Sunday, May 11, 2008
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Food issues
You would think, as a restauranteur, that on my days off the last thing I'd want to do is cook. However, I never cook anymore. My chef is amazing and talented, and also a workaholic, so the beautiful shiny kitchen is his domain. I get all the other jobs, from paperwork to running the music system during events to schmoozing the customers. I give good schmooze, don't get me wrong, but sometimes I feel a bit detached from all the delicious local food coming out to the tables.
So, it's Sunday, and I just got back from the health food store with local bread (Black Crow Bakery's Rustic loaf...yum), Brie, Dried Apricots, a head of red lettuce, carrots, tempeh, and a bottle of berry-flavored kombucha (that's just a treat...I don't cook with it). My boyfriend and his daughter are coming over tonight to watch my high school production of "Sweeney Todd" (bf's daughter just saw the new movie and really liked it), and I thought I'd cook, if I can remember how.
My plan includes:
1: Baked Brie and Apricots - maybe baked in the bread itself, or maybe baked alone, then spread on the bread.
2: Lentil Soup with carrots - save the tempeh for another day; I haven't had beans lately.
3: Wine
Oh, and a salad, of course.
I think I may have some issues with food allergies...sigh. So, next month, after the spring wine tastings are over and I have set my wine list for the summer, I'm planning a month and a half elimination diet. This, if you've never heard of it, is a diet that removes potentially allergenic foods from your diet for a length of time, so as to allow your body to recover from the effects of those allergies. Then, you add those foods back into your diet one at a time, while keeping a record of how you're feeling, to figure out which foods set off symptoms.
Symptoms of food allergies include: fatigue, body aches, stuffy nasal passages and overabundance of mucous (yum), indigestion and stomach pain, headaches, and a host of other problems, including mental confusion. I pretty much have all of these symptoms, and some I've dealt with for much of my life. A lot of the issues I'm dealing with now are probably stress-related, but diet could certainly be a factor.
So, on the elimination diet, I cannot eat: wheat and other grains, milk and milk products like cheese and yogurt, eggs, legumes including soybeans and peanuts, vinegar, wine, and other fermented or yeasted foods, alcohol, drugs, caffeine!, and any food that I regularly eat more than once per week. Thank the gods that spring is sprung, and we'll have green veggies soon!
Yeah, pretty much everything I like to eat and eat regularly is a no-no. This better make me feel better, damn it. And also, help me lose 10 pounds, cause, if I'm suffering, at least I want to look good doing it.
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Comments (5)
I think I have developed an allergy to onions. Apparently my grandfather was allergic to them, but I never had a problem with them up until this year. I eat them so rarely though, the last few times that I have, I've really noticed the difference, especially this past week. Of all the things I've eaten in the last week, it's the only thing out of the ordinary. Even benadryl didn't help since my symptoms were indigestion and pain. Even copious amounts of peppermints only lessened the nausea slightly. Looks like it's no more onions for me.
I don't know what your personal symptoms are, but you might want to try cutting fruits out as well. I have a really bad allergy to citrus and apples, and I think it's more prevalent allergy than people realize.
This 'vacation' being one of the longest times I've gone recently without a dietary supervisorette (f.), I'm 'experimenting' with various forms of food-group assembly. So far I know 'what doesn't work'. Did all- vegies, lasted one day, felt wonderful, but the "mental confusion" (Am I by so doing depriving animals of sustenance?") wiped me out. Really, it's an economic question also. Everything is doing well in my victory garden, but it may be pyhrric.. i.e. I'll be out of here before harvest time. Oh well. Now if I lived in Maine..Wait, I can drive there!
I have all those symptoms all the time too - have all my life. I decided that I would rather live with the symptoms than live without the foods that I love. My diet is pretty limited and strict already. I think I would starve to death if I tried the elimination plan! I've already dropped a pants size in the last month! I hope you find some answers with your diet adventure!
@harmony0stars - yep...onions, apples, and citrus are all out too. I'll be really sad if I end up being allergic to apples (and onions, too). Theoretically, I'm only slightly intolerant to certain things, I'll be able to eat them in moderation after clearing my body out. Also, if I can deal with my candida issues at the same time, I should have more tolerance for yeasted and fermented foods (which is good, because I love my wine and mushooms).
@jsolberg - and you should drive here!
@oceanstarr - I hope I find answers too. I don't think I could give up all my favorite foods forever, but if I know what I have reactions to, I can limit my exposure to treats once in a while.
At least I really like squash, sweet potatos, and greens...because I'll be eating a lot of them soon!