Dem Bones... (chicken bones)

I have to admit I've gotten REALLY lazy about making (and drinking) bone broth as of late.

It's probably been a month or more since I've made any and really, I've consumed so much broth in the last 6 months, it was starting to make me a bit queasy.

I usually use the remnants of a chicken I've either made or purchased (thank you Costco Bachelor Chickens for being so convenient).  Most of the time though, the broth won't gel.

Why is this important, you may wonder?  Well, it's a good sign that the collagen and gelatin have leached from your carcass and are readily available for your body to utilize.  It's actually a sign of a good broth. If you get it to gel, you've done a great job.

I've found the key to getting a good gel pretty much every time is using chicken feet.

I read about it in Nourishing Traditions.

 

I was a bit off put by the idea of putting a bunch of feet in my broth.

But I went to the market in Justin's neighborhood and purchased a package of feet (this was a few years back and chicken feet are remarkably hard to find - if you are looking, check your local Asian or Hispanic market. You'll be hard pressed to find them at Safeway or Raley's).

I threw those feet in with my carcass and veggies and let it simmer away.  It didn't seem any different until it cooled down.... Chicken Jello.

Since that time, chicken jello has become a staple of my diet.  When I started AIP back in January, I was consuming broth with every meal.  I had considered GAPS, which used broth based soups for every meal, but wasn't that willing to commit.

I can say with pretty good certainty that my joint health is markedly better when I am getting a good and continuous source of gelatin and collagen.  I don't sound like a bowl of rice crispies when I move.  Lay off the broth for a while and it's back to snap, crackle and pop.

It also is a great food to soothe your intestines and help improve digestion.

But when you are drinking that much broth, it gets old. Fast.

Enter gelatin.

It blends in pretty easily to whatever I'm drinking. I add it to cold beverages, hot beverages and the like. It seems to blend in pretty easily if you add it to a small amount of room temperature liquid before adding it to hot or cold liquids. 

I'm drinking it three times a day currently to see if it has similar effects.  I'll let you know how it goes. If my knees stop making a snapping noise, I'd say we're good.  (the snapping sounds far more painful that in actually is)

I found this list at my mom's house the other day. This was the list I went to my doctor with in 2011 outlining the pain I was in (and had been in for as long as I could remember). I'm glad to say that it's 2013 and aside from the occasional flare up (usually of my shoulder or hip), I'm free of most of those symptoms. 

Might I add that I'm not taking ANY NSAIDS or anti-inflammatory medications for probably the first time in my adult life.  Through diet and lifestyle changes, I've managed to turn all of this around (though it's still hard to straighten my hair - so I don't). 

Waging a war.......... on YOU

I've been really terrible at updating the blog lately.

I've been busy with work, school, wedding prep and projects.

We finally got the invitations done and mailed out.  It was the perfect excuse for me to buy a craft cutter and now I just need to find enough time to work on .svg files for paper crafting as well as creating jewelry designs and finishing out the semester :)

I've noticed that weight loss/health has taken sort of an angry path these days.  Everyone is intent on getting ripped, demolishing fat, getting their asses kicked, etc. I'm not sure why every woman thinks they need to get below 20% body fat and needs six pack abs. I really don't want to "kill it", whatever "it" may be. I'm sick of the screaming commercials for some new ass kicking workout.

Does it really have to be that way?

Don't get me wrong. I don't think there is anything wrong with being strong.  I don't think there's anything wrong with being muscular. I've worked plenty of jobs in my life that required me to be strong.  But really, do we need to look like body builders (I've always been rather grossed out by them personally).

Is this necessary? Or attractive?

I'm not sure what people are into killing, but if killing it equals the above, I'll let it live.

I have to say if I've learned anything in the last 3 years its to be gentle with myself.  I didn't get that principle in all the years I did yoga. I pushed myself to be the most flexible in a class. I pushed myself as hard as I could. Which is totally NOT what yoga is about. I pushed my body by working out 3 hours a day, 7 days a week.

My shoulder injury has taught me to be gentle with myself. I have learned my limits. I may not like my limits all of the time, but I accept them.

I don't need to destroy fat. I don't need to punish myself for my food choices by spending an extra hour at the gym if I eat something "bad". Hell, my entire diet is "bad" by the standards of most of the diet industry. I eat fat. Lots of fat.  I eat protein, a pretty good amount of protein. I eat veggies, probably more than I ever did as a vegetarian in my youth.

As much as it pained me, I threw out everything I thought I new about health and fitness and I've changed my life for the better. Without supplements. Without shakes. Without punishing my body. Without punishing my spirit.

Take a second to think about it before you wage another war with yourself.  Take a second to think about being gentle and kind to yourself.  It might make all the difference in your life and in the world. Our lives are full of enough crap - everyone's a warrior, everything needs to be destroyed, killed, ripped, etc.

Think about the impact those words have. Affect a positive change in your mind and you will see positive changes in your body.

It's a Miracle

I know I had been frustrated with the whole elimination diet thing.  I wanted to give up more than a few times.

Well, I just have to say I'm glad I didn't.

I made it through today without sneezing more than a couple of times.  I made it through today only blowing my nose once or twice (not including my netti pot time, as my nasal passages feel so dry now that they are not running like a faucet).

In fact, after I started thinking about it, I've made it through the last few days without sneezing or a runny/stuffy nose.  After the effects of the miso soup faded (which took about 3 days), I've been pretty allergy symptom free for an entire weekend.

I know that sounds like a weird thing to be excited about, but considering the last 10 years of my life have been filled with nasal misery (at times going through 2-3 boxes of tissues a week and sneezing so uncontrollably that I would have to pull my car off the road), 3 days of minimal sneezing (maybe 3-5 times in a day) and a scant handful of nose blows (maybe 2-3) is a miracle.

