Food Allergies Part One

A long time ago, I read a chapter in a big gray booked simply titled "Alternative Medicine."
It's a fantastic book; it has info on all kinds of ailments and their suggested methods of alternative (non-pharmaceutical) treatments listed for each.



Of course, I turned right to the chapter (well, page) on lupus. One thing that jumped out at me was the claim that 100% of lupus patients have food allergies. ONE HUNDRED PERCENT? That makes the odds of my having food allergies, well, 100%.

So how was I going to find out what my food allergies were?
I did some poking around, in slow motion. reading and phone calls- this was 1994, so there was no internet to speak of. And I lived in South Carolina- not the bastion of progressive thought. What takes you 10 minutes to find information on nowadays took me weeks and persistence in 1994, if I could find anything at all.

I ended up getting an ELISA blood test from an MD who did complementary medicine. That's what we were calling it in 1994. You could also call it integrative, alternative, holistic, or functional medicine. Or, if you're really closed-minded, or enjoy being and staying sick, or have all your money invested in pharmaceuticals, you call it quackery.

There are a lot of opinions out there about food allergies, and they all contradict each other. (Why should any information that could be so helpful be straightforward and simple?). Over this series of posts (I don't know how many there will be yet!), I'll explore food allergy symptoms, most common food allergies, conflicting opinions on food allergies, and methods of testing for food allergies. The perhaps  I'll reveal my own food allergies in case you want to bake me something toxic in an effort to bring about my early demise.

Stay tuned, healthy people- and all of you who are on the journey to reclaiming your health.

Carla

*** If you or someone you know would like to live healthier, happier, freer life, e mail me for a free one-hour consultation: carla@thesingingpatient.com . I am a holistic health coach! Talk to someone who has been there and is living well now. You've got nothing to lose, and everything to gain! Start living your best life. ***

Carla Ulbrich, The Singing Patient and Health Coach

http://tinyurl.com/348hroc - Carla's book

www.singingpatientwellness.com - health coaching- visit this site to get a free e book on nutrition! 

www.thesingingpatient.com tour dates, videos, CDs, books

www.youtube.com/user/carlaulbrich- funny medical songs

Eating Out on a Strict Diet

Someone asked me today how I deal with eating out, with my strict diet. (I'm gluten-free, vegetarian, and also trying to avoid dairy.)

I don't have gluten or dairy (or meat) at home- I've found plenty of acceptable - even tasty- ways to substitute for both gluten and dairy at home. Almond milk in my smoothies, veganrella cheese on the occasion I want a little cheese, coconut milk ice cream on the occasions I just want a dab of ice cream... And gluten-free bagels, pizza crusts, and sandwich bread. Of course all fruits, nuts, seeds, and vegetables are dairy- and gluten-free (unless you coat them with cheese and bread crumbs- but you can even get GF bread crumbs and dairy-free cheese if you're so inclined).

It's not as hard as it once was to eat tasty food at home that is gluten-free and dairy-free. However, it's not as easy to eat gluten-free and dairy-free at a typical restaurant. I find myself going through the menu using the process of elimination: meat, wheat, wheat, meat, dairy dairy meat meat wheat ... Then getting a salad, or something off the "side orders" section, where all the vegetables are. I never eat gluten, but I have strayed on the dairy when eating out. And I pay for it. It's frustrating having such limited choices at restaurants.

However, I'm not willing to give up eating out altogether. I've found a few restaurants I really like and I frequent them because they have tasty gluten-free dairy-free options. Here's a bit about where I like to eat:

Frequently, I go to Moe's, a Mexican build-your-own-meal kinda place. This is a national chain.
http://www.moes.com/

You go down the assembly line and build your burrito, or taco, or quesadilla, or, in my case, since I am gluten-free as well as trying to be dairy-free, I get the rice bowl. The ingredients at Moe's are quality: organic tofu, grass-fed beef, fresh-made guacamole. So I get a tofu bowl with beans, guacamole and grilled onions, no cheese or sour cream, and it's quite tasty. I even indulge and have a few corn chips (corn is gluten-free). The salsa bar *rocks*! My favorite salsa is El Guapo. Yum!

When I was in South Carolina over Christmas, I at at Moe's 3 days in a row. I was tickled pink when they opened a Moe's just a mile and a half from our house in Somerset, New Jersey in January (it's in the Cedar Grove shopping center). It was like an answered prayer. Finally, somewhere nearby that has tasty non-gluten choices,  and is relatively cheap, fast and healthy. Plus they've always got good music playing.

I should point out that Moe's, like most restaurants, is not *perfectly* gluten free; the same utensils are used to scoop the beans and rice onto a burrito or quesadilla. So if you are Celiac or severely gluten intolerant, be mindful of that. The only chain restaurant I've visited that is extremely careful about cross-contamination is Uno's Pizzeria. Separate toppings, utensils, are cooking area for gluten-free, and the manager brings out the GF entrees him/herself.

