It's Gluten Day!

It's 7:13am and I'm eating cinnamon bread.  10 bites in and I'm not feeling any reaction so I must be okay with gluten.  Just kidding, we'll see what happens in an hour. 

Dairy Update

I was just talking with Rick and he told me that he stopped drinking milk a couple of months ago and his coughing has completely stopped!  You've probably heard him coughing over the past several years--he always sounded like he was going to cough up a lung, and I thought it was the cigarettes.  (He should still quit smoking.)  But interesting that it seems to be brought on by dairy.  And he always loved milk so much.

Adding back Dairy and Soy

I haven't blogged for a while.  During the last week, we added back dairy and soy, and I didn't have any reaction at all.  I was just a little worried about dairy but no symptoms.  I started the day with a little piece of jalapeno jack cheese, had gluten-free mac-n-cheese for lunch, and gluten-free pizza with veggies and cheese for dinner.  Unfortunately, Angel had problems each time she ate dairy throughout the day.

We added soy yesterday and ordered Thai food for dinner--lots of tofu in the curry and other dishes.  Everything was tasty and no reaction. Angel is done, but I'm looking forward to gluten tomorrow! Gonna start the day with cinnamon bread--yum.

Adding Back Eggs

It was so nice to wake up and have eggs for breakfast! I made a wrap in the morning with Brown Rice Tortilla and three eggs.
 
I had a great workout in the park and afterwards my snack was pineapple and pecans. Then we went kitty shopping for Roxy’s 10th birthday. We found the perfect little kitty that Rox named Cougar.

For Lunch, I had two eggs on Gluten free toast, this was SO good! I was waiting for egg day to have this bread because it is made with eggs, but no other elimination ingredients.
For dinner, Mom made an AMAZING Frittata with potato crust. It had spinach, onion, mushrooms and peppers and it tasted like it had cheese and bacon, even though there wasn’t. This is a must repeat recipe! I served mine with salad, butternut squash soup and gluten free toast. Mmm Mmm!!

No reactions what so ever, yeah!!! Eggs are great!

Back to the elimination diet for 2 days

This morning I had my usual protein shake and a slice of pumpkin oatmeal. I snacked on raspberries and celery with almond butter.

Lunch was some leftover chicken, beans and green sauce with some rice crackers. Paul found some rice crackers with no soy or dairy, woo hoo!
Snack: Pancake with almond butter and apple sauce

Dinner: Vegetable soup
Recipe for Vegetable Soup:
Blend chicken broth with 3-4 tomatoes, 2 chopped garlic clove, cilantro and chile pepper optional.
Add chopped vegetables, hard to cook first. Beets, then carrots and celery, then zucchini and cauliflower and broccoli last. Cook until desired tenderness. Top with fresh cilantro and onion.

Adding Corn Back

So it’s been 3 weeks of digestive rest from the common allergens and I feel great! But now it is time to add one food back at a time and observe for any symptoms. We chose to do corn first.

 

Lunch: black beans with roasted corn and red chile with corn tortilla chips on the side

Snack : pan fried polenta with onion, garlic and mushroom

Dinner : Chicken enchiladas with green sauce, fried green tomatoes and black beans with roasted corn

After dinner snack: Popcorn

I am unsure if I had a reaction or not. I had to blow my nose after I ate. Was that due to the spice or the corn?? Also, the next morning when I did sprints, I was phlemier than usual, I had to clear my throat a lot. So, I think I will retest corn again at the end of the diet and see if I get a similar reaction.

First Addition: Corn!

My Lunch Today

Yesterday, after 3 weeks on the elimination diet, we added back CORN.  The first thing I ate in the morning was a corn chip--yummy!  During the day, I had popcorn, corn chips, roasted corn, polenta, and enchiladas made with corn tortillas.  I have had no symptoms whatsoever.  We're back off of everything today and I still feel good.  I'm very glad to find out that I have no reaction.

Salmon Dinner

On Sunday, November 6th, we had a very nice dinner of Salmon, Quinoa, two types of mixed green salad, and a puree of Cauliflower and Parsnips.  We’re eating very well on this diet.  I’m still looking forward to adding some other things back in, though.

Feeling Good!