I am going to wait a couple of weeks to see how long this lasts (or if it was just a fluke) before I attempt to start adding foods back into my diet.  There are somethings I find I don't really miss as much as I thought I would (nightshades) and others I can't wait to add back (eggs and nuts).

It will be a SLOW process trying to add things back in.  I plan to try a food and wait 72 hours to evaluate how I feel.  If all seems to be good, I will try that food item in small quantities for a week to see if that changes any sort of reaction.  If no reaction is present, I will wait an additional week to add the next food.

Let's use an egg as our example.

I try a single yolk (the least allergenic part of the egg) on 2/25.  I will observe how my body reacts until 2/27.  If all seems good, I will then eat a yolk a day until 3/6.  If that seems to be working for me, I will wait until 3/13 to add a new food while continuing to keep to 1 yolk a day.

It really seems like more work than I really want to do, but I have to say that not sneezing and not having a constantly runny/stuffy nose feels AWESOME!

I still have the feeling of some sinus pressure though and I would love to have my sinuses adjusted sometime in the near future.  I've taken some time away from the adjustment process to know if my diet is really helping my allergies or if the adjustments were a part of  the reduction as well.

Where are you hiding now?

Okay, it's been a few days now since the soy and I am STILL all nasally and gross.  The day after having the miso soup, I swear I felt like I had been hit by a truck.

It's good to know though.

I was aware that unfermented soy was a bad deal, though I bought into the health benefits of soy in all states when I was younger. I've learned the importance of fermenting for any number of foods we eat, be it soy, wheat, veggies, etc. 

Fermenting helps neutralize anti-nutrients that make foods difficult for us to digest.  If you  eat grains, make sure you soak or ferment those grains.  If you're going to eat soy, make sure it is fermented soy such as tempeh, miso, natto or traditionally made soy sauce.  

One of the biggest downfalls of soy (at least here in the US) is that most of our soybeans are GMO.  I personally don't know the long term effects of eating GMO foods, and don't care to be a part of some grand experiment.  

Unfortunately soy is hidden in a great number of processed foods even when they are considered natural or health food using names that may or may not indicate they have soy in them. Especially when switching to gluten free, soy seems to be an additive that is in EVERYTHING.  Here are a few that may contain soy but are entirely ambiguous (I pretty much avoid these due to the possibility of containing wheat as well): 

Artificial flavoring 

Asian foods (e.g. Japanese, Chinese, Thai, etc.)

Hydrolyzed plant protein 
Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP) 
Natural flavoring 
Vegetable broth 
Vegetable gum 
Vegetable starch 

I never really gave much though to the idea that soy was part of my allergy issue.  I had started cutting it out for other reasons but wasn't really diligent about the ambiguous soy sneaking in until I went on an elimination diet.  

After about 7 weeks of no soy at all, I figured trying miso, which is properly fermented wouldn't hurt.  It did and now I know to avoid soy.  It eliminates a lot of things such as chocolates (most commercial chocolates are made with soy lecithin), but hey, not having my face feel like it will explode or my sinuses make a weird popping noise is not a bad trade off.  

Kids with Food Allergies is a pretty comprehensive resource for food allergens and possibly ambiguous allergen additives.  

I honestly think if you don't feel as well as you think you could, AIP (autoimmune paleo) or GAPS (gut and psychology syndrome) or SCD (specific carbohydrate diet) can really help you see how what you eat effects you over all.  

Even though I haven't fully been able to ditch my nasal allergies, I have to say that I feel better than I can really ever remember.  

You don't soy

I think I may have pinpointed one of my allergens tonight.  I went to dinner tonight and tried a bowl of Miso Soup.

By the time the meal was over my nose was running, my sinuses swelling and I had started sneezing.

The only other thing I had was a sashimi plate and if I'm allergic to raw fish, I'm screwed.

At first I thought it was the obnoxious VS fragrance of a patron at the table next to us.  Earlier in the day, the drunk girls on the train started spraying that garbage and the nose running and sneezing started but went away within an hour of getting away from the stink.

It's been more than 5 hours now and my symptoms have NOT gone away at all.  My poor nose is raw from tissues (and yes, mom, I have the ones with "potion").

I had to take a box of tissues upstairs with me when I was working on my homework.  I haven't had to take a box of tissues up to the common area since prior to the start of my AIP diet.  For me, more than a month of not having to have tissues available in every room of the house (or in my car, in my purse, in my messenger bag, etc.) is a miracle.

With the obvious triggers, like that VS garbage (how does anyone think that stuff smells good and why do people feel it necessary to carry fragrances and reapply throughout the day?  If you shower on a regular basis, you should be good to go.), I have found that smelling something else can ease the reaction.  So far the "other smell" that is working for me is peppermint essential oil.  It seems to "reset" my sense of smell so I can no longer smell/taste the offending odor, but it doesn't linger and cause me to smell peppermint for a period afterward.

The peppermint oil does NOT alleviate the symptoms I am currently experiencing.  I am miserable.  I sound like crap. I feel like crap.  My nose is running so badly that it's actually dripping.  The right side of my sinuses are totally swollen (I can still move some air through the left side of my nose).

The good thing is though, I can live without soy.  That is one of the many things that I have eliminated that I can care less about consuming again.  It DOES eliminate any number of "convenience foods" that I may have consumed before because almost anything that has an ingredient list has soy or some soy derivative in it.  But, if that's the case, so be it.  I've grown accustomed to making almost all of my own meals.  It's not that hard to do (although if you ask the people in my CA Art in Cultural Context Class, people have no choice but to eat convenience foods because, like, cooking is haaaaaaaaaaaaard.)

