Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Soy allergies and Legumes

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Soy is part of the Legume family and sometimes those sensitive or allergic to soy also have trouble tolerating legumes. I am personally one of those folk. So far, I have reacted negatively to green beans, garden peas, chickpeas, and pea protein. I also had a very tiny reaction to peanuts one day, but I don't eat them often so I'm not extremely bothered by it. I found a great list of foods in the Legume family here. Check it out below:

 
Perhaps those sensitive to Soy cannot tolerate Soy Lecithin and Soy oil due to them being included as Legumes. I can't tolerate either of them and I have talked to many people allergic to soy who can't tolerate them even though the FDA states they are "non-allergic" due to being "highly processed".

What do you think? Do you react to any other Legumes besides Soy?

Monday, November 28, 2011

Thoughts: Living with Food Allergies is Actually...Easy

 

Thoughts:

NO

Soy

Gluten

Legumes

Living freely is easy.

Simple food is the healthiest food.

You are what you absorb: Make it count.

Appreciation for the 'little things' glows brighter.

You learn to listen, speak, reflect, and cook with your heart.

A healthy body reflects a healthy mind, spirit, & promotes a balanced life.

A simple life: More laughing and loving: Peace throughout: Happy tummy.

Virtues: Patience, Perseverance, Attitude, Love, Thankfulness, & Bravery all win

through constant trials while cushioning our footsteps like wispy clouds.

You may actually be trying a bigger variety than people who eat out.

There is always a way to make a replacement for everything.

Nourishing and healing yourself is worth the while.




What are your thoughts?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Little things and Homemade Egg Drop Soup

- Simple things to love -


 
- Ancient Harvest Quinoa: Made in a dedicated soy free, gluten free facility -

 Hearty pasta with grass-fed meat, fresh parsley from the garden, and red wine tomato sauce. I absolutely adore Tinkyada Rice pasta products -

 

Homemade Egg-Drop Soup

  • 6 cups veggie stock
  • 1 lightly sauteed leek
  • dash of Coconut Aminos
  • 1/2 teaspoon Simply Organic curry powder
  • 1/4 of an onion chopped and lightly sauteed
  • salt, cracked black pepper
  • 2-3 eggs, to your preference

Roughly chop and saute the leek and onion together in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bring 6 cups veggie stock to a boil. Once boiling steadily, add in your egg one by one (beaten) and stir while pouring them in. This creates the beautiful strings and sections of egg in the soup. Season to taste.


"We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do." - Mother Teresa


Sunday, November 20, 2011

Celebrating Our Year Together

Wishing my wonderful boyfriend a happy one year anniversary (11/19)

 - I made us some delicious egg "muffins" with kale and caramelized onions -


 
- Made a chocolate cake from King Arthur's Gluten free chocolate cake mix (Soy free, nut free) -

 
- Cute gift from Y -

 
- Anniversary cards, both made and bought -


We spent the night frolicking around town after going to a movie date. It seemed every pub or swanky martini bar we approached was overcapacity with either football fans from Nebraska in town for the game or students taking a celebratory drink. We finally settled down with some Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay at cozy Old Town Tavern. We're now enjoying a productive Sunday at the university library.

How do you enjoy celebrating occasions and living it up without food allergens?

Thursday, November 17, 2011

FDA Allergen Labeling: A cruel joke?

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I'd like to give a huge thank you and major props to all food companies in the U.S. that choose to label "May Contain" on their products that may have cross contamination from the top 8 allergens (wheat, soy, eggs, milk, fish, shellfish, peanuts and tree nuts).

The FDA currently does not require that companies label products as "May contain" if there is a chance that the product will come into contact with allergens. What is the point of labeling allergens at all if there is still an unlabeled chance that your product could cause a life threatening allergic reaction?  There have definitely been some reaction issues in my life caused by this gaping hole in allergen labeling procedures. To see how the FDA currently labels food, check out the Allergy Free Table's quick online guide to reading food labels.

When this hole clearly poses a threat, my only question seems obvious and I feel ridiculous for even having to ask it. Why is this labeling only optional instead of required? I'm definitely looking further into pushing for more complete and safe labeling laws.

What are your thoughts?

The difference between perseverance and obstinacy is that one comes from a strong will, and the other from a strong won't."  ~Henry Ward Beecher


Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Gluten-free Irish Soda Bread




I love a good quick bread, especially since I am avoiding most active yeast at the moment. The basic recipe I used can be found here, but I did some tweaking of my own to make it more allergy friendly. For the flour, I used King Arthur Gluten-Free multi-purpose flour blend, soy free eggs from Tropical Traditions (Grassfed Traditions), dairy free SO Delicious coconut milk instead of buttermilk, and Olivio Coconut spread instead of butter.


Since I'm part Irish, I felt putting in an old Celtic blessing was called for...


May the blessing of light be on you—
light without and light within.
May the blessed sunlight shine on you
and warm your heart
till it glows like a great peat fire.


Monday, November 14, 2011

What goes on the skin, can sink in!

[caption id="attachment_358" align="aligncenter" width="468"]http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-images-makeup-case-rimagefree12988-resi3857824 (Photo Credit: Dreamstime.com Free)[/caption]

Remember this truth: What goes on the skin, can sink in!

It's best to make sure you are catering your beauty and personal care products to whatever allergy you may have. Researchers once thought that the skin acted as a type of barrier against foreign invaders. It's actually quite the opposite. Your skin is your body's largest organ and will absorb everything you put on it (lotions, cosmetics, chemicals, etc). See a new great article on how gluten in cosmetics affect those with celiac disease and gluten intolerance.

If you have other allergies like I do, it's best to go as natural as possible. But be wary also of soy and wheat proteins in the natural organic products as well. Often Vitamin E (often labeled tocopheryl acetate) is derived from soy. Contact the manufacturer to find the source if it is unlabeled.

