New Year

The new year begins in less than five minutes.  I am hearing fireworks and watching snow fall softly past the street light and it looks like silver glitter.  I worked and then came home with a bad headache to the warmth of my bed.

I remember new year celebrations past with fondness.  We would play games and make treats, sometimes even molasses candy on top of newly fallen snow?  We would write in our journals and bang pots and pans and watch fireworks if any of our neighbors were rich enough to have them.

Later, as a tween, we would stay up as long as possible hopped up on Mountain Dew and mystery meals we made with whatever ingredients we could find.  As a teen, we worked-under the table-back in the kitchen at a catering company.  We would have left over food and I remember eating myself sick on steak and shrimp.

I hope the new year brings a safe and healthy year for me and everyone.

Happy New Year!

Eating Healthy at Work

With food allergies, eating healthy at work can be a challenge. My work kindly has a very nice grill which we use often. There is a store across the street and I can go get salmon or steak or whatever looks good and grill it up on my lunch break . A steamer bag of vegetables or a yam in the microwave with some olive oil round out my triangle of health.

However, some nights are blizzards and standing outside to cook is uncomfortable if not downright miserable. On such nights the solutions are crock pots and baby skillets. Tonight I made cheese sandwiches with organic Irish butter, UDIs GFbread and a thin slice of cheese. It is a simple and easy way to have something hot to eat away from home.

Christmas 2012

It was a low key Christmas with lots of napping and movie watching. I baked a whole chicken and made instant mashed potatoes. It was really good.

Christmas

We had an early Christmas dinner and it was enjoyable because I didn't do much. My family brought over food and we did a potluck dinner.

I had heard about a gluten free bakery and went by to see what it was like. They had rolls for the holiday and different cookies and cup cakes. I had a pretty good stomach ache from the grains and a nice headache from the sugar rush.

The place is call Eleanor's Bake Shop and the website is the same. They had sold out of bread and most of their baked goods but had sugar cookies and muffins and rolls. I had a hot roll with dinner for the first time on years. It is a deli as well as a bakery and they serve sandwiches and soups and salads.

It made Christmas dinner delicious just to have a roll and a sugar cookie for dessert.

Back To Work

Being back to work when I should be home recovering isn't as bad as I thought it would be. It forces me to stop feeling sorry for myself and stop moping around the house.

The pain in my abdomen is tolerable if I keep my Tylenol and ibuprofen levels steady. When I am at home a heating ad or a hot bath keep me relaxed. Lying down is much better than sitting or standing as gravity seems to be bad for the tumors.

The bleeding is still excessive and I am taking iron supplements due to anemia. I have severe menstrual symptoms and am quite moody. I will burst into tears periodically and am quite upset that I have to endure the next few weeks.

Being a stress eater is something I struggle with and I find myself making poor choices because I am already sick and miserable. I just want to drink soda and eat candy and stay in bed in the dark and quiet.

Everything will work out eventually for good or bad. I've already lost half of my mind and I will try to hold on to the other half until the surgery.

Surgery Saga

Surgery is happening tomorrow at 11:30.  Dr. has provided the documentation necessary to the authorization team.  He does not approve of waiting until after the first of the year.  Fingers crossed that it will be enough for the approval.  Either way, the surgery will get done and I won't have an extra few weeks off work to worry about.

It is the insurance company policy to deny certain procedures during the first year of coverage.  They are not trying to say my condition is a pre-existing condition, only that the procedure is not covered within the first year of signing up for coverage.  I hope they will make the exception and may regret the decision not to wait the extra few weeks to make sure it is covered.  I have already lost most of my mind from the pain and discomfort and bleeding and am quite sure I will lose my sanity if I wait until after the first of the year.

Meals are made and in the freezer and Judith and Leon are making home made chicken soup for me.  Everything I have read about recovery is about eating bone broth because it helps healing.  I will be drinking lots of green tea with coconut oil and eating chicken soup with bone marrow.  That will be my forced diet until I feel like eating normally.

Because I don't feel good, I made easy meals to prepare to be down and out for a few weeks.  I used individually portions meats which were easy to bake in the oven, pork chops, salmon, chicken and baked them all together and then paired them with frozen vegetables cooked in steamer bags.  Add some butter or oil when heating and it is a perfect paleo meal to help with recovery.

You hope you are malignant?

I faxed in my appeal to the authorization team and called to verify it was received. I confirmed that it was denied because of the procedure itself. Within the first year of coverage there are certain procedures which are not approved.

I am having my Dr. Send them the results of my biopsy to see if there are any cancerous or pre-cancerous cells. If the biopsy showed a malignancy then it is a life- threatening condition and the surgery tomorrow will be approved. For a few moments, I hoped that I was malignant just to get the surgery done.

I don't want to have cancer cells in my body. My immune system is too sad to deal with aggressive cancer cells.

After speaking with the authorization team and finding out it generally takes 72 hours at least and usually two weeks for an appeal to be approved, it is looking more like I will be waiting until after the first of the year for my surgery.

Healthcare

I am very stressed out over my upcoming surgery and found out last night that the procedure is considered pre- existing if it is within the first year of coverage.

My coverage started January 1, 2012 so I am a few weeks shy of a year. It's bullshit. Even Aflac only has a six month pre- existing condition clause. I have to call back Monday morning and speak with a special authorization team to see if they will allow an exception.

I'm very annoyed that I have to beg for a surgery I need which was diagnosed within the last two weeks and through which I have been suffering for a few months. Obamacare isn't looking so bad.

I'm going to crawl back in bed and feel extra sorry for myself and stress over it until Monday. I may have to wait until the first of the year and that makes me miserable. I would cry if I could. Maybe I will watch the movie Beaches or listen to some country music to get the tears flowing. Any suggestions for getting tears started?