What I can't wait to reintroduce are nuts and eggs.  I tried an egg yolk a couple of days ago (apparently the whites have proteins that can be more allergenic than the yolk as a defense mechanism).  My sinuses felt slightly swollen, but I can't tell if that was coincidence or a reaction to the egg.  After my sinuses calm back down from this incident, I will try another yolk to see what happens.

This whole process has been annoying and time consuming but not needing to carry tissues with me everywhere I go or having intense sneezing fits has been pretty awesome.  I can say I still feel as though NST adjustments may help with any alignment issues of my sinus cavities but until I get the food sorted out, I'm not going to get my sinuses adjusted.

What the SMELL?

I have to say that doing AIP doesn't seem to be eliminating whatever is causing my sneezing and nasal congestion.  Which is really disappointing.  I miss a LOT of foods.  But I'm sticking it out.  I started on January 6.  It is now January 31.  For the most part I've made it 25 days (I did have a couple slip ups Sushi and Manhattan Chowder).

My sneezing is less than it was when I started (this is a REALLY HARD thing to quantify), but with the deprivation I feel (it's all psychological - I don't like being told I can't have/do something) I had really hoped for better results.

On the up side, I was down close to 10 pounds the last time I weighed myself (almost 2 weeks ago, which was 2 weeks into it).  I pretty much only weigh myself when I go visit my mom, so I have no idea what my current weight is.  I can tell you my jeans are considerably looser than when I started this.

The other night all I could smell was the Dial hand soap from our bathroom after Justin had washed his hands.  There are a lot of smells that once they hit my nose, they don't go away.  I can taste them. Every breath I take is tainted by these smells.  They linger no matter how long it has been since I was exposed to them.  Dial soap happens to be one of them.  (I think the list could go on for days, but one of the worst offenders are the garbage sold by Victoria's Secret as fragrance)

An idea struck me as we were sitting on the couch.  Maybe I could replace that smell with another!?  I ran downstairs to my drawers of essential oils (for my witchery as Justin calls it), grabbed the peppermint oil and started sniffing it.  Never mind that I felt like a junior high kid sniffing markers or glue.  My nose had just started the sneeze tickle as I was in the process of doing this.  After a few strong inhalations, I felt the spasms  that I was on the verge of subside.  While I didn't have a lingering scent of peppermint stuck in my nose, I no longer had the Dial stuck there.

Is it possible to "reset" my sense of smell?   Really, scents have caused me to feel overloaded and overstimulated for years.  I despise most things scented (natural occurring scents tend to be okay in moderation) because the overwhelming smell and resulting taste are unbearable).

I've been testing this "reset" idea for the last few days.  When I can feel the "tickle" or spasms creeping up on me, I inhale a few times with the bottle of peppermint essential oil right below my nose.  It doesn't work 100% of the time, but it seems to cut down on the frequency and severity of my sneezing attacks.  Again, it's super hard to quantify unless I start counting the number of times I sneeze each day.

My next question to resolve in this "reset" idea is the scent itself.  Is there a specific scent that is going to work?  Is it just any scent that is more pure and not artificial?  I started Sunday night with peppermint (it was the first bottle in my drawer).  Would Tangerine work?  Thyme?  Cypress? Clove?

I plan to switch it up to and test other oils.

Another question is will I become dependent upon a scent in order to control my sneezing?  Will I have to "wean" myself off of this method?

Does this all mean that my sneezing is purely psychological in nature?  Perhaps it is a neurological dysfunction?

I don't know.  All I know is that I can't wait to add foods back into my diet.  I really miss eggs, nuts and chocolate.

Apples and Alpine Mail

I woke up this morning stuffed up, sneezing and my nose running (I know it sounds weird to be stuffed up and running like a faucet at the same time, but that's how my nose chooses to behave some days).

I've been doing AIP for 21 days now with 2 set backs (the sushi and Manhattan style GF chowder last weekend and I had a single cocktail on Friday night when Justin and I went to dinner).  For the most part, I've been doing pretty good.  Blowing my nose only once or twice in the mornings or actually even waking up clear headed.

Well this morning was the suck! I had a mound of tissues next to me and my nose didn't stop running until I had been out of bed for 2 hours.  I tried really hard to enjoy a Sunday morning in bed with Pi and Justin (Pi was trying to "help" me read 1984 by turning the page on my Kindle.  Not very helpful.)

I can't think of anything out of the ordinary I had yesterday, other than apples.  I haven't had an apple in a while.  I really wanted something dessert-y.  I had some AMAZING toasted coconut sorbet at LuLu on Friday, which really made me want dessert.  (By the way, the food there is amazing. I had Flat Iron Steak with mashed sweet potatoes and chard with bacon).  I had a couple of granny smith apples in the kitchen and made some tasty baked apples last night.

I totally didn't think to photograph the apples, but the recipe was simple.  
3 Granny Smith Apples, sliced
2 Tablespoons Honey
1 Cup shredded coconut
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Cloves
1 Teaspoon Nutmeg
1 Tablespoon Melted Nutiva Organic Coconut Oil Extra-Virgin 29 oz. 218566 (Google Affiliate Ad)

Mix all ingredients together.  Bake at 400 until apples are soft and coconut is toasted.

Well, I wasn't really thinking about the fact that Nutmeg isn't AIP (This angers me - I love nutmeg).  If it was nutmeg that made me all sneezy, I might cry.  It could have been dust as well.  We're cleaning and reorganizing the Gnomery and the HEPA filter has apparently been doing it's job.  The back intake was covered with dust bunnies.  Which then got on the bed.  We did our best to brush them off.

