When restrictions seem to rule your life, it's hard to keep a positive spin on them. You go to a party and find yourself turning down delicious dishes, desserts and drinks. The grocery store is full of off limits food. You have to call and find out if the school's movie night will be serving popcorn before agreeing to bring your child (or finding someone else to chaperone, so you can continue breathing)
Corn puts specific restraints on life; although it is freeing to know that the rashes and gi symptoms that used to parade as normal aren't something you need to accept and live with the rest of your life, it's also difficult to place restrictions on the air you breathe and the food you consume.
However, when I look back over the past few years since discovering I wasn't suffering from increasingly confusing jumbles of letters that added up to 'just stress', I find that I've learned and gained a lot from living with a corn allergy.
Besides the whole "life really is livable" thing, I think one of the biggest gifts has been learning about our food supply. It's disturbing, and I'd love to stuff my head back in the sand somedays. But I've learned a lot about labels and food processing that I otherwise would not have sought out. I've learned about the plight of small, family farms and a little about political power. I've discovered that blind trust in earthly matters is generally misplaced. That's not a bad thing. It motivates me to feed my family better, to actually make that effort to prepare real meals even if they just consist of organic rice and beans.
I've been forced to re-examine the organic issue. I've always thought that organic was better, but I didn't really think about why. Now I know it's much more than a label that I'm concerned about. Learning about how corn infiltrates our food (thus poisoning my poor digestive tract) led me to an understanding of why there are unknown additions to our food, and why it's so important to support local agriculture. I've realized that it isn't just organic that I'm looking to support, but foods grown without pesticides or chemicals. I'm looking for foods that aren't developed in a laboratory. I'm looking for food that is what it looks like, and nothing more.
No compromises. Everyone says fast food is bad. But then they get busy and hit the drive through, munching away on those 'paper bag heart attacks'. I admit, I've fantasized about it myself. But, with a corn allergy, I can't compromise. It's poison to me, why would I give it to my kids if it's not even good for them? Scout night nuggets is not an option, so it's never come up. I cook. Maybe not completely from scratch, maybe not gourmet, but still. It's real food with few preservatives.
What have I gained from a corn allergy? A chance to better define my feelings regarding organics and food quality in general. A better understanding of food politics. A chance to see how little things that seem insignificant or even wise can really throw a wrench in the bigger picture.
I have a corn allergy, and it makes me 'that mom'. A granola mom. The odd ball out. But I refuse to do it because I have to. I'll do it on my terms...I'll define it in ways that make it right for us. Corn free, naturally.
Showing posts with label allergy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label allergy. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 05, 2011
Friday, September 23, 2011
GM corn and our rights as consumers
If you're a regular reader, you probably know how I feel about corn. And you might think that if Monsanto has developed a new GM corn that can resist even stronger doses of the pesticide Round Up, and resists at least two different corn-loving insects; well, since the corn itself attacks ME regardless, it won't matter to me if it's on the market or not.
You'd be wrong.
I won't be buying this GM corn because I don't buy corn. But, I object to it on principal. Frankly, it scares me to read that the federal regulators don't require any approval, and it doesn't need to be labeled.
It terrifies me to think that big corporations don't feel a need to label food with origins that they think I might object to. As a consumer, I have the right to know what I'm purchasing. What my purchase supports, what I'm putting into my and my children's bodies.
I have an obligation to make informed decisions regarding my kids' health. That includes what I feed them. There is a reason I try to buy organic. But simply buying organic isn't good enough. Regardless of my personal desires, I have to balance ideals with the cold hard facts of my checking account. If I can't afford an organic certified label one week, I should be able to make an informed choice among the non-organically grown options. Which means, GMO need to be labeled.
This isn't about whether or not there should be genetically modified organisms on the market. I think most people agree that they don't want to ingest GMOs or feed them to their kids; but that's not the point either. I may not want GMOs to be mass marketed, and I may be concerned about the possibility of GMO pollen contaminating organic fields, but that isn't the issue here either.
The real issue is that if GM corn is sold unlabeled, then we as consumers lose our right to choose. We lose our right to make an informed decision about what we buy and what we eat. As consumers, we shouldn't have to research every morsel that enters our mouth. (Trust me, as a corn allergy sufferer I do have to research every product. It's hard work and the company representatives aren't always happy about the research I ask them to do.) I'm guessing that companies are assuming that as busy individuals, we don't have the time or inclination to make a phone call prior to every purchase ascertaining it's GMO status. And I'm also guessing that they are assuming that once the reveal that GMO corn has been on the shelf and a pantry staple for a certain number of months or years, we as a society will be more open to embracing other GMOs. And that, in turn, can lead to an easier approval process. Which, of course, won't need to be labeled because as a society we will already have accepted the use of GMOs in our everyday lives.
This is what I object to.
I don't know the long term consequences of GMO. And maybe there won't be any.
But maybe there are some unforeseen consequences. As a consumer, as an American Citizen, I have the right to choose. The right to protect my family, if it makes me happy and doesn't impede anyone else's rights. As a city-girl (like most of America) I can't grow all my own food. Which means I need to rely on grocery stores. And I deserve to know what's in the foods I purchase. I deserve to choose whether or not to support GMOs. We all deserve the right to avoid ingredients we don't want whether it's for physical, spiritual, religious or ridiculous reasons. And we deserve the right to seek out specific foods if we so desire. (Like raw milk, or even GMO if you really wanted it) In order to exercize our right to choose, we need information. Which means, GMO should be labeled.
While we work on that as individuals, companies can work on it as well.
Trader Joes and General Mills have indicated that they won't purchase unlabeled GM sweet corn (the kind that's sold frozen and/or canned.) Today I sent a message through the True Food website asking other food manufacturers to do the same. If you want to maintain your right to choose, consider doing the same.
You'd be wrong.
I won't be buying this GM corn because I don't buy corn. But, I object to it on principal. Frankly, it scares me to read that the federal regulators don't require any approval, and it doesn't need to be labeled.
It terrifies me to think that big corporations don't feel a need to label food with origins that they think I might object to. As a consumer, I have the right to know what I'm purchasing. What my purchase supports, what I'm putting into my and my children's bodies.
I have an obligation to make informed decisions regarding my kids' health. That includes what I feed them. There is a reason I try to buy organic. But simply buying organic isn't good enough. Regardless of my personal desires, I have to balance ideals with the cold hard facts of my checking account. If I can't afford an organic certified label one week, I should be able to make an informed choice among the non-organically grown options. Which means, GMO need to be labeled.
This isn't about whether or not there should be genetically modified organisms on the market. I think most people agree that they don't want to ingest GMOs or feed them to their kids; but that's not the point either. I may not want GMOs to be mass marketed, and I may be concerned about the possibility of GMO pollen contaminating organic fields, but that isn't the issue here either.
The real issue is that if GM corn is sold unlabeled, then we as consumers lose our right to choose. We lose our right to make an informed decision about what we buy and what we eat. As consumers, we shouldn't have to research every morsel that enters our mouth. (Trust me, as a corn allergy sufferer I do have to research every product. It's hard work and the company representatives aren't always happy about the research I ask them to do.) I'm guessing that companies are assuming that as busy individuals, we don't have the time or inclination to make a phone call prior to every purchase ascertaining it's GMO status. And I'm also guessing that they are assuming that once the reveal that GMO corn has been on the shelf and a pantry staple for a certain number of months or years, we as a society will be more open to embracing other GMOs. And that, in turn, can lead to an easier approval process. Which, of course, won't need to be labeled because as a society we will already have accepted the use of GMOs in our everyday lives.
This is what I object to.
I don't know the long term consequences of GMO. And maybe there won't be any.
But maybe there are some unforeseen consequences. As a consumer, as an American Citizen, I have the right to choose. The right to protect my family, if it makes me happy and doesn't impede anyone else's rights. As a city-girl (like most of America) I can't grow all my own food. Which means I need to rely on grocery stores. And I deserve to know what's in the foods I purchase. I deserve to choose whether or not to support GMOs. We all deserve the right to avoid ingredients we don't want whether it's for physical, spiritual, religious or ridiculous reasons. And we deserve the right to seek out specific foods if we so desire. (Like raw milk, or even GMO if you really wanted it) In order to exercize our right to choose, we need information. Which means, GMO should be labeled.
While we work on that as individuals, companies can work on it as well.
Trader Joes and General Mills have indicated that they won't purchase unlabeled GM sweet corn (the kind that's sold frozen and/or canned.) Today I sent a message through the True Food website asking other food manufacturers to do the same. If you want to maintain your right to choose, consider doing the same.
Artificial looks....artificial
Sometimes, Bumblebee likes to play afterschool. So I find a spot in the shade, pull out a book and keep half an eye out to make sure she's okay.
Today, as I sat with my book, a preschooler ran past and popped some brightly colored object into their mouth. I had to curb my first instinct, which was to pull it out. Put down my book and looked around.
Then the brightly colored object began melting.
"Mmmm, that looks delicious," a woman nearby told the child and they grinned, with a deep purply looking tongue and reddish teeth.
I couldn't disagree more.
Artificial food colorings are derived from petroleum. Yeah, gasoline. Crude oil. The stuff poisoning the gulf coast.
It's also implicated in a number of health issues, and banned in children's products in parts of Europe. Blue dye happens to be a potent neuro-stimulant. It gives my daughter nasty migraines, although some research shows promise in using it to actually treat migraines.
I've noticed that in the allergy friendly world, parents rely heavily on food colorings to make foods appealing. A child can't have nuts, but can enjoy skittles and lollipops. We used to be frustrated that Penguin couldn't have dairy or gluten...or certain food dyes. It took everything off the table when it came to treats.
Luckily, there are a few affordable options out there. Yummy Earth is one delicious choice. Surf sweets another. The colors aren't nearly as vibrant, but they do look more appetizing.
After years of dealing with food issues and having given up purchasing colored products completely after reading "The Unhealthy Truth" by Robyn O'brien; what surprises me most is my reaction when I see these once tempting delicacies.
My stomach flops. Nothing about vibrant red cherries appeals to me. Bright blue candy looks inedible. Patriotic posicles look like table decorations, not dessert. It's not just that it looks inedible, they look non-tempting.
The intent of artificial colors is to enhance the appearance and increase appeal. But artificial food just isn't appealing. At least, not to my family.
Today, as I sat with my book, a preschooler ran past and popped some brightly colored object into their mouth. I had to curb my first instinct, which was to pull it out. Put down my book and looked around.
Then the brightly colored object began melting.
"Mmmm, that looks delicious," a woman nearby told the child and they grinned, with a deep purply looking tongue and reddish teeth.
I couldn't disagree more.
Artificial food colorings are derived from petroleum. Yeah, gasoline. Crude oil. The stuff poisoning the gulf coast.
It's also implicated in a number of health issues, and banned in children's products in parts of Europe. Blue dye happens to be a potent neuro-stimulant. It gives my daughter nasty migraines, although some research shows promise in using it to actually treat migraines.
I've noticed that in the allergy friendly world, parents rely heavily on food colorings to make foods appealing. A child can't have nuts, but can enjoy skittles and lollipops. We used to be frustrated that Penguin couldn't have dairy or gluten...or certain food dyes. It took everything off the table when it came to treats.
Luckily, there are a few affordable options out there. Yummy Earth is one delicious choice. Surf sweets another. The colors aren't nearly as vibrant, but they do look more appetizing.
After years of dealing with food issues and having given up purchasing colored products completely after reading "The Unhealthy Truth" by Robyn O'brien; what surprises me most is my reaction when I see these once tempting delicacies.
My stomach flops. Nothing about vibrant red cherries appeals to me. Bright blue candy looks inedible. Patriotic posicles look like table decorations, not dessert. It's not just that it looks inedible, they look non-tempting.
The intent of artificial colors is to enhance the appearance and increase appeal. But artificial food just isn't appealing. At least, not to my family.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Something Sweet...
"I want to bake something," said Penguin.
The thing with allergies is that EVERYthing we make gets made from scratch. It's a hot day. Turning on the oven may not have been high on my list of priorities. And baking means extra dishes to wash, standing over a hot sink. There's still dinner to cook, too. And I'm fairly certain there are some not-corn-free cookies in the cupboard.
But while she might have a few secondary options, if I want something sweet, I can eat ingredients or I can bake something. And since I was craving something sweet (besides a handful of chocolate chips), I grinned at her. A slow, shy grin was returned.
"Really?" She asked, and I nodded, asking what she had in mind.
Something different, she told me. But not too different. Something like...hmmm...Chocolate chip cookies.
