Elimination Diet: Week 2

Another week ....the first few days were tough because we had company in town and groceries were starting to dwindle. We chose to eat out, which makes it difficult to avoid spices and the rest of my list. I tried the best I could, but a few of the days my headaches and tummy problems returned and my energy was completely zapped! Wednesday, I had an all day training and did well except for lunch. For the vegetarians, they had small wheat buns (on my list) topped with lettuce (on my list), tomato, avocado (on my list) and cream cheese (on my list)  with sides of fresh fruit and green salads. I was starving and had one sandwich with the sides, about an hour later my head started getting heavy and it quickly developed into a painful headache that lingered for the remainder of the day. Maybe it was the lunch or a build up of delayed reactions from the previous days. Either way,  I vowed to get back on track Thursday.

Thursday 8/25-
Breakfast:  (9:00 am)

• 1/2 c whole wheat hot cereal
• 1/2 tsp Earth Balance vegan margarine
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1/3 c So Delicious Original Coconut Milk
• Blueberries

Lunch: (12:30 pm)

• Whole wheat wrap
• White bean garlic dip (white beans, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt and shallot)
• Shredded carrots, sliced cucumbers, sliced tomatoes and sunflower seeds

Snack: (2:00 pm)

• Apple w/ 1 Tbsp crunchy PB
• Iced rooibos tea w/ honey and lemon

Dinner:

• Small plum
• Sparkling water w/ limeade
• Carrot sticks w/ white bean dip (love the garlic!)
• 1-1.5 c couscous dish (toasted Israeli couscous, garlic, pine nuts, broccoli, cucumbers, kalamata olives, tomatoes, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, salt)

Exercise: 30 minute bike w/ Lola + 25 min walk w/ Lola and hubby

Friday 8/26
Breakfast:

• 5:30 - V8 Splash
• 8:00 - 1 c Autumn Wheat cereal + coconut milk
• Black tea + coconut milk
• 1/2 banana

Lunch: 11:15 am

• 1-1.5 c leftover couscous salad
• A few blackberries
• 52 oz H2O

Snack: 4:30 pm

• 1 vegan coconut cookie - YUM!
• Apple

Dinner:

• Grilled portobello Mushroom stuffed with artichoke tapenade, vegan mayo, Oregon shrimp, sundried tomatoes, spinach and garlic
• Corn on the cob

After Dinner:

• Root beer 'float' - Root beer, 1 oz vodka + coconut milk

Saturday 8/27
Breakfast 6:30 am

• 1 c Autumn Wheat + Coconut Milk
• 12 oz Soy Awake tea latte w/ 1/2 the sweetener

Lunch: 11:30

• Super hungry by the time I got the chance to eat at work
• 1 grilled portobello stuffed w/ shrimp fixins - Yummy
• 26 H2O

Dinner:

• Chips + salsa
• Edamame
• Veggie wrap
• Drinks downtown Seattle w/ Friends -

Sunday:

• Craving bland salty food. Basically just ate whole wheat spaghetti noodles w/ a little vegan margarine and Braggs liquid aminos (early lunch and dinner), carrots w/ garlic bean dip, limeade, twizzlers, water, popcorn w/ vegan margarine and salt

Monday:
Breakfast:

• v8 splash on the go 6:00 am
• Autumn wheat + coconut milk 7:30

Snack: 9:30

• Banana
• Black tea + soy latte w/ 1.5 pumps classic syrup

Lunch: 11:30

• Veggie wrap (spinach, carrots, cucumbers, white bean dip, sunflower seeds on whole wheat tortilla)
• 26 oz H2O

Snack:

• Carrot + sweet potato chips

Dinner:

• 1.5 c wheat berry salad w/ dried cherries, green onions, spinach, toasted walnuts, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, agave syrup
• Iced herbal tea
• Edamame

Tuesday 8/30
Breakfast:

• Bran cereal w/ 1/2 banana + coconut milk 7:00 am

Snack-10:00

• 20 oz 'Paris' tea
• 2-3 Tbsp sunflower seeds

Lunch:

• 1-1.5 c wheat berry salad
• 1/2 banana
• 26 oz water

Afternoon snacks:

• 26 oz water
• 1 oz sweet potato/carrot chips
• 1/2 apple
• Tootsie Pop

Dinner:

• Vegetarian 'sloppy joes' w/ local sauce, onions and sweet potatoes
• Made vegan peanut butter cookies - sampled the dough and a few cookies :)
• 1 piece of licorice

Meal Plans

I'm a planner. My hubby and father tease me about it relentlessly. Seriously...it never ends!  And if something goes wrong, forget about it! "What happened, planner?" "You planned this?" "I thought planning was supposed to prevent these things." Oh, aren't they just hilarious little buggers? Sometimes they are two peas in a pod.