For some gluten free, soy free cosmetic choices, see my previous posts on safe brands here and here for starters. Good luck and stay vigilant! I love when I see articles on media like Yahoo about this sort of thing.

Badger Balm

http://www.badgerbalm.com/c-2-balms.aspx

After receiving an email regarding the soy free/gluten free status of most Badger Balm Organic products, I am happy to say I will be trying many of them soon! The only ones to note and watch out for were the Vitamin E used in the sunscreen and after sun lotions and due to production matters, the lip balms in sticks. (Anything labeled with the Vitamin E will be stated clearly and should be avoided for soy). The balms in the actual tins and all other products are considered safe since they are packaged and filled separately. I am most excited to try the aromatherapy balms and sprays.

http://www.badgerbalm.com/p-482-cheerful-mind-balm.aspx

I love the idea of aromatherapy balms, body sprays, and massage oils.


Thursday, November 10, 2011

Multiple Sclerosis and Food allergies: A speculation

- The following is a speculation based on my own personal experiences and available research. It should not be regarded as any type of medical advice. -


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Two and a half years ago, I was exhibiting many typical signs of MS. I lost feeling in my legs randomly which sometimes caused falling, experienced numbness, had prickling sensations in most limbs, felt it was hard to move my right arm, quick electric shock type sensations when moving certain ways or when at rest, and at times had blurred vision and dizziness (Along with other symptoms of gluten intolerance such as attention deficit, upset stomach, headaches, depression and anxiety to name a few off the list). After implementing a gluten free diet, all of my symptoms and failing health disappeared within weeks.

Recently, I was diagnosed with a severe allergic reaction to soy. Before this diagnosis, I was considering getting screened for MS. After cutting soy out of my diet and personal care products, all my MS-like symptoms are gone. I find it curious and am speculating on the possible misdiagnosis of gluten ataxia, celiac disease, and food allergies as Multiple Sclerosis.

First off though, please do not take clinical diagnosis of MS lightly. It is a serious disease that is said to have no cure, though some studies say that a gluten free or grainless diet can be helpful in reducing the severity of symptoms. If someone has been correctly diagnosed with MS, it may be giving a false hope if I would say that it could be reversed from implementing this diet change, which is not what I am doing and is not my goal here.
My goal is to draw attention to a couple key points.


  • Misdiagnosis of gluten ataxia, gluten sensitivity, or Celiac disease as MS may be possible. Working with your doctor to get a definitive diagnosis is key.
  • There have been accounts for and against gluten playing a part in the progression of MS and it's best to read a variety of articles for information. What is true for one person may not necessarily hold true for another.
Forums such as Celiac.com offer a place to discuss symptoms and personal experiences regarding gluten, celiac disease, other food allergies, autoimmune diseases, and diseases linked to diet. Check out a forum discussing MS and gluten here and here. It's helpful to read all the entries to the bottom of the page to see patterns.

As one of those people whose symptoms did a 180 degree turnaround after addressing my food allergies, I highly recommend talking with your doctor regarding gluten, food allergies, and any MS-like symptoms.

What do you think? Any personal stories of MS diagnosis and food allergies, or overcoming a misdiagnosis?


Don't be discouraged.  It's often the last key in the bunch that opens the lock." ~Author Unknown

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Other Allergies & Intolerance

Does anyone else seem to suffer from other allergies besides soy or gluten? I've noticed I'm also sensitive to almost all of the legume family (beans, peas, lentils, etc), yeast, apples, and pomegranates. Pomegranates seemed quite random to me, but the first time I had one, I broke out in hives and sweats.
Do you have any other allergies or intolerance?

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Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Sprinkles

Every so often, I like to share a few sprinkles of joy in my life right now..


-Spicy guacamole with celery and red onions-


-Organic romaine, arugala, fresh parsley and dill with red onion and citrus salad-


-Allergy free chocolate from here-


-Celtic love knot necklace I made for my boyfriend-


-Hand stitched pillow from boyfriend's mom-

Sunday, November 6, 2011

While on-the-go...


~Something I'm totally in love with currently: Rise Bars

Produced in a gluten free, soy free, and peanut free facility. Rise Bar used to be called Boomi Bar (I am partial to that name =) but it tastes just as great. They took the best qualities from their original Boomi Bars and Prana Bars and super-morphed it into an energy packed all natural on the go sensation. I promise they are not paying me to say this. I eat them all the time. The only downside is they can be a bit pricey. Check out the new Rise Bar here.

If you want a cheaper alternative, check out Lara Bar here.

 
....my personal favorite Lara Bar. Chocolate Coconut Chew comes in with an honorable mention. Beware some flavors do have peanuts!

My personal can't live without items when on-the-go:

  • Eternal Alkaline water
  • Ultrapure Cosmetics Lush Lipstick in 'Smooch'
  • RMS Beauty 'un-cover-up' in 22.
  • Epipen
  • Claritin 24-allergy tabs --It's hard to know when I'll have a tiny soy reaction flare up. This keeps me covered most of the time.
  • Benadryl -- For more heavy duty soy reactions. Haven't had to use it lately, (knocking on wood..)
  • 2011 Japanese Screen Compact Planner from here -- I really need help staying organized, and this does the job while having a pretty exterior.
  • Ipod Nano
  • Enjoy Life Chocolate Bars/Lara Bars/Rise Bars. Great for eating hands free when nowhere near a bar of soap or sink.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Sprinkles

 


Organic spicy roasted butternut squash with cayenne and garlic.



Roasted pumpkin seeds



The taste of fall



Homemade organic veggie soup



Romantic fall walks




Good energies and happy November,


Bethany xoxo