One of the more exciting (well, exciting for me anyway) was getting my Brown Bag Company Alpine Mail Bag.

I saw this bag at Cole Fox Hardware and immediately wanted it.  I've been waiting for weeks to see if I still wanted it.  Well, I did.  I have been looking for the perfect messenger style bag for ages.  I had a laptop bag that was cute, but my laptop barely fit in it.  I started looking at canvas/nylon messenger bags (think Timbuk2).  Well, they are $100 + and I've never had anything canvas/nylon last longer than a few years.  Plus, I was sort of disheartened at their "designed in SF, made with pride world wide" spin for "Made In China".

Well, the Alpine Mail Bag is made in Incline Village (Tahoe) from American leather (Milwaukee).  Apparently this company makes made to last tool bags.  This bag appears to be made to last as well!  It's heavy duty leather with quality stitching and brass fittings.  It has two compartments (one zippered and a main compartment divided into 2) with two pen holders and a business card holder.  It does not have a billion places to lose something in (I've had purses with so many pockets I could lose things for years in them.  Wallets too for that matter.).  I have a 17" laptop which barely fit into laptop bags designed for a 17" laptop.  Well, it fits wonderfully in this bag with room to spare.  It's more than enough for my commute to work on train days AND it fits my rain boots in it!

I'm excited to finally have a well made bag!  

Armpits aren't supposed to feel that much pain!

I've been looking for a massage therapist that does orthopedic massage for over a year now.

Getting a regular "relaxation" massage only exacerbates my shoulder issues.  I've had a Massage Envy membership for a while now and once the therapist I had been seeing in Folsom was unable to keep working, I hadn't used many of my prepaid massages.  In fact, I gifted most of them over the holidays and had planned to cancel.

I had called the Massage Envy near my place (at the Metreon) several times asking if they had anyone who did Orthopedic massage and was told no every time.

Well, Massage Envy didn't process my cancellation and charged me for another prepaid in December.  I really didn't want to get a massage that was going to increase my pain.  I scheduled a facial instead.  While I was waiting I took a look at their therapist bios.  Wouldn't you know, they had TWO therapists that do orthopedic massage.

I booked an appointment with Kim for the next evening when I saw that!   I figured I would give her a shot and cancel the next day if she didn't work out.

A thing to know about orthopedic massage: it is NOT pleasant. It is not a relaxing massage that relieves stress.  It is painful. VERY painful.

Kim poked and prodded and pushed and pulled.  In fact, most of my one hour session was spent on my left shoulder's inflamed connective tissues and scar tissue.  But I didn't mind.  I knew I was there for specific body work and Kim seemed very knowledgeable. It hurt like hell though.  After 13 years of physical therapy, surgery and discomfort, I knew it would be.  If you've never had anyone "poke" you in the armpit, the armpit is capable of feeling intense pain.  I don't recommend testing it out though.

She had a few recommendations for me diet-wise (most of which I have already adopted, she was impressed with my natural health knowledge).  One of which was to make a super strong ginger tea using about 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches of fresh ginger and 6 cups of water.  Let it boil to reduce it to about 2 cups of "tea" and drink that throughout the day.  I'm going to give that one a shot since I'm not taking any supplements during this phase of AIP, including turmeric.

I know that the amount of inflammation in my shoulder is less than usual, but I had hoped that AIP would possibly eliminate it.  On the plus side of AIP, I think my nasal allergy symptoms are improving.  They are not gone yet, but they are improving.  I was able to have a massage laying face down and not sneeze or have my nose run.  I was even able to mostly breathe through my nose during the entire session (the right side of my nose still gets "stuffed up" when I lay down. It is really bothersome, but it seems to drain faster when I change positions than it used to).

I did find a resource that would have helped immensely when I started on my AIP journey almost 3 weeks ago.  Paleo Plan is a fantastic website that helps make the paleo lifestyle easier and more convenient.  I've gone there for recipes and info over the last year.  What I didn't realize was how comprehensive their 21 Day Paleo Cleanse eBook was.  I purchased the Toadally Primal Wellness Bundle and the 21 Day Paleo Cleanse was included.  

I highly recommend checking it out.  The $25 price is a drop in the bucket when it comes to the ease with which you will be able to make the transition.  It has 3 weeks of menus, shopping lists and even tells you what days you need to do prep work for another meal.

Even if you don't think you have allergy or autoimmune issues, give it a shot.  I have to say I'm down 8 pounds since the 6th of January and almost down to my goal weight.

Weekend Cheat

I've made it through about 2 weeks of the AIP diet.  I've had a couple of set backs, but I won't let those deter me.

I made it through 12 days without any cheats.  Until I went shopping for my wedding dress.  I went back home to look for a dress with my mom (and found the perfect one at the first store!).  After looking for my dress, my mom and I were starving.  Old Town Grill was the first option (they used to have Emu burgers, which were awesome!), but I was feeling a bit burned out on bunless burgers.

I love sushi a lot, so my mom and I went to Amerikan Ichi.  I was going to go for sashimi to stick to the plan, but I couldn't really pass up all you can eat sushi!  Oh sweet saba! So I ate rice.  Quite a bit of rice.  It was super delicious.  I stuck to only nigiri, not that that makes a huge difference when I'm not supposed to be eating rice.

I was pretty phlegmy the next morning and sneezing more than I have in the last 2 weeks.  I was also achy, but I think that was more due to my spill down the stairs the day before. I was super sore.