So I like to be prepared...how does that saying go? "Hope for the best, prepare for the worst." That's kind of my motto. To some this may sound a bit pessimistic, but to me it just makes sense. It's what I do. I enjoy making lists and crossing things off. I have a chore list on my fridge. I make weekly meal plans/shopping lists. I make lists of things to pack before going on a trip, tasks to complete, places to see, people to call/write, etc. It keeps me sane. Maybe it's because forgetfulness runs in my family or it limits unnecessary stress. Either way, I thought I would share a few of the fun tools I discovered along the way.

Menu Planning Sites:

AllRecipes.com - You can save recipes as you search through the site and then add these recipes to your meal plan and create shopping lists. However, in order to save these lists for future use, you must become a supporting member which is $9.95 for 6 months.

Printable Planning Sheets:

OrganizedHome.com - This is right up my alley! They have awesome sheets for menu planning, shopping lists, to-do lists, diet tracking, birthday calendars, etc. Lots of useful stuff for my fellow planners!

Meal Planning/Diet Tracking:

EatingWell.com - You enter your weight/height and it gives you your BMI. Then you can add recipes from the site or items from a list of common foods such as 'Apple, raw'  to your meal plan and it calculates your caloric intake for you. You can also track your weight, put together shopping lists or keep a journal.

Livestrong.com - This is a great site because it requests your age, wt, ht and activity level before setting a goal of maintaining, gaining or losing weight. You can keep track of your food, fitness and weight. Plus, it has a ton of great info on diet, fitness, inspiration and 'dares' on every category imaginable. Did I mention it's free?!?! Check it out!

Speaking of plannning, tonight's menu is shrimp stuffed portobello mushrooms (for me), cheeseburgers (for the hubby), corn on the cob and garden salads. Yum!

Elimination Diet - Week 1

Thank goodness I made it through week one!! Cooking this week wasn't much fun, mostly because I couldn't try out new recipes. Gosh darnit, I can hardly use any seasonings, which is no fun.  :( For flavor I've been using lime juice/zest, lemon juice/zest, green onions, cilantro, fresh vegetables and most recently, garlic.  I decided I'll never be able to (nor want to) cook without garlic, so I could use it during my diet and enjoy my food that much more. Plus, it was in the 'very low' category on my antibody results sheet. I struggled a bit and had a few setbacks but realized planning ahead is the only way I will make it through this test. Here is how it went:

Monday 8/15:
Breakfast: 8:00 am

• 1 c hot wheat cereal
• 1/2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 1/3 c Original Coconut Milk

Snack: 11:00 am

• 1 c. mixed fruit (cantaloupe, strawberries, blueberries)
• Black tea w/ 1/4 c. Original Coconut Milk

Lunch: 12:30

• 1 c whole wheat pasta + 1/2 Tbsp lemon olive oil
• 1 c carrot sticks
• 16 fl oz water

Snack: 2:00

• 1Tbsp sunflower seeds
• 20 oz H2O

Things were going well until we went to the MSU Alumni Social at the Mariner's game. I hadn't ate dinner and all they had were hot dogs, chips, beans and cookies. I had a cookie, a Mac & Jack's Microbrew (For $9.25!!) and a bottle of water. Afterwards we found our seats and the smell of the garlic fries wafting down from above won over my willpower. My hubby and I shared an order of the delicious garlic goodness and a Pyramid Hefeweizen while we basked in the sunshine. I was only one day in, so I'll just start tomorrow. :)

Exercise:
40 min walk w/ Lola + abs

Tuesday 8/16/11:
Breakfast:

• 1 c. hot wheat cereal
• 1 tsp Earth Balance Vegan butter
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1.5 c WA cherries

Lunch:

• 1/2 can V8 Fusion - Pomegranate Blueberry 100% Juice
• 1 c strawberries
• 1 small cob of sweet corn
• 1 pkg edamame

Snack:

• 2-3 Tbsp sunflower seeds
• 1 c mixed fruit (strawberries, blueberries, cantaloupe)

Dinner:

• 3 oz grilled salmon
• Sauteed zucchini and red/orange/yellow bell peppers
• 1 c spaghetti tossed w/ caramelized onions and roasted tomatoes

Exercise:
40 min bike w/ Lola arms/abs

Wednesday 8/17/11:
Breakfast:

• 1 vegan hazelnut/blueberry scone
• 1/4 c blueberry fruit salsa

Lunch:

• Fruit Smoothie
• 1 banana
• 1/3 c blueberry salsa (lime zest, lime juice, fresh blueberries)
• 4 strawberries
• 1/3 c Coconut Milk
• Ice
• 1 pkg edamame
• 26 oz H2O

Snack:

• 1 c carrot sticks
• 26 oz H2O
• 1 apple + 1 Tbsp PB

Dinner:

• 1.5 c quinoa salad
• Red quinoa, cooked onions, garlic, sweet potatoes, black beans, corn, cilantro, lime juice
• Tortilla chips
• 3 Popsicles for dessert while playing board games

Exercise:
45 min bike ride w/ Lola + arms/abs

Thursday 8/18:
Breakfast: 5:30

• Smoothie: 1 banana, 1/2 c blueberry 'salsa', 1/4 c coconut milk, ice

Breakfast #2: 8:00

• Hot cereal: 1 c. hot wheat cereal, 1 tsp Earth Balance Vegan butter, 1 Tbsp brown sugar, 1/2 c coconut milk

Snack: 10:00

• 2-3 Tbsp sunflower seeds
• 8 fl oz Green Kombucha Tea
• Feeling very hungry this morning, my stomach kept growling

Lunch: 11:15

• 1 c quinoa salad
• 2 oz salmon
• 1 small cucumber
• 26 oz H2O

Snack: 4:00

• Apple w/ 1 Tbsp PB

Dinner: 7:00

• 1.5 c Israeli couscous w/ pine nuts, olive oil, lemon, garlic, kalamata olives, zucchini, onions
• Popsicles

Exercise: 40 min walk w/ Lola + strength/abs

Friday 8/19:
Breakfast: 5:30

• Smoothie: 1 banana, 1/2 c blueberry 'salsa', 1/4 c coconut milk, ice

Breakfast #2: 9:00

• Hot cereal: 1 c. hot wheat cereal, 1 tsp Earth Balance Vegan butter, 1 Tbsp brown sugar, 1/2 c coconut milk
• 12 oz soy black tea latte with 1/2 the sweetener

Lunch: 11:30

• 1 c. couscous salad
• 1 cucumber
• 1/2 - 1 c mixed fruit (cantaloupe, strawberries, blueberries)
• 24 fl oz. H2O

Snack: 1:30

• 8 fl oz unswtd. iced tea

Dinner: Not a very balanced dinner at all :/

• Cascade Ice Pina Colada mixer w/ 1 oz coconut cream + 1 oz alcohol + lime juice
• Edamame package
• Cherries
• Homemade chips @ The Rock
• 1 mixed drink

Exercise:
60 min walk w/ Lola + abs/arms

Saturday 8/20:
Breakfast: 10:30 am

• Green Smoothie: 2 c spinach, 1/2 c blueberry 'salsa', 1 banana, 1 Tbsp coconut cream, splash of limeade, 1 Tbsp ground flax
• 16 oz H2O

Lunch: Feeling snacky/on the go

• 4 oz limeade + 12 oz Cascade Ice flavored sparkling water
• Peach (oops, just looked over my sheet and realized peach was a reactant, but a very low one)
• 16 oz H2O
• 2-3 Tbsp roasted pumpkin seeds

Dinner:

• Wrap: whole wheat tortilla, chickpeas sauteed w/ olive oil, garlic and sunflower seeds, red peppers, yellow peppers, onion, spinach, cilantro and a squeeze of lime
• 16 oz H2O

Snack:

• A big bowl of air popped popcorn w/ 2 tsp Earth Balance + salt
• Mixed drink < sparkling drink mix, peach schnapps, vodka, frozen blueberries, ice - blended and split w/ hubby 

Exercise: 60 min bike w/ Lola

Sunday 8/21:
Breakfast:  Late Breakfast, grabbed on the go

• Nectarine
• Sunflower seeds

Lunch: Out to eat for seafood @ Cutters after picking up my sister-in-law and friend from the train station

• Seafood skewers over creamy polenta and arugula
• Lavender martini
• Water

Snack:

• Iced 12 oz soy chai tea (I know, I know -- spiced w/ off limits spices)

Dinner: Again, out to eat for Mexican at Cactus

• Portobello and veggie fajitas on flour tortillas w/ black beans + pepitas
• Corn chips + salsa
• Water

CSA

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture and consists of a group of individuals who support a farming operation by purchasing produce boxes.  Two weeks ago I received my first box of colorful, organic produce from Full Circle. We signed up to receive one box every other Thursday and for an additional $3 it is there waiting on the doorstep for me when I wake up. I'm slightly embarrassed about how excited I was to open it and rummage through the variety of fruits and vegetables, everything looked scrumptious! For this week's delivery, I learned that I can customize my box and add items from the 'Green Grocery.'

