Monday, June 18, 2012

Food For Thought II: Living with food sensitivities

Gluten-free beer
If you follow this blog you know that I've been dealing with daily tummy troubles for a long time. After searching for answers I finally learned from a visit with a Naturopathic doctor that I have food issues with:

Gluten, dairy, almonds and artificial sweeteners.

Yeah. Awesome.

Thankfully, I've been eating clean and I had suspected some gluten and dairy issues so over the course of time I had experimented with weaning those foods out and ironically, I made a decision a few months ago to kick my love affair with Splenda and other sweeteners to the curb. So, it wasn't a total culture shock to lose these foods. A year or two ago, it certainly would've felt like the end of the world.

But still. It's not easy. It's cool if I'm eating at home and planning but eating out, having dinner with friends, BBQ's etc is a bit of a pain in the ass. 

Believe it or not, one of the worst things is giving up almonds. I never realized how much almonds are used (especially in vegan, dairy/gluten free) things. 

Oh well. Life goes on.

So what am I eating?

Lots of brown rice, quinoa, faro and other non-gluten grains. Beans, homemade hummus, avocado, lean organic meats, eggs. I can eat yogurt so I'm going to try a yogurt cheese and I'm enjoying Coconut milk, coconut milk ice cream, fruits and veggies.

My newer way of eating
I even found gluten free beer at Fairway (this awesome new store) today. It was $15.99 for a four pack so I will most likely stick to vodka and wine but also found a bottle of gluten free beer that was a little less expensive that I picked up to give a shot.

This morning I whipped up some homemade gluten-free pancakes that I made with ground quick oats, an egg, a bit of agave, a little coconut milk, salt and baking powder. They were pretty good. I served with banana and blueberries.

I know you might be wondering - am I feeling better? I've had a few really good days and I've still had a few tummy aches. I think I'm still bumping around but I'm hopeful that with some more time and diligence on eliminating the questionable foods that I'm going to find good results.

Do you suffer food sensitivities?

What would be the worst thing to give up?

XO
Jen



7 comments:

Frickin' Fabulous at 40 said...

Ok, there's something called NoOdles on QVC. I saw them and thought of you. They're gluten-free, carb free, fat free and calorie free. I thought about trying them but they're expensive. The reviews are mixed. Some people love them while others were revolted. the only thing I can say is if you try them and don't like them, you can absolutely return them.

Jamie @ *that* mom said...

I'm allergic to almonds - it KILLS me! They are in so many healthy foods. I've done both gluten free and dairy free trials because I suspected allergies, but actually didn't see much difference. But I am allergic (but it's anaphylactic allergies) to almonds, peaches, plums, avocados, pineapples, cherries, cantaloupe, and watermelon - it's awful!

Unknown said...

Oh Jamie! That's awful. I can't complain too much - these foods won't kill me, I just feel lousy. I'm so sorry you have to deal with all that!

Thanks for the tip Linda, I'll check into that!

misszippy said...

Feeling for you on this! I'm fortunate enough to not have any sensitivities. It can't be easy, but looks like you have found some good alternatives. Good luck with it!

TriGirl said...

I have food sensitivities too. I have cut waaaaaaayyyy back on gluten-laden food and my tummy feels so much better. I also take lactase enzymes before eating dairy so I can eat things like ice cream :D

Gluten-free beer definitely sounds intriguing, but for the price I can stick to my red wine!

Jason said...

So Delicious is so delicious. Lov the stuff for overnight oats and Rip's Big Bowl.

Anonymous said...

Have you tried hard cider? No gluten and it's sooo good! BTW, I've been reading your blog a lot lately and you've been an inspiration. Thanks!