a difference in how I felt, and not for the positive. Sometimes it's hard for me to fathom how such a tiny amount of gluten could have such significant effects. Is this possible? Seriously, it's not fun at all, and can even be dangerous for people with Celiac, where any tiny amount of gluten will do damage to their intestines.
It may be time to start keeping a food diary since today I am feeling as lousy- achy, bloated, tired- as I was before I started this experiment. What may have caused it, I'm not sure. Whatever it was, I could sure use a nap.
Cento Anni!
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Catching Up
Ok, so since I technically started my gluten-free, casein-free diet almost three weeks ago, I've got some catching up to do in terms of explaining why I started and how my diet's been going. About a month ago, I picked up the book, "The Ultramind Solution" by Dr. Mark Hyman. In a nutshell, he talks about how inflammation can lead to all sorts of problems in the body and mind, including ADHD, memory loss, depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia, etc. and how changes in diet and lifestyle, along with supplement use, can reverse these problems. He outlines a six week plan that includes several components, one of the most significant being dietary changes. Dr. Hyman (gotta love that last name) also advocates a gluten-free, casein-free diet, eating organic, whole foods, and staying away from sugar (except for naturally occurring sugars in fruits, whole grains, etc.). The book is so much more comprehensive than the couple of sentences that I've written, so I would encourage readers to look the book up on Amazon or Barnes and Noble (no, not my sponsors...yet...lol) for a more in-depth review .
Because of my fibro, IBS, and extreme fatigue, I figured going on the diet was worth a shot. I was a little skeptical because years ago a naturopath had put me on a "detox" diet. I followed a very strict rotation diet that didn't allow me to eat any of the foods that I tested as having a sensitivity to (according to IgG anti-food blood tests). Boy was I a miserable person for the three months I was on it. Because I was also vegetarian at the time, my diet was extremely limited. I lost 15 lbs off my already thin frame, my hair started falling out, and small children were afraid to look at me. Well, maybe the last part was an exaggeration but looking back at pictures of myself, I now know why people thought I was anorexic. Even my best friend told me, "You've become a total b*tch on this diet! Screw the detox and please just eat a chocolate bar." After that experience, I wasn't too optimistic that the "Ultramind Solution" diet would help; however, I was desperate to feel better so I drove to the local health food store and filled up my cart.
Organic, whole foods can be expensive, especially if you're limited to gluten and casein free. My hubby was not a happy camper when he looked at the receipt for my little shopping spree. $18 for grass-fed steak when we used to pay ten bucks for the same cut at Costco? He grew up in Texas, where evidently, bigger is better, so eating half a cow that's been pumped with hormones (sorry Texans) is a manly thing to do. He did later admit that my grass-fed, organic beef tasted ten times better that the conventional stuff we buy at the local, big-name grocery store. Word of advice: Grass-fed takes less time to good, so unless you like your sirloin jerky-style, cut back on the cooking time.
I'm the cook in the family, so despite my husband's initial protests, he was looking forward to all the home cooked meals he'd be getting since it's almost impossible to eat take-out when you're eating this way. I even began packing lunches for him. He must have eaten ratatouille for five days straight. Another word of advice: Invest in a good gluten-free cookbook because it can be hard coming up with new things every night when you've cut out whole groups of food.
On days one and two of my diet, I didn't notice a change. I grew dismayed as I felt the same aches and pains, suffered the same tummy issues, and meandered through my day in the same brain fog I had experienced for the past several years. The only thing that kept me going was that I figured the diet would be a good way to prepare my body for pregnancy- my next "project" to work on once my husband no longer runs away in hysterics when I mention the word, "baby." : ) Just kidding honey...about the hysterics, not the baby. But I digress...Day three the changes I noticed were the absence of two things- my stomach pains and a few pounds of bloating.
When I got married a year ago, my 5' 7" frame carried 133 pounds. That was about ten pounds heavier than I had been in my 20's, but still thin. A year into marriage, I had gained 10 lbs. In the past if I had put on a pound or two (or three or four...), I just had to say the word "diet" and the pounds came off, or so it seemed. Not once I was married though. My husband's big appetite (to feed his big muscles), meant I had to cook real meals, not just pour a bowl of cereal like I had in the past if I didn't feel like cooking. Even when I tried to return to my old eating habits, my new appetite didn't allow for it - salt and vinegar potatoes chips whispered my name, hazelnut-chocolate bars sang to me, gourmet restaurant meals entertained me.