We're 2-1/2 weeks into the diet and I am finally feeling good.  My cold is almost gone and I think the diet has done some good things for me.  I've got good energy and I feel 'lighter' inside.  I've stopped craving bread, too.  We went out to dinner last night and the bread basket was right in front of me the whole night--I wasn't tempted at all.  I had Seared Ahi Tuna, Quinoa, and Sauted Rapini with Mushrooms.  I asked the chef to saute my vegetables without butter, and no sauce on plate.  It was really good.  The smell of the after-dinner coffee was tempting, but I did fine.  I'm exctied that we're only 3 days away from adding things back.  I'm looking forward to seeing what happens!

Day 15

Woke up early, had a good workout. I’m feeling good energy. I have also noticed that I look younger. Seriously, I do! I don’t have any bags under my eyes and my face isn’t puffy. I don’t know if it’s because of no caffeine or no alcohol. I think I sleep better without alcohol. So maybe I am just getting good ‘beauty sleep’ now?

Day 15 Menu:

• Breakfast: Protein shake and pumpkin oatmeal
• Snacks:  Apple with almond butter, pumpkin oatmeal
• Lunch: Hummus wrap with avocado, spinach, onions and grilled eggplant
• Dinner: Herb roasted organic chicken with roasted beets and blue potatoes and salad                  
• Snack: Pear with almonds and granola. Cinnamon tea

Finishing Out The Second Week—Days 13 & 14

I am feeling pretty good now. For about a week I wasn’t constipated but I wasn’t having as consistent BMs (bowel movements) as I usually do. Anyway, everything is finally back on track. I also have more energy now than I have since I started. And my workouts are becoming more vigorous again.

Day 13 Menu:

Protein Shake, leftovers throughout the day, and for dinner Ryan made some pasture raised chicken legs with mustard, onion and garlic and a salad. And I made some quinoa, with onion, garlic, cilantro and some Garam Marsala spices. Today I also made Pumpkin Oatmeal and I think it turned out rather well. It makes a good snack with some tea.

Pumpkin Oatmeal

• 16 oz can organic pumpkin
• 2 Tbsp ground flax seed mixed with 1/2 cup water, let sit 5 minutes
• 2 Tbsp brown rice syrup or agave (or more if sweeter taste desired)
• 2 cups gluten free oats
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• zest of 1 lemon (optional)

Mix together the above ingredients and spread into an oiled 9” by 11” pan and top with granola. Bake at 375 for 20-25 min.

Day 14 Menu:

• Breakfast: Protein shake and pumpkin oatmeal
• Snack: Cashew Cookie Larabar,
• Lunch: Black eyed peas with quinoa and chicken
• Dinner: PIZZA!!! With marinara sauce, olive spread, grilled eggplant, garlic and onion. And I added hummus to mine. We also made beans in organic chicken broth with rainbow chard and black rice with avocado.

Days 11 and 12

Day 11: Up early, so that I could go to the Farmer’s Market before heading to Tiguex park for some fun FYI bootcamp movement. I had my usual protein shake before taking off. Upon return I made some Elimination Diet pancakes but this time, we topped them with sautéed strawberries and raspberries. Pretty Good! :-) For lunch and dinner we cooked some black eyed peas and put a spaghetti squash in the oven.

Spaghetti Squash Dinner:

Spaghetti squash halved, rub inside with coconut oil, cover and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour or until flesh pulls away easily with a fork into spaghetti like strands.

 

I topped the spaghetti squash with organic marinara sauce and some red chile sauce, cilantro, chopped cashews, and onion. Tonight we served it with black eyed peas, mustard greens and nopales con chile (cactus with chile).

                                         

Tonight we went to the neighbors for a party and we had some hot apple cider. It was a good thing we ate well before we went, or we would have been more tempted by the goodies. I tried to stay out of the kitchen area and in hind sight, I guess we could have brought something to snack on, so we didn’t feel left out.

Day 12: Another workout in the park this morning and a protein shake. My lunch and snack were leftovers from yesterday. We watched the Steelers win an awesome game against the Patriots, YEAH! Dinner was a nice bowl of Lentil soup, grilled veggies, and a salad. Would have been great with a nice glass of wine….soon…9 more days and we can start adding foods back. By the time Thanksgiving comes, everything will taste SO GOOD!

12 Days into the Diet

It's getting harder.  I miss coffee in the morning, and I miss wheat.  I would probably not have stayed strictly on the diet without Angel's help!  Having enough food on hand has been the key.  My advice to anyone entering into this diet is to prepare well and make sure you keep loads of good food in the fridge-- rice, quinoa, veggies, chicken -- make sure there's something to grab when the urge hits!

