Comfort in the Kitchen

After a pretty tough week last week, I found myself in the kitchen recreating recipes in an attempt to comfort myself with food.  And the goal was to replicate foods I once loved but can no longer have.  I spent most of the summer trying to do this for my daughter so that when it came time to go back to school she could have 'copy-cat' foods.  I didn't want her to ever feel that just because she has food allergies that she's different and has to live life without. It's been a challenge to make something that brings a smile to her face as she's a very picky eater, but we have had some wonderful successes. :)

Over the weekend, I made some Gluten Free Vegan Crusty Bread from Ginger Lemon Girl along with some Magic Sauce from 101 Cookbooks.  Oh, my, was my belly in heaven!!  The Magic Sauce was so good, I made another batch to take to some of my GFFs (gluten-free friends).  My daughter said the bread was "yummy," which I know she thought so for it disappeared quite quickly. :)  Plus, one of my GFFs said the bread was the best she's tasted since going gluten-free.  It's always fun when you spend that much time, energy, and money into your creations and they turn out better than you could have ever imagined.  I know the days of taking a single bite and spitting "it" out in the trash aren't over, but it's nice that it's no longer the norm.

I also made some Paleo Spiced Nuts from Elanas Pantry.  These were such a hit with all the kids that I had to make three batches!  Half my kids don't even like plain nuts so this non-verbal fact is saying I hit the jackpot....which doesn't happen often enough with now 6 in the mix.  I'm excited to have found such health-ful foods for my family and friends.

Today, I was back in the kitchen trying to recreate graham crackers for my daughter.  She used to love them and I want her to love them once again.  I followed the Grahams Plain and Fancy Recipe from The Sensitive Pantry.  (You should note that I make adjustments as necessary whenever I follow a recipe to adapt them to our likes and allergies so my version may not be exact)  My daughter isn't home from school yet, but I know she will not like them.  The molasses has overtaken the taste and she doesn't care for molasses.  So, tomorrow I will try again, omitting the molasses, or at least toning it down, and using more honey.  However, they taste very similar to my Great Aunts' molasses cookies and, once again, I am a very happy me.  Not just because my belly is happy, but because I found comfort in the memories I have attached to one of my all-time favorite cookies.

My Great Aunt Aggie and Aunt Laura used to make molasses cookies every Christmas.  It was my Grandma's job to ice them.  Since as long as I can remember, that we a task she shared with us grand-kids. I remember anxiously awaiting the day when the cookies were baked and ready to frost.  It was almost like waiting for Christmas morning without knowing which morning Christmas would come.  When 'the day' would finally come, we'd go over to Grandma's house where she had the card table set up with a table cloth, different colored powdered sugar icings and sprinkles.  I remember being in awe at the great job she did decorating her cookies and she would tell us that ours looked better than hers.  For those cookies which we felt didn't make the cut, we quickly ate so that no one would ever see our 'mess ups.' :)

My Great Aunts have passed away and my mom has carried on the family tradition with now my children frosting the cookies.  My Grandma comes over to help 'oversee' the baking activities and to eat some of the 'mess ups.'  Since developing Celiac, I can no longer be around when white flour is in the air or even touch something made of gluten with my bare hands.  So I've missed out on some of the family traditions as I've had to live without - without favorite food, without family fun, without making memories.  And that sadness often led to me hiding out in the bathroom with the Kleenex box.  As time passed, it became easier.  Yet, I still longed for those Christmas molasses cookies and being able to decorate them with my girls and with  my mom as "Grandma."

Today - the graham cracker 'flop' is my Christmas molasses cookie replica!  I have struck gold and couldn't be more excited!  Dancing in the kitchen once again :) And with the successes over the weekend, I realize that I am actually cooking and baking myself to a place where I am just as healthy as I am happy.  I am finding joy in the sorrow - I cannot wait to make these with Christmas cookie cutters in 8 weeks or so - and a hope for brighter tomorrows for the foods I'm now creating and eating actually bring health to our bodies.

