Month: November 2018

Thanksgiving used to be my favorite holiday of the year. It’s one of those days where you have nothing to be upset about because it’s all about being thankful for what you have. Not to mention the FOOD. But recently, Thanksgiving has been more anxious for me than anything. Lactose intolerance comes and goes for me, diagnosed when I was a kid. However, I have not been diagnosed with a wheat allergy but eliminating it from my diet helped ease the symptoms of my gastrointestinal conditions. I was diagnosed with GERD, IBS and a hiatal hernia this past May. In other words, my digestive track is an absolute nightmare.

Gastro issues run in my family so it’s not a surprise that I have accumulated three of my own. They didn’t fully blossom until three months before my diagnosis. I would be bed ridden for days, missing class and work for stomach pains I didn’t understand. It was like everything I put in my body was rejected one way or another. It caused me to drop 40 lbs in only two months and now I’m up to a loss of 70 lbs which in all fairness was much needed but I felt like I was just disintegrating. Getting compliments on my weight loss confused me because of how ill I always felt. It was difficult for me to accept the compliment because it was a result of something that was picking away at my quality of life. To be blunt, I felt like shit and to be honest I still do. This continues to impact my life everyday. I continue to lose weight but luckily not as fast anymore. Here’s a before and after picture for reference.

Even now, ten months after the start of my symptoms, it still makes me uncomfortable to hear, “Wow you look great! You’ve lost weight!” It seemed to only echo this year at Thanksgiving because of the abundance of family members who haven’t seen me since last year.

Due to my body’s adverse reactions to most foods, I struggle to even complete the act of eating. I have to eat very slow, small portions and preferably standing to help digestion. It’s kind of embarrassing to only be able eat a fourth of what’s normal at the speed of a snail. It’s obvious that something is wrong and the anxiety from the concerning stares completely depletes any remaining form of appetite.

I’m not the only one in this world who struggles with food. Please think before you point out someone’s eating habits this holiday season. You never know what they are struggling with: an eating disorder, a physical illness or something else that’s no one’s business. And to those who struggle with eating these holidays: you don’t owe an explanation to anyone, take your time and enjoy yourself. Be patient with family members, they care about you, their comments are not always coming from bad intentions. Lean on those who you are thankful for and take care of one another. Happy Holidays!

 

Baking is a whole different ball game when you are gluten and/ or dairy free. Milk substitutes don’t always act like regular dairy milk. The science is different in the flour too. Wheat flour bakes much differently than other flours like rice and or tapioca. The best way I have avoided the headache of figuring out the science myself and enlisted some help from pre-made, packaged baking mixes. These are not very cost effective but can be fun to make with friends and family this holiday season.

King Arthur is the safest bet for any baking need. All of their mixes are gluten and dairy free. They have a massive selection to choose from. You can even make doughnuts with one of their mixes. Most of their recipes call for butter or margarine (which can be dairy-free), eggs and vegetable oil. If a recipe calls for milk, the best substitute is Lactaid milk. However, if you have a dairy allergy and not a lactose intolerance, it’s best to use a milk with a different source (almond or soy milk).

Minimum ingredient baking items are also great. Did you know that you can make gluten and dairy free pancakes without a pre-made mix? All you need is bananas, baking soda and eggs. Check out this video for simple banana pancakes!

Pinterest is a great social media site for people struggling with finding allergen-free food options. There is a whole community out there for exchanging different recipes for dairy-free, gluten-free, egg-free, etc. restrictions. It’s not impossible anymore to find options. They are out there. It takes some research to come across a recipe you really like because you want it to taste as similar to regular food as possible. Try incorporating some naturally allergen-free favorites of yours to make it your own.

I grew up lactose-intolerant. I took Lactaid pills and made my own food when I went to birthday parties as a kid. The most important thing for me was to fit in because everyone else could eat what they wanted. Lactaid pills didn’t work for me and the smallest bit of lactose ignited the physical rejection so I always felt like the odd one out. Allergies and intolerances are far more common than they were 10 years ago so parents are very aware.

Now, I have grown out of my lactose intolerance and have developed a wheat allergy or gluten intolerance so I’ve hunted for plenty of affordable substitutes in my lifetime for all kinds of allergens. Here are a couple of my favorites.

Dairy – Milk Substitute

Almondmilk is probably your cheapest option. If you like to drink milk by itself, I recommend getting a flavored almond milk because the regular doesn’t have much taste to it at all. The closest thing to regular milk that I’ve found from personal experience is the Reduced Sugar Vanilla Almond Breeze Almondmilk. Other brands are good too as long as you don’t get the fully sweetened milks. For more options from Almond Breeze, check out their website.

Wheat or Gluten – Bread Substitute

Schar’s gluten-free breads are going to be the best bang for your buck. The bread has great texture and is great for toast. I use this for my classic PB&J sandwiches; the bread is that soft. The multi-grain is a little more dense but it’s excellent for toast to pair with your favorite breakfast. This brand is also very accessible. You don’t have to hunt for it. It’s in most Walmarts and other big name grocery stores. Trader Joes also has lots of gluten-free items at their locations, make sure to check out their website. They have the best gluten-free breads but for a higher price.

There are also lots of great subsitutes for those with nut allergies. Depending on what nut(s) you are allergic to there are lots of alternatives: cashew butter, almond butter and sun butter (completely nut-free).