We drove to the coast on Sunday to remember my brother.  I made a tasty breakfast of kale and GF sausage before we hit the road.  I stuck to it and had a couple of sausages as a snack, but was still starving.  We stopped in the tiny town of Bodega, where they have crab mac n' cheese.  Justin tried it (and it smelled delicious!).  There weren't a lot of options and I was hungrier than a small piece of smoked salmon would have taken care of.  The store had an amazing number of gluten free items (so surprising), even their chowders were gluten free.  They had several options.  I would have loved to have had a traditional chowder, but sort of figured that dairy and nightshades would have been worse than just the nightshades in the manhattan style.  It was super tasty!

But I've been sort of congested and runny nosed for the last 2 days.

I'm not giving up yet, though.  Several of the real food bloggers out there claim to have reversed food allergies by following an elimination diet.  Hoping it can happen!

On the up side of this diet, I'm down 8 pounds in 2 weeks.  I'm down 24 pounds since moving last August.  Even though I was making tasty treats throughout the fall, the weight was staying off.  I'm not having any treats at the moment though and my starch consumption is way down (no potatoes, which means no fries!).  I do walk more, so I think I'll bust out my pedometer and track it.  I know one or two days a week, I walk to the train and then walk from the train to work (about 2 miles).

Weight loss wasn't really the goal of doing AIP, but I'm almost down to my goal weight.

AIP - Intro/Day 3

Okay, so I found a blog I can't get enough of: The Paleo Mom.  I know I'm not a mom.  I'm not even entirely paleo most of the time.  But if you really want to get down the the how and why of paleo or AIP paleo, this is a good place to go.

I had been toying with the idea of the GAPs diet for a really long time, but couldn't commit.  I hadn't heard of  AIP (auto immune paleo protocol) until a couple of weeks ago.  I don't know why, but the idea of an elimination paleo diet seemed so much easier for me to commit to than GAPS.  I some how stumbled upon an auto immune paleo group on facebook, introducing me to the concept of AIP.

AIP eliminates the following from your diet:
Eggs
Nuts
Seeds
Nightshades
Alcohol
NSAIDS

These are in addition to the already eliminated gluten, grains and dairy.

So what's left you ask?  Good quality meat, fish, veggies, and healthy fats.  Oh and plenty of fermented foods such as sauerkraut and kombucha. Some of my normal seasonings are out (no peppers!) but I've made due so far.  (granted I'm only on day 3)

So to see if this actually works, none of the above for at least 30 days.  I'm also NOT taking my turmeric supplement to see if there is any improvement in the inflammation of my joints if I make additional dietary changes.  Also, no Nasal Specific Technique treatments.  No matter how terrible my sinuses feel during this time.  I need to see if changing my diet really helps.  My nasal allergies are the real reason behind this experiment.

I have to say after three days, my sense of smell seems more acute.  Not sure if the two are connected, but holy crap it seems like every smell is amplified.  I'm not exactly sure when children needed to start reeking of cheap perfume, but they do these days.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed.  Ask anyone who has had a cubicle, desk, office etc., near me in the last 10 years.  Ask my poor Justin.  My nasal allergies aren't just miserable for me, they are miserable for everyone around me.

Oh, I'm also starting a separate blog to share my art and other fun stuff, including 3D printing!!!!!!!

The need for cheese

I have to admit I succumbed to the power of the cheese.

Last night, feeling especially meh and whiney I gave in to the need for cheese.

We ordered a gluten free pizza from Goat Hill Pizza.

I wish I could say the pizza was all I had hoped for and totally worth it, but sadly it wasn't.

Don't get me wrong, the cheese divine.  It was the best part of the pizza.  I don't know if you've had a gluten free pizza (though I make a pretty mean almond flour crust pizza), but the cheese is the best part of a gluten free pizza.  No gluten and no dairy = no more pizza. EVER.

The aftermath of said pizza was a bit of extra nose running, a sinus headache this evening and considerably slower neti pot flow this evening.  Even at the height of my cold over the last 2 weeks (which got me using my neti pot daily), I did not have this much flow reduction.

Which leads me to conclude the no dairy experiment may be permanent.  That thought made the trip down the cheese aisle at Costco this evening terribly sad.  So many cheeses I may never get to know.

I'm not sure what touched my pizza (or if it's my monthly visitor) that caused my intense pain and burning in my left arm today.  It was so bad I WISHED I had ordered a sourdough crust and lived with the pain of eating gluten.

An observation I had made casually over the last few months was that the pain and burning in my left arm seems to increase in the days before my monthly visitor.  I'm going to start keeping notes on pain levels to see if there is any actual connection to the two, but I've noticed that even when I don't eat anything I am not supposed to, I still have an increase in pain symptoms around that time of the month.

Speaking of pain, last week I did not drink enough water after taking my turmeric supplement.  I've been taking turmeric as an anti-inflammatory for most of the year 2012 and it seems to help some and doesn't have the same side effects as Naprosen (which I have been on and off of for almost 15 years now).

Big mistake.  I was heading out the door to take the Pi for a walk and belched.  Unfortunately, the turmeric came back up.  Not just into my mouth, but in my sinuses and out my nose.  Holy crap. So bad.  I ran back in the house and nearly barfed.  After the gagging subsided, I was lucky to have enough time to rinse a large amount of the turmeric out of my sinuses.

Tip of the day: Make sure you take your supplements with at least a full glass of water, if not two.

I'm off to bed to mourn the further loss of cheese.

Pumpkin Custard? Finally!

I had the day off yesterday and even though I had a boat load of homework to do (it feels like ALL I ever do), I decided to finally start experimenting with a pumpkin custard as I have been saying I was going to do for weeks now.