Day 8

Today’s Menu

• Breakfast: Protein shake
• Snack: Apple, Celery and Almond butter
• Lunch: Brown Rice Wrap with hummus and veggies
• Snack: Applesauce bread
• Dinner: Baked Cod with roasted eggplant, peppers, and onion, sweet potato, and salad
• After dinner: Cinnamon tea

Today I made Applesauce Bread from the Elimination Diet recipes, it isn’t very sweet but it’s pretty good and pairs well with a cup of cinnamon or herbal tea. Here is the recipe:

Applesauce Bread

• 1 cup teff flour
• 1 cup oat flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 1/2 cup brown rice syrup
• Egg replacer = 1tbsp ground flax mixed with 1/3 cup water and let sit 5 min.
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3-4 Tbsp. apple butter (this is the only thing I didn’t have, so it was omitted)

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl, set aside. Combine wet ingredients in a small bowl and mix into the dry ingredient. Pour into 9 inch square pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Days 6 & 7

Finishing out the first week, YEAH!
Both yesterday and today, breakfast was the usual Protein Shake and a leftover pancake with almond butter. Lunch has been leftovers and a brown rice wrap with hummus, veggies and hot sauce. Dinner last  night was Pollo Pipian with black rice and salad. Tonight dinner was leftovers. Snacks have been celery and apple slices with almond butter and a rice cake with almond butter and fresh raspberries.

I am feeling great, lots of energy, less cravings and a little less hungry than usual. I still woke up and had to blow my nose, but I think that’s because of Ziggy, our long haired cat, who lays on the bed.
Recipe for Pollo Pipian:

4-5 Chicken Breasts (skin removed)
Chicken broth, about 4 cups(see the vegetable soup post if you want to make your own chicken broth)
4-5 Garlic cloves
1/2 cups pepitas aka...pumpkin seeds (shelled)
1/2 lb. bag Spinach or any other leafy green
4 Poblano Chiles (chop, seeds removed)
8 tomatillos (husk removed)   

Pan sear Chicken pieces, add chicken broth and bring to a full boil, continue to boil over medium high heat until done (no pink left). Let the chicken cool and shred into bite size pieces.
In a separate frying pan, toast pepitas sightly until light golden brown. Set aside. *No oil is needed, just a dry hot pan will do.
In the blender add spinach, poblano pieces, tomatillos, pepitas, garlic and just enough broth to blend easily. *This will have to be done in 2 or more batches.
Pour sauce over chicken pieces and simmer for about 10 min.

Top with sliced onion toasted pepitas. Serve as is or with rice, potato, steamed vegetables or quinoa. Tonight we served it with black rice and salad.

Day 5

Elimination Pancakes
with Sauteed Pears/Apples

Today I woke up with the most energy that I have had in a while. I was still a little congested, I often wake up and have to blow my nose, I am curious if that will change at all on this diet or if it is just due to having a cat in the bed?

 

I made my berry protein shake and headed to the park for a workout. When I got home, I decided to experiment with some pancakes. And I have to say, that I was very impressed with how good they tasted and each pancake has 5g of fiber, which is very good for gluten free cooking! Here is the recipe:

 

Elimination Pancakes

Combine dry ingredients and set aside:

• 1/2 cup gluten free oat flour
• 1/2 cup all purpose gluten free flour
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 cup teff flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

EGG:  In a separate bowl make the Egg Replacer by combining

• 2 tbsp ground flax seed and
• 1/2 cup water and let sit 5 minutes

 

MILK:  In another bowl mix

• 1 1/2 cup coconut milk with
• 1 1/2 tbsp white vinegar

Let sit 5 minutes

Combine the above egg and milk with

• 1/4 cup apple sauce with
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil.

Stir in dry ingredients. Do not over mix. You may need to add water for desired consistency.

Serve with sauteed fruit of your choice. We used pears and applesauce. Other options would be to top with sprinkle nuts or almond butter. This recipe made about 13 pancakes, enough for us to have fast easy leftovers for b'fast tomorrow.

Lunch today was leftover beans, cabbage and yak.

Afternoon snack was apple slices, granola and pecans

 

Dinner today was Delicious Pan Seared Salmon with sesame seeds, thyme and lemon, served with creamed parsnips, steamed cauliflower and broccoli and sliced tomatoes. I will let Mom elaborate on that recipe, that was all her.