And since chocolate chip cookies just happened to be exactly what I've been craving, I told her this was a good plan.
She asked if the 'something different' could be putting them in a cake pan instead making little cookies. And since that meant one batch of cookies instead of 2 or 3 panfuls, I told her this was another good plan. I figured worst case scenario, there would be sweet and chocolatey crumbs for me to munch on, warm dough for my husband, and she could resort to Soy Creamy ice cream.
She didn't have to. The chocolate chip bars came out delicious. Between the four of us, we polished off the entire pan full.
Well, except for 1 small corner which I'm currently eyeing. Hmmm. As the one with the most allergies, I'm pretty sure I get dibs.
Sometimes, being allergy free has it's advantages.
The thing with allergies is that EVERYthing we make gets made from scratch. It's a hot day. Turning on the oven may not have been high on my list of priorities. And baking means extra dishes to wash, standing over a hot sink. There's still dinner to cook, too. And I'm fairly certain there are some not-corn-free cookies in the cupboard.
But while she might have a few secondary options, if I want something sweet, I can eat ingredients or I can bake something. And since I was craving something sweet (besides a handful of chocolate chips), I grinned at her. A slow, shy grin was returned.
"Really?" She asked, and I nodded, asking what she had in mind.
Something different, she told me. But not too different. Something like...hmmm...Chocolate chip cookies.
And since chocolate chip cookies just happened to be exactly what I've been craving, I told her this was a good plan.
She asked if the 'something different' could be putting them in a cake pan instead making little cookies. And since that meant one batch of cookies instead of 2 or 3 panfuls, I told her this was another good plan. I figured worst case scenario, there would be sweet and chocolatey crumbs for me to munch on, warm dough for my husband, and she could resort to Soy Creamy ice cream.
She didn't have to. The chocolate chip bars came out delicious. Between the four of us, we polished off the entire pan full.
Well, except for 1 small corner which I'm currently eyeing. Hmmm. As the one with the most allergies, I'm pretty sure I get dibs.
Sometimes, being allergy free has it's advantages.
Navigating Maize
I'm again frustrated with the lack of appropriate wording for corn allergies.
The only word we have for a potentially debilitating reaction caused by an ingested substance is 'allergy'. But when it comes to corn and corn derivatives, allergy doesn't describe the half of it.
You see, food allergies indicate potential anaphylaxis. And while with corn, we do have the potential for anaphylaxis, most professionals also associate true food allergies with food proteins.
Corn derivatives like xanthan gum, citric acid and microcrystalline cellulose are 'pure'. They don't have protein. But they still manage to pack quite the whollop. So, Corn avoiders tend to avoid all corn derivatives, at least until they figure out which ones they, personally, can tolerate.
Most allergists run diagnostic testing when determining food allergies. They start with skin tests, and then draw blood. The intention is to measure the antibodies present and then determine the likelihood of a severe reaction.
However, as this South African Journal notes, corn/maize frequently reveals a false negative result. Double blind placebo trials reveal reactions.
In short, corn/maize does NOT follow the typical allergy rules. It's not always protein mediated. And the typical allergy testing rarely reveals a positive result.
There are also multiple potential allergens in corn, although studies have not been done to evaluate them thoroughly.
While I know all this, not everyone in the medical community seems to. Even worse, the companies who produce and package my food, and everyone else's, tend to have a very tenuous hold on the understanding of corn and it's potential for causing reactions.
This understanding is encouraged by the belief that food proteins are the problematic substance when dealing with food allergies; and that the Top 8 are the main (frequently misunderstood as 'only') foods responsible for 'real' reactions.
So when I contact a company and say "Is there corn in this?", they respond with "Of course not, it's a bottle of fruit juice." When, in fact, there may be 3 or 4 different corn derived ingredients either on the label or used as a processing agent.
(If you're wondering, off the top of my head: Ascorbic acid, citric acid, xanthan gum, and vitamin enrichments are the first 4 ingredients I can think of found in juice drinks that are often corn-taminated)
Some companies get it. When they say "There are no corn derivatives" they mean that they pick the fruit, squeeze it directly into pure, clean glass bottles and seal it up for distribution. They KNOW what's in there.
Shopping with a corn/maize allergy (or whatever it is you want to call this condition) is a completely different experience from what shopping used to be. There are entire aisles in the grocery store that are off limits. And even the aisles that are inviting seem ominous. New products are tempting, and yet need to be cautiously evaluated. First, the label is scrutinized. Questionable ingredients noted. The company then needs to be contacted to verify the source of questionable ingredients, and to ask about processing. And then comes the moment of truth. The deep breath, the taste. And hopefully, if the evening passes without reaction, a full out meal.
And then it gets added to the normal rotation. However, just because an item is familiar doesn't mean that a shopping trip is filled with confidence or that each purchase is quick and safe. Every single time I go to the store, I read ingredients. I scan for red flags that sound 'different' from last time. If packaging changes, it means I need to contact the company (and/or double check with the corn-free community on delphi) to see if any portion of the packaging process has changed.
If corn were like dairy or eggs or even gluten, answers would be easier to get. The protein would be the main item of concern, the answers would be straight forward. They are for my daughter. But corn...corn is complicated. It has so many facets and is used so many different ways.
Learning life without corn derivatives is truly like navigating a maze, except that rather than navigating a complicated labyrinth to discover a vicious minotaur, the maze itself is the danger and once we find the center, the danger is over...as long as we continue to stay vigilant.
The only word we have for a potentially debilitating reaction caused by an ingested substance is 'allergy'. But when it comes to corn and corn derivatives, allergy doesn't describe the half of it.
You see, food allergies indicate potential anaphylaxis. And while with corn, we do have the potential for anaphylaxis, most professionals also associate true food allergies with food proteins.
Corn derivatives like xanthan gum, citric acid and microcrystalline cellulose are 'pure'. They don't have protein. But they still manage to pack quite the whollop. So, Corn avoiders tend to avoid all corn derivatives, at least until they figure out which ones they, personally, can tolerate.
Most allergists run diagnostic testing when determining food allergies. They start with skin tests, and then draw blood. The intention is to measure the antibodies present and then determine the likelihood of a severe reaction.
However, as this South African Journal notes, corn/maize frequently reveals a false negative result. Double blind placebo trials reveal reactions.
In short, corn/maize does NOT follow the typical allergy rules. It's not always protein mediated. And the typical allergy testing rarely reveals a positive result.
There are also multiple potential allergens in corn, although studies have not been done to evaluate them thoroughly.
While I know all this, not everyone in the medical community seems to. Even worse, the companies who produce and package my food, and everyone else's, tend to have a very tenuous hold on the understanding of corn and it's potential for causing reactions.
This understanding is encouraged by the belief that food proteins are the problematic substance when dealing with food allergies; and that the Top 8 are the main (frequently misunderstood as 'only') foods responsible for 'real' reactions.
So when I contact a company and say "Is there corn in this?", they respond with "Of course not, it's a bottle of fruit juice." When, in fact, there may be 3 or 4 different corn derived ingredients either on the label or used as a processing agent.
(If you're wondering, off the top of my head: Ascorbic acid, citric acid, xanthan gum, and vitamin enrichments are the first 4 ingredients I can think of found in juice drinks that are often corn-taminated)
Some companies get it. When they say "There are no corn derivatives" they mean that they pick the fruit, squeeze it directly into pure, clean glass bottles and seal it up for distribution. They KNOW what's in there.
Shopping with a corn/maize allergy (or whatever it is you want to call this condition) is a completely different experience from what shopping used to be. There are entire aisles in the grocery store that are off limits. And even the aisles that are inviting seem ominous. New products are tempting, and yet need to be cautiously evaluated. First, the label is scrutinized. Questionable ingredients noted. The company then needs to be contacted to verify the source of questionable ingredients, and to ask about processing. And then comes the moment of truth. The deep breath, the taste. And hopefully, if the evening passes without reaction, a full out meal.
And then it gets added to the normal rotation. However, just because an item is familiar doesn't mean that a shopping trip is filled with confidence or that each purchase is quick and safe. Every single time I go to the store, I read ingredients. I scan for red flags that sound 'different' from last time. If packaging changes, it means I need to contact the company (and/or double check with the corn-free community on delphi) to see if any portion of the packaging process has changed.
If corn were like dairy or eggs or even gluten, answers would be easier to get. The protein would be the main item of concern, the answers would be straight forward. They are for my daughter. But corn...corn is complicated. It has so many facets and is used so many different ways.
Learning life without corn derivatives is truly like navigating a maze, except that rather than navigating a complicated labyrinth to discover a vicious minotaur, the maze itself is the danger and once we find the center, the danger is over...as long as we continue to stay vigilant.
Friday, July 08, 2011
Real Food
Recently, struggling to come up with food for Bumblebee, I couldn't help but wonder when we got to this point. And was immediately assaulted by the memory of sitting in a professionals office, discussing Bumblebee's reluctance to attend school and food issues and being told that she shouldn't be expected to eat the veggies and whole grains I make, since she doesn't have Celiac Disease she deserves "real food". And an interview with a nutritionist shortly after I was diagnosed with both Celiac Disease and Corn Allergy, tearfully explaining that there was NOTHING I could eat, and the kids needed food too...and being told that I couldn't deprive them of "real food".
Each time I was on overload, so I nodded, blinked away any tears threatening to fall, and agreed that my limited diet was intolerable for kids.
But I never thought to step back, narrow my eyes and ask what exactly they considered "Real Food"? What, exactly, is wrong with a gluten free diet that makes people think of it as "fake" food? Rice bread isn't any less valid than wheat bread...it just tastes different. Rice pasta, again, simply has a different texture and taste than 'regular' pasta. It's not fake. It's just made from a different grain.
Looking through gluten-free cookbooks always makes me shake my head. While I am in need of inspiration for nightly meals, I find that specific cookbooks for gluten free foods have a distinct focus on baking. Breads, cakes, cookies. Carbs. Of which we, as a society, get way too many of to begin with.
Real food. Is it cake? Pizza? Macaroni? And when did it get that way?
I look at last night's meal (which was a sort of quiche-filling poured over leftover pasta. Not gourmet, but tasty and chock full of spinach and pepper and onion, as well as protein from eggs) I wonder what ever possessed me to think that serving cereal or a sandwich to Bumblebee was somehow superior? A valid choice if she doesn't like the meal, sure. But more appropriate because it's "real" and has gluten and/or dairy plus corn?
What's happened to our priorities?
I'm exaggerating a bit. I've never really thought a sandwich was "superior" to the rest of the meal. But there's been that nugget of guilt. Poor Bumblebee. Poor Mr. Violets. They have to put up with fake food, when they could be eating...GLUTEN.
Well, the guilt is ending (er, well, okay...by ending I mean 'being hidden away and ignored to the best of my ability') right now.
Tonight's meal is rice and beans with salad. It's a meal offered on dozens of restaurant menus, and enjoyed by thousands of households in the american continents. Plural. There's nothing fake about it, even if I only serve avocado and no cheese or sour cream. In fact, I believe some would find it even more traditional that way.
Real food isn't about gluten, or dairy, or any other allergen. It's about food. It's about seeing your food, knowing where it came from, and enjoying it. It's about food that's approachable. Simple. Nourishing. It's the opposite of what you'd pull out of the Star Trek Enterprise holo-replicator mechanism. It's the good chocolate. (you know, the only kind I can safely eat that costs a fortune) It's old fashioned oats or Quinoa flakes. It's pure cane sugar. It's water instead of Kool Aid. It's food that formed on a farm, not in a laboratory, and grew from seeds that weren't GM. (at least, in my opinion)
Real food is a recurring theme on allergy boards. Missing, wishing, dreaming of "real food". But food without allergens IS real. It's valid. It's tasty. It's nourishing because of what IS in it, not lacking because of what's not.
And you know what? In many ways, it CAN be superior to the so called "real" of the Standard American Diet. Real Food is often gluten free. Why shouldn't it be?
Each time I was on overload, so I nodded, blinked away any tears threatening to fall, and agreed that my limited diet was intolerable for kids.
But I never thought to step back, narrow my eyes and ask what exactly they considered "Real Food"? What, exactly, is wrong with a gluten free diet that makes people think of it as "fake" food? Rice bread isn't any less valid than wheat bread...it just tastes different. Rice pasta, again, simply has a different texture and taste than 'regular' pasta. It's not fake. It's just made from a different grain.
