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Outside the Box - is God inept?  Do we worship the Bible?  & more

Diet issues

I don't post here very often.  I don't always need a list, or if i do it is short enough not to make it to the blog.  I just got paperwork from the new doc i'm seeing about "food allergies."  So i'm going to list it here.

This is what the reports show that i'm allergic to:

Alfalfa  +1

Amaranth   +1

Beans, navy  +1

Beans, pinto  +1

Cauliflower  +1

Egg   +2

Lentil  +1

Lettuce  +2

Milk, cow's  +1

Mushroom  +1

Pepper, cayenne  +1

Radish  +1

Safflower  +1

Seed, caraway  +1

Tomato  +1

Yeast, baker's  +3

Yeast, brewer's  +2

The copy isn't very clear.  Some of these look like a negative (-) rather than a positive (+).  The scale goes +1, +2, +3, +4, with the higher numbers more sensitivity.  So, almost everything here is very mild.  

Still lettuce is one of my higher responses?  Who is allergic to LETTUCE?

Being that i eat gluten-free & pescatarian, what on earth am i going to eat?  

Well, here is the list of what i didn't react to:

Almond

Apple

Apricot

Asparagus

Avocado

Banana

Barley

Basil

Bay leaf

Bean, green

Bean, kidney

Bean, lima

Bean, mung

Bean, soy

Bean, wax yellow

Beef

Beet

Blackberry

Blueberry

Broccoli

Brussels sprouts

Buckwheat 

Cabbage

Cantaloupe

Carrot

Catfish

Celery

Cheese

Cherry

Chicken

Cucumber

Cinnamon

Clam

Clove

Cocoa/chocolate

Coconut

Cod

Coffee

Corn

Crab

Cranberry

Cumin

Currant

Date

Duck

Eggplant

Flounder

Garlic

Ginger

Goose

Grape, concord

Grape, white

Grapefruit

Greens, mustard

Haddock

Halibut

Nut, filbert

Horseradish

Herring

Lamb

Lemon

Lime

Lobster

Mackerel

Malt

Melon, honeydew

Milk, goat's

Millet

Mint

Mustard

Brazil nut

Cashew nut

Pecan

Nutmeg

Oat

Olive

Onion

Orange

Oregano

Oyster

Papaya

Paprika

Parsley

Pea

Peach

Peanut

Pear

Pepper, B/W

Pepper, green

Pepper, red

Peppermint

Pimento

Perch

Pineapple

Plum

Pork

Potato, sweet

Potato, white

Pumpkin

Quinoa

Rabbit

Raspberry

Rhubarb

Rice

Rye

Sage

Salmon

Sardine

Scallops

Sea bass

Seed, dill

Rapeseed (canola)

Sesame

Sunflower

Shrimp

Snapper

Sole

Spinach

Squash, yellow

Strawberry

Sugar, cane

Tangerine

Tapioca

Tea

Thyme

Trout

Tuna

Turkey

Turnip

Vanilla

Venison

Walnut, black

Walnut, English

Wheat

White fish

Watermelon

Zucchini

This is a lot of food i CAN eat, however, much of it is not what i would normally have, so it means changing my diet significantly.  Also, there are some things on here i won't eat.  No meat.  I think canola oil is one of the very worst, i won't touch it.  I won't eat soybean in any form, either.  (I do believe organic, fermented soybean is healthy, but yuck!)  I also won't eat the gluten items, even if i'm not showing allergy.  It is very clear by my history that gluten items bother me a lot, even if i'm not showing allergy.  So no wheat, rye, barley.  As tea tends to be high in fluoride, i limit that already.  I don't drink coffee 90% of the time, & never black.

They are recommending a rotation diet, where you do not repeat the same foods 2 days in a row, at minimum.  Here is what they say i can eat:

Day One

Protein:

Beef/veal

Catfish

Haddock

Mackerel

Sardine

Sole

Trout

Vegetables:

Broccoli

Brussels sprouts

Cabbage

Greens, mustard

Onion

Potato, white

Turnip

Beans/Grains/Legumes:

Bean, mung

Millet

Vanilla

Wheat

Fruits and Nuts (plus beverages derived from these foods):

Almond

Apricot

Brazil nut

Grape, white

Peach

Pineapple

Pumpkin

Raspberry

Strawberry

Condiments:

Pepper, B/W

Garlic

Horseradish

Mustard

Peppermint

Beverages:

Coffee

Goat's milk

Tea

Water

Day Two

Protein:

Cheese (cow)

Chicken

Duck

Flounder

Herring

Salmon

Scallops

Sea bass

Whitefish

Vegetables:

