Gluten Free Garden

Amaranth-breaded catfish and fresh melon pear salad.

It has been a frustrating nine months.   When I first began to investigate the cause of my various health issues I believed my symptoms were caused by intolerance to gluten (wheat) and casein (dairy).  What I have found is that my sensitivity to food is much more complicated than I originally thought.

Enter Marsha McCulloch, MS, RD, LD, CLT.  Marsha is a nutrition counselor, writer and owner of In The Aisles Nutrition Counseling.  While searching for local dietitians online I found an article featuring her in the Des Moines Register.  I met with Marsha for an initial consultation to talk about my sensitivity to food and various options.  Unlike other medical professionals, Marsha listened to what I had to say and didn’t try to medicate me.  She told me about the LEAP (Lifestyle Eating And Performance) program and MRT (Mediator Release Testing).

The MRT is a simple blood test that measures the release of mediators in the blood with the introduction of certain foods.  The LEAP program begins with an elimination diet that starts with the least reactive foods on the list. A food journal is kept to ensure that all symptoms and reactions are logged for analysis.  Each week a new set of foods are introduced one by one and the reactions recorded.  At the end of five weeks of introducing new foods to the diet, a rotation diet begins.  The rotation diet is a three day repeating plan, with each day of the plan encompassing a different list of food groups by family.  The idea is that by rotating foods in the diet, new sensitivities are less likely to form.

I took the blood test on June 15th and the samples were shipped to a lab in Florida.  I met again with Marsha on June 30 to go over my results and my diet plan for the next month.

Day 1

Immediately following my consultation with Marsha I went to the grocery store to purchase the limited list of foods I could eat for the next week:

• catfish
• sole
• scallop
• potato
• green pepper
• onion
• zucchini
• watermelon
• honeydew
• pear
• banana
• basil
• cane sugar
• turmeric
• walnut (nuts and oil)
• hazelnut (nuts and oil)
• amaranth flour

Golden turmeric turns these amaranth pancakes bright red in the pan.

Lunch was grilled vegetables with no oil and a fresh salad of honeydew, watermelon, bosque pear, basil and a pinch of sugar.  Dinner was pan-friend catfish in amaranth flour and basil; amaranth, turmeric and grilled vegetable pancakes; and more fruit salad.

Day 2

Hell on earth.  Marsha told me that I would likely experience some withdrawal symptoms (headache, nausea, etc.), but I never anticipated this.  I had a migraine headache so intense that I couldn’t get out of bed.  When I did manage to sit up I was overcome by nausea.  I cancelled all of my plans and spent the entire day in bed, unable to move.

Day 3

Hell continued.  I could barely function and spent the morning in bed.  I managed to haul myself to work for a few hours in the afternoon, but my migraine was excruciating and I wore sunglasses in my office.  Even though my withdrawal symptoms were horrible, my stomach felt surprisingly great.  I had managed to eat a little (mostly bananas) and, determined not to let my symptoms halt my life, I went with my boyfriend Joel to have dinner with some friends of ours.  On the menu was a vegetable medley (potatoes, green peppers, onion and zucchini) cooked on the grill in some tin foil with salt and walnut oil.  I cheated to satiate my feeling of exhaustion and anemia and ate a “clean” pork chop.  I immediately began to feel the familiar bubbles and pain in my gut.

Day 4

Amaranth, banana and walnut pancakes fried in walnut oil. More pain in my stomach.  Onions and green pepper dredged in amaranth flour and sauteed in walnut oil.  The pain and discomfort in my abdomen continue.

Day 5

July 4th: the day of my parents’ annual Independence Day Party.  I struggled with my resolve as friends and family munched happily on hamburgers, brats, hotdogs, potato chips, salads, and desserts of every possible kind.  I ate potato, onion and zucchini pancakes dredged in amaranth flour (yet again) and sauteed in walnut oil.  Joel grilled sole filets for me on the grill.  The pain in my gut is intense.  What happened to the happy stomach I had during Day 1 and 2???  At the end of a long and challenging day I feel weak, tired, cranky and am obviously reacting to something.  I crave protein… red meat.  I finally cave and eat a plain grilled hamburger.  Almost immediately, the pain in my stomach subsides and my energy returns.  Is this a miracle?

Day 6

Feeling fantastic and newly encouraged, I cook breakfast for Joel and myself:  scrambled eggs, peppers and bacon for him, sauteed peppers and onions, and fruit salad for me.   At the store I purchase organic ground beef and make pepper and onion burgers for lunch with dry roasted potatoes (no walnut oil).  I feel great!  I am convinced that walnut oil is a no-no.

Day 7

More veggies, beef and fruit salad.  I can’t remember the last time I felt this good.  My stomach isn’t a constant threat to my productivity and I have energy.

As I continue down this path I am filled with excitement and hope.  I finally feel as though I am heading in the right direction!

More to come soon….

Love,

Hannah

Recipe for Amaranth Battered Catfish

• 1/2 cup amaranth flour
• 1/2 cup arrowroot flour
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2-4 filets fresh catfish
• 1 tablespoon walnut oil

Combine dried ingredients in a shallow dish.  Heat a pan over medium-high heat.  Rinse catfish filets in cold water and dredge in amaranth flour mixture.  Heat walnut oil in the pan for a few seconds, then carefully add catfish filets.  Cook approximately 2-3 minutes per side, until firm.

Recipe for Melon Pear salad

• 1/2 small seedless watermelon, cut into bite-sized chunks
• 1/2 ripe honeydew melon, cut into bite sized chunks
• 2-3 medium bosque pears, skins removed and cut into bite-sized chunks
• 1 teaspoon cane sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil, juliened

Prepare all fruits and toss in a bowl with cane sugar and fresh basil.  Serve chilled.

Recipe for Roasted Vegetable Amaranth Pancakes

• 1 1/2 cups amaranth flour
• 1/2 cup arrowroot flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon Hain Featherweight baking powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/4 cup roasted or grilled vegetables, diced
• 2 tablespoons walnut oil

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl, add water and mix well.  Stir in diced vegetables.  Preheat pan over medium-high and add walnut oil.  Pour about 1/4 cup batter into hot pan and let cook until bubbles pop and stay open (about 60-90 seconds).  Flip and cook for another 60-90 seconds and remove from heat.  Serve hot or at room temperature.  Great when used as sandwich bread.

Recipe for Banana Walnut Amaranth Pancakes

• 1 cup amaranth flour
• 1 cup arrowroot flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon Hain Featherlight baking powder
• 1/3 cup cane sugar
• 1 cup pear juice
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 banana, diced
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 tablespoon walnut oil

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl, add water and mix well.  Stir in bananas and walnuts.  Preheat pan over medium-high and add walnut oil.  Pour about 1/4 cup batter into hot pan and let cook until bubbles pop and stay open (about 60-90 seconds).  Flip and cook for another 60-90 seconds and remove from heat.  Serve hot or at room temperature, with a pinch of cane sugar on top.