Stranger in my own life

I haven't written in a little while, as is obvious. I have had posts planned, pictures taken for food/recipe posts, successes, failures, ect... The simplest explanation is I have been depressed. Christmas is a hard time of the year for me. Things are hard on the home front. To be perfectly honest, I haven't been strictly low carb. Not really high carb either as my choices are limited. I was down about the negative celiac DX but I read some more and it is probably because I hadn't been consuming gluten before the test. The doctor never said anything but from various sources I read that you must be consuming the equivalent of several slices of bread daily for at least a week (some say a month) for the test to be accurate. I hadn't. I assumed that the doctor would have told me. Grrrr. Since I have been off gluten so long (except a few accidental "glutenings"), the damage may be repairing so an endoscopy would potentially find nothing.

I found this in a group I belong to; I will also post her blog as she is extremely knowledgable on the topic, even though the following content is from an email sent to the GFCF Native-Nutrition group (I"m not casein free yet, but I have a feeling I may have to go that route eventually, even though I just bought about 20 packs of cream cheese and 6lbs of real butter):

"Enterolab is great, and it's an easy test. But my gastro told me the
NEW "celiac diagnosis" is 1) They have the gene and 2) Going off
gluten helps. They are basically beginning to ignore the whole
antibody thing.

Basically I think they are on the right track. "Celiac" is,
technically, an autoimmune disorder where a person has lots of
transglutamase (TTG) antibodies. But more and more, the research is
showing that gluten causes *other* antibodies to be produced, such as
the ones that cause T1 diabetes or thyroid issues, and it causes brain
permeability which leads to mental issues. The celiac panel doesn't
test for those.

The Enterolab test will check for antibodies to TTG, gliadin, and
casein. Which is helpful (esp. the casein one! I think casein is
sneakier than gliadin). But it doesn't actually test for the
autoimmune antibodies, or for the degree of leaky gut (zonulin
production). If a zonulin test were available, I'd recommend it in a
minute! I expect it WILL be out in a year or three (it is available to
research labs now).

Basically though, just going GF works really well when the symptoms
are obvious. And they tend to get more obvious the longer you are off
it. When I went off gluten, we disallowed it from the house, and it
shortly became obvious that everyone else got sick when they ate it
out of the house. Per the article I posted recently, MOST people
actually do better with no gluten in their lives, so really, there is
nothing much to lose."
http://eatingoffthefoodgrid.blogspot.com/

In a way it is all confusing but simple at the same time. The science behind is confusing. What I need to do is simple; avoid gluten! I had a couple of Pringle chips yesterday. Those puppies have wheat starch in them! I was sick all day. It even struck me hard a few times when we were out. I'm still being affected by it. Strange thing is a couple of months ago I had some and I swear they didn't have wheat starch in them and they did not bother me. Did they change the ingredients or am I just becoming more sensitive in the absence of the gluten? I don't know.

At least I have not been gaining weight with my indulgences. Part of me justifies it with the stress I've been under, the depression and heck, it's Christmas! There are goodies everywhere. Chips with dip and chocolates are my downfall. I know I will get back on the losing track soon.

Tests are Back

I called the doctor today to get the results of my tests from a while back. I guess it's all good news. I do not have celiac disease, I do not have diabetes and I do not have high cholesterol. Yay! (the bad news is that Ethan was lab confirmed as having H1N1, yuck! He keeps asking why he feels so normal now because his friend had him convinced everyone who got it died. Sigh!!)

The only thing is, the blood test for celiac disease has a high false negative rate. I do not know if I want to pursue further testing since I am doing so well eating the way that I am. I do not like having foreign objects shoved up or down in me needlessly. What would it prove?

I could claim food expenses for celiac disease , but I don't eat the processed junk they sell. I eat whole, natural foods. What is that saying that most diseases are healed by food/what you eat? I believe that. We have become so far removed from our food and their natural state.

Today while shopping I was trying to do a better job. Not just for me, but my whole family. It was so tempting to pick up junk because it's easier. I did get chicken weiners since the kids wanted hot dogs and we can't afford $5 a pack for only ever so slightly less junky ones.

I paid closer attention to the peanut butter, for example. It was on sale for $2.99 for a 1kg jar plus 10 air miles if you buy two. I usually just grab the kraft in the green jar for the family and I get the unsweetened for me. I had been weaning them onto the unsweetned and planned to stock up. Today I looked at the ingredients. Soybean oil? Ugh! They had one bottle of the natural kind (smaller size at 750g) but there were no ingredients other than peanut butter. So I got a rain cheque for 4. No it's not organic but all natural is the best we can do with what we have and can afford. Baby steps. The peanut butter we used to buy had icing sugar, corn syrup and a host of other icky things. The more we learn, the better we can do.

I am so happy that I was able to get a ton of steak which was on sale for $1.69/lbs. I would of bought more if they had it but I left some packages as not to be greedy. Steak is so expensive, as is all forms of beef lately. I can't wait until we can get a side or a quarter!