 

I am feeling really good at this point. I really think that planning ahead is key in making this diet work. Leftovers make great lunches or can be frozen and saved for another day. I also advise to start slowly stocking the pantry with some of the baking items, flours, nuts, etc. before starting the Elimination Diet because it can be expensive to go out and buy it all at once. Prepare to plan and Plan to prepare, this IS totally doable!

Protein Shake



Shake ingredients

It is important to get enough protein in the morning and throughout the day to keep energy levels stable and allow for fat loss, not muscle loss, should you experience weight loss on this program. The protein shake works well for breakfast and at anytime during the day as a snack. Feel free to make variations, but this is the basic recipe:

• Scoop of Organic Rice Protein powder
• 1-2 cups Berries; fresh or frozen
• Coconut, almond, oat, rice milk, or water—enough to make it blend to desired consistency
• 1 tbsp. Flax seed oil

I like to mix my tsp of glutamine in a couple of ounces of water and then combine it with morning shake

Glutamine with a little water

Mix the Glutamine with the Shake

Shake it up baby now
Shake it up baby
Twist and shout
Twist and shout!!! 



Dinners the Last Few Days (This is a Diet??)

Sunday, 10/23:

Salmon, Parsnip Puree, Steamed Cauliflower and Broccoli, and Sliced Tomatoes

 

Saturday, 10/22:

Pumpkin stuffed with Yak, Garbanzos, Carrots, and Quinoa,

Sautéed Cabbage, and Kidney Beans

 

Friday, 10/21:

Tinga over Lettuce, Chayote squash, Beats, and Garbanzos

Why the Elimination Diet?

Why the Elimination Diet? Why would someone want to eliminate foods from their diet? To answer that question, first I want to talk about the GUT.

What is the GUT?
In basic terms, it is a long tube (outside of the body) extending 20-22 ft and if flattened out, has the surface area of a tennis court. Over 70% of your immune system is in the GUT. Why? Because our biggest exposure to toxins and threats to our immune system come from what we put in our mouths. The GUT has to decide who is friend and who is foe for every single thing that goes thru. As mentioned, the gut is still the outside of the body. Think of the hole in the middle of a donut. If you put your finger in the hole are you touching the inside of the donut? No it is still the outside of the donut. If you poke your finger thru the dough crust, now you are inside the donut. So everything that comes thru the GUT lumen has to be monitored by the GUT. The GUT has to determine what can get inside and where along the way is it allowed to get inside the body? This is all done thru the process of digestion and absorption. So you aren't really just what you eat, but rather what you absorb.

A lot of us are walking around with a 'leaky gut.' Which means the GUT is allowing things to get inside the body that shouldn't or is letting big chunks of food that are not fully digested get in. The immune system responds to these big chunks as threats and now the person has a food allergy or food sensitivity to whatever that chunk of food was that got thru the leaky gut. Imagine your GUT lined with cheese cloth, only small digested particles can come through. But what happens when you have a tear in your cheese cloth? LEAKY GUT! The symptoms can manifest as headaches, chronic pain, bloating, stomach aches, diahrrea, constipation, mucous and even things like ADHD, anxiety and depression.

How does Leaky GUT happen? It can be caused by SAD (the Standard American Diet), by medication, especially antibiotics that can kill off good GUT flora and bacteria that keep the gut healthy. The GUT is pretty steril before birth and needs to be exposed to good bacteria to build a healthy line of defense. If a person is born C-section instead of vaginally, they are not exposed to that first bacteria and their GUT remains steril. If the baby is not breast fed they are missing important nutrients that build a healthy GUT. And then if the baby/toddler gets an ear infection or tonsilitis and are given antibiotics, much of the good bacteria in the GUT are killed off along with whatever bacteria that was causing the infection. Then if a person's diet has little vegetables, fruit and fiber that feed the good bacteria, they cannot flourish. Any of these and many other factors can contribute to 'leaky gut.'

So now back to the original question, Why the elimination diet? Because it eliminates the common food allergens or food sensitivities that commonly arise and it gives the GUT time to rest from these possible invaders. During the process it is also a good idea to support natural healing of 'leaky gut' and encourage new healthy bacterial growth, so we will be taking probiotics and some other nutrients to help heal the intestinal lining, repairing any possible tears in our cheese cloth.

LET THE ELIMINATION BEGIN!