Hot Lava

I have joined the world of technology and now have an iPhone. It is making it easier to check email and keep my blog updated and I am enjoying it.
What I am not enjoying is being sick. Test are done and I have uterine fibroids (non-cancerous tumors in my uterus). I have a surgical consult next week and must decide on a full or partial hysterectomy. I am leaning toward taking everything out .
I have been trying to eat SCD ( special carbohydrate diet) but it has proven to be difficult for me. I need a good cheat day to at least eat some sugar if not rice products. What is left of my soul shrivels up and hides when I eat too strictly.
No matter how I eat I seem to get a new health problem anyway so it makes it hard to have the desire to be healthy. My current problem is excessive menstrual bleeding with cramps x10. I'm miserable and cranky and just mad. Surgery freaks me out and I don't know how long I will be off work to recover.
I have hope that I will feel better soon and know that a positive attitude makes healing easier. It is really hard for me to find that positive feeling. Humor certainly makes it better and a co- worker, after hearing me compare my bleeding to a volcanic lava flow, called me lava crotch. I certainly am a hot lava mess.

Fall Soup

Being sick is tiring.  I can't believe that I haven't posted since July, but I have barely been able to go to work and keep a paycheck.  I'm working with my doctor but basically my thyroid blew out (underactive) and my girl parts need to be removed (that is my opinion, the jury is still out pending tests).  When I am sick, I don't eat right, exercise right, or act right.  I need a cook and maid and mother for my son.  On the bright side, fall is beautiful and brings harvests of yummy food.

I made soup with the banana squash from my parent's garden and it was delicious.

I cut up the squash into big pieces and boiled them in salted water until it was completely soft.
Cool the pieces and then scrape the squash into a blender with some of the water from the pan.
Add seasonings and, if you want, butter/oil/cream.  I used salt and pepper and coconut oil.

So easy and fast and warms the soul (if you have one).

Snakes

Yesterday's Meals
Breakfast: Bacon, eggs and broccoli
Lunch: Pork steaks slow cooked in the crock pot and spinach, gluten free cake with strawberries and cream
Dinner: Salad with pork leftover from lunch and Braggs Sesame Ginger salad dressing and a yam with coconut oil

So far today
Breakfast: Carne asade steak with scrambled eggs cooked with jalapenos

I am quite uncomfortable today due to whipped cream.  I made a tasty gluten-free yellow cake (King Arthur brand) with strawberries and whipped heavy cream and it was just sooooo good.  I was only going to have a little bit of cream, but then I had a lot.  In fact, I made some cream cheese and whipped cream for frosting and ate that as well.  I am miserable and enjoyed every bite of that misery.  However, it reminded me that I enjoy the absence of stomach pain more than I enjoy dairy products.  I have been trying to eat homemade yogurt and I have been ill and decided to stop eating it and take a pill instead.  At least I tried and I feel a sense of accomplishment for making the yogurt myself and having it turn out as well as it did.

I wish sugar gave me an adverse reaction so that it would be easier to say no to sugar.  The Specific Carbohydrate Diet  is working well, but it is hard to stick with.  It really only works when it is done religiously to starve the bad bacteria and get the intestine back to a natural state of balance.

My sister is doing very well with SCD (she has more self-control than I do) and explained that she has to starve the vicious tiger in her belly and that by eating even a small amount of bad sugar, she is feeding the tiger.  I had to change my evil entity to a snake, because I am terrified of snakes.  I view my intestines as a beautiful garden of eden in which a vicious, evil, destructive snake has grown mad with power because of eating bad sugars.  The only way to remove this evil snake is to starve it and make it die!  The only way to starve the snake and stop it from killing all the other good bacteria is to stop eating bad sugars.  If I take even one bite of sugar, I am feeding the snake and allowing it to continue destroying my intestines.

Whatever it takes.

Speaking of snakes, I saw one yesterday on a hike.  The benefit of living in Utah by the mountains is taking beautiful hikes.  Big Cottonwood and Little Cottonwood are just minutes away and there are so many  hikes to enjoy.  I was at the trail head by the river and a medium size water snake slithered quickly off the trail into the underbrush.  My rational mind knows it is a water snake and that there was no rattle or diamond shapes to cause alarm.  My irrational self screams like a strangled cat and springs through the air10 feet backwards and tries to go get back in the car.  When my heart stopped racing, I was able to go on the hike, but kept careful watch and made a lot of noise to scare away those nasty snakes.

Summer Days

Breakfast is a meal I have had to force myself to enjoy.  Now that I am eating right for my gut, I realize that an appropriate breakfast is the building block of a healthy day.  I try hard to stay with my triangle of protein, good vegetable carbohydrate and good fat and find that I have more energy throughout the day if I can hit that target.

I had leftover ham and leftover brussel sprouts so I reheated them and fried and egg in coconut oil.  It was easy and satisfying and even looked kind of pretty.

In an effort to exercise and enjoy the coolness of the canyons, we took a nice hike up Little Cottonwood Canyon.  The rocks were a good work out, but I was afraid of snakes and had to turn back for fear of falling off the mountain at the steep parts.  Across the canyon by the raging river there was a beautiful shaded grove of pine trees which smelled so delicious.  That spot is my idea of heaven, just no snakes!

My friend is very kind and made gluten-free maple pastries for the people in her family who are allergic to wheat.  She had some dough left over and I rolled out the dough into a square, wrapped up a hot dog and brushed it with coconut oil and baked it in the oven.  It was so delicious.  I couldn't even remember the last time I had eaten a corn dog.  The dough was a ready-made mix she found at the grocery store (Harmons) and it was the closest thing to regular dough I have seen yet.  It did give me some heart burn (any type of grain flour seems to cause me heart burn) but no stomach trouble and it will be worth the discomfort as an occasional special treat.