Looking through gluten-free cookbooks always makes me shake my head. While I am in need of inspiration for nightly meals, I find that specific cookbooks for gluten free foods have a distinct focus on baking. Breads, cakes, cookies. Carbs. Of which we, as a society, get way too many of to begin with.
Real food. Is it cake? Pizza? Macaroni? And when did it get that way?
I look at last night's meal (which was a sort of quiche-filling poured over leftover pasta. Not gourmet, but tasty and chock full of spinach and pepper and onion, as well as protein from eggs) I wonder what ever possessed me to think that serving cereal or a sandwich to Bumblebee was somehow superior? A valid choice if she doesn't like the meal, sure. But more appropriate because it's "real" and has gluten and/or dairy plus corn?
What's happened to our priorities?
I'm exaggerating a bit. I've never really thought a sandwich was "superior" to the rest of the meal. But there's been that nugget of guilt. Poor Bumblebee. Poor Mr. Violets. They have to put up with fake food, when they could be eating...GLUTEN.
Well, the guilt is ending (er, well, okay...by ending I mean 'being hidden away and ignored to the best of my ability') right now.
Tonight's meal is rice and beans with salad. It's a meal offered on dozens of restaurant menus, and enjoyed by thousands of households in the american continents. Plural. There's nothing fake about it, even if I only serve avocado and no cheese or sour cream. In fact, I believe some would find it even more traditional that way.
Real food isn't about gluten, or dairy, or any other allergen. It's about food. It's about seeing your food, knowing where it came from, and enjoying it. It's about food that's approachable. Simple. Nourishing. It's the opposite of what you'd pull out of the Star Trek Enterprise holo-replicator mechanism. It's the good chocolate. (you know, the only kind I can safely eat that costs a fortune) It's old fashioned oats or Quinoa flakes. It's pure cane sugar. It's water instead of Kool Aid. It's food that formed on a farm, not in a laboratory, and grew from seeds that weren't GM. (at least, in my opinion)
Real food is a recurring theme on allergy boards. Missing, wishing, dreaming of "real food". But food without allergens IS real. It's valid. It's tasty. It's nourishing because of what IS in it, not lacking because of what's not.
And you know what? In many ways, it CAN be superior to the so called "real" of the Standard American Diet. Real Food is often gluten free. Why shouldn't it be?
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Allergies and the Environment
I'm not sure what it is about allergies; but I find that the farther I delve into them the more aware of our environmental impact I become.
Part of it is the quest for a cause, which may lead to a cure. Part of it is becoming aware of the way our food chain works, which raises more questions than it seems to answer. And part of it is simply that the more aware I am of what is IN food, the less I want it in my (or my kids') bodies. It's not about avoiding allergens. It's about our safety, and our society's sustainability.
What would we do if suddenly massive truck routes were made impassable? If we were forced to eat fresh produce and meat without grains?
This happened in parts of Europe during the second world war. This dangerous diet led to...increased health. But, during the second world war, we still had memories of how to farm. We had a little extra space to garden. We had memories of how to prepare and preserve our own food, or there were plenty of people around who could teach us.
And there were a lot fewer of us to feed. In an age of microwaves, freezers and take out containers, how many would know how to plan and execute a month's worth of meals if heaven forbid there were no more factory food deliveries? There's a commercial that we used to laugh at. "Without us, some guys would starve".
"So true," we joked.
But when we entered the realm of food allergies and started cooking from scratch, we stopped laughing. With an increased awareness of ingredients, and additives, and the true definition of cooking from scratch, the jingle seemed too hit too close to home. And all of these realizations led us to an increased awareness of sustainability.
Allergies themselves are overwhelming, especially when you have a slew of them that require multiple pages to list. Corn being one of the toughest allergies to live with, since it even shows up in the citric acid rinse on bagged salad. Sustainability isn't a main concern.
And yet, it is. Corn is the number one source cited when companies talk about environmentally friendly "green" resources. But it isn't sustainable. It isn't a sustainable crop, it requires a lot of gunk to grow industrially, and then it takes a lot of energy and effort to turn cobs into something that doesn't resemble a kernel, an ear or a husk. It's just natural, and sounds more sustainable than petroleum and plastic.
I now look at food in a new light. I wonder about the modifications we've put it through the past several decades. Trying to grow a better variety, something easier or hardier or simply more aesthetically pleasing. I wonder about the cost of our actions. The loss of heirloom varieties of plants, the loss of diversity. I worry about what exactly is coursing through the veins of my children. I've seen the detrimental effects of food dyes on Bumblebee. I've seen a playful Penguin double over, pale and sweaty, from a simple snack.
I hear them complain of random tummy aches or mild headaches, and I wonder what else might be going on. I look at ingredient lists and ask myself why, exactly, they need BHT or TBHQ. Xanthan gum might improve the texture, but how much can a body really handle? And what about all those synthetic vitamins? Grown en masse in laboratories to try and replace some of the nutrients lost in the soil from our poor farming practices, do our bodies know what to do with them? And the process itself can't be especially good for the environment.
None of this would ever have been given more than a fleeting thought, I'm certain, if it weren't for the food allergies. I used to figure that what was in the food wasn't all that bad, I read lists...but not that closely. Carageenan? Hypromellose? tocopherols? High fructose corn syrup? They had to come from somewhere. And the FDA approved them. That was good enough to consume them in moderation.
And now I wonder. Not only what they do to us, but what effect do they have on the environment? What unseen damage can they do?
I note that food isn't the only thing with an ingredient list, and the personal care aisle scares me, too. Products designed to be washed away into our water supply. With names like Polyethylene (which, by the way, is bits of plastic designed to help exfoliate. Bits of plastic and corn derivatives, bound together for eternity and washed into our water supply, where any bacteria and large particles might be cleaned up...but anything minute is likely to remain in tact and be ingested by something else, animal or human.) or ammonium lauryl sulfate (a foaming agent commonly derived from coconut or palm alcohols) what sort of effect do they have on our water supply? Or the quality of the soil they drain into?
You see, the awareness of cross contamination, and the inability to sterilize away cornstarch dust or drops of peanut oil, makes me aware that nothing vanishes from our planet. It may get absorbed, or rearranged, or diluted. But it doesn't vanish. The problem may begin, for our family, with allergen containment, but the question of "why" leads us to the bigger picture. The chemicals and GMO's whose safety I question for my family aren't easily contained. The wind blows, the bees pollinate, and flowers blossom freely. They don't know where the boundaries between organic and inorganic lay. And honestly, as a society we don't know the long term effects.
Most of us don't give it more than a fleeting thought. I know I never did. I tried to toss my water bottle into the recycle bin instead of the trash can, I parroted the idea that organic was better but I didn't really deeply care. Not until the allergies opened my eyes, and I began not only seeing the cause and effect of something as ubiquitous as food but questioning choices I'd never thought to question before.
While some studies are linking allergies to environmental causes, I'm finding that allergies are lowering our personal environmental impact in a lot of little ways. Sure, I have to drive farther to get to the grocery store that carries gluten free pasta, but I don't waste time idling in a drive through. I don't buy many single serve packages, and we gravitate toward environmentally friendly cleaning aids like baking soda and vinegar.
Truthfully, I don't know if I'm happy to know all I know. I'd be perfectly happy to still be in the dark regarding the origins of microcrystalline cellulose and astaxanthin. In fact, I don't think I'd miss being able to spell either one without a cheat sheet. Awareness breeds responsibility.
While I can't do as much as I want for the environment, awareness gives me the opportunity to do more than I might have before and allergies give me the motivation. Maybe someday my grandkids will have a planet to inherit, after all.
Part of it is the quest for a cause, which may lead to a cure. Part of it is becoming aware of the way our food chain works, which raises more questions than it seems to answer. And part of it is simply that the more aware I am of what is IN food, the less I want it in my (or my kids') bodies. It's not about avoiding allergens. It's about our safety, and our society's sustainability.
What would we do if suddenly massive truck routes were made impassable? If we were forced to eat fresh produce and meat without grains?
This happened in parts of Europe during the second world war. This dangerous diet led to...increased health. But, during the second world war, we still had memories of how to farm. We had a little extra space to garden. We had memories of how to prepare and preserve our own food, or there were plenty of people around who could teach us.
And there were a lot fewer of us to feed. In an age of microwaves, freezers and take out containers, how many would know how to plan and execute a month's worth of meals if heaven forbid there were no more factory food deliveries? There's a commercial that we used to laugh at. "Without us, some guys would starve".
"So true," we joked.
But when we entered the realm of food allergies and started cooking from scratch, we stopped laughing. With an increased awareness of ingredients, and additives, and the true definition of cooking from scratch, the jingle seemed too hit too close to home. And all of these realizations led us to an increased awareness of sustainability.
Allergies themselves are overwhelming, especially when you have a slew of them that require multiple pages to list. Corn being one of the toughest allergies to live with, since it even shows up in the citric acid rinse on bagged salad. Sustainability isn't a main concern.
And yet, it is. Corn is the number one source cited when companies talk about environmentally friendly "green" resources. But it isn't sustainable. It isn't a sustainable crop, it requires a lot of gunk to grow industrially, and then it takes a lot of energy and effort to turn cobs into something that doesn't resemble a kernel, an ear or a husk. It's just natural, and sounds more sustainable than petroleum and plastic.
I now look at food in a new light. I wonder about the modifications we've put it through the past several decades. Trying to grow a better variety, something easier or hardier or simply more aesthetically pleasing. I wonder about the cost of our actions. The loss of heirloom varieties of plants, the loss of diversity. I worry about what exactly is coursing through the veins of my children. I've seen the detrimental effects of food dyes on Bumblebee. I've seen a playful Penguin double over, pale and sweaty, from a simple snack.
I hear them complain of random tummy aches or mild headaches, and I wonder what else might be going on. I look at ingredient lists and ask myself why, exactly, they need BHT or TBHQ. Xanthan gum might improve the texture, but how much can a body really handle? And what about all those synthetic vitamins? Grown en masse in laboratories to try and replace some of the nutrients lost in the soil from our poor farming practices, do our bodies know what to do with them? And the process itself can't be especially good for the environment.
None of this would ever have been given more than a fleeting thought, I'm certain, if it weren't for the food allergies. I used to figure that what was in the food wasn't all that bad, I read lists...but not that closely. Carageenan? Hypromellose? tocopherols? High fructose corn syrup? They had to come from somewhere. And the FDA approved them. That was good enough to consume them in moderation.
And now I wonder. Not only what they do to us, but what effect do they have on the environment? What unseen damage can they do?
I note that food isn't the only thing with an ingredient list, and the personal care aisle scares me, too. Products designed to be washed away into our water supply. With names like Polyethylene (which, by the way, is bits of plastic designed to help exfoliate. Bits of plastic and corn derivatives, bound together for eternity and washed into our water supply, where any bacteria and large particles might be cleaned up...but anything minute is likely to remain in tact and be ingested by something else, animal or human.) or ammonium lauryl sulfate (a foaming agent commonly derived from coconut or palm alcohols) what sort of effect do they have on our water supply? Or the quality of the soil they drain into?
You see, the awareness of cross contamination, and the inability to sterilize away cornstarch dust or drops of peanut oil, makes me aware that nothing vanishes from our planet. It may get absorbed, or rearranged, or diluted. But it doesn't vanish. The problem may begin, for our family, with allergen containment, but the question of "why" leads us to the bigger picture. The chemicals and GMO's whose safety I question for my family aren't easily contained. The wind blows, the bees pollinate, and flowers blossom freely. They don't know where the boundaries between organic and inorganic lay. And honestly, as a society we don't know the long term effects.
Most of us don't give it more than a fleeting thought. I know I never did. I tried to toss my water bottle into the recycle bin instead of the trash can, I parroted the idea that organic was better but I didn't really deeply care. Not until the allergies opened my eyes, and I began not only seeing the cause and effect of something as ubiquitous as food but questioning choices I'd never thought to question before.
While some studies are linking allergies to environmental causes, I'm finding that allergies are lowering our personal environmental impact in a lot of little ways. Sure, I have to drive farther to get to the grocery store that carries gluten free pasta, but I don't waste time idling in a drive through. I don't buy many single serve packages, and we gravitate toward environmentally friendly cleaning aids like baking soda and vinegar.
Truthfully, I don't know if I'm happy to know all I know. I'd be perfectly happy to still be in the dark regarding the origins of microcrystalline cellulose and astaxanthin. In fact, I don't think I'd miss being able to spell either one without a cheat sheet. Awareness breeds responsibility.