Acorn squash

Carrots

Celery

Parsley

Pimento

Potato, sweet

Squash, yellow

Yellow wax bean

Zucchini

Beans/Grains/Legumes:

Barley

Bean, lima

Pea

Quinoa

Fruits and Nuts (plus beverages derived from these foods):

Blackberry

Cantaloupe

Cashew nut

Coconut

Melon, honeydew

Orange

Tangerine

Walnut, English

Condiments:

Basil

Bay leaf

Ginger

Mint 

Nutmeg

Sage

Sesame

Beverages:

Coffee

Tea

Water

Day Three

Protein:

Cod

Goose

Lamb

Lobster

Oyster

Perch

Shrimp

Tuna

Venison

Vegetables:

Asparagus

Avocado

Eggplant

Rhubarb

Spinach

Beans/Grains/Legumes:

Buckwheat

Rye

Soybean

Fruits and Nuts (plus beverages derived from these foods):

Apple

Banana

Blueberry

Cherry

Nut, filbert

Peanut

Pear

Pecan

Condiments:

Cumin

Lemon

Lime

Olive

Paprika

Rapeseed (canola)

Thyme

Beverages:

Coffee

Soy milk

Tea

Water

Day Four

Protein:

Clams

Crab

Halibut

Pork

Rabbit meat

Snapper

Turkey

Vegetables:

Beat

Cucumber

Green bean

Pepper, red

Tapioca

Yellow squash

Beans/Grains/Legumes:

Corn

Kidney bean

Malt

Oat

Rice

Fruits and Nuts (plus beverages derived from these foods):

Cranberry

Date

Grape, concord

Grapefruit

Papaya

Plum

Sunflower

Watermelon

Condiments:

Cane sugar

Cinnamon

Clove

Cocoa/chocolate

Currant

Oregano

Seed, dill

Beverages:

Coffee

Oat milk

Rice milk

Tea

Water

This 4-day rotation plan has been created for you using the foods that were tested and were non-reactive.  You may eat each food as often on that day as you choose.  If you need to move a food from one day to another (for example, if you like peas and rice together), that is fine, just be careful not to repeat the same food two days in a row.  Remember, do not eat any item to which you are reactive.

What actually got done:

Two loads of whites washed.

One load dried. (These will both go in the "cat free" room until i have household help to fold them.)

All the clothes sorted. I now have 5 loads of clothes & about 7 loads of towels & sheets to do (company & massage stuff i'd not done).

I put away all the canned food that was purchased. Somewhat organized the fruit & veggies.

Cleaned off the table which included sorting papers, throwing out some mail & other trash, moving my knitting & other projects & other odds & ends.

Straightening up my current knitting project around my chair. General clean up in our living room as well. A little straightening in the kitchen, but it ended up not being the focus.

I also set up the massage table & gave an hour & 15 minutes massage (therapeutic trigger point) to someone i know who was in pain.

Then i warmed up the lasagna from earlier this week for our dinner. Later put the massage table away.

Duane put away the clean dishes & put a trash can liner in the trash can.

All in all it doesn't sound or feel like i did much, but it sure seemed to keep me busy. Tomorrow the focus will have to be on finishing up in the kitchen & working with the veggies i bought. Also some cooking. And laundry, of course.

First Round

1. Put a load of whites in the washer

2. put trash bag in trash can

3. put away food that was purchased

4. put away clean dishes

5. general cleaning

(The label "blitz" comes form Organizing Mommy.)

Michael Pollan posted a request for reader’s rules about eating.

1. Don’t eat egg salad from a vending machine.
2. Don’t eat anything that took more energy to ship than to grow.
3. If you are not hungry enough to eat an apple, then you’re not hungry.
4. Eat foods in inverse proportion to how much its lobby spends to push it.
5. Avoid snack foods with the “oh” sound in their names: Doritos, Cheetos, Tostitos, Ho Hos, etc.
6. No second helpings, no matter how scrumptious.
7. It’s better to pay the grocer than the doctor.
8. You may not leave the table until you finish your fruit.
9. You don’t get fat on food you pray over. (Meals prepared at home, served at the table and given thanks for are more appreciated and more healthful than food eaten on the run.)
10. Breakfast you should eat alone. Lunch you should share with a friend. Dinner, give to your enemy.
11. Never eat something that is pretending to be something else (artificial sweeteners, margarine, etc.)
12. Don’t yuck someone’s yum. There is someone out there who likes deep-fried sheep eyeballs and, well, more power to them.
13. Make and take your own lunch to work.
14. Eat until you are seven-tenths full and save the other three-tenths for hunger.
15. I am living in Japan and following these simple rules in preparing each meal: GO HO – incorporate five different cooking methods, GO SHIKI – incorporate five colors, GO MI – incorporate five flavors.
16. One of my top rules for eating comes from economics. The law of diminishing marginal utility reminds me that each additional bite is generally less satisfying than the previous bite. This helps me slow down, savor the first bites, stop eating sooner.
17. Don’t eat anything you aren’t willing to kill yourself.
18. When drinking tea, just drink tea. I find this Zen teaching useful, given my inclination toward information absorption in the morning, when I’m also trying to eat breakfast, get the dog out, start the fire and organize my day.
19. When you’re eating, don’t talk about other past meals, whether better or worse. Focus on what’s in front of you.
20. After spending some time working with people with eating disorders, I came up with this rule: Don’t create arbitrary rules for eating if their only purpose is to help you feel in control.