Another chain that has a tasty gluten-free menu is PF Chang's (Chinese).

The other types of restaurants I really enjoy are Indian (plenty of gluten-free dishes, but many have cheese and cream) and Japanese (hardly ever has wheat or dairy unless you get hibachi- that has butter. Also you gotta BYO soy sauce, because most soy sauce has wheat in it. I use Bragg's Amino Acids).

So why am I gluten-free and (trying to also be) dairy-free? Any of you who have read my book already know the answer: the one time my lupus tests went negative (meaning, no sign of lupus) was when I stayed on a gluten-free, dairy-free (and no artificial sweeteners) diet. I was also doing chi gung daily and exercising regularly, but when I went back to eating dairy and maintained all the other things, my tests went positive again. So... you would think that would be enough incentive to stop eating it entirely, forever.

But I'm human, and I get lazy, or tired, or tempted. I don't eat dairy all day long, or even every day, or even very much, but it doesn't seem to take much to wreak havoc with me. I decided to have a treat on Valentine's Day, and I had a big dish of premium chocolate chip ice cream at a restaurant. (Yes, it was tasty.) And I felt fine... until the next day (this is the old delayed food allergy thing). Then for 2 days, I could not completely open my left hand.

To anyone who thinks I'm being high maintenance or picky by having such a diet, I say this: if I were being picky, I would not eliminate tasty foods. As far as being high maintenance? Yes, I am. But I do my own maintenance. I bring my own food to parties. I don't ask for special favors at restaurants.

Yes, I'd love to eat whatever, whenever. Wouldn't we all? But what would I like more than being able to eat whatever, whenever? Feeling great, looking great, and having enough energy to do whatever, whenever.

Maybe that means eating out less. Maybe it means learning to cook. Maybe it means learning to like different foods. Maybe it means funny looks or weird remarks from people who don't understand. I am delighted to endure any and all of that if it means I can use my hands without trouble and avoid more prednisone, more kidney failure, another stroke, and more hospitals.

Diet is powerful. I've found some things that help me stay healthy. It's well worth the trade-off.

A couple more resources for those who are or who are thinking of trying being gluten and/or dairy free:
Restaurant lookup:
http://allergyeats.com/

Gluten-free magazine:
http://www.livingwithout.com/

Thinking of going gluten-free or dairy free?
Try it for a few weeks.
Track your symptoms, especially fatigue, irritability, brain fog, digestive and bathroom issues.
Then decide for yourself.

Not everyone has gluten or dairy intolerance, but for those of us who do, we can finally be in control of our well-being with one or 2 diet changes.

Here's to your health-
Carla

*** If you or someone you know would like to live healthier, happier, freer life, e mail me for a free one-hour consultation - I am a holistic health coach! Talk to someone who has been there and is living well now. You've got nothing to lose, and everything to gain! Start living your best life. ***

Carla Ulbrich, The Singing Patient and Health Coach

http://tinyurl.com/348hroc - Carla's book

www.singingpatientwellness.com - health coaching- visit this site to get a free e book on nutrition! 

www.thesingingpatient.com tour dates, videos, CDs, books

www.youtube.com/user/carlaulbrich- funny medical songs

The Spoon Theory

One of the many frustrating things about having lupus, or any chronic illness, is trying to communicate to others what you're going through. When the disease is active, we often look better than we feel (thank heavens! it's one thing to look like crap, but who wants to also look like crap?), and some days we actually feel better than others. But the fact is, if you're struggling with an active chronic illness, life is different after diagnosis, and it can be hard to clearly explain your situation to "earth people."

If any of you have not seen or read or heard The Spoon Theory, you're in for a treat. This is blogger/ sepaker/ patient advocate Christine Miserandino's account of finally being able to explain to her best friend what it was like to manage very limited energy. The spoon theory is widely popular among those with chronic illness, because it seems to finally put into words what all of us at some point have struggled to communicate. Here it is being read by Christine herself:




I couldn't agree more with this: it can be a gift to have something in your life that forces your to live more deliberately. Thanks to Christine for this great explanation- a leap forward in communicating from both sides with empathy, compassion, and greater understanding.


Carla Ulbrich, The Singing Patient and Health Coach

http://tinyurl.com/348hroc - Carla's book

www.singingpatientwellness.com - health coaching- visit this site to get a free e book on nutrition! 

www.thesingingpatient.com tour dates, videos, CDs, books

www.youtube.com/user/carlaulbrich- funny medical songs

Leaky gut

One of the things that bothered me the most about being diagnosed with lupus (and there were many) was the total lack of answers to the question "why?" Why was my body attacking itself?

Mainstream medicine usually blames genetics, although there really hasn't been much in the way of proof that this disease is genetic. In fact, few diseases are purely genetic in origin. Besides, that whole "it's genetic" thing never rang true to me. I knew in my gut there was more to the picture. And speaking of gut, today's topic is. just that: leaky gut.