I have been making my own yogurt to introduce good bacteria as outlined by the Specific Carbohydrate Diet  (SCD) and confirmed, once again, that I just don't like yogurt.  I am eating it anyway, but putting it in a smoothie or a lot of fruit to drown out the taste and change the texture.  Bleah.  I made yogurt with coconut milk and it was not smooth or delicious, rather, it was tart and clumpy.  I would rather take a pill, but it is necessary to ferment the yogurt for at least 24 hours to get the right enzymes and bacteria.  I need to study it more.  I am trying to fit it in my diet and am welcome to any and all suggestions.

Speaking of the SCD, it is impossible.  It is a rare day that I can completely follow the guidelines.  I do quite well most of time, but find myself taking a drink of something or eating a bite of something I shouldn't.  I think my subconscious is already taxed to the limit with avoiding gluten and dairy and corn products and just doesn't want to stop eating sugar and gluten-free grains.  That subconscious of mine tries to sabotage me all of the time.  In addition to the daily mistakes, I truly miss a cheat day.  SCD calls for total dedication for at least two months and I just don't have it in me.  I feel picked on already and restricting my diet even more makes me lose my motivation to eat healthy.  I so admire people with the will power and drive to tell their subconscious to piss off and eat right.  I hope to find that kind of strength at some point.

Muffins are all the rage at my house, and at my work.  I couldn't find flax meal at my local stores, so I used almond flour and coconut flour and have made some delicious creations.  I used the recipe found below andy friend loaned me her book about muffins and I am going to make most of them (there were a few that didn't sound good, like lox and cream cheese muffins).  Friends at work are also making gluten-free muffins with flax and chia and fresh fruit from the garden and bringing them to share.  My favorite so far are the blueberry (shown below), but the cinnamon walnut turned out great as well.

I substituted raw stevia for sugar in some, but didn't add any sweetener to others and I think they taste great.  Stevia is an excellent sweetener which doesn't negatively impact blood sugar.  I think I can detect a slight after taste with stevia, so I generally avoid sweetening my muffins.  If I put fruit in the muffin, it provides a natural sweetness which I prefer.

I have noted that I can only eat two muffins at a time or I develop intestinal discomfort and heart burn.  This has me confused because it is nut flour and not grain flour.  It is possible that my gut is just telling me not to eat the entire batch of muffins just because they smell and taste so good.

Muffins are a great way to provide a "bread" to a meal.  I am excited to make the savory muffins with Italian seasonings to go with spaghetti squash.  Muffins are easy to make and can be frozen for later use.  I highly recommend almond flour muffins for paleo and gluten-free eaters alike.

Flax Muffin

I have found a recipe that is so versatile, quick and delicious.
This isn't anything new. If you do an internet search for One Minute Low Carb Flax Muffin multiple options come up.

The basic recipe is:
1 teaspoon coconut oil or melted pastured butter (Good Fat!)
1 egg (mmm Protein)
1/4 cup ground flax meal* (Omega 3's! Fiber, Low Carbs, Grain Free)
1 teaspoon baking powder (grain free courtesy of The Spunky Coconut)

 Choose a coffee cup for a muffin like shape, or a bowl for a bun.

Put melted coconut oil and incorporate in the egg. Add flax meal, baking powder and options of your choice. Microwave 1 minute. Upend mug or bowl

After that basic recipe you can add a multitude of delicious things turning it into a savory or sweet option.
Some of my favorites are below:

1 teaspoon Saigon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg

3 Tablespoons Shredded Cheese
1 Jalapeno slice diced

1 Tablespoon Orange Zest
1 Teaspoon sweetener of choice

 Blueberries

1 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder
1 teaspoon sweetener of choice (If using liquid Stevia about three drops.)

1/4 banana smashed
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
1 Tablespoon chopped Pecans

 Anything else you can imagine.

The variation we had tonight was delicious.
Added to the basic recipe was

2 Tablespoons Shredded Parmesan Cheese
1/8 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
shake of Black Pepper

Cooked it a bowl and cut it in half to make a "bun" for our Philly Cheese steak.
1 bag of frozen mix pepper onion blend in skillet
3 Tablespoons pastured butter
1 package of nitrate free, roast beef laid on top
Several slices of Mozzarella cheese
Shake of Oregano over the top

 * Flax is not part of the SCD diet. 2 Tablespoons Coconut Flour and 2 Tablespoons Almond Meal can be substituted. I haven't tried this yet but I intend to.

Specific Carbohydrate Summer

SCD Summer

I just finished reading and summarizing the book Breaking the Vicious Cycle, by Elaine Gottschall.  It explains the specific carbohydrate diet and the science behind healing the intestine.

Having read the book and now have a better understanding of what goes on biologically in the intestine, I am ready to embrace the diet and give it a committed try to further improve my health.

Basically, eating specific foods creates a cycle in the intestine which can only be cured by depriving the intestine of those foods.

In people with specific diseases, some carbohydrates are not digested or absorbed and remain in the intestine where they create damaging gases and acids.  This causes all sorts of problems. 

The intestinal wall tries to protect itself by building a thick layer of mucus but this layer turns into a soil bed where bad bacteria thrives and grows out of control.

In a normal intestine, the body naturally keeps a balance of good and bad bacteria.  In a sick intestine, the balance cannot be maintained and bad bacteria take over.  The rest of the body suffers from this imbalance.

By starving the intestine of the bad carbohydrates and introducing good bacteria with homemade yogurt the intestine can return to a normal balance and the body can heal itself and get back to doing the job of maintaining balance in the intestine and the rest of the body.

Eating gluten-free and lactose-free is not enough to heal the intestine completely. The SCD diet is similar to the paleo diet with the exception of what sugars are allowed (saccharine and honey) and what oils are allowed (vegetable oils).