Michael Pollan is the author of In Defense of Food and The Omnivore's Dilemma.

Things about which i want to post

Wow, i don't post here often.

• I want to write about "I'm sensitive." (Makes me cringe just to write that.)
• Romans 8:1: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, …” (related to our church's way of seeing things). Also "replaying" the negatives in my head.
• Meat no longer looks like animals, but cookies do
• Stuff Xians Like has jumped the shark
• Sanctuary has jumped the shark
• Flip flopping squirrel
• Temp we keep the house set at

today's list; list for the week

Lots to do today:

• farmer's market
• banking
• groceries
• return movie
• statement/check from bank

And lots to do this week:

• bills - utility, loan, taxes
• mail EJ's wedding gift
• time rated documents
• meal planning
• laundry
• fix bras
• 
  

Tomorrow's list

Ok, didn't get to the banana bread, & didn't finish quite all the laundry, but got a good deal done.

So, for tomorrow:

• breakfast for Duane & me
• remember supplements &ACV
• laundry - a load of white clothes
• laundry - a load of duvet covers
• laundry - a load of table cloths
• kitchen clean up
• blueberry coffee cake
• banana bread
• eat lunch
• dinner for Duane & me
• remember evening ACV

Other things as they come up.

Crazy kind of day

Ok, i just posted at the other blog, essentially the same thing. But people actually read that blog. I don't think anyone does this one (can you say boring!).

I'm totally scattered today. Ate stuff i'm not suppose to eat. I don't know if that is the problem or the weather. Plus, i should not be hungry, but i am. Need to work on dinner before long. Have a lot of stuff yet to do, and here i am.

I'm sad to see all the sites dedicated to using coupons and "saving money." Some of them even post pics of what they've bought, & how much they have saved. But, 90% of it is processed "food" or worse, OTC drugs. The stuff that has no nourishment. Might as well eat cardboard. I'm serious about that. And the OTC drugs have been proven not to work and have really awful side effects. I don't comment about these posts at those sites. No point. But i find it very, very sad to see folks talking about saving money on things that will, eventually, cause obesity, infertility, ADD/ADHD, learning disabilities, diabetes, heart problems, asthma, osteoporosis, cancers of all kinds, possibly contribute to autism and behavioral problems, oh, the list goes on and on.

I know conspiracy theories sound crazy, but it is hard sometimes not to believe that there is a conspiracy going on. The government subsidizes crops that are made into fake foods. The fake foods create desire for more fake foods & also creates chronic disease. Chronic disease equals lots of meds and doctor visits which provides lots of money to large corporations and creates more serious chronic disease. I know it sounds crazy, but the US spends more on subsidized food sources and medical care than any other industrial nation. But we have one of the worst health care systems when dealing with chronic disease and outcome. People think throwing more money at the government or health care is the answer, but it is NOT.

Change of pace.

Another thing i find sad is following some of the mommy blogs. I'm not sure why i'm doing it. It is especially hard to see families that have two or even three children under the age of 3. Kaylee would be three in May. The fact that more time goes on without a baby just gets harder and harder. Of course, i also read posts that remind me that things come in God's time, not ours. And i know that. And i'm wondering if it is time for me to accept that we may very well, in fact probably will not, have a family.

We don't have the resources to do IVF, and i've real issues about that anyway, for us, anyhow. I'm trying not to judge how other folks grow their families.

Even if we decided to head for adoption, that can be just as expensive as IVF, we haven't the resources to support a pregnant mama to be, and to be honest, i just can't see that someone would choose us anyway.