While I can't do as much as I want for the environment, awareness gives me the opportunity to do more than I might have before and allergies give me the motivation. Maybe someday my grandkids will have a planet to inherit, after all.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
The Grocery Bill
Some days, I look at the grocery bill and feel guilty. After all, I'm the one who has the most restrictions. Chocolate chips cost $3.39; rather than $1.99. Pasta is pretty close to the same. I can't swap brands for a better price. My daughter may be gluten free...but she isn't corn free. And sometimes gluten free by itself isn't all that expensive.
But recently I was given a puzzle. As you may recall if you read my blog regularly, I was recently on an extended liquid diet. Consisting of mostly broth, pureed veggies from said broth, applesauce and gelatin.
It wasn't a very expensive diet.
I was still making meals. The grocery bill should have gone down a bit, with Mr. Violets having extra leftovers for lunches and Penguin having extra leftovers for munching. Oddly, it went up quite a bit...just for those two weeks. I was truly puzzled when I looked over the credit card bill.
But then I turned to the receipts, and I looked in the fridge.
It seems that instead of using those leftovers, new meals were made and consumed. And instead of finishing off the last bit of hummus, it was pushed to the back to make room for a new tub. There were 3 tubs of (unsafe for me) margarine in there. And the summer sale stash I'd stockpiled?
Gone.
So this is what happens when moms get sick.
No one went hungry while I was down. (And no one goes hungry when I'm *not* down) Actually, I wasn't all that down and out...the liquid fast thing helped a lot. I was tired, but mostly functional. I did work more on "get that yourself".
I had noticed that the tupperware cupboard was looking a little bare. I hadn't noticed how much toast Gluten Free Penguin was enjoying. I was just mentioning the leftovers and presuming the family would follow through.
Before this turns into some sort of poor me rant, I want to skip straight to the point.
Eating allergen free doesn't have to be all that expensive. It's only expensive when you don't mediate your choices. Look in the fridge, use those leftovers. Put off shopping trips, and while it's important to stock up on sale items when they are on sale...they need to still be used as if you don't have a huge stockpile and are still limited to one or two packages a week or month.
I can make a tuna casserole that's safe for all of us. It's not gourmet, but it's tasty. It costs about a dollar a serving. But if we throw half of it away, it costs $2 per serving. And the amount that is thrown away gets replaced by other, often more expensive, snacks and lunch items.
Likewise...rice and beans costs maybe $4 total? And after it serves us, there is enough rice leftover, generally, for fried rice tomorrow night. But if we throw half of it away, the cost doubles. And leftover night becomes "easy meal" night...and easy meals are generally a little more expensive at least for the ones eating single serve items.
On the other hand, the old standby, a sandwich, costs about $2 each for Penguin. More if dairy free cheese is involved. And it's not filling by itself. $2 doesn't sound like much, but it adds up quickly. The worst part is that gf bread may be a good vehcle for hummus, tomatoes and other items...but it isn't in itself very nourishing.
It's good to know that my corn-free status isn't the sole source of high grocery bills. Allergy eating can be expensive...but it can be affordable, too. With a little bit of planning.
But recently I was given a puzzle. As you may recall if you read my blog regularly, I was recently on an extended liquid diet. Consisting of mostly broth, pureed veggies from said broth, applesauce and gelatin.
It wasn't a very expensive diet.
I was still making meals. The grocery bill should have gone down a bit, with Mr. Violets having extra leftovers for lunches and Penguin having extra leftovers for munching. Oddly, it went up quite a bit...just for those two weeks. I was truly puzzled when I looked over the credit card bill.
But then I turned to the receipts, and I looked in the fridge.
It seems that instead of using those leftovers, new meals were made and consumed. And instead of finishing off the last bit of hummus, it was pushed to the back to make room for a new tub. There were 3 tubs of (unsafe for me) margarine in there. And the summer sale stash I'd stockpiled?
Gone.
So this is what happens when moms get sick.
No one went hungry while I was down. (And no one goes hungry when I'm *not* down) Actually, I wasn't all that down and out...the liquid fast thing helped a lot. I was tired, but mostly functional. I did work more on "get that yourself".
I had noticed that the tupperware cupboard was looking a little bare. I hadn't noticed how much toast Gluten Free Penguin was enjoying. I was just mentioning the leftovers and presuming the family would follow through.
Before this turns into some sort of poor me rant, I want to skip straight to the point.
Eating allergen free doesn't have to be all that expensive. It's only expensive when you don't mediate your choices. Look in the fridge, use those leftovers. Put off shopping trips, and while it's important to stock up on sale items when they are on sale...they need to still be used as if you don't have a huge stockpile and are still limited to one or two packages a week or month.
I can make a tuna casserole that's safe for all of us. It's not gourmet, but it's tasty. It costs about a dollar a serving. But if we throw half of it away, it costs $2 per serving. And the amount that is thrown away gets replaced by other, often more expensive, snacks and lunch items.
Likewise...rice and beans costs maybe $4 total? And after it serves us, there is enough rice leftover, generally, for fried rice tomorrow night. But if we throw half of it away, the cost doubles. And leftover night becomes "easy meal" night...and easy meals are generally a little more expensive at least for the ones eating single serve items.
On the other hand, the old standby, a sandwich, costs about $2 each for Penguin. More if dairy free cheese is involved. And it's not filling by itself. $2 doesn't sound like much, but it adds up quickly. The worst part is that gf bread may be a good vehcle for hummus, tomatoes and other items...but it isn't in itself very nourishing.
It's good to know that my corn-free status isn't the sole source of high grocery bills. Allergy eating can be expensive...but it can be affordable, too. With a little bit of planning.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Corn Crazies
I can have chocolate. But not Hershey. (Or Dove, or Palmer, or Nestle)
I can have eggs. But only certain, specific eggs. Not generic grocery store eggs.
I can eat apples. If they are unwaxed and peeled. But that doesn't mean I can have any old applesauce.
I can eat rice. But only if it's un-enriched, and only from certain farms that don't grow corn.
The restrictions sound crazy. Laughable, even.
I can remember being relieved that I was "just" allergic to corn. Just corn. It sounded so easy. But things got harder, I sought help. I started reading and found a community of corn-allergic individuals. My eyes widened, I shook my head, I congratulated myself on not going overboard. And then, slowly, I learned that I needed to be just as fanatical as others seemed to be. There are times I wonder if I've gone crazy. But I've spent too much time recovering from unplanned, unexpected, hindsight revealed 'oopses' to believe that it could possibly be just in my head.
Every so often it gets to be too much. I step outside myself and look at the restrictions through a stranger's eyes and think I'm going too far. And although I try to rationalize it out, and even talk myself into taking chances, I find others in a similar situation voicing their own shaken faith in their bodies' reactions to normal, healthy, should-be-safe food. More often than not, the culprit is quickly and easily identified in the form of an added enrichment, or a new preservative. Sometimes it requires a little digging...like a cross contaminated batch of almonds (perhaps shipped in the same loading truck as corn?) How can you dispute unintentional blind trials that end in proof? Especially when there are multiple people reporting the same experience. Maybe our methods aren't scientific, but they aren't easy to dismiss either.
That's what makes social events so hard. Even water is softened with corn derived citric acid, or the taste is improved by corny minerals, or it's bottled in a corn-based environmentally 'friendly' polymer. People might overlook the fact that you abstain from cookies. But if you can't even accept the water they hand you due to allergies...well, the looks are enough to make even the least self conscious of us blush.
Whispers of eating disorders aren't uncommon, or surprising. Especially now that Orthorexia is the diagnosis du jour.
For me, as I suspect it is for others, the truth is much more complicated. There is no self-loathing involved. I'm tempted to give in, and hang the consequences. Regardless of caloric content, I'd love to eat that cookie. Taste the pasta salad, or at least have a few pieces of the fruit plate. (I'd settle for drinking some of that new-branded water in the cooler) But in reality, the consequences aren't worth it. I want to share the meal, but I want to function tomorrow. Whether it's hives, boils or GI malfunction...the reactions are not fun, comfortable, or something to be shared in public. They also aren't mediated by any part of the brain other than the immune system. IgE, IgG...the body is attempting to protect itself.
It's unfortunate that without demonstrating those reactions, it's difficult at best to convince others that they are nonetheless real and valid reasons for food avoidance.
The trouble with corn is that even when I'm avoiding everything as I should be, there are little, subtle exposures that slip in. These exposures seem to keep me from fully recovering or ever being 100% reliable. And the years of damage have affected my daily stamina. I don't have the energy I should, and it isn't depression...it's malnutrition. Even if/when I'm eating healthfully, the long term damages are still there.
With a corn allergy, sometimes it feels like I'm sitting in a box seat. I'm not entirely alone, thanks to the internet, but I don't exactly fit in with most of the other groups. Whether it's the food allergy advocates, the Celiac sufferers or the tree-huggers; I have 3/4 of the values in common...but there's still a wall between us made of that eco-friendly kernel, insidious yellow seed, corn.
I can have eggs. But only certain, specific eggs. Not generic grocery store eggs.
I can eat apples. If they are unwaxed and peeled. But that doesn't mean I can have any old applesauce.
I can eat rice. But only if it's un-enriched, and only from certain farms that don't grow corn.
The restrictions sound crazy. Laughable, even.
I can remember being relieved that I was "just" allergic to corn. Just corn. It sounded so easy. But things got harder, I sought help. I started reading and found a community of corn-allergic individuals. My eyes widened, I shook my head, I congratulated myself on not going overboard. And then, slowly, I learned that I needed to be just as fanatical as others seemed to be. There are times I wonder if I've gone crazy. But I've spent too much time recovering from unplanned, unexpected, hindsight revealed 'oopses' to believe that it could possibly be just in my head.
Every so often it gets to be too much. I step outside myself and look at the restrictions through a stranger's eyes and think I'm going too far. And although I try to rationalize it out, and even talk myself into taking chances, I find others in a similar situation voicing their own shaken faith in their bodies' reactions to normal, healthy, should-be-safe food. More often than not, the culprit is quickly and easily identified in the form of an added enrichment, or a new preservative. Sometimes it requires a little digging...like a cross contaminated batch of almonds (perhaps shipped in the same loading truck as corn?) How can you dispute unintentional blind trials that end in proof? Especially when there are multiple people reporting the same experience. Maybe our methods aren't scientific, but they aren't easy to dismiss either.
That's what makes social events so hard. Even water is softened with corn derived citric acid, or the taste is improved by corny minerals, or it's bottled in a corn-based environmentally 'friendly' polymer. People might overlook the fact that you abstain from cookies. But if you can't even accept the water they hand you due to allergies...well, the looks are enough to make even the least self conscious of us blush.
Whispers of eating disorders aren't uncommon, or surprising. Especially now that Orthorexia is the diagnosis du jour.
For me, as I suspect it is for others, the truth is much more complicated. There is no self-loathing involved. I'm tempted to give in, and hang the consequences. Regardless of caloric content, I'd love to eat that cookie. Taste the pasta salad, or at least have a few pieces of the fruit plate. (I'd settle for drinking some of that new-branded water in the cooler) But in reality, the consequences aren't worth it. I want to share the meal, but I want to function tomorrow. Whether it's hives, boils or GI malfunction...the reactions are not fun, comfortable, or something to be shared in public. They also aren't mediated by any part of the brain other than the immune system. IgE, IgG...the body is attempting to protect itself.
It's unfortunate that without demonstrating those reactions, it's difficult at best to convince others that they are nonetheless real and valid reasons for food avoidance.
The trouble with corn is that even when I'm avoiding everything as I should be, there are little, subtle exposures that slip in. These exposures seem to keep me from fully recovering or ever being 100% reliable. And the years of damage have affected my daily stamina. I don't have the energy I should, and it isn't depression...it's malnutrition. Even if/when I'm eating healthfully, the long term damages are still there.
With a corn allergy, sometimes it feels like I'm sitting in a box seat. I'm not entirely alone, thanks to the internet, but I don't exactly fit in with most of the other groups. Whether it's the food allergy advocates, the Celiac sufferers or the tree-huggers; I have 3/4 of the values in common...but there's still a wall between us made of that eco-friendly kernel, insidious yellow seed, corn.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Just one more thing to worry about with allergies
According to a recent study, children with Celiac Disease, like those with any chronic illness, are more at risk for emotional and behavior problems than their peers.
I don't think it's a huge leap to say any food allergy would work similarly.
And I can't help but wonder if this is what plays a part in my kid's anxiety issues. Is it related to trichotillomania? Or the anxiety driven tantrums?