I also got real Parmesan cheese for $2.49 a tub (I couldn't bring myself to buy the shaker things). I will have to grate it down but now I can attempt to make chicken parmigiana. I also bought a couple packs of cream cheese, which killed me to pay $2.79 each for. It usually goes on sale by now but it wasn't in the flyers anywhere this week or for next week. I really want to make a cheesecake or maybe mini ones so I will have portion control. Horseradish was another treat I got. It is so hot and it really pepped up the steak I had for lunch!

Most of my cart was pure unadulterated food and made/grown in Canada. It feels good when you are making positive steps. I don't know if we'll ever be able to be all organic on our budget so we do the best that we can.

You'd think I like to talk about food or something, lol! I do! I am not ashamed to admit I love food. I'm just glad that I am making better choices now about it.

So food is our healer. Eat well!

The Big 5-0

I finally did it. I hit 50lbs lost over the past year. It has been rough with a lot of bumps in the road but I did it! Yay!

I'm sorry I haven't been by the last few days. My 7 year old son was hospitalized due to breathing problems and the possibility of H1N1. I'm still not sure as the tests have not come back yet but we're waiting on it. He is feeling much better now, especially since he is home.

I stayed in with him, which is probably what pushed my weightloss to what it was. I can say this; hospital food sure is carby! Every meal except one was 90% carby stuff I could not eat, not that the food was for me but Ethan wasn't up to eating and they offered it to me. One meal was fish, green beans and a potato. I gobbled that up as I was starving (I only ate a couple bites of potato, but I should of left it alone). Other meals consisted of sandwiches, gravy covered meat, lots of potato and bread, cereal, ect... or sugary things.

Then when we came home, we both had "the runs". We never ate the same things so it must of been something in the room or maybe the shock of being home.

I also had a run of days that I couldn't get to T-Zone. After everyone was settled in yesterday, I went. It was so nice, even though my legs hurt like the dickens afterwards; I had trouble sleeping because of how my legs felt. I guess 4 days of not going really made a difference. I went first thing today though. I am still debating about continuing my membership when it expires. It really helps, but it is expensive. I'd like to buy a machine but that's pretty expensive too (nearly $2000 after tax).

So things are going to get back to normal today I hope. I haven't made up a meal plan yet but I need to. I really need a nice homecooked supper after days of just picking at things.

Get By With A Little Help..

I am a loner. I really am. I would be in my glory being by myself all the time. I do love being with my kids and enjoy time with my family but I don't really have any friends and the ones I do take advantage of me. I think this is why I like the internet so much :).

So where does a loner go for support? http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/ . I've been a member of the message board there since 2003, wow! I am not going to post my user name here because I post my weight there and no offense, I don't want people who know me IRL to know how much I weigh. I know I get some traffic here from that site but that doesn't mean you need to be blabbin' my weight, lol!!

Someday when I have lost a lot more, I will talk about my highest weight here. It hurts because I hear people say terrible things and make horrible jokes about people who weigh less than I do and I wonder what they would think of me knowing what I weigh. I hear people who act as if they are the biggest, fattest slobs on the face of the earth and they weigh a fraction of what I do. People who are complaining they are 120lbs (or less) and think they are sooo fat make me wonder what they must think of me. It's like "goodbye, self esteem", not that I had much to begin with.

Maybe that's why I'm a loner. I'm a caterpillar inside a great big cocoon waiting to come out as a beautiful butterfly. I long for the day I can do things because I felt like, simple things people take for granted like wearing a bathing suit or swimming in public, going for a long walk, hanging out with friends.

Even things like eating out lately is a cause for fear because of the possibility of gluten contaminated food and the embarrassment of how it affects me. No matter how careful people try to be, it doesn't seem to be careful enough, which I hate to say because I am grateful for the effort. It is just easier to eat nothing but I feel rude doing that too :(

I will get to where I want to be someday. It will just take time, patience and diligence on my part.

Short and Sweet

Just wanted to check in. Everyone but me has been sick this week and I'm starting to feel like I'm coming down with something. Meal plan has not been stuck to, but we've made do. Tonight DH and I had delicious wild salmon and broccoli and I had a heap of sauerkraut. I had a few sour pickles earlier. I've basically been living off the turkey wings and chocolate cake the last few days so it was nice to have something different. I need to make some kefir as mine got mouldy and I want to keep the good bacteria going on in my body.

TMI Alert!!

I had a wicked boil on my bottom (I had one as a teenager that landed me in the hospital for a week and I truly feared that is where this would land me, only the hospital is so overrun with H1N1 that probably isn't a concern). Plus I'm having other problems which make me think that I'm all out of whack inside. Yeast has always been a big problem. It's my moon time and that always ensures that I am overcome by the yeastie beasties. It is so hard getting to a place of normal when all your life you have unknowingly contributed to problems by consuming foods that you did not know were good for you. Low fat, high carb, high sugar and high processing all leave certain people paying a high price for health.