This week's delivery:

Cucumbers, Organic - 1 each Full Circle, Carnation, Washington.

Bagged Carrots, Organic - 1 pound Full Circle, Carnation, Washington.

Garlic, Organic - 2 each Christopher Ranch, Gilroy, California. (Added instead of radishes)

Tomatoes, Organic - 2 each Be Wise Ranch, Escondido, California. (Added instead of arugula)

Mixed Summer Squash, Organic - 1 pound Full Circle, Carnation, Washington.

Broccoli, Organic - 1 bunch Full Circle, Carnation, Washington.

Green Leaf Lettuce, Organic - 1 bunch Full Circle, Carnation, Washington.

Rainbow Chard, Organic - 1 bunch Full Circle, Carnation, Washington.

Santa Rosa Plums, Organic - 3 each Stemilt, Wenatchee, Washington.  (Instead of apricots - elimination diet)

Nectarines, Organic - 2 each Stemilt, Wenatchee, Washington. (Instead of peaches - elimination diet)

Cantaloupe, Organic - 1 each Double D Farms, Visalia, California.

Green Grapes, Organic - 0.75 pound Delano Farms, Delano, California. From their 'Green Grocery' I also added: 1 Large Free Range Eggs, Organic - 1 dozen/order. Stiebrs Farm, Yelm, Washington. 1 Grass Fed Ground Beef - Approx. 1 lb/order. Heritage Meats, Rochester, Washington. 1 Pasture Raised Whole Chicken - 3LB, Organic - One approx. 3lb chicken/order Skagit River Ranch, Sedro-Woolley, Washington I support my local farmers and in return get tasty organic goods. You can't beat that! CSAs are catching on everywhere, take a few minutes to look into one near you.    

Food Allergies - Elimination Diet

Last month I went to see my naturopath at Seattle Integrative Medicine to complete a food allergy test. Dr. McCarty took a sample of my blood and sent it to a company that performs the tests. Three weeks later, I went back to go over the results.

IgE vs IgG:

Food allergies happen when our bodies believe that something we ate was harmful. The body tries to protect us by producing antibodies to that specific food. Once the body has made antibodies against that item, it recognizes it the next time it is ingested. The two antibodies involved in this reaction are immunoglobulin E (IgE) and/or immunoglobulin G (IgG).

 IgE is the antibody involved in a Type I immediate hypersensitivity reaction. It is a more severe reaction and its production starts immediately upon ingestion. Inflammatory mediators, like histamine, are released and can cause constricted airways, mucous secretions leading to airway congestion, itching or hives and some people may even go into anaphylaxis and need epinephrine injections (ex. EpiPens).

In a Type II delayed hypersensitivity reaction, IgG antibodies are produced. The symptoms for this type of reaction are delayed and can appear anywhere from an hour to three days after ingestion. Some of the most common offenders are foods that are frequently eaten such as corn, milk and wheat and are said to affect as much as 60% of the population. The test results usually present the target foods in three or four categories depending on the levels of antibodies (very low, low, moderate and high).

Test Results:

Of course my IgE tests came back negative (no surprise there) and I learned I have a moderate allergy to the inhalation of the mold, alternaria tenuis. Wikipedia tells me that this specific mold is "responsible for causing leaf spot and other diseases on over 380 host plant species."

When it comes to the food test, I only had low-moderate results for the following foods:

DAIRY: (Reacted to every item tested in this category)

• Casein
• Cheddar cheese
• Cottage cheese
• Cow's milk
• Goat's milk
• Lactalbumin
• Yogurt

FRUITS:

• Apricot
• Cranberry
• Grape
• Grapefruit
• Orange
• Papaya
• Peach
• Pear
• Raspberry

VEGETABLES:

• Alfalfa
• Asparagus
• Avocado
• Cabbage
• Garlic
• Green Pepper
• Lettuce (really?!?)
• Mushroom
• White potato
• String Bean

FISH/SHELLFISH:

• Crab (At least it was only one type of seafood, but I sure do love crab!)

POULTRY/MEATS:

• Beef
• Chicken
• Egg white
• Egg yolk

NUTS/GRAINS:

• Almond
• Buckwheat
• Corn gluten
• Kidney bean
• Oat
• Pecan
• Pinto bean
• Rice
• Sesame

MISCELLANEOUS:

• Yeast (No beer or wine during elimination)
• Chocolate :(
• Coffee

That's not all, then there were the spice antibody results. My doctor said she has never had a single person react to every single spice...except me!!! I have to cut them all out during the elimination but then I'll hopefully only have to avoid the moderate-high category which includes allspice, cloves, dill, nutmeg and oregano. Time will tell. I'm starting my elimination diet this week. For the first two weeks I cut out everything I reacted to and see if I can tell a difference. Some of the symptoms that may be improved would be my overall energy, concentration, headaches, reduced joint/muscle pains, less gas/bloating and improved digestion.  Then I slowly introduce one item every three days and keep a symptom diary. I may have to completely eliminate a few of the foods and for others find that I simply have to limit my intake to only once a week.