I don't know. But I can't change the way our family's dietary restrictions work without hurting us. So I can only hope that we can continue to reassure, that the interventions we've chosen are helpful, and that as a society we become more supportive of food restrictions for any reason.
Why would kids with dietary restrictions be more at risk for emotional problems? To my way of thinking it's understandable when they are required to go to school, but school personnel and their peers don't always 'get' allergies. When other parents are busy fighting for their children's right to eat peanut butter, the food allergy kid is hearing "you're ruining things for everyone". When pizza is served to 19 out of 20 kids and the food allergy child gets to grab their own personal lunch from their backpack, they get the message that they aren't as special as the rest of the class. They have to put up a wall to remind themselves to say no, to be polite, to be different.
I don't know what the answer is. But awareness helps. And hopefully therapists will learn a bit about food allergy; and the difference between medically restricted diets and eating disorders.
I don't think it's a huge leap to say any food allergy would work similarly.
And I can't help but wonder if this is what plays a part in my kid's anxiety issues. Is it related to trichotillomania? Or the anxiety driven tantrums?
I don't know. But I can't change the way our family's dietary restrictions work without hurting us. So I can only hope that we can continue to reassure, that the interventions we've chosen are helpful, and that as a society we become more supportive of food restrictions for any reason.
Why would kids with dietary restrictions be more at risk for emotional problems? To my way of thinking it's understandable when they are required to go to school, but school personnel and their peers don't always 'get' allergies. When other parents are busy fighting for their children's right to eat peanut butter, the food allergy kid is hearing "you're ruining things for everyone". When pizza is served to 19 out of 20 kids and the food allergy child gets to grab their own personal lunch from their backpack, they get the message that they aren't as special as the rest of the class. They have to put up a wall to remind themselves to say no, to be polite, to be different.
I don't know what the answer is. But awareness helps. And hopefully therapists will learn a bit about food allergy; and the difference between medically restricted diets and eating disorders.
Monday, May 30, 2011
How to Cure a Headache
It happens to all of us sooner or later. That nagging, insistent pressure in your forehead, or just behind the eyes, or sometimes in the top of your head.
Maybe not a full blown migraine. Those are blessedly rare (whether sufferers can believe it or not). But even a run of the mill headache can be miserable.
If you have no food intolerances, your course of action is simple. Head to your cupboard, or check your purse. If you're out of pain killers, simply ask if anyone around you (preferably work or social friends) happens to have any Tylenol or Motrin. Choose from the assortment offered.
If you are sensitive to some ingredients, simply head to the corner store any hour of the day or night. They won't even check your ID. Choose from an entire display case full of extra strength, migraine, tension, PM, non-drowsy and many other variations of a formula for pain relief. Read ingredients, choose what's appropriate, and you'll be out of their in under $10. Even if you have a dye allergy, there are a few options available. The most obvious are the dye free liquids for the 6-12 year olds, but there are a couple adult configurations as well.
However, if you have a corn allergy, things get sticky. If you've run out of your supply of safe meds, or it's your first headache since starting this journey, you need to start at the beginning. Contact your medical doctor. Weird, I know. But it's the vital first step in the process of obtaining the simple, Over the Counter variety of pain relief the rest of America pops daily without inhibition. You need to obtain a prescription that reads (your choice of pain killer, acetaminophen or ibuprofen) NO CORN DERIVATIVES. Then you need to contact your local compounding pharmacy. Or one that will work mail order with you, suck as Francks. Ascertain that they are capable of obtaining the pure, unadulterated drug of your choice. (There are a few compounding pharmacies that start with the ready made pills and just adapt them. You want to avoid these pharmacies.) Ensure that they understand what corn free entails (and that they believe microcrystalline cellulose can be derived from corn rather than always from trees) Then drop off or fax in your prescription.
In a few days to a week, you should be able to pick up safe pain killers. The exact same dosage and active ingredient as the ones available at any drug store or supermarket, for only a few times the cost.
It doesn't seem fair sometimes. To keep an eye on the expiration date, and budget for a $100 bottle of something that so many can purchase for a 10th of the price. To think and plan in advance, second guessing flu season and headaches and menstrual woes. But, then I take one.
Fortunately, the trade off of having meds that will kill off a headache at it's start is priceless.
(And companies...if you stumble on this...we'd love more 'pure' options. No dye. No gluten, lactose, or corn. Including microcrystalline cellulose. We don't mind the less polished looking capsules, or paying a little extra for something with a shorter shelf life and fewer ingredients. And although we may be in the minority right now, at least you won't have to compete for our business, at least at first.)
Maybe not a full blown migraine. Those are blessedly rare (whether sufferers can believe it or not). But even a run of the mill headache can be miserable.
If you have no food intolerances, your course of action is simple. Head to your cupboard, or check your purse. If you're out of pain killers, simply ask if anyone around you (preferably work or social friends) happens to have any Tylenol or Motrin. Choose from the assortment offered.
If you are sensitive to some ingredients, simply head to the corner store any hour of the day or night. They won't even check your ID. Choose from an entire display case full of extra strength, migraine, tension, PM, non-drowsy and many other variations of a formula for pain relief. Read ingredients, choose what's appropriate, and you'll be out of their in under $10. Even if you have a dye allergy, there are a few options available. The most obvious are the dye free liquids for the 6-12 year olds, but there are a couple adult configurations as well.
However, if you have a corn allergy, things get sticky. If you've run out of your supply of safe meds, or it's your first headache since starting this journey, you need to start at the beginning. Contact your medical doctor. Weird, I know. But it's the vital first step in the process of obtaining the simple, Over the Counter variety of pain relief the rest of America pops daily without inhibition. You need to obtain a prescription that reads (your choice of pain killer, acetaminophen or ibuprofen) NO CORN DERIVATIVES. Then you need to contact your local compounding pharmacy. Or one that will work mail order with you, suck as Francks. Ascertain that they are capable of obtaining the pure, unadulterated drug of your choice. (There are a few compounding pharmacies that start with the ready made pills and just adapt them. You want to avoid these pharmacies.) Ensure that they understand what corn free entails (and that they believe microcrystalline cellulose can be derived from corn rather than always from trees) Then drop off or fax in your prescription.
In a few days to a week, you should be able to pick up safe pain killers. The exact same dosage and active ingredient as the ones available at any drug store or supermarket, for only a few times the cost.
It doesn't seem fair sometimes. To keep an eye on the expiration date, and budget for a $100 bottle of something that so many can purchase for a 10th of the price. To think and plan in advance, second guessing flu season and headaches and menstrual woes. But, then I take one.
Fortunately, the trade off of having meds that will kill off a headache at it's start is priceless.
(And companies...if you stumble on this...we'd love more 'pure' options. No dye. No gluten, lactose, or corn. Including microcrystalline cellulose. We don't mind the less polished looking capsules, or paying a little extra for something with a shorter shelf life and fewer ingredients. And although we may be in the minority right now, at least you won't have to compete for our business, at least at first.)
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Is it safe to go allergen free?
There's a new slew of "all in your head" diagnosis coming out. First up, doctors have supposedly identified an eating disorder known as orthorexia. Essentially, sufferers believe that certain foods are pure evil and begin to restrict their diet to the point that it is unhealthy and dangerous.
Next up is a spin-off of anorexia. People with eating disorders begin to blame gluten or other food allergies as the reason that they can't eat what is put before them, or offered at parties, or why they aren't eating at social functions.
"Whether confirmed as celiac disease through blood tests or self-diagnosed as intolerance...the condition requires treatment by way of a highly restrictive diet. ... it also requires monitoring trace elements of protein present in foods or its preparation becomes necessary lest upset stomachs, painful GI tracts or other debilitating symptoms strike." (emphasis mine)
In the article I site above, this paragraph disturbs me even more than this upsetting practice. Because it indicates that even if one has a documented, medically rational reason for complete and total avoidance...the worst that can happen is a stomach ache (the word debilitating is in there, but I doubt most people really comprehend how debilitating physical GI symptoms can feel) The truth is that with the (albeit relatively rare) true IgE food allergies, which are NOT limited to the top 8, even a small crumb can cause anaphylaxis. If a peanut falls on the salad, and the cook immediately fishes it out and sends the salad out to a nut allergic individual, their throat can swell shut before the rest of the party is done commenting on how delicious the first course looks.
If someone with celiac accepts a plate with toast on it, and simply removes the toast and brushes off the crumbs...not only will they suffer from debilitating stomach issues for a few days, their intestines will sustain physical damage that can be viewed and verified by endoscopy. This damage leads to malnutrition, along with a host of other related problems and, worst case scenario, even cancer.
I don't doubt that there are some people who are afraid of food for unhealthy reasons. Nor do I doubt that there are people with unhealthy obsessions about food, or avoiding too many foods. But is the best way to address that fear to label restrictive eating as a psychiatric disorder? Or is it to do more research?
I firmly believe that most people seeking a restrictive diet are motivated by physical symptoms. Maybe they have an intolerance or allergy. Maybe their bodies are just fed up with soda and fried foods. Maybe they just need a little help balancing nutrition. Regardless, identifying the motivation should be the first step. And then rule out causes.
And if an individual is adament about avoiding foods, then it seems likely that they may not need to reintroduce those foods. Instead, therapy or medical support should focus on identifying what one *can* eat. And instituting a balanced diet. So many people these days do not know how to cook, or find vegetables...or what to do with them when they do, that if they decide to give up gluten and nightshades they feel like they're stuck with white rice and carrots. There are a host of little known veggies out there...and others that are just scary looking.
Maybe the orthorexic would be more adventurous if they learned how to prepare and eat an artichoke, a salad, their own dressing or sauces. Those with anorexia and other eating disorders obviously do need counseling toward reaching a healthy body image. But it might be easier if any digestive problems (like bloating, which can make a teenager feel inexplicably "fat") were addressed at the same time.
At any rate, when someone has a valid reason for total avoidance, their choices need to be respected. And they will be less likely to obsess over their food choices if they weren't concerned with mental health labels. At least in the long run. It seems reasonable and healthy to me for someone newly diagnosed to spend a little time obsessing about food, since they quite likely have been told to drastically change their way of looking at food.
As someone with a unique allergy, I don't want to be blown off and made sick or worse because of a 'trend' in 'it's all in your head' diagnoses. As the mother of a food allergy sufferer, I don't want her labeled as eating disordered just because a few of her peers use the word 'allergy' inappropriately. I see her eat a wide variety of fruits, veggies, carbs and protein every day. What we don't eat doesn't matter nearly as much as what we DO eat. And I sincerely hope the medical practitioners diagnosing these conditions, as well as the laymen labeling them, acknowledge the difference.
Next up is a spin-off of anorexia. People with eating disorders begin to blame gluten or other food allergies as the reason that they can't eat what is put before them, or offered at parties, or why they aren't eating at social functions.
"Whether confirmed as celiac disease through blood tests or self-diagnosed as intolerance...the condition requires treatment by way of a highly restrictive diet. ... it also requires monitoring trace elements of protein present in foods or its preparation becomes necessary lest upset stomachs, painful GI tracts or other debilitating symptoms strike." (emphasis mine)
In the article I site above, this paragraph disturbs me even more than this upsetting practice. Because it indicates that even if one has a documented, medically rational reason for complete and total avoidance...the worst that can happen is a stomach ache (the word debilitating is in there, but I doubt most people really comprehend how debilitating physical GI symptoms can feel) The truth is that with the (albeit relatively rare) true IgE food allergies, which are NOT limited to the top 8, even a small crumb can cause anaphylaxis. If a peanut falls on the salad, and the cook immediately fishes it out and sends the salad out to a nut allergic individual, their throat can swell shut before the rest of the party is done commenting on how delicious the first course looks.
If someone with celiac accepts a plate with toast on it, and simply removes the toast and brushes off the crumbs...not only will they suffer from debilitating stomach issues for a few days, their intestines will sustain physical damage that can be viewed and verified by endoscopy. This damage leads to malnutrition, along with a host of other related problems and, worst case scenario, even cancer.
I don't doubt that there are some people who are afraid of food for unhealthy reasons. Nor do I doubt that there are people with unhealthy obsessions about food, or avoiding too many foods. But is the best way to address that fear to label restrictive eating as a psychiatric disorder? Or is it to do more research?
I firmly believe that most people seeking a restrictive diet are motivated by physical symptoms. Maybe they have an intolerance or allergy. Maybe their bodies are just fed up with soda and fried foods. Maybe they just need a little help balancing nutrition. Regardless, identifying the motivation should be the first step. And then rule out causes.
