Gluten Free Corn Free S'mores

 Who doesn't love s'mores? But impossible when you're gluten free and corn free. Not anymore. You just have to know which brands to use. Marshmallows are made with corn syrup. And graham crackers of course are made with wheat flour.

For the marshmallows I use Dandies. They taste exactly the same as regular marshmallows. Bonus, they're also vegan.

For the graham cracker I used Kinnikinnick brand. They were not exactly the same but they were good.

I used regular Hershey bars for the chocolate.

Gluten and Corn Free Granola

This is one of my favorite things to eat for breakfast or to take with me when I go hiking. It is gluten and corn free. I would not recommend eating this during an active flare.

Ingredients:

* 2 cups rice Chex (crunched up)
* 2 cups gluten free oats
* 1/2 cup dry coconut flakes (check ingredients for corn syrup)
* 1/2 cup dried fruit (I use raisins or craisins)
* 1/2 cup nuts of choice (I like walnuts and almonds)
* 2 Tablespoons whole flax seeds
* 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
* 1/2 cup honey
* 2 Tablespoons blackstrap molasses
* 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

 Directions:

- preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Put all ingredients in large bowl
- Add honey, molasses and coconut oil
- mix well
- add cinnamon and salt
- place on baking sheet with parchment paper
- press down with large spoon
- bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes

Butternut Squash with poached eggs

 New discovery. The little well that forms inside these butternut squash are the perfect size for an egg. This made it a meal. And the combination of salty and sweet was delicious.

*Cut squash in half, lengthwise
*Remove seeds
*Bake face down in1/2 inch of water for 20 minutes
*Take out of oven and carefully flip over. Will be very hot at this point
*Crack fresh egg in each well
*Salt and pepper to taste
*Bake an additional 20 to 25 minutes util egg is firm
*Serve with 100 percent pure maple syrup


I only use pure maple syrup. The commercial brands use mostly corn syrup. And corn causes my Crohn's to flare.

Banana chocolate chip pancakes

 Here is my recipe for gluten free and corn free pancakes. I avoid both gluten and corn to keep myself in remission from Crohn's.

I also need to avoid all gluten and corn derivatives, such as corn syrup. I only use pure maple syrup. Most commercial brands of pancake syrup use corn syrup, so be careful to check the label.

Ingredients:

* 2 eggs
* 1 ripe banana
* 1/4 cup milk (or milk substitute)
* 1 tsp vanilla extract
* 1/3 cup oat flour
* 1/3 cup rice flour
* 1/3 cup almond flour
* 1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed
  * 1/2 tsp baking soda
  * 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  * 1/4 tsp salt
  * chocolate chips to taste
* 2 to 3 tablespoon butter or margarine


Directions:

1. Add all ingredients, except chocolate chips to bender
2. blend until smooth
3. pour into bowl
4. fold in chocolate chips
5. melt butter in pan over medium heat
6. pour batter into pan in pancake sizes
7. allow pancake to cook until golden brown on each side
8. remove from pan and serve with maple syrup

Makes 8 to 10 small pancakes




Suggestions:

* Always be sure to use pure maple syrup. Commercial brands use corn syrup
* A great egg substitute to try is ground flaxseed:
  1 egg = 1 table spoon flaxseed and 3 tablespoon water
  mix and let sit for 5 minutes to thicken
* You can experiment with different flours, such as garbanzo or quinoa flours
* you can also try blueberries instead of the chocolate chips

Clinical Study using a version of the Paleo diet shows improvement for patients with IBD

It seems that I am reading more and more about studies that tested the usefulness of dietary changes for people with IBD. Below is a link to a study that was done in 2016 using a version of the Paleo diet, known as the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol (AIP). This diet was formulated to reset the immune system by eating foods that will not inflame the intestines. When inflammation occurs it sets off an autoimmune response. This diet is meant to reset the immune system.

The AIP diet excludes grains, legumes, dairy, refined seed oils, refined sugar and food additives. It also recommends eliminating alcohol, eggs, nuts, seeds, nightshade vegetables and coffee.

The study was conducted over an 11 week period. A baseline was established based on severity of symptoms at the onset of the study. Patients were tested again after 6 weeks. They were then put on a maintenance diet for another 5 weeks.

This was a very small study, starting with only 18 patients. 3 patients dropped out of the study due to the inability to stick with it. Not an easy diet to follow.