My suggestion is to pay careful attention to what your body tells you and keep a food journal to note reactions.  I personally would avoid saccharine because it is a sugar made in a lab and avoid honey because it has such a high glycemic count and will spike blood sugar.  I would also research oils carefully and stick with coconut and olive oil along with other oils from nuts which have not been processed in labs.

The hardest part of SCD for me will be removing soda, potatoes and yams from my diet.   I will by crying into my food for a while, but that will just be added salt to make it taste better.

I will post the summary here for your reading pleasure if you would like to read the entire summary.  I also made a table with the allowed foods so I can post it on my fridge.

Breaking the Vicious Cycle

The book, Breaking the Vicious Cycle, by Elaine Gottschall, explains how to obtain intestinal health and heal the gut using the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD).  This diet is a healthy eating program using a complex carbohydrate plan.  It is a wholesome diet grounded in medical research which uses a natural approach to digestive problems.

The goal of the diet is to remove sucrose, lactose and starch from the diet to starve the overgrowth of bacteria and microbes in the intestine.  SCD corrects malabsorption, inscreases the health of the cells of the body, strengthens the immune system, prevents further damage and allows a return to health

It is a hypothesis that intestinal problems can be changed by manipulating the types of carbohydrates ingested, mainly carbohydrates containing sucrose and starch.  It is further hypothesized that removing grains and dairy (lactose) can bring remission in many diseases and heal the gut to the point that the patient can eventually eat normally.

The carbohydrates found in foods are broken down into three types:

·         Single sugars

o   Single sugars are monosaccharides.  They include glucose, fructose, and galactose.  Glucose and fructose are found in honey, fruits, and some vegetables.  Galactose is found in lactose-hydrolyzed milk (LHM) and in yogurt.  Single sugars do not need to be split further to be transported from the intestine into the bloodstream.

·         Double sugars

o   Double sugars are disaccharides.  There are four main disaccharides.  These double sugars do require splitting by intestinal cell enzymes to be transported from the intestine into the bloodstream. The double sugars include lactose, sucrose (table sugar), maltose and isomaltose.

·         Starches

o   Starches are polysaccharides, meaning many sugars.   There are two kinds of starches called amylose and amylopectin.  Most vegetables contain both types but those that contain more amylose than amylopectin starch are simpler to digest.

SCD does not strive to remove intestinal pathogens completely.  Gottschall encourages the holistic goal of reestablishing the healthy balance of intestinal flora.  A healthy body will maintain a natural balance.

The SCD is directed at those suffering from Celiac disease, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis, cycstic fibrosis, chronic diarrhea, and refractory constipation.  Evidence shows the diet has provided relief from arthritis, skin rashes, psoriasis, fatigue and foggy head (spaciness).

It is not always an individual food causing intestinal problems, but, rather, the byproducts of the ingestion of certain foods which cause the problems.  Just eating gluten-free is not enough.  Gottschall's SCD addresses the frequency of intolerances to other foods in addition to gluten and lactose and points out the inconsistent benefits from gluten-free and lactose-free diets.

There is a vicious cycle of destruction with intestinal problems. When carbohydrates (sugars and starches) are not digested and, thus, not absorbed, they remain in the intestinal tract.  They imbed in the mucus wall which acts  like rich "soil" in which microbes live and multiply.  Adding yeast and bacteria changes the carbohydrates in ways that injure the intestine.  When bacteria grows out of control there is an increase in bacterial by-products and mucus production.   This action causes injury to the surface of the small intestine and the damaged intestine impairs digestion of disaccharides.  This delay of digestion in turn causes more malabsorption of disaccharides and starts the cycle over again.  The SCD diet strives to deprive the intestine of food that causes the bad microbes to thrive. 

Everyone has microbial flora, up to 400 bacterial species live in the human colon, and in a normal, healthy intestinal tract, the microbes live in a state of balance.  In an unhealthy colon, the balance does not exist and any one type of microbe can overwhelm the body.

The colon usually triggers an imbalance because it is close to the lowest part of the small intestine.  If the normal equilibrium of the colon is disturbed, microbes migrate into the small intestine and stomach where they compete for nutrients and overload the intestinal tract with their waste products.

Bacterial overgrowth usually occurs due to overuse of antacids which interfere with the acidity of the stomach, a natural decrease in stomach acid due to aging, malnutrition and poor diet which weakens the immune system and antibiotic therapy which changes the dynamic of microbes.

One of the first signs of bacterial overgrowth of the small intestine is malabsorption of B12.  Patients should get this checked at every visit. Intestinal disease is historically related to bacteria and yeast.  If the intestinal environment can be kept in a healthy state, harmful microbes will not be a threat.  Keeping a healthy state may include introducing acidified (fermented) milk, similar to yogurt, to keep beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract.  This prevents other bacteria from forming harmful toxins.

Intestinal disorders usually involve microbial populations which have been altered in number, in kind, or both.  The normal contractions of the intestinal muscles are not able to remove them.  Evidence suggests microbes do not cause disease unless they adhere to the gut wall.  Antibiotics, cortisone and sulfa may not help or may have negative side-effects.  The best way to restore microbial balance is to manipulate the energy source (food we eat) through diet.  Most intestinal microbes require carbohydrates for energy.

When carbohydrates aren’t absorbed into the blood stream, they ferment and turn to gas or acids which injure the small intestine.  Every time we eat bad sugar or bad carbohydrates we are sticking another knife in the intestine.  Until we stop adding injury and start removing the knives already in place, the intestine won’t be able to heal.  One of the acids which is formed, lactic acid, is being studied because there is growing evidence that it causes abnormal brain function and behavior.

