Food Allergy Update!!!!

BelovedHeather

BelovedHeather

Cathlete
Happy Friday! It has been 2 weeks since my consultation with Erica (my nutritionist). I have de-puffed and look less and less like a microwaved marshmallow peep. :7 I pulled the scale out of the closet this morning (out of necessity before I start the challenge phase), and I am down 10 pounds in 2 weeks (which is the food allergy bloat).

I am wrapping up the toughest part of this food allergy elimination and challenge. The elimination phase can last from 4 days to 21 days (until the food protein clears from your body and the symptoms are gone), but more than 2 weeks is not recommended on a very restricted fast (like the one I am doing). Good news! My food allergy symptoms are gone. The itching has subsided, and I am breathing with ease. The bloat has departed too. Yippee! I am free to start the food challenge by reintroducing some of my favorite foods like cheese this weekend! I started this journey on the first day of March, so I want to persevere through today to make it a full 2 weeks. I need to ease into the challenge with simple foods this weekend. The challenge will be fun because I need to eat the food I am testing 4 times a day, and cheese is my favorite food. Yummy! :9

I am hoping to reintroduce organic eggs, cheese, and whole grains this weekend so I can return to normal eating on Monday. I am extremely hungry no matter how many fruits and veggies I eat. I am craving protein like crazy, and I need more whole grains for energy. All I can think about is food. I am dreaming about boiled eggs! My body is definitely trying to tell me something. My Daniel fast before the Road Trip was challenging but not quite as intense as this. I am only planning to start eating foods that have never caused a reaction in the past. I will need to check my weight Monday morning to see if I have any issues with these foods. I have a detailed list of ingredients to avoid, so I may need to buy different brands.

I am amazed that my body has recovered from this in 2 weeks (less than 2 weeks really because I was back to normal on the 8th day). When I had a bad reaction in the past, it took me at least 3 weeks to even start feeling better and as long as 6 weeks for my weight to return to normal. Erica helped me find and eliminate hidden food triggers. My eating has been sparkly clean and way too restrictive, but this more aggressive approach was very effective. I also enjoyed “Cathe lite” workouts for 2 weeks so my body could focus on healing. I am missing her intense workouts and ready to kick some butt again!

I have been eating mostly fruits and veggies for 2 weeks. I am a veggie hater by nature, but Kathy S. challenged me to expand my veggie horizons. My first experiment with sweet potatoes did not work for me. I hate the mushy texture. I am celebrating a victory in my veggie mission. I found a new veggie I love! Joy, joy, joy! I was not impressed with raw cauliflower when I tasted it earlier this week. I read a post by Kathryn about steamed and mashed cauliflower. I steamed some last night until it was nice and soft, mashed it with a fork, and was amazed. Yummy! It will be even tastier when I can add pepper, garlic, and other spices this weekend! (I have been limited to plain and bland food for 2 weeks with no spices or condiments.) I hope it is nutritious. I seem to favor white veggies over the dark green ones.

In case y’all don’t know, Kathy S. is an angel God sent my way to hold my hand while my Southern taste buds learn to appreciate (or at least tolerate) clean veggies (as I would rather eat a meal cooked by Paula Deen than Tosca Reno)! I like the veggies on Cracker Barrel’s menu. Because I do not like naked veggies, I have a tendency to not eat veggies at all when I am eating clean. Kathy has so graciously responded to all my e-mails this week and provided great cooking tips. What a doll! :)

Mashed potatoes are my favorite Southern comfort food, so hugs to Kathryn for giving me a veggie option that I can enjoy more often! :)

Blessings,
Heather B.

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV).
 
Heather,
I'm sooooo glad to hear you're feeling better!!! And yes, Kathy S. and Kathryn are pretty smart and crafty when coming up with ways to get those veggies in!! (Which I, myself, am not very good about...) ;)

Keep up the good work and the positive thinking!

Allison

http://www.picturetrail.com/allisonj90
 
Heather!

YAY YAY YAY on your amazing recovery, sweetie pie!!! :) You owe that entirely to your own iron will and determination to take care of yourself exactly as the nutritionist and doctor asked you to do. I'm so proud of you and glad for you!