With all this said, I hope you, too, find that living the g-free life is truly living!  I must run off now as my GF neighbor is coming over to share a little smackeral of crackers and nuts - the perfect afternoon 'pick-me-up.'                      

Leaky Gut Syndrome

This is a very common but often overlooked condition that can just create havoc in one's digestive system, causing problems in nearly every area of one's body and brain.  So, today, I'm going to give Leaky Gut a little attention.  I've battled with this condition relentlessly during my 12 year battle with Lyme.  And due to my delicate system, I cannot tolerate glutamine - the main ingredient in all supplemental formulas to help heal a leaky gut.  So, this makes eradicating it bit more difficult.  Also, I'm an avid cyclist.  I recently read that even physical activity is a form of stress on one's body so eating within an hour post-exercising could lead to a Leaky Gut.  Hmmm...no wonder why my belly didn't digest anything after my long rides.  Here's the scoop on LGS-  

Over a lifetime, the average person ingests more than 25 tons of food that provides nutrients each of us need to survive; however, this food may also contain harmful bacteria, viruses, and toxins, which can be damaging to the system.  Leaky Gut Syndrome, sometimes referred to as intestinal permeability, is a major gastrointestinal disorder that occurs when openings develop in the gut wall.  Harmful microorganism are then able to pass through these openings and enter the circulatory system.  As a result, leaky gut syndrome can lead to and is linked to many systemic inflammatory and immune-related symptoms including: rheumatoid arthritis, autism, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, multiple sclerosis, eczema, dermatitis, fibromyalgia, Crohn's disease, Raynaud's disease, chronic hives, ulcerative colities and inflammatory bowel disease.

Signs and Symptoms

• Food allergies and sensitivities
• Facial swelling upon exposure to strong smells
• Bloating, gas, and cramps immediately after eating
• Alternating constipation and diarrhea
• Headaches, poor concentration, and irritability
• Insomia
• Anxiety
• Gluten intolerance
• Malnutrition
• Muscle cramps and pains
• Poor exercise tolerance

It has been said Leaky Gut Syndrome affects millions of people worldwide and often goes undiagnosed by the mainstream medical profession despite being a chronic debilitating condition.  The main way to deal with LGS is through nutrition.  It is important to get one's body back to optimum health and avoid the foods or toxins which are causing allergic reactions, so that the damaged villi in the intestine have a chance to heal and so that your liver has the time and energy to detoxify your body.  There is no wonder drug to cure a leaky gut.  Dealing with LGS is about dealing with the causes of the condition.

What causes it?

Inflammation of the gut lining is the root cause of Leaky Gut Syndrome.  Gut inflammation is usually instigated by one of the several of the following:

• Prescription hormones (ie, birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy) and prescription corticosteroids (ie, hydrocortisone)
• Processed food as well as foods and beverages contaminated by parasites, fungus, and/or mold
• Increased amounts of refined carbohydrates (ie, candy bars, cookies, soft drinks, and white bread)
• Shortage of important enzymes resulting from increased intake of non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as asprin, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen
• Increased alcohol and caffeine consumption

Under the concepts of functional medicine, assessment is oriented toward determining what is impeding your body's ability to function normally.  While some of the conventional medical approaches may help in this determination, they may not necessarily apply to a functional approach.  By working with a functional medicine physician, like Dr. Gulla in Colorado Springs, Dr. Mike Pierce in Denver, CO, or Health NOW clinic in SFO, they will help determine which assessment tools will be most helpful in establishing a treatment strategy specifically geared to creating a solution for your body's needs (IE, food sensitivity, candida or parasite testing).