I spent some time looking for a recipe to try (again it had to be gluten free and dairy free) and stumbled upon  this one.  I of course made a few changes to it though.  Here's what I did:

3/4 can of pureed pumpkin (unseasoned)
1/2 c. coconut milk (full fat)
1/2 c. grade b maple syrup
2 large eggs
2 tsp tapioca starch
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp celtic sea salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix all ingredients until completely combined. Pour into glass or ceramic baking dishes (I REALLY had wanted to bake individual servings, but alas we have no ramekins).  Place the baking dishes of choice in a water bath (larger baking dish filled with water to about 1/2 way up the sides of the baking dish.  Bake 50-55 minutes.

This was pretty simple to make.  When it was baking, the house smelled like pumpkin pies and it was awesome.  So awesome it was hard to wait for Justin to come home from work to try it out.  We actually waited until after dinner (building the hype up even more!).  When we finally tasted it, it was fabulous. It had a smooth texture and had just enough spice (we all know how I feel about pumpkin goods being properly spiced!) I increased the amount of spice just slightly and swapped out the hemp milk for coconut milk from the original recipe. That being said, I think if I were to make this again, I may decrease the maple syrup from 1/2 cup to 1/4 cup.  It was just a hint too sweet for me, but for others, I think the sweetness would hit the spot.

Today I saw a recipe for a paleo pumpkin cheesecake.  I'm pretty sure that will be next on my list.

Cheesy Bacon Goodness

Well, I tested the dairy theory last night.  My mom made some most excellent grilled cheese sandwiches using Tillamook Habanero Jack cheese.

I couldn't pass up spicy cheesy goodness with BACON!  Granted  blowing my nose repeatedly and having it run like a faucet while being so inflamed I can barely move air through my sinus passages sucks, it's not enough to pass something that delicious up.  

Testing the dairy theory is much less awful than testing the gluten theory.  I learned the hard way last week not to eat anything that has been touched by gluten containing products.  We had a Halloween party at work, I was ravenous and decided to try to eat a mummy dog sans mummy wrap (pigs in a blanket with a cute name).  I peeled off that outer layer and ate half a hot dog that had been touched by crescent roll.  Well, with the amount of pain I was in for the next 4 days, I should have just eaten the damn crescent roll too!

I had an appointment with my chiropractor at Gold Country Chiropractic this morning for a sinus adjustment (the first one in 3 weeks!) and it was so much easier and less uncomfortable than any of my treatments before (even when i was going weekly and not letting much time go by between adjustments).  While I can't be entirely certain as yet, I think  that dairy was contributing the swelling of my nasal passages, which made the adjustments very resistant and very painful!  I did eat some dairy last night, so the swelling may have returned slightly, but it did not seem to be nearly as inflamed as usual. 

While my ooey gooey grilled cheese was delicious, I am going to go back to no dairy for another month and see how my next adjustment goes.  I managed to last 3 weeks this time between adjustments, so I'm aiming for 4 weeks for the next one.  

Considering I am often lamenting the lack of readily available treats for me, I tried something new today.  I bought a loaf of Glutino White Sandwich Bread so I could have some grilled cheese (so far the best of the gluten free breads I have tried).  Tonight I wanted something treat like, so I decided upon cinnamon toast.  In place of butter, I used Nutiva Organic Coconut Oil Extra-Virgin 29 oz. 218566 (Google Affiliate Ad), which gave it a slightly coconut-y flavor.  In all, it was a quick and easy treat.  I don't normally have any bread on hand (I mostly gave it up since going gluten free), but it hit the spot tonight.

I plan to test at least one pumpkin custard this week.  I'll share the results.  

The search is on!

For a pumpkin custard recipe that is dairy free AND doesn't suck.

When I was younger, I couldn't stand pumpkin pie.  It was soggy and gross.  I worked in a bakery and people LOVED our pumpkin pies.  I never understood it.

The years have passed and my feelings for pumpkin have changed.  I love everything about pumpkin now.  I love the spice and aroma of most things pumpkin. There is nothing better than a cool, crisp autumn day and something spicy, be it pumpkin bread, pumpkin latte, pumpkin pancakes.  You get the picture, I love pumpkin.

Sad to say it seems as though most things pumpkin spice these days are lacking in the spice department.  Take away my gluten and my dairy and it leaves me with spices to make me happy. I've tried a few pumpkin recipes so far this fall with the new lifestyle changes and all I can say is I have been UNDERWHELMED.

Perhaps it is assumed that when you find out you have food sensitivities or allergies, that your desire for good food is gone.  Maybe the people creating these recipes have diminished taste buds, I don't know.  Pretty much any recipe for anything pumpkin (and gluten free) is bland.

I made a GF pumpkin bread a couple of weeks ago.  Bland. (Though it made for some pretty delicious french toast the next day when I added more spices).

Before I started my no dairy experiment, I had a pumpkin spice latte (from two major chains).  Both tasted like overly sweet, slightly spiced milk.  The Bean Barn in Placerville has much better pumpkin spice lattes, but that is neither here nor there.

So I am setting out to perfect a dairy free pumpkin spice custard (since I haven't perfected a GF pie crust and nothing will ever compare to my mom's pie crusts).

It needs to have a smooth texture, have a balanced sweetness and a spiciness that reflects wonderful fall flavors.  I can't tell if all of a sudden I have intensified the memories of fall spices (last time I had a spiced cider, it too just seemed cloyingly sweet), or if people have just equated saturated in sugar with fall flavors now.

No! Not the cheese!

I know it's been a LONG while since I've updated the blog...

In the 2 months since I last posted, I moved, started a new job and started attending school full time.

