Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Should I start a new blog..."It's About Food"?!

It's about what food I can eat and how to cook so that I can enjoy life.  In December I did a blood test for food antigens, to learn what my body was unhappy about me eating.  I actually did this in two parts.  The first test came back and the results suggested that I should be gluten free.  That wasn't too bad.  I don't normally eat bread products (unless we go out), and have totally abstained from pasta.  I have been living out of my copy of "Practical Paleo", by Diane Sanfillipo, and really enjoying it.  I thought that making the transition wouldn't be that bad. Then 3 weeks later I received the full food panel results and that caused my life to be turned upside down.  Prior to getting the results, I said "please, just don't let me be sensitive to eggs"!  Egg were my go to food.  You can do a million things with eggs and I'd be happy.  I have two neighbors with backyard chickens, I have an unlimited supply of eggs. Well, unfortunately, eggs of all types were on the no eat list.  And there's more.  Blueberries!  Pineapple!  Peanuts. Almonds?!  But all my nut butters, I love them!!!! Dairy.  Wow, this is getting serious.  How am I going to do this?  I want to be healthy, have energy and feel good.  If I want that, then I need to do my part with food. This is huge for me.  I'm thinking if I blog what works, I can build a list of things that I like.  I haven't been good at blogging in the past, but I need a way to store my successes and failures for future reference.  I'm going to give this a try and see how it works out.

Here's a list of food that I have to give up forever:
Dairy, eggs, gluten, peanuts, sesame seeds, pineapple, broccoli, lemon, radish, almonds, crab, clams, cranberries, banana, lemon, beans, soy, corn, oat, spelt, walnut, rice, mushroom

Here's a list of foods that I have to give up for now, and can add back in later, at the rate of once every 3-4 days:
Blueberries, coffee, sunflower seeds, carrot

Here's some ways I've been dealing with this new way of eating:
I cook a protein and find a way to throw vegetables with it. 
I like to have a cooked meat in the refrigerator to throw onto lettuce for a salad.  
Basalmic vinegar and EVOO have been my best friends.  
Morning smoothie with spinach and whatever I have in the refrigerator, including fruit, canned pumpkin, coconut manna, chia seed, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, pecans, coconut milk.  Love my magic bullet!
Snacking on apples and pecans.  Also dairy free chocolate chips, but I need to stop that.  Same with the dark chocolate covered pomegranite seeds from Trader Joes.  I don't think they are dairy free.  I need to learn to make my own.

Yesterday I went to Costco to see what I could do there and came home with a pile of food to try, including: 
*  Fresh raspberries and blackberries
*  Pre-cut organic apples (I'm eating them a lot for snacks on the go).
*  Pre-cooked chicken skewers
*  Rotisserie chicken 
*  Frozen strawberries
*  Romaine hearts
*  Bag of pecans
*  Pre-cooked, sliced beef

Next time I'm going to try the tilapia fillets, salmon, and the organic ground beef.  If anyone else has suggestions, feel free to let me know.  I need to expand my food horizons!

One key point the Dr. made was that I need to vary what I eat, don't make the same thing day after day.  I find that a challenge because I like to cook once and eat on it for 2-3 days.  So to vary, I'll have to watch my protein carefully.  I would probably eat chicken and ground beef only, if given the chance.  Gonna have to learn to eat other meats, and add in fish.

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