Days 1-4

Ok, so I am playing catch-up with my posts, here goes.
Before I could start the Elimination Diet, I had to wean myself off of caffeine as I was used to having 2 cups every morning. I cut back to one cup for a few days then a 1/2 cup for a few days, and then 1/4 cup for two days. But by the first day of the elimination diet I was on day 4 of no caffeine at all. I had a slight headache Wednesday and Thursday, like a 2-3 on a scale of 1-10, but it was manageable.

Here is the menu for the last four days

Wednesday breakfast:
Oatmeal with berries, flavored with a little cinnamon, vanilla and stevia


Quinoa with Garbanzos

Mid-morning snack:
Apple slices with almond butter

Lunch:
Curried garbanzos with butternut squash

Afternoon snack:
Hummus with carrot, celery and zucchini slices

Dinner:
Organic chicken with quinoa, roasted eggplant, zucchini and garbanzos

After dinner snack:
Granola with pecans


Organic granola that works on
the Elimination Diet

Thursday breakfast: Oatmeal with berries, flavored with a little cinnamon, vanilla and stevia & Rice Protein shake made with frozen organic berries, coconut milk and flax seed oil

Mid-morning snack:
Hummus with carrot, celery and zucchini slices
Apple slices with almond butter


Lunch:
Organic chicken with roasted onion and tomatoes and quinoa
Rice cake with almond butter

Yummy Pumpkin Bar

Dinner:
Lamb chops with black rice and salad with currants and pine nuts

After dinner snack:
Apple with almond butter

Friday breakfast:
Rice Protein shake made with frozen organic berries, coconut milk and flax seed oil

Mid-morning snack:
Apple slices with almond butter

Lunch:
Chicken Tinga over greens and Marsala garbanzos with chard and zucchini

Dinner:
Lamb chops with black rice and salad with currants and pine nuts


Snack of Granola, Pecans,
and Apple

After dinner snack:
Pistachios

Saturday breakfast:
Rice Protein shake made with fresh berries, coconut milk and flax seed oil

Leftover quinoa, black rice, eggplant and garbanzos
Mid-morning snack:
Rice cake with almond butter and raspberries (fresh organic from the farmers market this morning...mmmm)

Lunch:
Chicken Tinga wrap with hummus and greens

Afternoon snack:
Raw pumpkin seed bar

Dinner:
Pumpkin stuffed with yak, mushrooms and quinoa. Served with kidney beans and pan fried cabbage and onions

I have been drinking lots of water, sometimes with lemon. Also, I have had herbal teas throughout the day.

I felt a little tired, sluggish, and sore these last few days, although today was better than the previous days. I have to say that I miss sipping on wine and eating dark chocolate in the evenings. Tea and nuts have been my substitute for this.

Feeling a little better

Woke up feeling a little better today.  We went to the Farmer’s Market and got some great greens, apples, squash, and other fresh stuff that we can have on the diet.  I’m finding out that the key to this is making sure  you have lots of variety and flavor.  If you eat the same thing too many times in a row, you start looking around for some of the old favorites (bread), and lots of flavor helps keep you happy.  Salsa and spice seem to help.  We’ve been doing this 3 full days now.  Strange, but I’m feeling ‘empty’. Not hungry, but like something is missing.  Wonder how long that will last.  Had a wrap today for lunch made with a rice tortilla and filled with Angel’s Tinga and some lettuce from the garden.  Really yummy!  Angel had a rice cake with almond butter and organic raspberries from the Farmer’s Market. Looked like dessert.

2nd Day

I'm sick!  I got a terrible cold just when it was time to start the diet.  So, because of that, I can't tell if the diet is causing any sypmtoms.  All I can feel is the cold--achy, stuffy, did I say achy?  So, it'll be a few days before I can report anything substantive about the effects of the diet.  In the meantime, achoooo.

Tomorrow’s the Big Day

Here we go—starting an elimination diet on Wednesday, 10/19/11.  My daughter, Angel, and I are setting out to document our adventure for the benefit of Chris (my son, her brother). Angel is a Registered Dietitian and is passionate about eating right to feel well.  I probably have some gluten issues, and I’m looking forward to see if changing what I eat will give me more energy and help me lose a few pounds.  

The plan is to blog what we eat, how we feel, and document the lessons we learn so Chris, and his lovely wife Lena, can have a head start when they begin the elimination diet November.  They’re planning to visit at Thanksgiving and Angel will get them started then.  We’ll post our recipes when there's something worth sharing. 

Angel and I will both post to this blog, so you’ll have the perspective of each of us.  Here’s to Living Without!