Of the 15 patients who were able to maintain this diet 11 achieved remission!! That's 73 percent!!!  And all of them stayed on the diet for an additional 5 weeks and stayed in remission. That is as good as some drug studies, and without side effects.

Take away: Although this was a small study it was quite amazing. We are hearing more and more about studies using diet to treat IBD. Look, it's hard to change diet. It's our emotions, our traditions, family, security and comfort. Perhaps a few small changes at a time could lead to big results.

Below is a link to the original study.


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5647120/

Now in book form

I am happy to announce that my blog is now available in book form at Amazon.com and Barnesanadnoble.com. In this book I detail how I discovered that I had Crohn's disease and the steps I took to beat it. I detail my diet, as well as compare it to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. I also include 25 delicious gluten and corn free recipes that get me through the day, without flaring me. Please see links below.

Link to Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0359734278/ref=nav_timeline_asin?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Link to Barnes and Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/how-i-beat-crohns-lynne-frankenbery/1132322676?ean=9780359734276

What I Eat: Smoked Salmon

I absolutely love smoked salmon. But being corn and gluten free, I have had to make a few changes in order to enjoy one of my favorite meals.

Bagels: I use "Against the Grain" brand. Note: they do use cheese in their recipe, so it wouldn't be good for dairy sensitive individuals. But if it is tolerated, these bagels are good.

Smoked salmon: The one thing I look for is to make sure it doesn't contain corn syrup. Most of them do not, but there are some out there that do use corn syrup.

I do not use cream cheese just because of the fat content. However, if cream cheese is desired, Philadelphia cream cheese is good. It has to be the bar and not the whipped variety. The whipped contains modified food starch and xanthin gum. The modified starch could mean anything from gluten to corn. The xanthan gum is a derivative of corn.

I like to top mine with fresh tomatoes and onions. Theses vegetables can be irritating to the intestines for some people. I also like fresh spinach.

Krusteaz Gluten Free Brownies

 This brand is both gluten free and corn free. I got it at Walmart in the gluten free section. When we made it, we substituted milk for the water, and melted butter for the oil.  Milk substitute can also be used. We also used 2 eggs instead of 1. This made it even better. But I think it would still be good when original recipe is used.

Blueberries for intestinal disease

A new study came out showing good outcomes using blueberries. It seems that when blueberries are combined with a probiotics, the outcome is even better at calming things down. I think it's a winning combination anyhow.


See link below for the story:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100208145055.htm?fbclid=IwAR0drL_z1FvbGxcAQQFV1ZC3-KgUBOYD0n7O0nQ3ps1KQezFgVAknNsrPB8

Probiotics and Prebiotics

Most people are somewhat familiar with probiotics. They are the "good" bacteria that live in our intestines, helping with digestion, maintaining a nice balance, and keeping down inflammation.  They are found in foods such as yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut and miso. They are also available in supplement form.

But what are Prebiotics? Prebiotics are food for the probiotics. They are fibers which are digested and eaten by the probiotics. Prebiotics keep our probiotic community healthy and happy. Prebiotics are found in fruits, vegetables and whole grains. These foods contain fibers such as inulin, mucilage and olioogsaccharides. We can not digest these fibers; they are insoluble fibers. But the probiotic colony can digest them and do thrive on them.

The best sources of these prebiotic fibers are found in foods such as apples, bananas, asparagus, garlic, onion, chicory root, flaxseed, seaweed, dandelion greens and leeks. They are also found in whole wheat, barley and oats. However I do not eat these since they also contain gluten. Prebiotics are also now available in supplement form.

Another prebiotic source that many people are familiar with is psyllium seed. This is the main ingredient in Metamucil. This fiber is great for constipation because it gets things moving. But it also supports and feeds the good bacteria. So in the Long run it can help balance things in the colon.

Prebiotics are also found in breast milk! Specifically, oligosaccharide. This prebiotic is now added to some baby formulas. This is nature's way of starting us off with a healthy gut.

It is also well studied, that a healthy gut environment supports a healthy immune system, lowers cholesterol and balances out blood sugar. So the take away here is to make sure to get enough of both probiotics and Prebiotics.

Dr Praeger's Spinach Littles

These are just yummy! I don't have small children in the house, but I buy these all the time for myself. They taste like tater tots, but with the added benefit of spinach. Gluten and corn free, of course. They also make ones that are made with kale instead of spinach.