Bacterial growth in the small intestine appears to destroy the enzymes on the intestinal cell surface.  Without the enzymes, the intestine cannot digest carbohydrates and cannot absorb normally.  The intestine triggers a self-defense mechanism in which the intestinal tract attempts to lubricate itself with mucus to protect against eh injury because caused by the gases, toxins and acids from the incompletely digested and unabsorbed carbohydrates. 

SCD removes carbohydrates which act as food for the bad microbes and provides carbohydrates which require minimal digestive processes and can be easily absorbed and leave virtually nothing for bad microbial growth.

As microbes decrease, the harmful by-products decrease.  This removes further injury and the intestine doesn’t need to protect itself with mucus and stops producing excess mucus.  This improves overall digestion and absorption.  The individual is getting nutrition and energy and the cells become healthy and make the immune system healthy and it can help overcome the microbial invasion.

What is malabsorption – the inability of the cells of the body to obtain nutrients from foods that are eaten.  There are many places it occurs.  If food travels too rapidly through the intestinal tract with diarrhea there is insufficient time for large food molecules to be broken down and absorbed.  If the pancreas isn’t functioning it doesn’t deliver sufficient digestive enzymes to the small intestine to break down large molecules.  The microvilli of the cell membranes in the intestines act as membrane gatekeepers and transport nutrients.  Only carbohydrates which have been properly processed can cross over through the microvilli.  Milk sugar, lactose and sucrose are split apart at this microvilli site and starches from grains and potatoes go through final digestion here.  If the microvilli cell membranes are damaged, these processes are difficult if not impossible.

The microvilli membranes  have sugar-splitting enzymes (disaccharidases) which are vulnerable to damage.  Vitamin deficiencies of folic acid and B12 can prevent development of the microvilli.  The thick layer of mucus can prevent contact between the enzymes and the disaccharides lactose, sucrose, maltose and isomaltose.  Toxic substances produced by yeast, bacteria parasites can cause damage and destroy enzymes.

If enzymes can’t do their job, sugars remain undigested in the small intestine and instead of nutrients going into the bloodstream; water is drawn into the intestine toward the sugars.  This causes diarrhea and the cells of the body are deprived of energy, minerals and vitamins.  The sugars remain and ferment and grow intestinal microbes.

As irritants increase, the intestinal cells try to defend themselves.  Mucus-producing cells  (goblet cells) increase and produce for secretion of intestinal mucus.  A thick mucus barrier forms and enzymes cannot do their job making contact with sugars and splitting them for digestion and absorption.

Goblet cells can become exhausted and stop defending to absorptive lining against irritation.  The intestinal surface is then left with no protection.  Other things, like gluten, can enter the interior of the cell and destroy it.

Gluten is not digested welld in many diseases.  Gluten is a protein composed of hundreds of building blocks called amino acids which are linked together to form the protein molecule.  Normally, the gluten molecule is broken down by digestive enzymes in the small intestine and the simple amino acid of which gluten is composed are absorbed by the intestinal absorptive cells to provide nutrition for the rest of the body.  In celiac disease, the gluten remains undigested.  It isn’t known exactly why, but the popular theory is that the gliadin fraction penetrates the intestinal cell membrane and reaches the underlying layer of white blood cells and causes an immune response.

 Incomplete absorption of starch results in an increase in intestinal fermentation and the production of intestinal gas.  It appears that gluten alone does not cause intestinal symptoms.  It appears that something other than the protein, gluten, is involved in the underlying cause of celiac.  Research is ongoing and investigators think an inability to digest disaccharides induces the sensitivity to gluten.  The flattened intestinal absorptive cells have lost their ability to perform the last step in digestion which is to split disaccharides.  SCD cures celiac disease symptoms and allows individuals to thrive.

Bacon Gravy

Whew.  This week has been crazy with final tests and final projects for 9th grade.  Today is the last day of actual work and we have completed the Geometry final test and we are taking a break before the Biology final test.

I have never used bacon grease to make gravy before.  I have used it to cook many other things, especially my vegetables, but never used it to make gravy.  It turned out great.  Someone at work was talking about how their nephew loved gravy made with bacon grease, so I thought I should try it.

After cooking my morning bacon, I left the stove on medium heat, removed the bacon pieces and added 2 Tablespoons of Pamela's baking mix flour.  This was too much and in the future, I will only use 1 Tablespoon.  I just thought it was a lot of grease and I needed to soak it up with flour.  However, that much flour made it taste a little grainy in the end.

After mixing the grease and flour into a nice slurry (love that word) I slowly added coconut milk (unsweetened "so delicious" brand which doesn't have a coconut taste or smell).  I think I added about 2 cups.  I stirred it until it bubbled and was nice and thick like gravy should be.  I added pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.  I think I could add some "Better than Boullion" any flavor to make different flavors as well as the drippings from whatever meat I cooked.

This gravy would be perfect over some biscuits and goes great with any meal.  I am going to try it with almond flour next to make it a truly paleo gravy instead of just gluten-free.

I used it for my lunch meal which was a hamburger patty with broccoli and a couple of slices of bacon. It had my protein, veggie carb and coconut milk and bacon grease for my good saturated fat.  It was a very satisfying meal.

Bacon and bacon grease are a good way to get protein and good, saturated fats in your body.  Good, healthy fats are a great source of energy and help us digest fat-soluble vitamins (Fragoso 19).  Animals raised on food sources other than grains, raised humanely with no additives are an excellent source of healthy fat.

Our brain and our heart need healthy fats to function correctly.  Women, especially, need fat to aid in regulating hormone balance (Fragoso 19).  We still need to choose wisely and have a good balance of all foods, but included good fats helps us feel full longer and we get to eat foods that taste amazing.

