Well! It's been an interesting week in my hometown. Blogging time seems to have gotten away from me, mostly because (get this), I ran this weekend. Can you believe it? And I ran early (prime blogging time) and outside. Let me tell you, it was a bit chilly. I think it was 16 degrees on Sunday. I managed to run about four miles on Saturday and five miles on Sunday. And the best thing? I didn't have any ITB pain. In order to keep me running, Tom challenged me to run the JFK 50 in 2009. He thought it would be cool for me to run a 50-mile race while I'm (cough) 50, except I won't be. I'll have exceeded that age by about a month. I'm not sure that I'll be ready to run the JFK 50 this year. I have 11 months to train, though, so it isn't entirely out of the realm of possibility.
But the thing that totally threw me for a loop was the last set of test results from my doctor. She had some concerns about adrenal fatigue and other vitamin and mineral deficiencies and ran a battery of tests. Her adrenal fatigue suspicion was confirmed as was her concern about other nutritional deficiencies. I'm either deficient or low in just about everything they tested for. And why is that? The answer is truly depressing.
I tested positive for allergies to gluten, casein (dairy), and soy.
Let that sink in for a moment...gluten, dairy, and soy.
That means a lot of foods (like most of the foods I enjoy eating) will need to be eliminated from my diet. So long, macaroni and cheese! Good-bye, pizza! Farewell, bagels! No more butter (sob). No ice cream. No pancakes or waffles. No doughnuts, cakes, pies, cookies, puddings. And Sheep, no more black and white cookies.
Dang. My world has been rocked and not in a good way. The gluten allergy is probably the more serious one, since it could be an indication of celiac disease. And it seems it's the allergy that is the root of the nutritional deficiencies, since a gluten allergy causes malabsorption.
It's a good thing both Tom and I enjoy cooking because we've just been handed a big cooking challenge. We don't rely on packaged foods at all, which is a big benefit. Soy, casein, and gluten are all hidden in even the most simple processed foods. Ah, well.
Knitting Progress
We have flappage on the second Gentleman's Fancy Sock! It looks like changing to a larger needle size did the trick. I'm predicting that within another week or so this project will be finished.
I'll have ample knitting time this weekend. We're flying to Miami (ah, blessed warm weather!) for the Miami Marathon and everyone knows that a plane trip is perfect knitting time. The Monkey socks will be resurrected since I'm using wood needles (I suspect that TSA guys might have problems with the extremely pointy metal needles I'm using for Tom's sock). The hat will also be finished this weekend; the recipient will be in Miami with us and I'll be able to do a fitting.
That's about it for now. Happy knitting!
And hold the cheese.
10 comments:
Ohhhh, that truly is a bummer, those allergies! But I'm sure you'll find it a stimulating challenge, recipe-wise. Also, quite a few vegan cookbooks and websites have gluten and soy free recipes . . .
Heh, my "security word" is weooeiy . . . It's fun to pronounce that inside my head!
You should check out the breaking the vicious cycle websites. There are great recipes there.. admitadly they use cheese alot, but actually quite often when you clear up the gluten/celiac issues you can have dairy again without problems.. Make judicious use of your crock pot with lots of nice meats and veggies!! but yes the convenience foods are out arent they.. been there!! you'll get through it!
I'm sorry about your allergies. :( That really sucks! but you know, at least you found out WHY you aren't feeling so hot and this will help you feel better. You know, after you get used to not eating all that junk, you won't even miss it. :)
Wow, that sounds difficult! I can't even imagine. I wish you luck with the changes, and I hope you can keep that exploratory attitude about trying new recipes!
Great. Now I have to eat black and white cookies for two. But for you, I shall do it!
On a serious note, most people I know who have been diagnosed with a gluten allergy have been able to make the dietary adjustments and the changes have been just amazing. I don't envy you the challenge...but I think you'll be pleased with the results! Good luck!
Good that they caught all of that - I'll bet you see a major improvement in how you feel once you get onto a new and better diet. Calls for a lot of label-reading tho, so good luck!
Congrats on starting to run!! You can 50 miles, no problemo! ha!
Sorry about the allergies. That really sucks! I'm sure you and your husband will be able to conquer this little setback and find awesome things to cook!
Teri that STINKS!!! I am so sorry about the allergies. I have total faith though that you and hubby can work through this. You are both very creative in the kitchen! Woo! 50 at 50!!! You can do it! Little jealous about Miami... I am tired of the cold. Have a GREAT time!
Don't fret - there is life and a whole lot of eating possible with a gluten free, dairy free, and soy free diet. My family is gluten/soy free and almost dairy free, although that will be changing as my daughter has developed an allergy to dairy (the doctor always thought she was simply intolerant).
If you are looking for ideas, swing by my blog and check it out along with the side bar with links to a wide variety of gf bloggers (some with other allergies). Plus links to companies with gf food, Celiac organizations and more. Hopefully there will be something there that will be of some assistance to you as you change your diet.
We used to live in Vienna and travel back for business and a regular basis. The best place I've found for a stock of GF food is the Whole Foods in Falls Church on Rt 7 (it's across the street to Trader Joe's). The store in Vienna has a few things, but not too much. Trader Joe's some things that are gf.
I have been gf for 3 years and it gets easier all the time. Even traveling around the globe is doable with some advance planning. I was diagnosed by my integrative physician after my surgery for early stage breast cancer. I went to see her to help my body recover from the surgery and radiation treatments, but she found so much more. I had adrenal fatigue, hypothyroidism, new allergies, etc. Now I'm on thyroid & adrenal medication, eat gf and have eliminated a wide range of foods from my/our diet. After my diagnosis came my family's and we all feel so much better than we did before.
I wish you the best with your foray into gf cooking. If you need some help on finding different foods, feel free to write back.
Sheltie Girl @ Gluten A Go Go
Sorry to hear about the allergies... I'm vegetarian and haven't been eating gluten for about 3+ years now. It was tough at the start but now I rarely miss it. Hang in there... you'll fall into a groove. The most important thing may be to find a store that carries some gluten free options for quick easy eating (e.g., the glutino brand).
Post a Comment