Gluten Free Garden

My bike-friendly, GF/CF (gluten free/casein free) mobile lunch: Goat cheese rolled in chopped chives and rosemary, prosciutto di parma, Chebe pizza crust crackers and fresh blueberries.  All of this I packed in my Topeak MTX trunk bag on the back of my K2 T:Nine Whirlwind along with a change of clothes for work.  I live 2.5 miles away from the office which makes biking to work a breeze.

Well, I’ve abandoned the LEAP program diet.  Why, after all the pain of withdrawal symptoms and having shown some progress on elimination, would I quit this program?  Quite simply, because I wasn’t happy… at all.  It was true I had some wonderful days with no physical symptoms, but once I started adding foods back into the diet I had many absolutely horrible, pain-filled days.   Also, I never had enough energy to do the things I love to do like swimming and biking because I couldn’t seem to get enough calories and nutrients into my system.  Finally, I wasn’t allowed to have red wine.  (I should have just listed this first because all other reasons are void and inconsequential….I’m not sayin’, I’m just sayin.) 

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This week I’m working at my uncles’ shower business on RAGBRAI (the Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa). I’m also biking a small part of the week-long ride. I’ve abandoned my food sensitivity diet (more on that later) and am eating a gluten free and dairy free diet again. Eating this week has been a lot like what I eat when camping.

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Baked potato with sauteed onions, zucchini and green pepper with fresh bartlett pears.

I would describe the last two weeks as a roller coaster.  I have days when I am high on energy and feel great, and days when I am barely functional and sick.  The LEAP program is a challenge and infinitely more difficult than any gluten or dairy free diet.  But, despite the difficulty, I am optimistic that this is absolutely worth it.  In the end, if I can identify all of my food sensitivities and mitigate reactions, I will ultimately be able to live a healthy, happy lifestyle without fear of eating.

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This CNN article explores the many challenges in diagnosing food allergies and intolerance.  While I am pleased that awareness of diet-related symptoms is increasing, I can’t help but continue to feel frustrated by the lack of medical solutions to these problems. 

I, too, have had a “skin-prick” allergy test for approximately forty different types of allergens and the results were all negative.  The allergists’ advice to me was inconclusive and unhelpful at best:  see an IBS specialist.  I asked whether an IBS specialist would be able to help me identify causes of other symptoms such as skin irritation, migraines, fatigue, etc.  The allergists’ response was that I am absolutely not allergic to any foods (or, I can assume, just the forty allergens he actually tested me for…), but that if I really believe I have diet-related symptoms then I need to practice a limited diet.  I asked how I could medically determine which foods I should avoid if the allergy test was inconclusive.  He didn’t have any answer for me other than, “avoid what makes you sick.”

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Yes, this article in the Los Angeles Times follows the research of several scientists who are working to reduce and eventually eliminate the symptoms associated with gluten intolerance and celiac disease.

Celiacs, would you take advantage of any of these therapies? What about the hookworm method???

Well, maybe you could name it… I think I would name mine Henry.

…if you have any of the following symptoms it is likely that you do.

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I love, love, LOVE this article!  Given the condition of our economy and the just-what-the-heck-am-I-really-supposed-to-eat  crisis that we’re having here in the good ol’ U.S. of A., I think this is important information.

Please read the 20 Healthiest Foods for Under $1 and take advantage of the delicious knowledge in your now-bulging cerebrum! 

NOTE: Please watch out for the allergens on the list, namely: eggs, nuts, whole-grain pasta (gluten, eggs), tofu (soy), and low-fat milk (lactose, casein).

Love,

H

Listening to Apples and Bananas by Raffi