Foster care is a possibility, but i've issues with that as well. First i read a blog about one situation. They had had 2 little boys since they were very small. They were then 2 and  3 and didn't remember their mom. She was a drug addict, and had been "clean" for 3 months. The courts that had intended to let this couple adopt the boys decided to send the kids back to their mother. The couple was definitely bitter.

I also have issues with the foster system over medical treatment/using drugs.

So, the only option that seems to be open to us is to have our own children, and  it sure doesn't look like that is going to happen. If it does, however, it will certainly be a miracle from God.

Also, there is the issue of my fatigue. Would i even be able to parent, or would 90% of it fall to Duane? If it did, how would we manage that?

Another change of topic.

These are the things i have done on the quest of better health & getting pregnant/carrying a pregnancy (and have tried to be environmentally sound in the process):

• candida cleanse
• gluten-free eating
• replaced all Teflon-coated cookware with corning ware
• gotten off all Rx meds
• quit all OTC meds as well
• taken a variety of supplements
• been careful about food choices trying to eliminate processed items
• stopped using deodorant/antiperspirant
• changed shampoos
• changed skin care/moisturizers
• changed hair color products
• stopped using commercial cleaners
• stopped using bleach
• changed to natural products for laundry
• changed to natural products for cleaning (vinegar, baking soda)
• don't wear jewelry
• seen a naturopath
• worked with a couple of acupuncture folks
• get regular chiropractic care
• get semi-regular cranio-sacral & PT care
• no amalgam dental fillings
• drink a lot of water
• carry glass water bottles rather than buying plastic
• eat mostly organic foods
• eat mostly vegetarian (not vegan)
• have LOTS of folks praying

That last is not least. I can't think of other things i've done, but i've done quite a lot.

Enough! Time to go do other things.

Another Tomorrow

Ok! I accomplished everything on that list today, except i have a load of towels to do. It will get done while we're watching TV tonight. I did the extra, except the banana bread.

So, what i would like to accomplish tomorrow:

• breakfast for Duane and me
• remember supplements and ACV
• laundry - a load of medium clothes
• laundry - a load of medium clothes
• laundry - a load of ?? whites?
• kitchen clean up
• picture onto blog
• banana bread
• eat lunch
• dinner for Duane and me
• remember evening ACV

I'd also like to go to town and get a plant. And start some tomatoes. And fold and put away the laundry in our room.

Duane really liked the enchiladas and black beans, not so fond of the rice. I need to learn how to make better rice. Still, it is nice to have + feedback. Usually his response is "It's ok." Which is discouraging when i'm trying so hard.

Dinner plans

Ok, so i'm trying to take this one day at a time. The plan is to do a breakfast and a dinner for Duane and me each day. He's on his own for lunch. I need to plan something for me.

Thursday breakfast - yogurt, fruit and granola
Kathryn lunch - yam and veggies/cheese
Thursday dinner - cheese enchiladas
Friday breakfast - oatmeal and raisins
Kathryn lunch - yam and cornbread (?)
Friday dinner - tuna casserole
Saturday breakfast - yogurt, fruit and granola
Kathryn lunch - veggies/cheese
Saturday dinner - psghetti and sauce (sausage for Duane)
Sunday breakfast - banana bread (?)
Sunday lunch - eat out?
Sunday dinner - cheese souffle, etc. Pizza for Duane?

This will all be contingent on what i actually accomplish. Subject to change!

Diet

Ok, i made a big mistake starting today. I'd heard about the positive results of apple cider vinegar (ACV) both for weight and health. So i took 2 TB of ACV and  6 TB water and drank it down this AM. Immediately i felt ill, and; later was weak. Also had a h/a most of the day.

Doesn't make me want to stop it, but to dilute it more or take it differently.

Tonight i took 1 TB with cranberry juice, tart cherry juice, and water. Still didn't like the taste or smell much, but it was doable. I also didn't drink it down in one gulp.

List: Mistake one - dilute the ACV.

Paperwork & business i need to do

* Send in insurance reports, etc.
* Finish and mail RE info
* Pay and mail bills
* Pay and mail mortgage

* My website update
* Website for Mother and Daddy's anniversary
* Letter to friends and family for anniversary

Book of Lists

I've long had a "Book of Lists" to keep track of things i want to remember.

It has been a while since i used it much, because it seems whenever i think of something i need to list, the book is not nearby, so the list goes on whatever is handy.

But i like to keep lists, for a number of reasons:

1. They help me remember
2. They help me feel like i'm accomplishing something
3. They help me keep on track and focused
4. They help me remember - oh yeah, i said that
5. I like lists

This will be public, but probably extremely boring for anyone else to peruse!


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