I deeply appreciate your sweet words about me, but you're exaggerating here and the EC needs to know that. :) All I've done is share with you a few ideas/tips/tricks for how to adjust Southern taste buds to a healthier way of appreciating vegetables in a more near-naked state. ;-) It is my pleasure to do anything I can to help!!

http://www.clicksmilies.com/s1106/sport/sport-smiley-003.gif Kathy S. http://planetsmilies.net/sport-smiley-5536.gif
 
Heather,
I must have missed your previous posts about food allergies, but I'm glad you're finally getting to the root of the problem. And glad I could share a way of making cauliflower more palatable (I'm not big on raw cauliflower myself, but the mashed version redeams it for me!).

Here's some other stuff to try, just for fun: steam either green peas or brocolli stems (peel the stems first), then mash as use as a base for guacamole. You can mix the two, or add a bit of avocado as well, and after you've got the rest of the fixings in, you can't tell much of a difference between it and the regular, all-avocado version.

I find that herbs and spices really make veggies taste the best (and can change their character). Once you've been okayed to use seasoning, experiment with different flavors.
 
Learning to Love Veggies

Allison, thank you for the encouragement! :)

Kathy, it may seem like a “little thing” to you, but taking the time to share veggie cooking tips was a huge blessing to me. With my personality, it does not take much to get me excited! :7 Learning to love and eat more veggies has been my biggest nutrition challenge, so suggestions and tips for clean and tasty veggies are greatly appreciated.

Kathryn, I had a run-in with a protein bar (soy and whey) last month, swelled up, gained 12 pounds in a day, itched like crazy from head to toe, and had a bad asthma-like reaction. :eek: Struggling to breathe is scary! I am allergic to seafood, mushrooms, MSG, and soy. (I can eat some soy but react to other soy.) Cathe encouraged me earlier this year to find a clinical nutritionist. I hesitated due to the expense, but my food allergy crisis pushed me over the edge. My consultation with Erica is right up there with my Cathe collection as one of my best health and fitness investments of all time. She did her homework, researched my specific allergies, and provided me with a wealth of good information customized for me (as opposed to the cookie cutter food pyramid advice I have received from dietitians in the past). I am NOT allergic to dairy and was surprised to learn that whey is a trigger for people who are sensitive to MSG. Dairy is high in bound glutamate. The way food is processed to make protein bars and shakes frees the glutamate to wreck havoc in a body that is sensitive to MSG. I need to stick with whole foods and stay away from the processed protein powders and bars. I am so glad you introduced me to Nutiva organic hemp protein powder because that is the only safe protein powder for me. Processed pea protein can be a trigger, and the veggie blends often contain mushrooms. When will Dr. Fuhrman’s new book be available? My doctor is a fan of Eat to Live, but it is a bit too extreme for me. The new one sounds like it will offer a gentler transition to that way of eating. I need to eat more veggies and want to move in that direction.

Blessings,
Heather B.

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV).
 
RE: Learning to Love Veggies

> When will Dr. Fuhrman’s new book be
>available? My doctor is a fan of Eat to Live, but it is a bit
>too extreme for me. The new one sounds like it will offer a
>gentler transition to that way of eating. I need to eat more
>veggies and want to move in that direction.

Heather,
It's now advertised as "coming soon" in his product pamphlets, and he previously had mentioned "spring of 2008," but there's not much new info on his site yet. I'm assuming within a month or two. (www.drfurhman.com is supposed to have it available as an e-book download before the hardback comes out, and www.amazon.com is taking preorders, with a release date of April 1).

He specifically designed the two-book system for people who found "Eat to Live" to be too drastic a change. The first volume is supposed to be about changing your mindset, while the second volume is about the 'how to's,' including recipes.
 
Hallelujah sister!!! I'm so glad you're getting help with your food allergies. Please continue to keep us updated, and know that you remain in my prayers.:*
 
Heather, glad to hear you are in fully recovery mode! Good luck with your search for alternative healthy (and yummy!) foods that won't trigger your allergies!

Jonahnah
Chocolate IS the answer, regardless of the question.
 
Heather, so glad to hear you have stopped swelling and itching and all that. And you have lost the 10 pounds, which I know distressed you greatly, so now that'll be a load off your mind.

I feel your pain, thinking and dreaming about food, but sweatheart, And I am trying very hard to break this to you gently, you may be a little sicker than you realised - "Dreaming about organic eggs???" x( I wonder what those dream analysis persons would make of that! :) What do you think?



;) I don't know why this little smiley thing is down here, I wanted it up there ^.

Andrea.
 
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