I have added bacon gravy to my list of paleo and gluten-free foods and will never throw out bacon grease again.

Cooking Day 5/18/2012

Today was hectic for a day off work.  We are still working on final projects and tests with school and I did laundry and went to exercise in the morning and went grocery shopping.  Before I started feeling better, I would have only been able to do one of those things.  It says a lot about paleo eating that I am now able to do so many of those things all in one day.

For my meals this week I cooking hamburger patties, a batch of taco hamburger meat, a batch of sloppy joe hamburger meat, regular hamburger meat to use for spaghetti, pork chops, steaks, chicken and roast.  It sounds like a lot, but I use it for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. 

Along with the protein, I made brussel sprouts, broccoli and spinach.  I made individual meals with a fist-size piece of meat and a big spoon of vegetable (good vegetable carbohydrate).  I cooked the meat in olive oil and drizzled the vegetables with coconut oil and some pepper, onion powder and garlic powder.

The steak and spinach will be used in the mornings with a scrambled egg or made into an omelet. All of the others can be used as lunch, snack, or dinner at home or at work.  It is so easy to just grab a meal.  I often take a few to work and just keep them there in case I forget to grab one on the way out the door.

Cooking day makes the rest of the week go smoothly and it makes it much easier to eat healthy.  If I get hungry, I have lots of good choices.  It also makes it easy to feed my son.  I can take the protein and vegetable and warm it up while I make him some mashed potatoes and gravy and he has a home cooked meal that was easy for me to provide. 

"Ring of Fire" Annular Eclipse of the Sun

Sunday is a special day because we are going to experience an annular eclipse.  People in Southern Utah will be able to see the eclipse and I wish, wish , wish I didn't have to work.  I would go down to Zion National Park and climb to the top of Angel's landing to view the eclipse.

The eclipse with be partially viewed from SLC, so I will have to settle for that.  www.lunarplanner.com has all the details.  It will start at 6:18pm with the maximum coverage at 7:29pm and end at 8:32pm.

Sun glasses aren't strong enough to view an eclipse, so there are alternative options.  www.exploratorium.edu.  A welding mask will work, if you have one handy.

Breakfast today was scrambled eggs with spinach cooked in coconut oil with a Tbsp of green curry mixed in.  A small glass of unsweetened coconut milk finished of my triangle of health (protein/good fat/good vegetable carb).

Pork cutlets wrapped in peppered bacon

This meal turned out so good.  Warm the oven to 350.  Wrap a pork cutlet in bacon and wrap individually in tin foil.  You can brown it first, if you want the bacon to be somewhat crispy.  I made corn and mashed potatoes as side dishes for my son.  Gluten-free gravy topped off the meal.

I had pork with spinach for my paleo meal and it was really great.  The pork was tender and juicy and peppered bacon gave it a delicious aroma and taste.  I will make this again and again.

The gravy was easy.  Two Tablespoons of Pamela's gluten-free  baking mix.  Slowly mix in two cups of water making a paste first to remove lumps.  One Tablespoon chicken better than bouillon paste.  Stir slowly over medium heat until thick.  If you tolerate milk or cream, you can use that instead of water.

The niece of a good friend from work was recently diagnosed with Celiac disease.  She is about 8 and also has diabetes.  It is hard enough as an adult to eat gluten free and I cannot imagine how frustrating it must be as a child.  I have a "quick start" email which I send to people when they ask for help and advice and decided it would be smart to add it here as well.  This is the basic information I think is important to know when transitioning to eating gluten free.

Eating with Celiac Disease for the Newly Diagnosed - Utah

Gluten-free does not mean healthy, carefully read labels

Substituting gluten-free foods for familiar foods is difficult and does not taste the same

Shop smart

GF can be expensive.  It is possible to eat normally without purchasing a lot of expensive substitute foods, especially if you are willing to make them at home.  Protein, vegetables and a salad make a great meal

Best gf Bread (UDI), Spaghetti noodles (Tinkinyada) at Harmons, Smiths, Wal Mart

Almond Flour (http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/) physical location in SLC.  Almond flour is

great for diabetics because of the low glycemic count.  I highly recommend purchasing The

Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cook, by Elana Amsterdam.  She also has a great blog with 

recipes.  Her bread recipe and the breading for chicken nuggets are great.

Store - Against the Grain – everything in the store is GF http://www.againstthegrainslc.com/  2292 West 5400 South, Taylorsville, Utah  84118.  It is a learning experience just to go and take notes.  They have baked goods as well and take special orders for parties.

Store - Bulk gf baking products and food storage - http://www.augasonfarms.com/

Cook differently

            From scratch is best because you control all ingredients and processes

Buy natural, if possible - Natural foods (http://www.eatwild.com/)  I shop at the physical location Natural Meat, 7402 South 5490 West, West Jordan, UT 84081. (801) 896-FARM.
Website: http://www.utahnaturalmeat.com.

             Oil – Remove bad oils and replace with good oils.  Read The Coconut Oil Miracle, by Bruce Fife or email me for a summary.  Only use olive oil, coconut oil or oils from seeds such as grapeseed oil, etc.  

Track and log what you eat and how you feel

 

This is the best way to remove foods which are causing trouble.  Tracking how you feel and relating it back to what you ate is an important part of understanding how to stay healthy.  Bowel movements are also very important to track back to what was eaten. Listen to the feedback from your body.

Get tested for all other allergies 

(www.enterolab.com)  I recommend starting with a cleanse and slowly add back in foods to see what causes problems.  Be mindful if your body is not processing gluten, it may not like any type of grain.  I eat a paleo diet which removes all grains.  I recommend purchasing Everyday Paleo, Sarah Fragoso, because of all the wonderful gluten-free recipes in the book.  For me, eating paleo is easier than eating gluten-free because it removes the issue of substitution.

