What I Eat: Soup

Now that it is getting back to Fall weather, I am starting back on my soup making. Nothing is more satisfying and nutritious. Yesterday I made this lovely soup with the vegetables that I had on hand plus a potato to give it bulk. Any vegetables would do. I start my broth with a large tablespoon of miso paste, whole onion and garlic in the water. Then I just add add add vegetables. I let it simmer most of the day. I did not need salt because of the miso. I also added about a teaspoon of turmeric. That was it. This soup contains onion, garlic, bok chow, celery, poblano pepper (yes the soup was a little spicy), yellow squash, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, potatoes, miso paste, turmeric, and a can of green beans. This is so healing and easy on the digestive tract.

Note: I use miso paste because it is hard to find ready made broth that is corn and gluten free. This diet (corn and gluten free) has kept me in remission for years.

What I Eat: French Toast

There is nothing as delicious as French toast in the morning. Unfortunately, that is not always an option on a gluten free and corn free diet. This morning I used my homemade gluten free and corn free bread to make it. It is very important to only use pure maple syrup because commercial brands use corn syrup. I also only use powdered sugar that is free of corn starch.

I like to use 365 Everyday Value Organic Powdered Sugar. I usually get tis at my local Whole Foods market. Another great alternative available online is Wholesome Sweeteners Powdered Sugar.

What I Eat: Spicy Shrimp with Veggies and Rice

For dinner tonight, I had pan seared shrimp with lemon butter and some hot pepper flakes. I also made some sautéed broccoli, zucchini, and kale. Then, I just made some rice mixed with green onions and butter. It was a really simple meal to make, but it was delicious!

Please note: The only flavorings in this dinner came from butter, lemon, hot pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. The best way to avoiding any allergens is to use simple ingredients. Just because a meal uses simple foods, it doesn't make it boring!

Quinoa

     One delicious gluten free grain is quinoa. It is actually a seed. It is easy to cook. Quinoa can be cooked in a rice steamer with the proportion of one part quinoa to two parts water. It is also full of fiber.

    The above recipe was made with cooked quinoa topped with roasted vegetables, green onions, slivered almonds and feta cheese. The quinoa was cooked in broth for added flavor.

     Quinoa can be a good gluten free substitute for couscous, which is what this recipe originally called for.

   

Happy 4th of July! This is a dangerous time for those with food intolerances and allergies. Things that I avoid like the plague at cookouts; ketchup,  mustard, soy sauce and mayonaise. These contain corn syrup and distilled white vinegar. The soy sauce contains gluten. There are alternatives available. I use the gluten free version of the soy sauce and it tastes just the same. And I use Vegenaise for the mayonaise.

Also the biggest thing that I avoid is corn. Grilled corn is delicious, but not if it causes me to go into a flare.

Enjoy the holiday but be aware of what you eat.

Beating Crohn's Naturally

     I am now convinced that Crohns, Relapsing Polychodritis and many other "auto-immune" diseases are triggered by food allergies/intolerances. My trigger foods are wheat, gluten and corn. I have eliminated all of these from my diet. I have also eliminated all derivatives of these foods. This was the key. And this is all I do. I am off of all medications, especially those horrid steroids.

     My mom also has Crohn's/Colitis. She has found that her trigger foods are all dairy related. She can eat a bit of dairy foods and be fine. But if she eats too many dairy foods in a day, she gets her symptoms back.

     I have set up this blog with ways to cut out allergens in your diet. I was focused on wheat gluten and corn... Now I think I will focus on cutting all allergens including milk. Many of my recipes do contain milk. So from now on I will try to leave out this allergen also.

     My hope is that this blog will be able to help someone. I sell nothing. The products that I talk about are products that I actually use with success. I don't get paid to endorse these products.

     One of the hardest things in life to change is your diet. It brings great comfort and we feel very secure with it. Most people would rather take a ton a medicine than change their diet. Of course diet can be changed a little at a time through baby steps. But the way this has worked for me was to completely change every aspect of my diet. It is very hard, but it works for me.

     As noted previously, I am not a doctor. I am a person who has Crohn's disease and Relapsing Polychodritis. I control both through my elimination diet. I take no medicine. I have no symptoms of either. I can not say what is best for you. I am putting it out there what I do. If anyone is willing to eliminate allergens from their diet I would love to hear about it.

     Remember, Celiac was once an incurable disease. Now we know it is only a gluten allergy. Avoid the gluten and they're fine. I believe that Crohn's is a sister disease, caused by a similar allergen. It may be gluten, corn, milk, soy, fish, eggs, peanut, citric acid or any other allergen. It may be a combination of allergens. For me it was wheat, gluten and corn. For my Mom it is milk. For my daughter it was citric acid.