NUTRITION as a SOLUTION

For many people, eating a proper diet lessens the symptoms of Leaky Gut Syndrome.  This 'diet' most likely will be based upon one's food sensitivities.  But know sugar is definitely an inhibitor to obtaining good health as it suppresses the immune system. Also, large meals can cause cramping and diarrhea in those with LGS so eating smaller meals more often or eating smaller portions may help to ease the pain.  I personally am eating little amounts all day long.  Since food allergies often times are invovled, discovering the foods which are not healthy for you will also reduce symptoms and promote overall gastrointestinal health. There are nutritional supplements which will help your belly heal quicker, too.  Making a paste with Slippery Elm and 1/4c water first thing in the AM will help coat the intestinal lining.  Aloe Vera juice in small amounts is a great natural remedy as are high-quality probiotics.  

My Story

Due to popular demand, Ok, thanks to Emma's mom for your request :) I have returned to blogging. It's been quite some time since I've really gotten into this and I apologize. My computer crashed (but that was expected since I dropped it. Oops!), my oldest son returned home to live (YAY!), summer was very busy with kids and company, my health took a nose-dive, blah, blah, blah. But I want you to know that now that I'm back, I'm back with a passion - with a fire in my belly, with a desire to educate and inform others on the importance of taking control of their own health and making wise decisions on what they eat as it is so true, "you are what you eat." I want others to learn what I've learned - and am continuing to learn - so that perhaps we all can live life to our fullest potential. A life full of health and happiness. My desire is to help prevent disease so that one doesn't have to live the after-affects of its damage and destruction. I have seen the devastation, which most likely led to death in this case, because one was not diagnosed with Celiac- a very controllable illness with simply a proper diet. Something so simple, yet so overlooked in the medical world.

I know this to be true for my own appointments with an immunologist this summer. Upon showing the immuno my results from the IgG NeuroScience Food Sensitivity Test ordered by my chiropractic neurologist (Dr. Gulla at n8 Wellness in Colorado Springs) which showed I was sensitive to 90 foods - everything I was eating - she said, "Those types of tests mean nothing. It's our testing that shows what's important. I wouldn't worry about these results and wouldn't change a thing in your diet, expect maybe reduce your intake of the foods which are high on the list."

While I liked what she had to say for it was a "WooHoo!! I can eat whatever I want to!" I knew in my crazy belly that she was wrong. There was a reason why I was reacting to everything I was eating and that reason couldn't be a good one. In my quest to learn more, I discovered just how far from the truth she was. Dr. Gulla informed me that with results like mine, I had to have Leaky Gut..again, or most likely, still. With Lyme disease, nothing ever stays the same, most conditions remain an unsolvable mystery and just plain complicated, and one will always have issues with their belly. Those darn bugs - and parasites - love to live in one's belly and make a mess of everything they come into contact with. And with leaky gut, this means they can squiggle their way out of one's gut and into the rest of one's body creating even more havoc. To make matters worse, some Lymies - like me - cannot tolerate the tradition treatment (glutamine and aloe) for leaky gut. So, what's one to do? I have yet to find the answer but I'm working on it and promise I will let you know as soon as I find out.

What's the big deal with Leaky Gut you may be wondering? Oh, it's a very, very big deal. Google it and be amazed at what you learn (I'll be posting a lot more on this subject in the near future). Since 70-80% of one's immune system resides in one's belly, it's imperative to one's overall health both today and all tomorrows that one's belly is well. If there's damage to it and it's not able to function properly one can contract not just colds and the flu, but auto-immune diseases of all kinds - including cancer. This is never a good thing. And to have an immunologist look at my report and totally dismiss it is just plain wrong! To think if I listened to her and not Dr. Gulla, I could continue collecting chronic illnesses (I have nearly 20 diagnosis as a result of Lyme), continue to feel sick and tired and be so tired of feeling sick and tired, and may even contract an illness which would take my life away - not just my lifestyle like most the ones to date have done.

So it's out of this my heart is filled with a passion to educate and inform. To provide possible answers and solutions (remember I don't have a medical degree, just am a 'professional patient'), recipes and how-to's, and point people like you in the right direction so that you may recover what you've lost, regain your 'balance' in life, and be restored, renewed, and revived to live your life to the fullest each day.