Wish me luck! I know the spices will be the hardest part and that this definitely means no yummy restaurant food for the next few weeks.

Peace, love and sunshine <3

Still Summer?

Wow! Where has the time gone? It has been almost a month since my last post. This working full time gig has sure put a damper on my writing but hey, I can't complain about work. :) It's a great job with benefits and I work with a fun group of gals.  Also, in a few weeks I will be completing a training with Seattle Children's to participate in the 12 week ACT! program. ACT stands for Actively Changing Together and is a healthy lifestyle program dedicated to helping overweight and obese youth (ages 8 to 14 years old) and their parents of several YMCAs. We offer weekly 90-minute group sessions. For the first 30 minutes we participate in fun games and activities for some exercise and then we have 30 minutes of light cooking and nutrition classes. For the last 30 minutes, while everyone is enjoying the meals/snacks we prepared, the families get to interact with the nutrition and physical activity coaches to ask any questions they might have. Should be fun!

Now what have I been up to since my last post you might be wondering??  I've been super busy, let's see if I can remember everything!

July 14-17: One of my best friends is getting married in September and I am so excited to be her maid of honor. We planned a 3-night stay in Minneapolis, MN that included a fun-filled BBQ extravaganza, champagne drinking limo rides, wine tasting, dancing, games, fires, plan-changing thunder storms, Thai dinners, tourist activities, late night pizza, interesting cab rides, muggy heat, piano bars and drag shows. It was a wonderful weekend of bonding that I will remember forever, well most of it.

July 19-27: My baby brother (well, he's 18 now) came to stay with us! The hubs and I both had to work during the work week, but we made up for lost time on the weekend. Our time together included beaches, Woodland Park Zoo, Experience Music Project, Space Needle viewing, china town desserts, an intense game of Solarquest, cross words, debates, Jeopardy battles, BBQs, walks on the Sammamish River Trail, attempted hikes, shopping at Alderwood Mall and cupcakes!

Solarquest - Buy Venus

My Bro & I on top of the Space Needle

Seattle

July 27- August 8: My hubby, brother, Lola and I all crammed into the Taurus and took off to Bozeman, MT where we stayed the night with one of my favorite families. Such a kind, caring, fun, witty and wacky bunch that I love very much! The next morning after chocolate chip pancakes and many hugs we were off to my mama's house in Hot Springs, SD. We spent the weekend at the Elk Lodge Resort in Piedmont, SD for a Rohde family reunion.  My grandparents have 9 kids and they all have 2-4 kids plus the growing number of great grandkids, put them all together in one place and you have one rowdy and fun gathering of megaminds! It's always great to see everyone and the weekend always flies by! Then we were back to Hot Springs for sprinkler time with my niece and nephew, picnics by the river,  board games, golf, BBQs, DQ visits and some good ol' QT with the fam.  Once it started to cool down (we had no A/C in the car) on Tuesday, we were off to P'wood for a golf tournament and to spend time with family and our hometown friends. 

Grandpa & I

Grandma & I

My beautiful niece

My handsome nephew

This weekend, we went out to Lunchbox Laboratory for a friend's going away party. Their burgers have been raved about in popular food magazines such as Food Network, Epicurious and Gourmet. My hubby ordered the 'Hot Head' and expressed it was the best burger he has had in Seattle so far, and he eats a lot of burgers.  I ordered their veggie bean patty with pepperjack + jalapeno ranch and a side of sweet potato fries. I must also suggest the Nutella milkshake... pure chocolate bliss served in a glass beaker! Afterwards, we met up with some of our Montana friends at Kells Irish Pub before calling it a night. Saturday, we joined friends for lunch at Ivar's before visiting Pike's Market to browse the shops and produce stands.  Next we were off to Chateau Ste. Michelle winery for an outdoor concert. With a picnic blanket, some snacks and a bottle of Midsummer's White, we enjoyed Calexico (opening performance) and Amos Lee on the lawn.

The gum wall in Post Alley

Beautiful and cheap flower arrangements ($5-$15)

Colorful veggies

My flowers

♪Sometimes we forget what we got...Who we are. Oh who we are not♪

Keep it loose, keep it tight! Until next time....