20 years after my diagnosis, the mindset is finally starting to shift because no one has been able to definitively prove a genetic cause. Now doctors are saying that autoimmune diseases are "multi-causal" (caused by several or many precipitating factors). Oh, good. Now we know why I got sick... lots of reasons. Glad we cleared that up.

No wonder I went elsewhere to find better answers. As I've spoken to and worked with alternative medicine practitioners over the last 20 years, one theory that has come up repeatedly is Leaky Gut Syndrome. Holes in the gut, or a permeable gut, allow partially undigested food to leak out into your bloodstream, causing the the body to form antibodies in an... oh, look AUTOIMMUNE response. I'm listening.

What causes the gut to start leaking?

1) Use of antibiotics. Our gut is made up of healthy (and unhealthy) bacteria. When we take an antibiotic, it kills everything- the good and bad guys. The good bacteria are what help us digest our food. But now they are gone. So food is leaking out undigested. On top of the absence of good guys, we also now have an overgrowth of bad guys- candida (yeast), which is small amounts is normal. When allowed to overgrow because there are no good bacteria to maintain balance, candida causes a host of problems, including many symptoms that sound a lot like lupus. 

2) stress

3) nicotine

4)other drugs: chemo, NSAIDs (advil, etc.), birth control, antacids, steroids (yes- if you didn't come into lupus with a leaky gut, you'll have one by the time they are done treating you!)

5) alcohol, excess sugar, soda, caffeine, processed foods

6) Various parasites, bacteria, mold and mycotoxins

7) nutritional deficiencies

8) food allergies

9) diseases such as Crohn's where the immune system is attacking the gut.

10) Overconsumption of grains. If you look at cows that eat grains instead of grass, they live much shorter, much more unhealthy miserable lives (see the movie "King Corn"). If you want to get a cow fat really fast, instead of letting her graze for grass, lock her in a stall and feed her corn. Sound pretty much like a day in the life of most Americans- sitting at a desk hunched over a computer, eating something probably made from corn or wheat. Those cows not only have a higher percentage of body fat, but are also very unhealthy and live much shorter lives than their ancestors. (Again, sound familiar?). Look, I love a big fat yeast roll as much as the next guy- I truly do. cake, cookies, donuts, pasta, pizza, yes. Love them all. But even gluten free, they are still grains, and eating too many grains and not enough plants is going to literally tear you up inside. And I mean "literally" not in the way most people use that word, like "really," but I mean literally as in "the literal sense of the word"- actual tears in your intestines. Hard to believe a soft, chewy pretzel could tear anything, but it can and does.

What do you think- Does it ring true to you? 

 This whole "leaky gut" theory sounded like a lot of hokum the first time I heard it, but the more I read and the more I do things to repair my gut, the more I believe it... in my gut...

*** If you or someone you know would like to live healthier, happier, freer life, e mail me for a free one-hour consultation - I am a holistic health coach! Talk to someone who has been there and is living well now. You've got nothing to lose, and everything to gain! Start living your best life. ***

Carla Ulbrich, The Singing Patient and Health Coach

http://tinyurl.com/348hroc - Carla's book

www.singingpatientwellness.com - health coaching- visit this site to get a free e book on nutrition! 

www.thesingingpatient.com tour dates, videos, CDs, books

www.youtube.com/user/carlaulbrich- funny medical songs

 

The Many virtues of Junk Food

Junk food:

• tasty
• addictive
• cheap
• convenient
• lasts forever on a shelf

Healthy food:

• blah-tasting
• have to force myself to eat it
• costs more
• requires effort to prepare
• have to go out of my way to find healthy food, in stores and restaurants and at parties (usually have to bring my own healthy food to a party)
• goes bad in a matter of days in the fridge (or on the counter)
• worst of all, requires me to eat my own cooking. And anyone who's ever eaten my cooking (few have done so and lived to tell the tale) knows what cruel and unusual punishment this is.

I think I've made my case. Junk food is the better choice.

Oh wait. I forgot about this part:

Junk food causes:

• migraines
• candida overgrowth
• diabetes
• ADHD
• obesity
• high blood pressure
• inflammation
• etc.

health food:

• sticks in your teeth. Spinach, broccoli, beans, they all stick in your teeth. Ew!

Seems pretty clear, doesn't it? Junk food wins, hands down.

On a completely unrelated note, here's the word of the day:

fa·ce·tious [fuh-see-shuhs]

/fəˈsiʃəs/ Show Spell

adjective

1. not meant to be taken seriously or literally: a facetious remark.

2. amusing; humorous.

3. lacking serious intent; concerned with something nonessential, amusing, or frivolous: a facetious person.

Carla Ulbrich, The Singing Patient and Health Coach

www.thesingingpatient.com tour dates, videos, CDs, books

www.singingpatientwellness.com - health coaching- visit this site to get a free e book on nutrition! 

www.youtube.com/user/carlaulbrich- funny medical songs

http://tinyurl.com/348hroc - Carla's book