The good the good and the bad (recent experiences with restaurants)

Disney World of Adventure-good!!
  Last week we took our vacation in Orlando and went to Disney, Epcot specifically. I was very apprehensive about what I would be able to eat. I even took a suitcase full of emergency food with me. You can't bring food into the Disney parks, though I did actually sneak in a coco loco bar, just in case. I ended up eating at the Japanese pavillion. They were extra nice and let me see the ingredients in there food items. it turns out that there is corn in the sticky rice. I never would have known that. They made me steamed salmon, no seasoning with lots of yummy steamed veggies. it was very good.

Red Lobster-good!
   While we were in Orlando, we also ventured out to the Red Lobster that was across the street from where we stayed at the Peabody Hotel. I explained my allergy situation to our waiter, Jacob. He said that he understood completely and that his mom had Celiac disease.  I ended up getting a steak, baked potato and salad with no dressing. He also told me that they put seasoning on the steak that I should avoid. This was delicious! He was a very caring waiter!

The Olive Garden-bad!!!
    Yesterday we went to the Olive Garden. I had heard that they had gluten free noodles so was excited to try. When I first arrived, I asked the hostess if she could please check the ingredients in the noodles, since I am also allergic to corn. She came back 10 minutes later and assured me that there was no corn in it. Now we were seated. Again, I asked the waiter if he could please recheck the ingredients in the pasta. He came back and said that there was no corn. Hmmmmmmmm.... Well I ordered the penne pomadoro. The noodles were YELLOW! I tasted them and boy they sure tasted like corn. I must have been making faces because the manager came over and asked if everything was ok. I asked if he could please actually look at the label and tell me if there was corn in the ingredients. I explained to him the importance of knowing, how I didn't want to wake up tomorrow and bleed. He came back and said that there was no label because when they receive the box they just pour it into a bin and then throw the box away!!! Yikes! But, he assured me, the cook is 100% sure that it's not corn!
    Needless to say, I did not eat the pasta. After researching on the internet, it turns out that these were corn noodles!!! BTW, they didn't even taste good! My daughter got them also and said they were terrible. Moral of the story: Don't trust other people to look after your food needs. There is a lot of human error. Be safe out there!!

     Today I ran a mile! I did 4 complete laps around the track without stopping. I've actually been working toward this goal for months now. 6 years ago I could barely walk one lap due to the exhaustion I felt from my Crohn's disease. The right foods can literally make the difference between energy and absolute exhaustion.

     How did I do it? I figured out my trigger foods and then completely eliminated them from my diet. In order to do this I kept a food logue of everything I ate and drank. I then noted the results, in the bathroom. I started to make connections. I found that if I eliminate all wheat, gluten and corn from my diet, my Crohns is in complete remission. I also eliminated all derivatives of these foods, such as white vinegar, which comes from corn.

     Now, broadening my theory, I believe that many "auto-immune" diseases are nothing but food allergies, or intolerances. I also was diagnosed with relapsing polychodritis. Relapsing Polychondritis is also one of those auto-immune diseases. This has also gone completely into remission.

     It may be worth looking into. Please let me know if you try to eliminate certain foods and if it works for you. Corn, wheat, gluten, fish, milk, tree nuts, peanuts and citric acid are some common allergens. One allergen can be eliminate for a few days to see if there is a change. It takes a lot of time and patience.

My email if you want to send a message:

lynne1408@earthlink.net