How to Start:
Start by elimating all major allergens, as noted above. It seems like it wouldn't leave much to eat. I started by eating plain chicken, rice and vegetables. Other good foods to start with: fruit, salad with no dressing, potatoes, gluten free noodles, hamburger (no bun), juices (watch the citric acid), steamed vegetables... No sauces or dressings.

Next, keep a logue of everything that is eaten or drunk. Everything counts, even gum and pop.

Reintroduce known allergens one at a time. Wait one week if possible. Note the reactions. you must be very patient.

I feel that I was blessed with this knowledge and need to share it. I sincerely hope that you will find help through this.

Any questions please feel free to email:
lynne1408@earthlink.net

Against the Grain

     These "Against the Grain" rolls are made with mozzerella cheese which make them really chewy and hold together well. They don't come pre-split. They are found in the freezer section. I take mine out when I want one and put it in the microwave , wrapped in a paper towel for 35 seconds. Really nice for hamburgers when I'm tired of either eating them plain or wrapped in lettuce. As an added note, I just tried these for making french toast. Yummmmmmm!

Mushroom broccoli soup

     This soup is great for using broccoli in your garden. Most commercial soups contain starches to thicken them up. Most starches are corn, wheat or derivatives. Make sure to use the Imagine brand mushroom soup for this base. The color of this soup is a little weird, but the taste is really good. Don't be put off by the looks.

*1 quart Imagine brand mushroom soup
*3 potatoes, peeled and sliced
*1 pint fresh mushrooms
*1 head fresh broccoli
*2 cups milk



---Cut broccoli and steam in microwave
---boil potatoes till soft
---in large pot, empty soup base and cook on low heat
---add steamed broccoli, cooked potatoes and fresh mushrooms
---continue to cook on low for about 20 minutes, stirring once in a while
---put soup and fresh milk in blender, a cup at a time, then add back to pot
---continue to process the soup with the milk until almost all of it is smooth. I like to leave some chunks in the soup and have some whole mushrooms floating on top.

Food diary

One of the best tools that I know of to find food allergies is a food diary. I write down everything that I eat and drink during a day. This has to include such things as vitamins, seasonings and candy or mints too. Anything that goes into your mouth. I also write down the results. Sounds gross, but I track my bathroom results. This is the way that I was able to make a connection between what I ate and how it affected my Crohn's. For me, the results were to avoid wheat, gluten, corn and all their derivatives. You could be different. Food allergies, or intolerances may vary from person to person. I also note in my diary highlights of the day. This way I can see if stress, work or exercise play a role. So far I only see a connection with food. I have had incredibly stressful days that have no effect on my colon. But eat the wrong thing, and boom, there it is. The other advantage of the diary is that I can look back several weeks or months. If I suspect a certain food, I can look back to other days that I ate it and see if I had a similar result. It has literally been years in the making for me. But every time I find a food that agrees or doesn't agree with me, it is a great accomplishment.

My email address: lynne1408@earthlink.net

Wheat

I had noticed at the time of this first flare that I had been eating a lot of whole wheat muffins, made with wheat germ. They were homemade and delicious and I thought they would be healthy. It was here that I got my first clue that wheat may be a problem for me. I started by eliminating all wheat products from my diet; cereal, pizza, bread, bagels, cake, cookies... This immediately helped me, but not 100%.

Gluten

I then turned my attention to eliminating gluten as well. Gluten is a wheat protein, but also found in other grains such as oats and rye. I eliminated these as well. I could still eat potatoes and rice as well as gluten free noodles for my carbs.

Corn

It wasn't until I eliminated corn and all it's derivatives that I finally found 100% relief. This meant popcorn, corn starch, corn syrup. As well as corn derivatives such as white vinegar, citric acid and xantham gum. There area sites on the web that help list corn sources and derivatives. There are a lot! This was not an easy task for my to do. It also meant giving up soda pop! Now I drink Virgil's Cola, which is made from sugar, found in health food stores.

What I Eat

It seems that I would be very limited in what there is to eat. This is true, but I've learned to make substitutions. My basic diet:

All fruits and veggies (except corn)
chicken, pork, beef, fish (no lunch meats)
tuna and sardines
potatoes, rice and gluten free noodles
spaghetti sauce
peanut butter (Jiff)
jelly (without corn syrup or citric acid, hard to find)
pure maple syrup
plain yogurt
most cheese (not soft)
milk (not chocolate)
butter (in moderation because of fat) (no margerine)
olive oil and canola oil
apple cider vinegar
beans, chic peas
eggs
chocolate (pure, read label)
cream of rice cereal
gluten free waffles

Much more which I will go into in the future.