Monday, May 30, 2011

Gluten it is!

So for those following along on my elimination diet, you'll be happy to know that my culprit has been identified! Gluten has been found guilty on all accounts, not just wheat as I had hoped. Thankfully, dairy is ok – fancy organic cheeses here I come!

As a budding nutritionist, this has been a fascinating experience for me. First-hand accounts are always more interesting than reading about something. Seriously, food teaches something to me everyday.

So in celebration of all things gluten-free and that summer has FINALLY arrived in Ottawa, I will spend my evening baking these... with none other than coconut flour!

Courtesy of Elana's Pantry and Joy the Baker

Gotta love the amazing food bloggers out there for inspiration for maybe not a gluten-free diet, but most definitely a less-gluten diet!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

The results are in (partly)

In my last post, I described going gluten- and dairy-free for ten days. Last Thursday was day 11, so I opted to reintroduce gluten into my diet that day. My naturopath told me to eat a lot of it to ensure symptoms showed. So my day went like this:
  • Breakfast: My usual protein shake, but with it two small slices of spelt bread toasted
  • Lunch: A wrap (whole wheat) sandwich with veggies
  • Dinner: I kind of had two since I was traveling to Vancouver and my day was quite long. When I got to the airport I got a small dish of penne pasta with a simple tomato sauce and then while on the plane I got a veggie sandwich (which was not very good and I didn't eat all of it, but it was the only thing that didn't have cheese on it!)
And the verdict – symptoms returned! So obviously not good news. But I have a still a few experiments to do before declaring myself anything and permanently changing my diet.

First, because I cheated a bit while on my travels this week (not much mind you, but maybe a tiny bit of cheese and bread here and there) I'm going totally gluten- and dairy-free again for three days. Today is day 2. On Friday I will reintroduce dairy and see how I feel. Saturday, I will continue eating gluten-free, and possibly dairy-free as well if I have symptoms following my reintroduction the day before. Finally, on Sunday, my plan is to eat lots of gluten grains, but not wheat grains. So I'll be loading up on spelt, kamut, barley, and rye in hopes that maybe, just maybe it's only wheat that's affecting me.

More to come...

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Life without gluten and dairy

Last week, I visited a naturopath for the first time. I should have done it long ago, but alas last week it was. My initial complaint was that I was having allergic reactions indoors, mostly at work and I wanted to get to the bottom of it instead of popping over-the-counter antihistamines. That's what I like about naturopathy, it seeks out the root cause instead of treating symptoms – something that my nutrition program is teaching me as well. So seeking help from a naturopath was my first option.

During my first appointment we talked for at least an hour and of course that uncovered other issues as well that may or may not be linked to my reactions. So apart from doing an blood allergy test for grasses, molds and indoor allergens, I agreed to do a mini elimination diet. Since Monday, I've been gluten- and dairy-free.

Source

Dairy-free isn't a huge thing. I never drink milk any more (I've switched completely to almond milk with GMO-free soy milk every now and again), I usually bake and cook more with yogourt than I actually eat straight. So butter and cheese are the only things I have to watch out for.

As for gluten, well that's more of a challenge, because wheat is in everything! Reading labels has become an everyday activity. I also follow some great nutrition blogs that have all kinds of gluten-free or easy to change to gluten-free recipes. The key is to eat real, whole foods, and then there is no label to read! The real test will be my first dinner out on Friday night. Luckily it's Thai, which is based around rice and rice noodles, fingers crossed that I'll find something tasty!

The world is full of change

This is an overdue post. I wrote it mid-week last week but life got busy and I never got it posted. So pretend it really is May 3rd :)

What a busy few days...

1. I'm changing, by learning. Last week I completed my first course with my program at the Canada School for Natural Nutrition. I can sum it up in one word. Wow. This program is going to blow me away. So unbelievably interesting and fun. I loved every minute of it and look forward to more. I'll be taking one more course, just one full day in June, and then I'll be on a summer hiatus until mid-October. Can't wait to get back at it though.

2. Another change, another wow... our federal election. The conservative vote didn't surprise me that much, it was all the others! NDP with over 100 seats. The Liberals all but defeated. The separatist movement dead in Ottawa? And the Greens have a seat in parliament, ousting a conservative cabinet minister in the process. How is all that not a collective historic wow. The result is what it is. My leftist-self would have liked to have seen the Liberals pull through a in Ontario and hold the Conservatives to a minority again. I think there is a lot of be said for parties working together for the betterment of all Canadians as it puts all ideas/positions into discussion, at least. I only got one vote to make a change, and I used it.

3. This whole Osama thing is a bit weird. Karma, baby, karma.

That is all.