Well, I said this would be short and sweet. I need to work on my internal health. I'm coming a long way but I have a long way to go. I owe it to myself to become healthy!

Coconut Milk

Many people who are gluten free find that they must also be dairy free. Generally this is an allergy to casein, which accounts for the majority of protein in milk products. You will often find recipes listed as GFCF, which means gluten free and casein free.

I do not know if I need to avoid dairy yet. At some point in my journey I may find that I have to. I do not consume great quantities of it. I would probably be better off if I did not consume dairy, but I will cross that bridge when I get to it.

An excellent dairy replacement is coconut milk. I find that I am using it more frequently lately as it is so versatile and it is very low in carbs. It is rather expensive though. I cannot find organic around here and it is too expensive to order online. I currently favor the Rooster Brand. It comes in two types, regular and gold. The gold is ultra thick and is worth the extra 40 cents IMO. Right out of the can it is thick and creamy.

In some places you can buy coconut milk in tetra packs. It is even showing up in refrigerated sections of some grocery stores. Look around and who knows where it may pop up.

I came across a recipe today to make coconut milk right from the coconut. This may indeed prove to be very economical and no doubt healthier as it would be less processed than those intended for longer term storage. If you click on the title, it will bring you to the page where I got it, which also contains a number of recipes you may find enjoyable! ETA: I'm having trouble getting it to become clickable so here is the original page to give credit where credit is due: http://www.wildernessfamilynaturals.com/recipes.php#Coconut-Milk

I have not made this yet but I plan to as soon as I can find a reasonably priced coconut.

Making Homemade Coconut Milk from Fresh Coconuts For those who might want to try preparing coconut milk at home, the following provides instructions for doing so. Pierce the eyes of a fresh coconut, drain the liquid inside and place the coconut on a rack and bake in a 325F pre-heated oven for about 30 minutes. Remove the coconut from the oven, let it cool a bit and crack it with a hammer so that the shell breaks into several pieces. Remove all the coconut meat from the shell, peel off the brown skin and cut the meat into very small cubes. If you have a coconut knife and grater, then you may take the fresh coconut, open it and grate the meat without using any heat. This takes the place of the first 4 steps. Place the meat in a blender, add hot water (include the coconut water from the center of the coconut for increased flavor and nutrition). Only add enough liquid to cover all of the meat. Blend until finely pureed. The less liquid you add the thicker and richer your milk will be. Place a sieve covered with cheese cloth over a bowl and pour the coconut meat and water into the sieve squeezing handfuls of the coconut meat. Extract as much liquid as possible into the bowl. The harder you press, the more milk you will be able to remove. If you are going to use the milk in a curry you may want to just use the blended, non-strained milk. It is thicker than strained milk, white and “coconuty”. The plus to using the entire concoction is that it still contains all the fiber. Discard the squeezed coconut meat or use it in your favorite dish. Refrigerate the coconut milk that has been extracted. This delicious coconut milk should be used within 1 or 2 days. If you cannot use it that quickly, freeze it in ice cube trays to use later in smoothies, exotic drinks, and other dishes. You may also want to culture this fresh coconut milk just as you would culture the cow's milk or cream. For a good culture to do this check out our Kefir culture. Another link I found: http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2009/04/homemade-coconut-milk.html

Wing Me!

A lot of low carbers seem to really enjoy wings. I never really got into them because wings are usually around $4 a pound here and that is too much for something that is mostly bone in my opinion. Plus they are puny and not much meat, which means I would need a lot to fill me. I've never got them in a restaurant as I know some places bread them or even lightly dust in flour so I don't know if I could trust them, especially now where I have to be extra careful to avoid gluten.

Enter Mr. Turkey. I mentioned yesterday I found some turkey wings yesterday for $1.79 a pound and bought 6 packages. These puppies are huge! The drummie is the size of a regular chicken drumstick, although the bone is much bigger.

I made turkey drumsticks a while back and they were much better than the ones I made today. These ones were a lot milder; last time Mark drank a glass of water after every bite. I like heat; he doesn't. I was very low on Franks Hot Sauce and I learned that the store brand simply does not compare. Too bad as it is so much cheaper, but you get what you pay for and this time you pay in lack of flavor and heat.

I decided since it's not very economical to bake that I would cook all 6 packages and just reheat or even eat cold. I think they won't make it to the freezer though. They pretty yummy!

I made two different kinds. Hot and curry. For the hot, I just doused liberally with hot sauce and the curry, I sprinkled liberally with my favorite curry blend. Then I drizzled them with butter and popped them in the oven at 350 for about 45 minutes. I turned them over, reduced heat to 325 and baked another 45 minutes. Here they are after about an hour in the oven. I had some at this point because it was lunch time, they were cooked through but were better after a little more cooking time.


TaDa! Lunch time!!