Well, considering I've moved to an area with entirely different allergens than I had been living in (plus some nice sea air as well) I'd like to be able to say my allergies are better times 1,000.  I can't.  At all.

I already suspected my allergies were not entirely environmental (still can't deal with fragrances) after a trip to North Carolina in 2011 and I've been back and forth between the Sierra Foothills and the Bay Area for about 5 years all with similar allergy symptoms.

I had gone about a month here in the Bay without getting my sinuses adjusted (can't really find a chiro here that 1. does the adjustment and 2. would be willing to work with my latex allergy) and I was MISERABLE (I'm pretty sure poor Justin was just as miserable if not more so considering I was waking up through the night sneezing and blowing my nose).

I've started making the trip back home every other week or so to go to Gold Country Chiropractic for sinus adjustments and while it's sort of a hassle with school and all (I've not taken a full time class load in forever and AAU's full time class load is intense) it is totally worth it.  But even with the sinus adjustments, I still am having allergy issues.

Then I got the brilliant idea to do the GAPS diet.  The GAPS diet is a super restrictive elimination diet that people usually use to heal the gut, but there are a lot of resources out there for it, so it seemed like a logical starting point for my elimination diet.

Well, I got lazy.  And overwhelmed.  I share a kitchen with 4 other people, so the amount of prep that would make this diet easiest wasn't really going to happen without a lot of freezer space and fridge space.  And the food seemed pretty boring (I really like food, especially good food).

I decided "hey, maybe it would be easier to just eliminate one type of food" instead of eliminating everything except boiled meats, bone broth and winter veggies (also boiled).

I decided upon dairy as my first food group to eliminate.

That doesn't sound like much until you realize how much I love cheese.  Especially since giving up gluten.  Cheese has always been a go to snack for me.  I'll grab a couple of slices of cheese, a handful of nuts and an apple and I'm good to go.  The fruit and cheese plate at Starbucks is my go to snack when I am out and about because the crackers are packaged separately and aren't touching the other foods.  There is nothing more wonderful than a delicious cup of Gold Coast Coffee Company coffee with heavy cream.  I will eat whipped cream by itself.  You get the picture, I LOVE dairy.

I'd gone about 2 weeks of no dairy (no yogurt, no cheese, no cream) and Justin and I went to dinner the other night at Triptych, where they have one of the few gluten free deserts I would call DELICIOUS (White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake).  So I ordered it without even thinking about the dairy.  While it was super tasty and I savored every bite of it, I was a little apprehensive about what the next morning would be like.

Well, it sucked.  A lot.  I woke up sneezing, nose running and so congested I was back to mouth breathing.  I wanted to cry.  The only thing I had done differently was that damn piece of cheesecake.

It got me thinking though, is it all dairy?  Is it just pasteurized dairy?  Perhaps I can handle raw dairy?  Fingers currently crossed that it's just pasteurized dairy.

Adventures in Allergy Treatments - Day 12

NASAL ALLERGIES

Okay, today has been the worst day since before I started the treatments.  I have been sneezing on and off and had to blow my nose quite a few times today.  I am not alternating between running like a faucet and being so congested I can't breathe though.  Also, no sinus pressure and no sinus pain even though I've been sneezing and my nose has been running.

I have another treatment scheduled for Monday, so hopefully I get back on track. I still maintain that even with the sneezing and nose running today, my symptoms are entirely better than they were. I swore I was allergic to myself because it didn't matter where I was or what I was doing, I had extreme allergy symptoms. I thought when I went to North Carolina last year, that I would get away from whatever I was allergic to.  Not so much, which lead me to think I was allergic to my self.

GLUTEN SENSITIVITY

As far as the whole bee thing goes, I think part of the issue with my arm is hypersensitivity to inflammation.  After getting stung by that darn bee yesterday, my entire arm hurts and I've had some of the burning and tingling in my pinky and up the back side of my arm to my scapula.

While I've been tested for Celiac before and the test was negative, it seems as though I have a sensitivity issue more than an actual allergy.  I have had joint pain as long as I could remember, been lethargic, always cold and had some intense digestive issues over the years.

The pain in my left arm had been so intense that I could not use my arm.  Multiple specialists couldn't figure out anything that could have been wrong, and I had tried so many homeopathic remedies it was ridiculous.  I had even tried cobra venom. COBRA VENOM!!!!!!!!

After being told "just don't use it" about by arm (not that easy when you are a lefty, but I did it. I managed 3 semesters of art school teaching myself to be right handed), I didn't really know what else to try and had resigned myself to becoming a righty and learning to do everything over again.  Until a friend told me how awesome she felt after going gluten free.

I figured it wouldn't hurt to try.  I don't think there is really any one "right" way to live, you have to listen to your body to find the right balance for you.  I had maintained a low fat, high fiber diet for most of my life.  I added fat back into my diet in September 2010 after reading "Eat Fat, Lose Fat" by Mary Enig and Sally Fallon. Just that addition made a world of difference in how I felt.  But I was still eating a lot of grain based foods (though I was at least eating my grains properly soaked/sprouted/fermented).

In January 2012, I made the leap to gluten free.  For a bread addict like myself, it was not super easy, but it was easier this time around than the time I had a trainer put me on a low carb diet (I thought I was going to kill someone for a muffin) because I was also eating low fat as well as low carb.

I can say that after 6 months of gluten free, I have become really good at listening to my body.  I usually tell within 3 hours if something has gluten in it or has been cross contaminated.  I also kept a pretty boring diet for the first few months so I was really able to pinpoint any issues.  For the most part, I'm eating a modified paleo diet (I like my raw dairy) because there aren't a ton of really good gluten free alternatives to bread and baked goods.