My new diet turned off that hunger. I felt less bloated, lighter, freer. One morning, my husband grabbed my waist, expecting to feel muffin top, but happily, it was almost gone. Don't get me wrong, the weight loss was great, but even better than that was that my stomach finally felt *normal*. "Wow," I thought, "is this what it's like to have a normal G.I. tract?" I became ecstatic when I went to work and ate lunch without feeling like I was going to pass out afterwards from stomach pains. I could sit through a meeting without having to excuse myself for fear of my insides exploding all over the conference room. For a while last school year, I got sick so often that people asked if I was pregnant.
I felt encouraged by my progress and happily I munched on my veggies, thankful that I had finally found something that seemed to be working, not perfectly, but it was a start. A week into my dietary changes began phase two of my experiment: Body Balance. I'll leave that for tomorrow's post.
Because of my fibro, IBS, and extreme fatigue, I figured going on the diet was worth a shot. I was a little skeptical because years ago a naturopath had put me on a "detox" diet. I followed a very strict rotation diet that didn't allow me to eat any of the foods that I tested as having a sensitivity to (according to IgG anti-food blood tests). Boy was I a miserable person for the three months I was on it. Because I was also vegetarian at the time, my diet was extremely limited. I lost 15 lbs off my already thin frame, my hair started falling out, and small children were afraid to look at me. Well, maybe the last part was an exaggeration but looking back at pictures of myself, I now know why people thought I was anorexic. Even my best friend told me, "You've become a total b*tch on this diet! Screw the detox and please just eat a chocolate bar." After that experience, I wasn't too optimistic that the "Ultramind Solution" diet would help; however, I was desperate to feel better so I drove to the local health food store and filled up my cart.
Organic, whole foods can be expensive, especially if you're limited to gluten and casein free. My hubby was not a happy camper when he looked at the receipt for my little shopping spree. $18 for grass-fed steak when we used to pay ten bucks for the same cut at Costco? He grew up in Texas, where evidently, bigger is better, so eating half a cow that's been pumped with hormones (sorry Texans) is a manly thing to do. He did later admit that my grass-fed, organic beef tasted ten times better that the conventional stuff we buy at the local, big-name grocery store. Word of advice: Grass-fed takes less time to good, so unless you like your sirloin jerky-style, cut back on the cooking time.
I'm the cook in the family, so despite my husband's initial protests, he was looking forward to all the home cooked meals he'd be getting since it's almost impossible to eat take-out when you're eating this way. I even began packing lunches for him. He must have eaten ratatouille for five days straight. Another word of advice: Invest in a good gluten-free cookbook because it can be hard coming up with new things every night when you've cut out whole groups of food.
On days one and two of my diet, I didn't notice a change. I grew dismayed as I felt the same aches and pains, suffered the same tummy issues, and meandered through my day in the same brain fog I had experienced for the past several years. The only thing that kept me going was that I figured the diet would be a good way to prepare my body for pregnancy- my next "project" to work on once my husband no longer runs away in hysterics when I mention the word, "baby." : ) Just kidding honey...about the hysterics, not the baby. But I digress...Day three the changes I noticed were the absence of two things- my stomach pains and a few pounds of bloating.
When I got married a year ago, my 5' 7" frame carried 133 pounds. That was about ten pounds heavier than I had been in my 20's, but still thin. A year into marriage, I had gained 10 lbs. In the past if I had put on a pound or two (or three or four...), I just had to say the word "diet" and the pounds came off, or so it seemed. Not once I was married though. My husband's big appetite (to feed his big muscles), meant I had to cook real meals, not just pour a bowl of cereal like I had in the past if I didn't feel like cooking. Even when I tried to return to my old eating habits, my new appetite didn't allow for it - salt and vinegar potatoes chips whispered my name, hazelnut-chocolate bars sang to me, gourmet restaurant meals entertained me.
My new diet turned off that hunger. I felt less bloated, lighter, freer. One morning, my husband grabbed my waist, expecting to feel muffin top, but happily, it was almost gone. Don't get me wrong, the weight loss was great, but even better than that was that my stomach finally felt *normal*. "Wow," I thought, "is this what it's like to have a normal G.I. tract?" I became ecstatic when I went to work and ate lunch without feeling like I was going to pass out afterwards from stomach pains. I could sit through a meeting without having to excuse myself for fear of my insides exploding all over the conference room. For a while last school year, I got sick so often that people asked if I was pregnant.
I felt encouraged by my progress and happily I munched on my veggies, thankful that I had finally found something that seemed to be working, not perfectly, but it was a start. A week into my dietary changes began phase two of my experiment: Body Balance. I'll leave that for tomorrow's post.
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