I am trying to put this up periodically, in large part as a reminder to myself, for when I'm feeling down about my diet, or to remind me how far I've come. Because folks with MCAD so often have very, very limited diets that I am doing REALLY well, and I want to hold on to that for the days when I'm feeling down...like right now when I need to lose a bit of weight and have to diet, ouch.
So, reminder to self!
Two weeks after going gluten free, I was reacting to so much that my diet of 'what I can eat without reacting' dropped down to:
Bison meat, carrots, sweet potatoes, quinoa, avocado, and salt.
Within a few months, I tried and discarded a few more items and was able to add amaranth, too. I don't think it was really any improvement, considering how little I liked the texture of amaranth.
And what I can eat now (without an unpleasant reaction):
Monday, October 13, 2014
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Gluten free is definitely not always gluten free
New study just came out, and it's saying what a lot of celiacs have been saying for years: gluten free products are not always as gluten free as they claim.
In the study, out of 158 products labeled gluten free, 5% of those with the gluten free label with not gluten free. 4% of the products labeled as certified gluten free were not gluten free, and these are the ones that are supposed to certify as having half the allowed gluten contamination as the regular gluten free label.
https://www.glutenfreewatchdog.org/blog/Five-Percent-of-Tested-Foods-Making-Gluten-Free-Claims-are-not-Gluten-Free-Study-Finds/41
Personally, I think this is the canary in the coal mine of contamination. Gluten currently is one of the only allergens to have actual ppm contamination standards on the books. The other allergens do not. You would expect that having to meet actual standards would increase compliance, to avoid prosecution if nothing else.
So if gluten free foods are only gluten free about 95% of the time, what's the level of 'free' for other allergens that list themselves as soy free, egg free, and so on?
Obviously, it's something we have to figure out for ourselves. But for those of us with serious allergies, or who have very serious reactions to allergens, I think this may be a factor to consider for our food. Yet another potential reason to start looking at whole foods rather than processed foods when making dietary choices.
In the study, out of 158 products labeled gluten free, 5% of those with the gluten free label with not gluten free. 4% of the products labeled as certified gluten free were not gluten free, and these are the ones that are supposed to certify as having half the allowed gluten contamination as the regular gluten free label.
https://www.glutenfreewatchdog.org/blog/Five-Percent-of-Tested-Foods-Making-Gluten-Free-Claims-are-not-Gluten-Free-Study-Finds/41
Personally, I think this is the canary in the coal mine of contamination. Gluten currently is one of the only allergens to have actual ppm contamination standards on the books. The other allergens do not. You would expect that having to meet actual standards would increase compliance, to avoid prosecution if nothing else.
So if gluten free foods are only gluten free about 95% of the time, what's the level of 'free' for other allergens that list themselves as soy free, egg free, and so on?
Obviously, it's something we have to figure out for ourselves. But for those of us with serious allergies, or who have very serious reactions to allergens, I think this may be a factor to consider for our food. Yet another potential reason to start looking at whole foods rather than processed foods when making dietary choices.
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Day 7 - Butternut Squash and Beef Skillet Meal
Pinterest Day 7
The Pinterest recipe I looked at today was Super Easy Butternut Squash with Ground Beef and Onions by Tom Denham.
Mine was more like Easier Butternut Squash with Ground Beef and chiles.
 |
| Beef and Butternut Squash |
Friday, September 5, 2014
Day 6 - Homemade Lemon Jello
Pinterest Day 6
The Pinterest recipe I looked at today was Citrus and Pineapple Gummies by Arsy Vartanian
This is the ugliest jello ever made. But quite tasty.
The Pinterest recipe I looked at today was Citrus and Pineapple Gummies by Arsy Vartanian
This is the ugliest jello ever made. But quite tasty.
 |
| Ugly lemon jello, already melting in the heat |
DIY gelatin
I found a link for DIY GELATIN at maantistaaste.com. Yes, that's the gelatin you could use to make jello.
Originally it was for pork bones, but I used it for ox tail and it worked GREAT. I'd check out the link above to see what they have to say about gelatin, as it's interesting, but let me tell you the basics here.
Originally it was for pork bones, but I used it for ox tail and it worked GREAT. I'd check out the link above to see what they have to say about gelatin, as it's interesting, but let me tell you the basics here.
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Ingredient of the Day - Citric Acid
The Ingredient:
"Citric acid occurs naturally in such fruits as limes, pineapples and gooseberries. The dry, powdered citric acid used as an industrial food additive since the early 19th century... has a less appetizing source; it is manufactured using a mould that feeds on corn syrup glucose."
source: The Globe and Mail.com
This is almost without fail GMO corn syrup glucose, for those who care about this. There are enough corn protein molecules remaining to make some sensitive corn allergic folks react to citric acid.
What foods you may find it in:
This is being used more and more by today's chefs to 'heighten flavors and bring balance to a dish,' so you'll likely come across it in restaurants. Also often used as an ingredient in many processed foods, like sauces, salad dressings, popsicles, frozen vegetables, chips, medications (like children's liquid tylenol). Even some of our unprocessed foods are now utilizing citric acid because it can help inhibit microbial growth, so it's used on things like those little white packets that come in the styrofoam trays holding raw meat.
"Citric acid occurs naturally in such fruits as limes, pineapples and gooseberries. The dry, powdered citric acid used as an industrial food additive since the early 19th century... has a less appetizing source; it is manufactured using a mould that feeds on corn syrup glucose."
source: The Globe and Mail.com
This is almost without fail GMO corn syrup glucose, for those who care about this. There are enough corn protein molecules remaining to make some sensitive corn allergic folks react to citric acid.
What foods you may find it in:
This is being used more and more by today's chefs to 'heighten flavors and bring balance to a dish,' so you'll likely come across it in restaurants. Also often used as an ingredient in many processed foods, like sauces, salad dressings, popsicles, frozen vegetables, chips, medications (like children's liquid tylenol). Even some of our unprocessed foods are now utilizing citric acid because it can help inhibit microbial growth, so it's used on things like those little white packets that come in the styrofoam trays holding raw meat.
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