Quick Guide to going Gluten-Free

Trial-By-Error Favorites

Things We Cannot Live Without Anymore as of 5/14/2012

udi's brand gluten free bread  www.udisglutenfree.com.  Purchased at Harmon's in the frozen, organic section or Nutrition Stores or Smiths

Tinkyada brand Spaghetti Style Noodles and Macaroni Noodles

Better than Boullion paste for seasoning soups, making gravy and broth

Progresso brand Mushroom Soup for crock pot roasts and chicken and gravy and casseroles

Pacific brand condensed soup for cooking

Favorite Breakfasts

Eggs and meat, omelets, Cold cereal (Honey Nut Chex, Trix, Rice Chex and other flavored Chex, Fruity Pebbles, Cocoa Pebbles), Hot cereal (cream of rice with favorite flavoring, gluten-free oatmeal), use home-made or UDI gluten-free bread (Harmon’s frozen section in organic foods) to make Breakfast sandwiches, French Toast, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Smoothies (make with soft soy or vanilla flavored yogurt or ice cream and frozen fruit); yogurt; Instant Breakfast, all flavors; Cowboy breakfast (make a bunch and  save for other days and snacks).  Pancakes with GF flour mix or ready made mix.

Favorite School and Work Lunches/On-the-go snacks

Fruits, Vegetables, Pepperoni slices and cheese sticks, fruit cups, tuna packs and gluten-free crackers (all Mayonnaise brands are okay), applesauce, lettuce wraps, sandwich meat wraps, pickles, cheese, (meat wrapped up in a slice of  lunch meat), left over gluten-free pizza, GF soup in a thermos or purchase organic in the box, GF chili, V-8, peanut butter singles (Skippy/Jiff), mashed potatoes, rice with butter or GF gravy, rice pudding, boiled eggs, go-gurts, pudding packs, jello packs, pineapple mixed with cottage cheese; corn tortilla quesadilla (cheese between two corn tortillas, microwave 30 seconds); Trio nut bars; GF Granola bars Slimfast (Kroeger brand is least expensive, there are dairy free ones as well) or Ensure (more expensive, but Jenna likes it better).

Favorite Dinners

Pizza, make a bunch and save in baggies for snacks and on-the-go; 7-layer dip, tostados, cheese enchiladas with corn tortillas, potato boats (Bar S Beef hot dogs cut in half with mashed potatoes and cheese), Bratwurst, stew, all normal meat/ potato/ vegetable combinations without rolls or bread or make your own bread; Costco Rotisserie chicken (other places may be gluten-free, ask) with broccoli and gravy, use the left over to make Chicken & Rice soup. Refried beans with corn chips (Fritos, Tortilla chips).  Mix refried beans with salsa, Tostito brand queso, cream cheese, sour cream, whatever strikes you as tasty!; Tater Tot casserole; Lynn Wilson brand tamales and chili; Spaghetti (GF noodles, or use the single packs of rice noodles, easy, fast, yummy); Amy’s brand (or home made) macaroni and cheese with ham or hamburger or hot dogs added; Zuppa Tuscona Soup;  White Chili,  Taco Soup; Stew,  Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Organic tomato soup; Stew;  most anything Mexican with corn tortillas(tacos, tostados, nachos, rolled tacos).  Tuna casserole with GF tinkinyada macaroni noodles.

Cornstarch Gravy

1 Tablespoon cornstarch and 1 cup of milk (or cream or water) and 1 Tablespoon flavored bouillon (Better than bouillon brand is GF and they have non-meat versions).  Slowly stir in the liquid to the corn starch to ensure no lumps and heat slowly while stirring.  If roasting or frying meat, use the drippings and the same fry pan to stir up the gravy.  Lisa adds Idaho brand potato flakes to thicken the gravy so you don’t have to add more cornstarch if it isn’t thick enough.  I also like to use organic soup, such as mushroom, and add cornstarch while it is cool and heat it up.  This makes it thicker like gravy and it is easy and delicious.  Add seasonings like garlic salt or power, onion, pepper, etc to taste.  Becky likes Braggs brand essential amino acids which color and makes it a different taste.

Treats

Gum: Bubble Tape, Orbit, Bubble Yum, Wrigley’s Gum, No bake cookies, Ice Creams, Marshmallows, Chips and salsa or queso, Chips – fritos, corn chips, baked lays, regular lays, Cool Whip and pudding (check label), tootsie rolls, tootsie pops, skittles, snickers, symphony (most chocolate is fine), gummi bears, Sweets brand cinnamon bears, Sweets brand orange sticks, fruit roll-ups, gushers; chips and dip (sour cream with western family ranch seasoning), gf pretzes dipped in chocolate, k-too cookies (Like oreos, but GF) for oreo shakes; Jerky (Oberto brand is GF) 

Reading Labels

When in doubt, don’t eat it or use it

Look for the allergy information on the package

Shop during business hours and take your cell phone to call the manufacturer number on the label to verify gluten status

Bad most of the time: monoglycerides, diglycerides, carmel color, natural flavors

Bad all the time: wheat, barley, oats, rye, malt wheat germ, wheat protein, red dye, yellow dye, distilled white vinegar, malt and malt flavor, modified food starch, vegetable gum or protein (emulsifier to thicken).

Good: maltodextrin, buckwheat, gluten-free oats, artificial flavors

Personal Items

Any personal items should be checked for gluten as it is absorbed into the body through the skin

Deodorant, band-aids, shampoos (Suave, Pantene are good), lotions, toothpaste (Crest = GF), mouthwash (ACT/ Scope=GF), lotions, lip stuff, cologne/body sprays, anti-fungals, acne medicines, band-aids (rite-aid brand or Nexus=GF), medical tape (J&J=GF), Soap (Dove, Blue Irish Spring, White Dial=GF)  Avon make-up has many GF options, check the website and always check with the manufacturer for all other make up.  If you are having a reaction to it, like facial break outs or itchy eyes, it is most likely not a good choice.  If it hurts you on the outside, it is twice as bad inside!