And if an individual is adament about avoiding foods, then it seems likely that they may not need to reintroduce those foods. Instead, therapy or medical support should focus on identifying what one *can* eat. And instituting a balanced diet. So many people these days do not know how to cook, or find vegetables...or what to do with them when they do, that if they decide to give up gluten and nightshades they feel like they're stuck with white rice and carrots. There are a host of little known veggies out there...and others that are just scary looking.
Maybe the orthorexic would be more adventurous if they learned how to prepare and eat an artichoke, a salad, their own dressing or sauces. Those with anorexia and other eating disorders obviously do need counseling toward reaching a healthy body image. But it might be easier if any digestive problems (like bloating, which can make a teenager feel inexplicably "fat") were addressed at the same time.
At any rate, when someone has a valid reason for total avoidance, their choices need to be respected. And they will be less likely to obsess over their food choices if they weren't concerned with mental health labels. At least in the long run. It seems reasonable and healthy to me for someone newly diagnosed to spend a little time obsessing about food, since they quite likely have been told to drastically change their way of looking at food.
As someone with a unique allergy, I don't want to be blown off and made sick or worse because of a 'trend' in 'it's all in your head' diagnoses. As the mother of a food allergy sufferer, I don't want her labeled as eating disordered just because a few of her peers use the word 'allergy' inappropriately. I see her eat a wide variety of fruits, veggies, carbs and protein every day. What we don't eat doesn't matter nearly as much as what we DO eat. And I sincerely hope the medical practitioners diagnosing these conditions, as well as the laymen labeling them, acknowledge the difference.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Sick food
Sometimes, even if you are eating safe food, stomachs get upset. And that can be a challenge. It's tough if you're caregiver to a food allergic child, it's even tougher when you're the one with allergies, and you're the one with an upset stomach. (My husband is all for cooking...but he's heavy handed on the spices and can't quite figure out the difference between "tastes good" and "gentle on the digestion")
The BRAT diet is easy to follow. Bananas (Green University from WF if you have a corn allergy), Rice (Lundbergh or unenriched from Thailand if you have a corn allergy), Applesauce (All natural, no citric or ascorbic acid...with a corn allergy, I use Trader Joe's), and Toast. Since I'm gluten free, I follow a "BRA" diet.
But sometimes, you want something even lighter. Recently, my doctor suggested I go on a liquid diet for a few days. Liquid.
I'm sire she was thinking Ensure, and protein drinks, and soup and milkshakes or smoothies.
I looked in my cupboard and sighed.
What did I come up with? Well, it wasn't totally liquid. We made a huge batch of broth. I mashed some of the carrots. I know, I know, there's no nutrition left in them. But I was hungry. And they filled me up and set gently. I had warmed applejuice with cinnamon, fork mashed sweet potatoes and parsnips with broth, and when I was starving...a scramblled egg (It's soft, not fibrous, which seemed to be what the dr wanted to avoid). I also made gelatin.
In fact, the first thing I thought of was gelatin. Good old J-E-L-L-O, as the commercial used to sing. Of course, the brand name and store bramd flavored gunk is full of corn derivatives and artificial gunk that I really don't want in my, or my kids, bodies. So, I used Knox.
Honestly, I don't care much for the thick Knox Block recipe that's on the back of the box. I wanted something that wiggles and jiggles and tasted...Jello-like.
Here's what I came up with:
2 cups applejuice, warmed on the stove.
While it warmed, I dumped a cup of cold water into a small casserole/baking dish and sprinkled 1 packet of Knox gelatin into it.
When the apple juice was done simmering, I whisked it into the water/gelatin mixture.
Then I chilled everything.
And enjoyed it.
No, I didn't cut it up into cute little squares. I did it the way my mom used to do it, scooped it out into my bowl. Oddly, it tasted better with just a sprinkle of salt (I think my electrolytes were off balanced, since I was also chugging plain water to eradicate a kidney infection) My husband's opinion? It tastes like sick food.
Which is exactly what you crave when you're sick.
And my version included no additional sweeteners, no artificial colors or flavors, or anything else undesirable.
The BRAT diet is easy to follow. Bananas (Green University from WF if you have a corn allergy), Rice (Lundbergh or unenriched from Thailand if you have a corn allergy), Applesauce (All natural, no citric or ascorbic acid...with a corn allergy, I use Trader Joe's), and Toast. Since I'm gluten free, I follow a "BRA" diet.
But sometimes, you want something even lighter. Recently, my doctor suggested I go on a liquid diet for a few days. Liquid.
I'm sire she was thinking Ensure, and protein drinks, and soup and milkshakes or smoothies.
I looked in my cupboard and sighed.
What did I come up with? Well, it wasn't totally liquid. We made a huge batch of broth. I mashed some of the carrots. I know, I know, there's no nutrition left in them. But I was hungry. And they filled me up and set gently. I had warmed applejuice with cinnamon, fork mashed sweet potatoes and parsnips with broth, and when I was starving...a scramblled egg (It's soft, not fibrous, which seemed to be what the dr wanted to avoid). I also made gelatin.
In fact, the first thing I thought of was gelatin. Good old J-E-L-L-O, as the commercial used to sing. Of course, the brand name and store bramd flavored gunk is full of corn derivatives and artificial gunk that I really don't want in my, or my kids, bodies. So, I used Knox.
Honestly, I don't care much for the thick Knox Block recipe that's on the back of the box. I wanted something that wiggles and jiggles and tasted...Jello-like.
Here's what I came up with:
2 cups applejuice, warmed on the stove.
While it warmed, I dumped a cup of cold water into a small casserole/baking dish and sprinkled 1 packet of Knox gelatin into it.
When the apple juice was done simmering, I whisked it into the water/gelatin mixture.
Then I chilled everything.
And enjoyed it.
No, I didn't cut it up into cute little squares. I did it the way my mom used to do it, scooped it out into my bowl. Oddly, it tasted better with just a sprinkle of salt (I think my electrolytes were off balanced, since I was also chugging plain water to eradicate a kidney infection) My husband's opinion? It tastes like sick food.
Which is exactly what you crave when you're sick.
And my version included no additional sweeteners, no artificial colors or flavors, or anything else undesirable.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Does cutting out corn hurt?
A lot of people notice that when they cut out corn, they feel better overall...and begin having much more severe reactions to things that only used to bother them a little. It makes it look like cutting out the corn has hurt them in some way.
Here's the thing. If you're allergic to corn (or gluten) then you've been ingesting something you're intolerant to at almost every meal for most of your life. Of course, your intolerance or allergy has probably developed over time...but throughout that time period of intolerance, your body has essentially been a battle zone.
So imagine a battle field. Things suddenly calm down, the enemy just...vanishes. Are your soldiers going to take a nap? Of course not! They're going to band together, and go on high alert, watching for intruders or any sign of renegade activity.
And, seeing as there's very little to attack when you've cut the corn out of your diet, there are a lot more 'soldiers' available to attack any perceived threats.
When your body attacks a perceived threat, you feel rotten. It's a defense mechanism, digestive issues are your body's way of flushing a toxin from your system. Rashes sweat a toxin through your skin. Swelling increases liquid to make it easier to flush that toxin through. Except, of course, that food isn't really toxic.
Eventually, your body will calm down. It'll stop attacking those invaders. The SCD recommends a broth diet to jump start your allergy free dieting because it gives your digestive tract and immune system a chance to calm down and adjust. I think that's a great (though not always plausible) plan.
At any rate, if you are diagnosed with an allergy or intolerance and start noticing worsening reactions, don't despair. Take it easy, eat lightly, try to rotate foods so that you won't inadvertently create a new intolerance, and eventually your body will relax and (hopefully) slip into "normal" mode. A newer, healthier...BETTER normal for you! :-)
Here's the thing. If you're allergic to corn (or gluten) then you've been ingesting something you're intolerant to at almost every meal for most of your life. Of course, your intolerance or allergy has probably developed over time...but throughout that time period of intolerance, your body has essentially been a battle zone.
So imagine a battle field. Things suddenly calm down, the enemy just...vanishes. Are your soldiers going to take a nap? Of course not! They're going to band together, and go on high alert, watching for intruders or any sign of renegade activity.
And, seeing as there's very little to attack when you've cut the corn out of your diet, there are a lot more 'soldiers' available to attack any perceived threats.
When your body attacks a perceived threat, you feel rotten. It's a defense mechanism, digestive issues are your body's way of flushing a toxin from your system. Rashes sweat a toxin through your skin. Swelling increases liquid to make it easier to flush that toxin through. Except, of course, that food isn't really toxic.
Eventually, your body will calm down. It'll stop attacking those invaders. The SCD recommends a broth diet to jump start your allergy free dieting because it gives your digestive tract and immune system a chance to calm down and adjust. I think that's a great (though not always plausible) plan.
At any rate, if you are diagnosed with an allergy or intolerance and start noticing worsening reactions, don't despair. Take it easy, eat lightly, try to rotate foods so that you won't inadvertently create a new intolerance, and eventually your body will relax and (hopefully) slip into "normal" mode. A newer, healthier...BETTER normal for you! :-)
Thursday, May 05, 2011
Potluck Power
I always say the hardest part of food allergies is the social aspect. It's downright uncomfortable to go into a situation where food will be the center of activities...and then refuse to partake.
Potlucks can be particularly difficult because everyone wants you to sample their wares. And if you have certain food intolerances, especially mild ones that consist of the top 8 or easily recognizable items, then you might be able to partake. In fact, if your intolerances are mild...you might not even be reading this blog, because you probably don't care about potlucks. But, if you have severe reactions...or you react to something particularly difficult to avoid (corn or gluten or dairy), things get trickier. Avoidance really is the easiest option. Of course, being human, we all want to be honest. And we want to enjoy ourselves. And we want to fit in.
So, the best policy seems to be multifold. Eat first, bring safe snacks, bring a safe dish that will get rave reviews (so you can busily field compliments rather than questions about the lack of variety on your own plate), and wander frequently. Come late, unless you feel confident enough to sample the other wares...in which case you want to be early and first in line to avoid cross contamination. And have some easy catch phrases that shield you from the spotlight.
So here are a few sample phrases to get you through the most trying of spotlight events...the family (or work) potluck.
"Oh, everything looks delicious, I don't know where to start!"
"I'll grab a plate in a minute, first I want to catch up with so and so."
"I couldn't eat another bite, but thank you, everything is lovely!"
And when someone insists that you sample a signature dish, you can distract them by calling it divine and asking them for the recipe. If they insist on a sample, excuse yourself for a moment.
When it comes to buffet style eating, sometimes moving around frequently is your best combat against questions. Everyone will think you've eaten, that your empty plate was once full. They won't necessarily note that the only thing ever on it was the dish you, yourself, contributed. Or the crackers you surreptitiously retrieve from your purse. Be vague, but sincere.
Often, you can get away without repeated explanations. Just be prepared to distract people. If they won't let the food go, compliment their jewelry. Or some knick knack on the shelf. Or worst case scenario, turn your napkin into a fan and exclaim that it's getting warm.
Everyone in the vicinity will begin discussing the weather, it's changing patterns, and whether or not they believe in global warming.
It may not be stimulating dinner conversation, but it will get the spotlight off of you!
Potlucks can be particularly difficult because everyone wants you to sample their wares. And if you have certain food intolerances, especially mild ones that consist of the top 8 or easily recognizable items, then you might be able to partake. In fact, if your intolerances are mild...you might not even be reading this blog, because you probably don't care about potlucks. But, if you have severe reactions...or you react to something particularly difficult to avoid (corn or gluten or dairy), things get trickier. Avoidance really is the easiest option. Of course, being human, we all want to be honest. And we want to enjoy ourselves. And we want to fit in.
So, the best policy seems to be multifold. Eat first, bring safe snacks, bring a safe dish that will get rave reviews (so you can busily field compliments rather than questions about the lack of variety on your own plate), and wander frequently. Come late, unless you feel confident enough to sample the other wares...in which case you want to be early and first in line to avoid cross contamination. And have some easy catch phrases that shield you from the spotlight.
So here are a few sample phrases to get you through the most trying of spotlight events...the family (or work) potluck.
"Oh, everything looks delicious, I don't know where to start!"
"I'll grab a plate in a minute, first I want to catch up with so and so."
"I couldn't eat another bite, but thank you, everything is lovely!"
And when someone insists that you sample a signature dish, you can distract them by calling it divine and asking them for the recipe. If they insist on a sample, excuse yourself for a moment.