What I Eat; Thai Green Curry Sauce

I have been using this sauce for quite a while now and absolutely love it! It's sweet, tangy and spicy all rolled into one. Great for leftovers, especially if they are a bit dry. Today I used it on my leftover tofu. Please note, it is not vegetarian. It does contain fish.

I got this at Whole Foods. While it was pretty expensive, around 8 dollars for a jar, you only use a little bit. A small amount goes a long way, so it contains several servings per jar.

Eating Out Safely

There is nothing more annoying than trying to have a nice dinner out and being interrupted by bathroom issues. It can also cause a lot of anxiety, worrying if tonight's dinner will ruin tomorrow morning. Unless you cook something yourself, it's hard to know every ingredient that goes into food cooked at a restaurant. For this reason, I don't go out often. But when I do, this is the strategy I use to eat out, safely.

Vegetables, Fruits, and Meats

The safest foods on any menu are the single ingredient ones. This means vegetables, fruits and meat with nothing added, such as seasonings or sauces.

As long as there is no sauce, a side of fresh cooked vegetables like broccoli or green beans is great! Except, of course, corn. I avoid corn in all forms. Even a bit of butter is good on the side vegetables if you can tolerate dairy. Just avoid margarine since it can contain corn oil. Whipped butter is a good alternative.

All fruits are great choices as long as they are fresh. Canned fruits can contain high fructose corn syrup which is a big no-no. This is more of a problem during the winter since fruits are seasonal.

Meat is almost always a good choice as long as there is no breading and no sauce. Steak, grilled chicken and baked fish are just a few examples and are all fairly safe. Burgers are usually fine and a lot of places are now offering them on a lettuce bun. Just no ketchup, mustard, pickles, bbq sauce, mayonnaise or relish. These contain distilled white vinegar and/or corn syrup. Distilled white vinegar is a derivative of corn.

Potatoes

Nothing goes better with meat than potatoes! Fries sound good. However, there are two issues here. First, french fries are cooked in oil. Sometimes this same oil is used and reused to fry other foods that are full of gluten. The oil may also be corn oil. Secondly, to make french fries taste better, they are sometimes soaked in corn syrup. This is especially true of the frozen fries. Luckily, I've found a few restaurants where I can eat the fries, including Five Guys Burgers that uses peanut oil.

If I'm not sure about the fries, I will usually stick to a baked potato with butter. Also, avoid the sour cream as it usually contains distilled white vinegar. However, Daisy brand sour cream does not contain vinegar and agrees with me. Mashed potatoes are also not a good choice because they can contain so many ingredients that may flare me.

Appetizers and Salads

Appetizers are not usually a safe choice because most are breaded and fried. I can get humus if it's on the menu, but pass on the pita bread. Shrimp cocktail is good too, but without the sauce. Some restaurants will also offer raw cut vegetables.

Salads are a good choice but must be ordered without dressing. You can ask for a side of olive oil, but make sure it is pure and doesn't contain added corn oil. You can also add fresh lemon. No croutons, of course. Also be sure to leave off anything that might contain vinegar, such as hot peppers or capers.

Gluten Free Pasta (but be careful!)

If gluten free noodles are available, be sure to question whether or not they contain corn. A lot of gluten free pastas tend to contain corn. Corn adds a nice flavor and texture, but is deadly to my colon.

Drinks

As far as drinks are concerned, the safest bet is plain water, maybe with some lemon. Anything sweet can potentially contain corn syrup and the diet drinks contain sugar substitutes which are also derived from corn. I might also order hot tea, but have to check the creamer for corn syrup. Bring your glasses or a younger member of your family; they're impossible to read!

Desserts

Desserts are hard. I only feel safe getting plain jello. Some restaurants offer gluten free options of cakes and cookies. But I never order these because I can't be sure of all the ingredients.

Talking To Your Waiter

The most important thing to do is to talk to the wait staff. Let them know that you have a food allergy. Although I have a gluten and corn intolerance which causes me to flare, I don't want them to think that I'm just being trendy or trying to lose weight. But restaurants are always accommodating for people with dietary restrictions so don't be afraid to talk to them. Also, I always leave a very nice tip for all their trouble and bombarding them with food questions!

It is sometimes a gamble and you might not know until the next day or later that night whether or not you made good choices. If you frequent a certain restaurant it is important to write down exactly what you ate and the results. In this way, you can put together a list of safe restaurants and safe foods.

It is also difficult to watch friends and family eating anything they want to without repercussions, while you sit there dutifully munching your vegetables like a rabbit.  Just keep in mind that it is the company you keep that is really important!