Medical

Medical visits – call the Doctor or Dentist before hand to ensure all items being used are Gluten-Free.  If they aren’t sure, ask them to call manufacturer and verify products.

Favorite Web Sites

http://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/topic/42555-vitamin-d-deficient/

http://www.celiac.com

http://www.gfutah.org/

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/glutenfree/

Quick-Start Shopping List

Taco Seasoning (Kroger/McCormick/Western Family), Refried Beans, Corn Tortillas, Hamburger, Salsa, Cheese, Guacamole, Soy sauce (La Choy), Syrup (Mapleline/Kirkland), Better than Bouillon, Mayonnaise , barbeque Sauce (Kirkland, Cattlemans classic), Ketchup (Heinz), Chili (Stagg/Hormel), Salsa (Tostito),  Queso (cheese dip tostito brand), Pasta (Tinkinyada brown rice is a favorite), Cool whip, Ranch salad dressing (Kraft brand), Dry package Ranch mix to flavor anything including sour cream for dip.  Chips – fritos, corn chips, baked lays, regular lays,  Oven roasted  turkey breast (Smith’s deli), Swiss Miss brand /Stevens brand hot chocolate, toothpaste (Crest), Frozen hash browns, fries; GF Bread (Harmons, Bountiful Nutrition, UDI brand white or brown rice); Amy’s brand frozen macaroni and cheese.  Unseasoned, un-marinated meat, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables.  Xanthan gum (pricey, but it lasts a long time and is necessary if you are cooking from scratch).  Corn starch (to make gravy and thicken everything).  Potato starch.  Tapioca starch.

Shopping

Costco has many gluten-free items.

Against The Grain – 2292 W 5400 S, Taylorsville.  Everything in the store is GF, so you can browse and take notes.  They have read-to-eat baked goods like éclairs and pie and frozen goods.  They also have the batter to make fried chicken or breaded zucchini and mushrooms.

Augason Farms (used to be Blue Chip Group)  http://augasonfarms.com/  Great Gluten-Free section and good GF bulk storage items.  They have excellent Blueberry pancake mix and lots of other mixes for cakes and cookies to try.  We usually just make our own because the mixes are expensive.  The scone mix is great for making pizza crust.

Harmon’s – Harmon’s has UDI Bread in the frozen section of the organic foods and the good Tinkinyada spaghetti noodles and macaroni in the same section on the shelves with the dry goods.  They also sell the big bag of Pamela’s baking mix which is a favorite for baking.  

Smiths – Progresso Mushroom Soup can usually be found at Smiths..  Use it in the crock pot with a roast or chicken and whatever seasonings you want.  We like Lipton brand dry onion soup added in to the soup to make any meat delicious.  It also makes a good gravy when you add a Tablespoon of cornstarch and some seasonings.

Eleanor's Bake Shop

9495 S 560 W, Bldg. D

Sandy, UT 84070

They have started stocking King Arthur products at Harmons and Smiths and you can purchase them online.  They provide their mix on their website as well.  The flour mix translates cup for cup with regular flour.  To make your own mix:  “Whisk together 6 cups (32 ounces) King Arthur stabilized brown rice flour; 2 cups (10 3/4 ounces) potato starch; and 1 cup (4 ounces) tapioca flour or tapioca starch. Store airtight at room temperature. Note: You can substitute white rice flour for the brown rice flour if you like; it'll make your baked goods grittier (unless you manage to find a finely ground version). Recipes using less than ½ cup flour can usually be converted to GF simply by substituting a GF flour blend, such as the one above.

It’s best not to try to convert an existing yeast bread recipe to GF. Better to use a yeast bread recipe specifically developed to use GF ingredients.”

EATING OUT

It is easier now and most places have gluten-free options.  Many places have online food information and you can plan ahead.  It is still better to eat at home where you know all the ingredients and don’t run the risk of cross-contamination and can start with fresh ingredients.  However, it sure is nice to be able to go out.

Biaggis (favorite), California Pizza Kitchen, Pier 49 Pizza, Joy Luck, 

Wendy’s – Burger without bun, grilled chicken breast no bun, French fries, salads (Caesar dressing is the only gluten free on their menu), baked potato, chili, frosty, Noodles – Penne Rosa with rice noodles, pad thai (can add beef, not chicken), rice noodle bowl, Café Rio – Children tostadas, salads ask for no tortilla, creamy tomatillo dressing, Yanni’s-meat skewers (slovaki), lemon rice,Crown Burger – fries, crown burger no bun or lettuce wrapped, chef salad (bring your own dressing), gyro in lettuce wrap, side of pastrami; Spaghetti Factory has gluten free options, Olive Garden has gluten free options, El Matador (Bountiful) nachos supreme, chili verde, side of rice.  Iggy’s now has a GF menu.

If you find something you like, add it to the list and send it back to everyone so we can save the information.  Purchase extra or look online to find the recipe and learn how to make it at home, then you can freeze it and have it for lunches or fast snacks.  

FAVORITE RECIPES

http://www.elanaspantry.com/

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

Many gluten-free crock pot recipes, just search for gluten-free

The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook.  Elana Amsterdam.

Gluten-Free Flour Mix

This will substitute for flour straight across with any recipe pretty well and is taken from Bette Hagmans’ book.  Mix it and store it for easy use in an airtight tub or big zip lock bag.

6 cups rice flour (white or brown or a mix)

2 cups potato starch (not potato flour)

1 cup tapioca starch