When it comes to buffet style eating, sometimes moving around frequently is your best combat against questions. Everyone will think you've eaten, that your empty plate was once full. They won't necessarily note that the only thing ever on it was the dish you, yourself, contributed. Or the crackers you surreptitiously retrieve from your purse. Be vague, but sincere.
Often, you can get away without repeated explanations. Just be prepared to distract people. If they won't let the food go, compliment their jewelry. Or some knick knack on the shelf. Or worst case scenario, turn your napkin into a fan and exclaim that it's getting warm.
Everyone in the vicinity will begin discussing the weather, it's changing patterns, and whether or not they believe in global warming.
It may not be stimulating dinner conversation, but it will get the spotlight off of you!
Wednesday, May 04, 2011
Cook Naked
This was the theme of a post in honor of this article, which sheds a little more light and awareness on food sensitivities. Although I must say, the title and the article weren't as developed as I expected. The concept rings true.
I find with food allergies, my goal is simplicity. Simple flavors. Texture. Few ingredients. I don't have a lot to work with, and the more we use at one time, the more risk there seems to be.
Spices, the salt of life, are still limited here. After all, the best way to stop them from clumping is to add corn starch. And some of them, of their own accord, bite back.
Sauces...a common and easy way to spice up just about anything old and boring are a powerhouse of hidden gluten, corn, preservatives and artificial colors. Not to mention other possible allergens.
New ingredients, new flavors, bring new fears. Anything can cause a reaction and when you have confirmed food intolerance, your food fears are founded in experience and have little to nothing to do with taste buds.
So for us, when I think of cooking with food allergies, "cook naked" makes perfect sense. It's not about avoiding specific ingredients, because only a person who is allergic to an ingredient truly understands their own level of tolerance. Some people with Celiac Disease only eat certified gluten free products. Others simply read the label.
For me, "cooking naked" means cooking simply, transparently. Enjoying the full flavor of foods, without having to disguise them. It's peas, simmered and dressed with a bit of oil (or butter...at the table) and salt. It's sweet potatoes, roasted in their own juices and a touch of approved oil. It's brown rice parboiled in water or homemade broth. And broth that is made with just carrots, celery and onions...no boillion cubes or MSG or autolyzed yeast extract. It's what you see is what you get.
Cooking naked is all about letting food speak for itself. Several months ago, a child was spending an afternoon with Bumblebee and they clamored for a snack. I offered celery or apples. The child looked at the celery and said "That looks like a PLANT!" To which I agreed it did...it still had the leaves at the end. Her eyes got wide before she said "My mom will not be happy if I come home and say I ate a plant!"
Penguin felt immensely sorry for the child as soon as the statement was spoken, and has mentioned the incident several times since. I think shame (of our abnormal diet) and horror that the child didn't realize that vegetables and plants are one and the same are equally disturbing to her.
And that, perhaps, to me is the heart of cooking naked. As much as I want Bumblebee and Penguin to fit in...I want them to know what real food is and where it comes from. And so, we will continue to have celery in it's natural state, attempt to grow a few fruits and veggies in our yard, eat undressed sweet potatoes and place more value on the nutritional value of food than on it's looks.
Maybe, if we didn't have food allergies, we wouldn't have thought so much about what we eat, and what's in what we eat. But that just means that food allergies has done us a favor by making us more aware, not just of the content of our food supply, but of the nutritional content (and lack thereof). It's made us want to know what's in our food, so we can appreciate it more.
Besides, the simpler our meals, the less time we have to spend preparing them.
I find with food allergies, my goal is simplicity. Simple flavors. Texture. Few ingredients. I don't have a lot to work with, and the more we use at one time, the more risk there seems to be.
Spices, the salt of life, are still limited here. After all, the best way to stop them from clumping is to add corn starch. And some of them, of their own accord, bite back.
Sauces...a common and easy way to spice up just about anything old and boring are a powerhouse of hidden gluten, corn, preservatives and artificial colors. Not to mention other possible allergens.
New ingredients, new flavors, bring new fears. Anything can cause a reaction and when you have confirmed food intolerance, your food fears are founded in experience and have little to nothing to do with taste buds.
So for us, when I think of cooking with food allergies, "cook naked" makes perfect sense. It's not about avoiding specific ingredients, because only a person who is allergic to an ingredient truly understands their own level of tolerance. Some people with Celiac Disease only eat certified gluten free products. Others simply read the label.
For me, "cooking naked" means cooking simply, transparently. Enjoying the full flavor of foods, without having to disguise them. It's peas, simmered and dressed with a bit of oil (or butter...at the table) and salt. It's sweet potatoes, roasted in their own juices and a touch of approved oil. It's brown rice parboiled in water or homemade broth. And broth that is made with just carrots, celery and onions...no boillion cubes or MSG or autolyzed yeast extract. It's what you see is what you get.
Cooking naked is all about letting food speak for itself. Several months ago, a child was spending an afternoon with Bumblebee and they clamored for a snack. I offered celery or apples. The child looked at the celery and said "That looks like a PLANT!" To which I agreed it did...it still had the leaves at the end. Her eyes got wide before she said "My mom will not be happy if I come home and say I ate a plant!"
Penguin felt immensely sorry for the child as soon as the statement was spoken, and has mentioned the incident several times since. I think shame (of our abnormal diet) and horror that the child didn't realize that vegetables and plants are one and the same are equally disturbing to her.
And that, perhaps, to me is the heart of cooking naked. As much as I want Bumblebee and Penguin to fit in...I want them to know what real food is and where it comes from. And so, we will continue to have celery in it's natural state, attempt to grow a few fruits and veggies in our yard, eat undressed sweet potatoes and place more value on the nutritional value of food than on it's looks.
Maybe, if we didn't have food allergies, we wouldn't have thought so much about what we eat, and what's in what we eat. But that just means that food allergies has done us a favor by making us more aware, not just of the content of our food supply, but of the nutritional content (and lack thereof). It's made us want to know what's in our food, so we can appreciate it more.
Besides, the simpler our meals, the less time we have to spend preparing them.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Corn allergy Dramatics
The girls have the week off of school for Spring Break. Of course, I promised them a trip to the zoo as well as a few new parks.
Unfortunately...Mr Violets caught a nasty bug that nixed our plans early in the week. And then it rained. The girls and I rallied though, and were set to go today if all else failed. Even if it rained.
Until I came down with another UTI last night. Ugh.
I called the doctor first thing this morning. Talked to the nurse. They have a fairly painless system set up. If...If you don't have a corn allergy.
I need to say that they've made progress. It's just the frustration that I've already been through the learning process, I already know the next step...I already have the info they need but they won't take it from me until they realize that they need it. I'm trying to be patient and acknowledge that they have a learning curve as well. It just takes time.
Anyways, if all was normal with me, I would have had an oncall doctor call in a prescription for me and that would have been that.
But all is not normal.
So, at 11:40 my doctor called me to figure out why things weren't going according to plan. And I explained that the prescription needed to be called in to the compounding pharmacy. And offered the phone number, again. I don't think she took it that time either. She did offer to find the inactive ingredients for me and call back, which she did in about 10-15 minutes...assuring me that they had a safe medication waiting at the pharmacy but I should double check with the pharmacist.
So...I trotted down to the office, left a sample, and waited in line to pick up my rx. They were friendly...and explained that I needed to wait a few more minutes to talk to a pharmacist. I ran to relieve myself and waited some more.
The pharmacist was on the phone with the manufacturer, and she approached me with the information that the prescribed medication was not safe for me (dumb microcrystalline cellulose in everything!) and asked if there was an alternate med I'd taken before.
I explained, again, that in the past I've needed to have antibiotics compounded. The only ones I've taken that were safe pre-filled were -cillins. She looked pretty uncomfortable at that revelation, did not take my compounding pharmacist's phone number, and said that she will talk to the doctor but at this point in the day I probably won't get an antibiotic until at least monday which is an awfully long time to wait when you have a UTI!!!
So what did I want to do?
I weighed my options. Corn reaction...or wait for something safe.
I decided to keep flushing my kidneys with as much water as I can manage while waiting for them to accept my compounding pharmacy phone number.
It's 2:15 now.
I'm not feeling terribly hopeful.
But maybe next time, when I call between 9 and 10, they will take the info and TRUST me; and just skip to the end step of making the necessary phone calls.
How hard is it to call a compounding pharmacist and say "I need an antibiotic for a UTI with no corn derivatives in it. What do you have in stock?" It can't take much longer than spending the day playing phone tag. :-(
I'd rather be at the zoo.
Unfortunately...Mr Violets caught a nasty bug that nixed our plans early in the week. And then it rained. The girls and I rallied though, and were set to go today if all else failed. Even if it rained.
Until I came down with another UTI last night. Ugh.
I called the doctor first thing this morning. Talked to the nurse. They have a fairly painless system set up. If...If you don't have a corn allergy.
I need to say that they've made progress. It's just the frustration that I've already been through the learning process, I already know the next step...I already have the info they need but they won't take it from me until they realize that they need it. I'm trying to be patient and acknowledge that they have a learning curve as well. It just takes time.
Anyways, if all was normal with me, I would have had an oncall doctor call in a prescription for me and that would have been that.
But all is not normal.
So, at 11:40 my doctor called me to figure out why things weren't going according to plan. And I explained that the prescription needed to be called in to the compounding pharmacy. And offered the phone number, again. I don't think she took it that time either. She did offer to find the inactive ingredients for me and call back, which she did in about 10-15 minutes...assuring me that they had a safe medication waiting at the pharmacy but I should double check with the pharmacist.
So...I trotted down to the office, left a sample, and waited in line to pick up my rx. They were friendly...and explained that I needed to wait a few more minutes to talk to a pharmacist. I ran to relieve myself and waited some more.
The pharmacist was on the phone with the manufacturer, and she approached me with the information that the prescribed medication was not safe for me (dumb microcrystalline cellulose in everything!) and asked if there was an alternate med I'd taken before.
I explained, again, that in the past I've needed to have antibiotics compounded. The only ones I've taken that were safe pre-filled were -cillins. She looked pretty uncomfortable at that revelation, did not take my compounding pharmacist's phone number, and said that she will talk to the doctor but at this point in the day I probably won't get an antibiotic until at least monday which is an awfully long time to wait when you have a UTI!!!
So what did I want to do?
I weighed my options. Corn reaction...or wait for something safe.
I decided to keep flushing my kidneys with as much water as I can manage while waiting for them to accept my compounding pharmacy phone number.
It's 2:15 now.
I'm not feeling terribly hopeful.
But maybe next time, when I call between 9 and 10, they will take the info and TRUST me; and just skip to the end step of making the necessary phone calls.
How hard is it to call a compounding pharmacist and say "I need an antibiotic for a UTI with no corn derivatives in it. What do you have in stock?" It can't take much longer than spending the day playing phone tag. :-(
I'd rather be at the zoo.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Note to self: do not move to Chicago.
Or, if it's ever necessary, plan to homeschool.
No, it's not the academic values, or the teacher quality, or the test scores. It's nothing to do with the lovely folk who live there. My problem with Chicago?
Some schools have a mandatory "purchase lunch here" policy. Of course, there is the standard "medical conditions are exempt" caveat.
My questions: How must the medical conditions be documented? And what constitutes a worthy medical excuse? Diabetes, food allergies, Celiac Disease...migraines? IBS? Lactose intolerance? Kosher requirements? Vegetarian or vegan choices? Behavior issues? Autism?
If they require a simple doctor's note, they usually require it every single year. And sometimes a new one midyear when some policy or another changes. It sounds reasonable to get your medical professional to write out a note for you. But doctors seem to HATE this policy. They have better things to do than take a 15 minute appointment to write a note stating that a medical condition has not been outgrown and that the parents, not the school administrators who have never met your child, should decide what, exactly, can and can not pass your child's teeth.
And then there's the simple fact that some medical conditions, like IBS, don't require one specific diet. It's an ongoing balancing act...and one day's requirements may be completely counter to another day's. Control over diet is critical to the overall health of someone with severe IBS or chronic digestive issues...and I guarantee that by High School; digestive concerns are the last thing any child wants to discuss over lunch.
Which brings up my next concern. If bagged lunches are banned, then anyone who brings a bagged lunch will be under scrutiny. The third degree can come about whether they are the best of friends, mortal enemies or complete strangers. Why did you bring a lunch? Why are you exempt from the hard and fast rules? What are you eating...Why are you different?
It's hard enough to be different. To be unique. And now some schools insist that the unique individuals get a doctor to document their needs and then go around in obvious defiance of the school rule because they are exempt? This sends the wrong message.