Again, I don't think there is any one right way to live, but if what you are doing obviously isn't working (you shouldn't feel like crap all the time - that is NOT normal), it may benefit you to try an alternative to what you are doing.

Gluten Free Goodness

I admit I still have cravings for foods I can't eat.  Typically attempts to recreate or purchase something pre-made are a great disappointment. 

Well, not tonight.  

I really wanted breaded chicken strips.  Every once in a while, I really love breaded chicken strips - in a salad, with honey mustard, you know stuff like that.  

I've made a few attempts at breaded chicken over the last few months and the Nan didn't approve. I've tried almond meal, coconut flour, etc.  They were okay, but not great.  

Well, tonight I tried something a little different. And it was AWESOME!!!!!!! (even the Nan approved) 

Here's the recipe: 

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 cup almond meal

1/2 cup tapioca flour

1 teaspoon celtic sea salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon cayanne pepper

Freshly ground pepper (I didn't measure it out, it's a pain to measure while grinding)

2 eggs

Rinse chicken and pat dry. Slice chicken breast thinly, about a 1/4 inch thick. 

Heat oil of your choice over medium heat (about 1/8-1/4 inch deep) in a skillet/frying pan. 

Mix all dry ingredients well in a shallow bowl.  

Beat the 2 eggs.  

Dip the chicken in the beaten eggs and dredge through in the almond/tapioca mixture.  Place in heated oil and cook until golden on both sides. 

Serve with your choice of dipping sauce (I'm partial to honey mustard or jalapeno yogurt dip) or slice for use in a salad.  

It hit the spot, which I haven't really been able to say about a lot of the foods I've tried over the last six months (especially pre-made foods).  

Since I can't enjoy a nice cold one, I tried J.K.'s Solstice Hard Cider.  I had tried a gluten free beer (corn based) a couple of months ago and was sorely disappointed.  It tasted sort of like super watered down raspberry soda (it was a "raspberry ale").  Well, I was definitely not disappointed in the Hard Cider.  It was crisp and delicious, refreshing and definitely observed the law of one-itudes.  

ABC = Another Bad Cookie

Every once in a while I have a craving for a tasty treat.  I didn't feel like making an entire batch of cookies, so I decided to see if they had anything at the co-op.

ABC (Alternative Baking Co.) starting producing gluten free products.  I used to like their cookies (they are vegan), so I figured I'd give their gluten free cookie a try.

Oh good lord, don't even waste your money.

I grabbed two varieties, Pumpkin Delight and Coconut Fantasy.

I took one bite of the Coconut Fantasy and spit it out.  It was oddly bland AND had a weird aftertaste at the same time.  I thought perhaps it had soy flour in it (which gives things a strange aftertaste), but it was a mix of bean flours and tapioca flour.  Perhaps it was the Garbanzo bean flour?

I didn't have a lot of faith in trying the Pumpkin Delight and it was just as disappointing as I had feared. It was slightly more flavorful (when I say slightly, it was very slight) and still had the awful aftertaste.  It has the same flour blend as well.

The texture was awful for both cookies.

While I have no issue with their vegan cookies (they are pretty tasty), I think gluten free/vegan sets the bar pretty low.  When baking gluten free, you have to account for the mouth feel (nothing is as good as the "real" thing). The use of eggs helps with the texture somewhat.  Also choice of flour is important too. So far I've had the best results using almond or coconut flour.

Having worked in a bakery, I think I know a thing or two about baked goods.  Having a mom that bakes amazing baked goods set the standards pretty high too. (Don't get me started on the people who LIKE the pastries at Starbucks.)

I still haven't found a good gluten free baked good, let alone a great one.  Since my birthday is coming up, I think I may do a bit of experimentation.  This recipe for Grain Free Carrot Cupcakes looks pretty yummy.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

Going Gluten Free

Okay, so I still haven't been very good about updating the blog! I need to stick with it, partly because of an "experiment" I've been doing on myself.

I've had unexplained chronic pain in my left arm basically from my rib cage, through the scapula, shoulder, elbow, wrist and all the way down to my finger tips for the last 18 months.  It has been so bad that I have spent the last 8 months learning to write, draw and everything else with my right hand.  After x-rays, MRIs, nerve conduction tests there was still no explanation for the pain.

I've tried a ton of "alternative" treatments to alleviate the pain with little to no results.  I've been on anti-inflammatory drugs, had coritsone injections and been through physical therapy.  Orthopedic massage, while painful, did help improve my range of motion, but I was still in constant pain.

After the nerve conduction test in January showed no damage, I was frustrated and somewhat devastated.  It made me feel as though I am crazy (one of the specialists basically told me as much and called me a drug seeker).  I've tolerated pain and joint swelling (but it wasn't arthritis), for as long as I can remember, but this was debilitating pain I had never experienced before.

After doing some reading, I started finding studies and anecdotal stories that indicated that wheat/gluten sensitivity can cause chronic inflammation and arthritis-like symptoms.  At this point, I figured I'd give it a shot.  I've tried so many other things, it couldn't hurt, right?

Well, of all the things I've tried in the last 18 months, I've had the best results of ANYTHING I've tried (the mental torture of giving up a good crusty bread on the other hand, has been the suck!).

 I was planning to do a small experiment by returning to a regular diet for the month of March, but part of me is terrified to give it a shot.  Today, for the first time in more than a year and a half, I was able to use an x-acto knife and my rotary cutter to cut countless swatches for a school project. I am NOT in excruciating pain.  I can definitely tell my left arm has been underutilized for a long period of time, but I don't have the burning, tingling and stabbing sensations I normally have. 

It might not sound like much, but to me, it's a big deal.