I don't know about other kids with food allergies. But mine wants to slip just under the radar. She wants to bring enough chocolate chip cookies to share so that she isn't 'different'. She wants to donate a normal fruit platter, or be in charge of the crackers, or offer safe snacks that taste and appear 'normal' to her friends and schoolmates. She wants to be safe and cocooned in her food world...but she doesn't want anyone else to question it or tease her about it.
I'm sure there are kids who don't really care where their lunch comes from, or what's in it, as long as it tastes good. And parents who are happy to let the school make good decisions. There are plenty of families not paying any attention to the ratio of doughnuts and chips and cookies to fresh produce consumed in the household. But taking control by removing choice from consumers (You must purchase lunch here, no outside food in a school where children are required by a court of law to attend) doesn't solve anything.
I say ban soda if you have to ban something (it makes a sticky mess when spilled, and the way it sprays after being shaken up in a backpack all day can make a custodian cry), provide plenty of healthy options at the school...and turn a blind eye to the 'junk food' as long as it isn't consumed during class hours. Continue encouraging and teaching about good choices, start a garden (They won't be interested the first year, so give it 5 years) and eventually kids will start to make better and better choices. They have to be the ones to choose in the long run, we have to trust them with their own health. Which means, we start by trusting them with their own lunch.
Or, if it's ever necessary, plan to homeschool.
No, it's not the academic values, or the teacher quality, or the test scores. It's nothing to do with the lovely folk who live there. My problem with Chicago?
Some schools have a mandatory "purchase lunch here" policy. Of course, there is the standard "medical conditions are exempt" caveat.
My questions: How must the medical conditions be documented? And what constitutes a worthy medical excuse? Diabetes, food allergies, Celiac Disease...migraines? IBS? Lactose intolerance? Kosher requirements? Vegetarian or vegan choices? Behavior issues? Autism?
If they require a simple doctor's note, they usually require it every single year. And sometimes a new one midyear when some policy or another changes. It sounds reasonable to get your medical professional to write out a note for you. But doctors seem to HATE this policy. They have better things to do than take a 15 minute appointment to write a note stating that a medical condition has not been outgrown and that the parents, not the school administrators who have never met your child, should decide what, exactly, can and can not pass your child's teeth.
And then there's the simple fact that some medical conditions, like IBS, don't require one specific diet. It's an ongoing balancing act...and one day's requirements may be completely counter to another day's. Control over diet is critical to the overall health of someone with severe IBS or chronic digestive issues...and I guarantee that by High School; digestive concerns are the last thing any child wants to discuss over lunch.
Which brings up my next concern. If bagged lunches are banned, then anyone who brings a bagged lunch will be under scrutiny. The third degree can come about whether they are the best of friends, mortal enemies or complete strangers. Why did you bring a lunch? Why are you exempt from the hard and fast rules? What are you eating...Why are you different?
It's hard enough to be different. To be unique. And now some schools insist that the unique individuals get a doctor to document their needs and then go around in obvious defiance of the school rule because they are exempt? This sends the wrong message.
I don't know about other kids with food allergies. But mine wants to slip just under the radar. She wants to bring enough chocolate chip cookies to share so that she isn't 'different'. She wants to donate a normal fruit platter, or be in charge of the crackers, or offer safe snacks that taste and appear 'normal' to her friends and schoolmates. She wants to be safe and cocooned in her food world...but she doesn't want anyone else to question it or tease her about it.
I'm sure there are kids who don't really care where their lunch comes from, or what's in it, as long as it tastes good. And parents who are happy to let the school make good decisions. There are plenty of families not paying any attention to the ratio of doughnuts and chips and cookies to fresh produce consumed in the household. But taking control by removing choice from consumers (You must purchase lunch here, no outside food in a school where children are required by a court of law to attend) doesn't solve anything.
I say ban soda if you have to ban something (it makes a sticky mess when spilled, and the way it sprays after being shaken up in a backpack all day can make a custodian cry), provide plenty of healthy options at the school...and turn a blind eye to the 'junk food' as long as it isn't consumed during class hours. Continue encouraging and teaching about good choices, start a garden (They won't be interested the first year, so give it 5 years) and eventually kids will start to make better and better choices. They have to be the ones to choose in the long run, we have to trust them with their own health. Which means, we start by trusting them with their own lunch.
Tuesday, April 05, 2011
Gluten Free idiots
Gee. Just when you thought things were settling down and the Gluten Free community was getting some respect, a famous chef comes out of the closet with his REAL feelings on the subject.
I won't repost his full condemnation. You can read it at ABC. Or here. Or here.
It's obvious this guy has anger management issues.
But the gist of the post isn't generic anger or irritation. He's not just angry. He's mad enough to do something. And dangerous enough to apparently smile while poisoning anyone with Celiac who walks through his door.
The worst part is...he seems educated. He knows what gluten is. He states that he will reassure gluten free diners that their food is gluten free, and then he will knowingly serve them homemade high-gluten pasta (extra gluten in dough can improve texture), and take their compliments.
What he doesn't realize is that Celiac disease is not anaphylaxis. It doesn't strike immediately. The gluten has to hit the intestines before it does it's damage. And different people react differently.
Some might have no symptoms at all. Some poor bloke could eat weekly at this restaurant, assured that the pasta is gluten free, and die from intestinal cancer. Because of the damage caused by the gluten he unknowingly ingested. Others will have their romantic night out spoiled...just about the time they're settling in for a movie, or bed. Or possibly not until tomorrow morning's early meeting that can't be missed.
Yes, grains have been a part of the human diet for hundreds of years. And Celiac has existed for just as long (there are reports in the Bible of wasting diseases that are suspected cases of Celiac disease. That means it's at least 2000 years old.)
But the sanity of a gluten free diet isn't the question. Any individual in America has the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We have the right to protect our lives the way we see fit. (By pursuing whatever diet...medically proven or fad...that we believe will be most suitable to our needs) We have the right to CHOOSE what we eat. Now, we don't have to choose to eat in restaurants. But, if we do, we have the right to know what exactly they are putting in the food if we choose to ask. And we have the right to pursue happiness. Some chef who has decided that a medical diagnosis of Celiac Disease is ridiculous and therefore derails attempts to live a normal life within the constraints of a medically restricted diet interferes with our right to pursue happiness.
In fact, he could cause irreprable harm. Not just to a person's health (eventually, there is an exposure that you really don't come back all the way from) but to their psyche. If he's assuring a gluten free consumer that they received a gluten free meal, while they are developing symptoms, they will blame the symptoms on something else. Like nerves, or eating out in general (the stress or the airborne particles) or kissing their significant other. A well placed reaction can lead to a fight between even the most understanding of spouses. Just because it's disappointing to have well made plans go astray for bathroom access.
I don't think this man is alone in thinking people following a gluten free diet are "idiots". (liberal hippie idiots, in fact) And that's the real danger. I've seen the poker face that slides over someone's face when I clarify that no, we don't make exceptions for parties. No, we don't make exceptions for really good pizza or really expensive cookies. It's all or nothing for our family. Mr. Violets and Bumblebee eat all the gluten they want outside of the home and ask for no accomodation. Penguin and I eat none. At all. Period.
The reactions are miserable and it sends the wrong message. Some people think the diet is too restrictive. I think that it's only restrictive when there are people we can't trust to respect our choices and physical needs. And statements like the ones made by Chef Cardone make those of us with dietary needs feel that we can't trust others, even ones who seem supportive.
I won't repost his full condemnation. You can read it at ABC. Or here. Or here.
It's obvious this guy has anger management issues.
But the gist of the post isn't generic anger or irritation. He's not just angry. He's mad enough to do something. And dangerous enough to apparently smile while poisoning anyone with Celiac who walks through his door.
The worst part is...he seems educated. He knows what gluten is. He states that he will reassure gluten free diners that their food is gluten free, and then he will knowingly serve them homemade high-gluten pasta (extra gluten in dough can improve texture), and take their compliments.
What he doesn't realize is that Celiac disease is not anaphylaxis. It doesn't strike immediately. The gluten has to hit the intestines before it does it's damage. And different people react differently.
Some might have no symptoms at all. Some poor bloke could eat weekly at this restaurant, assured that the pasta is gluten free, and die from intestinal cancer. Because of the damage caused by the gluten he unknowingly ingested. Others will have their romantic night out spoiled...just about the time they're settling in for a movie, or bed. Or possibly not until tomorrow morning's early meeting that can't be missed.
Yes, grains have been a part of the human diet for hundreds of years. And Celiac has existed for just as long (there are reports in the Bible of wasting diseases that are suspected cases of Celiac disease. That means it's at least 2000 years old.)
But the sanity of a gluten free diet isn't the question. Any individual in America has the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We have the right to protect our lives the way we see fit. (By pursuing whatever diet...medically proven or fad...that we believe will be most suitable to our needs) We have the right to CHOOSE what we eat. Now, we don't have to choose to eat in restaurants. But, if we do, we have the right to know what exactly they are putting in the food if we choose to ask. And we have the right to pursue happiness. Some chef who has decided that a medical diagnosis of Celiac Disease is ridiculous and therefore derails attempts to live a normal life within the constraints of a medically restricted diet interferes with our right to pursue happiness.
In fact, he could cause irreprable harm. Not just to a person's health (eventually, there is an exposure that you really don't come back all the way from) but to their psyche. If he's assuring a gluten free consumer that they received a gluten free meal, while they are developing symptoms, they will blame the symptoms on something else. Like nerves, or eating out in general (the stress or the airborne particles) or kissing their significant other. A well placed reaction can lead to a fight between even the most understanding of spouses. Just because it's disappointing to have well made plans go astray for bathroom access.
I don't think this man is alone in thinking people following a gluten free diet are "idiots". (liberal hippie idiots, in fact) And that's the real danger. I've seen the poker face that slides over someone's face when I clarify that no, we don't make exceptions for parties. No, we don't make exceptions for really good pizza or really expensive cookies. It's all or nothing for our family. Mr. Violets and Bumblebee eat all the gluten they want outside of the home and ask for no accomodation. Penguin and I eat none. At all. Period.
The reactions are miserable and it sends the wrong message. Some people think the diet is too restrictive. I think that it's only restrictive when there are people we can't trust to respect our choices and physical needs. And statements like the ones made by Chef Cardone make those of us with dietary needs feel that we can't trust others, even ones who seem supportive.
Friday, April 01, 2011
April Fools
Most people diagnosed with a corn allergy for the first time, breathe a sigh of relief. At least it isn't something really hard, like gluten or dairy.
And then they read the list, and check their calendar.
Today's April Fools day, and I can't help but thinking it should also be Corn Allergy Awareness day. (Or maybe April 2nd should be...when the realization that it ISN'T a joke sinks in). Because as surreal as food restrictions seem, especially ones that extend to medication and what an animal ate before it was slaughtered not to mention the slaughtering process, they are real. And many of us lead a surreal life in order to actually live...or at least, in the hopes of actually LIVING. Breathing. Dreaming. Enjoying.
It seems crazy. Which is why it's important to keep our sense of humor. It helps deal with uncomfortable situations like the side-long glance when you turn down water for a corn allergy (Yeah, well, certain brands...) Or when you have to go sit on a porch because the host decided to pop some corn, or did some nice deep cleaning before you got there. You see...April 2nd really would be the ideal awareness day...humor mixed with reality, and acceptance.
And since April is also the month for Autism Awareness, let's expand it to be the month to solve puzzles in healthcare...and accept that there is more than we understand about the body, not just something to blame on stress.
And then they read the list, and check their calendar.
Today's April Fools day, and I can't help but thinking it should also be Corn Allergy Awareness day. (Or maybe April 2nd should be...when the realization that it ISN'T a joke sinks in). Because as surreal as food restrictions seem, especially ones that extend to medication and what an animal ate before it was slaughtered not to mention the slaughtering process, they are real. And many of us lead a surreal life in order to actually live...or at least, in the hopes of actually LIVING. Breathing. Dreaming. Enjoying.
It seems crazy. Which is why it's important to keep our sense of humor. It helps deal with uncomfortable situations like the side-long glance when you turn down water for a corn allergy (Yeah, well, certain brands...) Or when you have to go sit on a porch because the host decided to pop some corn, or did some nice deep cleaning before you got there. You see...April 2nd really would be the ideal awareness day...humor mixed with reality, and acceptance.
And since April is also the month for Autism Awareness, let's expand it to be the month to solve puzzles in healthcare...and accept that there is more than we understand about the body, not just something to blame on stress.
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