I apologize once more for lack of post - life has been busy trying to find a job. So many interviews, searches and life in general.
I have done quite well this month - other than the cheat I mentioned in my last post, I made the mistake of not remembering to tell them to hold the cheese when I ordered a taco from my favorite Mexican restaurant (small one that I know is gluten free) - and was too much to take off and did not want to re-order (as was my mistake, not theirs) so ate it anyway :) No huge reactions - but will see what happens when I re-integrate it into my diet.
I actually started a few days early - as yesterday we were at friends for the England/France rugby match - and they had raclette and so I ate that with lots of goat's/sheep's cheeses :) Figured did not want to hurt any feelings if I had not eaten it and was only a couple days to go anyway. Will be curious to see what the next week brings.
Days left in elimination project!
12 March 2012
27 February 2012
Wish I were a better blogger :)
I love the idea and get into phases where I keep up - but I am not a writer at all and when other things come up, blogging falls. So I apologize for my lack of updates.
I am feeling much better after 2 weeks of really watching the casein and soy. I have not taken any of my tablets in the morning (calcium/vit D ones) as they have soy in them. I did cheat once though, I have to admit. One of my dearest friends had a birthday party for her 4 year old and I helped her out a bit with it (as was without the other parents). She made the most lovely cupcakes, which of course I could not eat as they were "normal" ones ;-) So, I brought a bit of my flour and made a quick 2 cupcake recipe in the microwave there. I could not in the end resist all the yummy stuff so ended up putting some of her chocolate frosting on my cupcake and eating it. The frosting had milk and cream in it as well as butter - so was a triple dose, even though it was a small one.
I do feel much better though and my skin has greatly improved as well. As for my vitamins, for the first time my B12 and Iron are both well into the "sufficient" range now and my D is no longer in the "deficient" but in the "gray border". My number was 20.1. Anything below 20 is deficient and 20-30 is border line, 30 upwards is sufficient (although 60-70 is the idea number we are trying to get to). So, while at least on the scale now :-) we still have a ways to go.
I started using the spray again that a friend had introduced me to several years ago. Here in Germany, I can only really find tablets or oils that are either expensive or maximum 1000 units per. I need about 5000 a day average. I found this spray in 3000 units per spray (100 per bottle) from the UK so ordered several of them. Will use them for a few months each day and then check D levels again.
And again, apologies that I can not reply to your comments (still trying to work out why I can't???) but to the comment regarding magnesium - I do take magnesium twice per day. Once in the morning with my vitamin complex that has my B's in it and again at night dissolved in water. I have not only noticed that this helps my body as well when I run (really believe it helps the muscles recoup!) but also helps aid sleep as well.
Here is the link to the D spray in case anyone else is interested in it. And I will try to post more. I do have several articles open (for over a week now) on my laptop - just have not finished reading them all - but will post a few when I get through them.
www.bodykind.com - BetterYou DLux 3000 VitD
I am feeling much better after 2 weeks of really watching the casein and soy. I have not taken any of my tablets in the morning (calcium/vit D ones) as they have soy in them. I did cheat once though, I have to admit. One of my dearest friends had a birthday party for her 4 year old and I helped her out a bit with it (as was without the other parents). She made the most lovely cupcakes, which of course I could not eat as they were "normal" ones ;-) So, I brought a bit of my flour and made a quick 2 cupcake recipe in the microwave there. I could not in the end resist all the yummy stuff so ended up putting some of her chocolate frosting on my cupcake and eating it. The frosting had milk and cream in it as well as butter - so was a triple dose, even though it was a small one.
I do feel much better though and my skin has greatly improved as well. As for my vitamins, for the first time my B12 and Iron are both well into the "sufficient" range now and my D is no longer in the "deficient" but in the "gray border". My number was 20.1. Anything below 20 is deficient and 20-30 is border line, 30 upwards is sufficient (although 60-70 is the idea number we are trying to get to). So, while at least on the scale now :-) we still have a ways to go.
I started using the spray again that a friend had introduced me to several years ago. Here in Germany, I can only really find tablets or oils that are either expensive or maximum 1000 units per. I need about 5000 a day average. I found this spray in 3000 units per spray (100 per bottle) from the UK so ordered several of them. Will use them for a few months each day and then check D levels again.
And again, apologies that I can not reply to your comments (still trying to work out why I can't???) but to the comment regarding magnesium - I do take magnesium twice per day. Once in the morning with my vitamin complex that has my B's in it and again at night dissolved in water. I have not only noticed that this helps my body as well when I run (really believe it helps the muscles recoup!) but also helps aid sleep as well.
Here is the link to the D spray in case anyone else is interested in it. And I will try to post more. I do have several articles open (for over a week now) on my laptop - just have not finished reading them all - but will post a few when I get through them.
www.bodykind.com - BetterYou DLux 3000 VitD
17 February 2012
Quick note to those who comment!
Not sure why (perhaps a firefox problem???) but I can not seem to reply to the comments :(
To Karla on the first post - thanks for the tip and link to histamine intolerance - will check that out!
To Paula on the first post - not taking the spray, as too expensive until I get a job - just taking the 1000 table each day along with the calcium/vit D dissolved in water each day (which of course not doing the next month as has soy in it).
Thanks so much for comments and will continue to try to sort out why I can't reply - I do love comments and they are very welcome as well as useful!!!
LABELS, LABELS, LABELS!!!
CHECK THEM!!
I was actually quite lucky when I checked after the fact last night - Whew!!!
So, I made some lovely veggie soup last night - and of course did my usual of melting of a bit of Butterschmelz (German version of Ghee) and then sautéing some carrots, onions and celery before adding the tomatoes, spinach and beans. Then I thought - Sh#t - I bet Butterschmelz has some casein in it :( I was not sure (as I know the milk protein is removed in the process, but I was not 100% sure it was casein free). So, I quickly did a search and of course it IS (thank goodness) casein free :)
This is great news, as one of the things I make regularly (and by that I mean 3-4 times a week) is curry of some sort and the first thing I do is melt Butterschmelz and sauté onions in it before adding the other ingredients. I am very happy that it is indeed casein free.
What this did though was teach me a big lesson! I have learned there are so many things that have "hidden" gluten in them (ie things you would not expect to have it- like medicine, toothpaste etc...) and I need to have that same caution with labels for the casein and soy that I do the gluten. I already found this out when I looked at the label for my daily calcium/vit D tablet I take (which contains soy).
I have also done some reading about eliminating casein to see if you have an intolerance - what I have found out is that you need to do at least 6 weeks before adding some back in to see. This is ONLY if you are already gluten free. They recommend that if you are not already eating gluten free - you need to remove casein from your diet for 2-3 months before you will notice any difference. I am going to stick to the 30 days. I have been gluten free for so long that I think 30 days should be enough for me.
One other bit that I did read that was interesting - is that the reason so many celiacs are also casein intolerant is because they (gluten and casein) have very similar molecular structure - and they are both broken down by the villi in your intestines - and of course - since mine are severely damaged that they do not work properly to digest the gluten. So, we will see in over a month if they are breaking down the casein as well. Fingers crossed and thumbs pressed that we sort this out.
A few interesting links on the subject::
16 February 2012
What to do when you want Chocloate!!
Make brownies of course :) These are a great solution to something without any milk. As you use baking cocoa (just make sure you use one that is 100% cocoa powder, no whey or sugar added) and you do not need any milk..
As I am not a big fan of dark chocolate (my weakness is milk chocolate - 30-50% is my max) finding a substitute when you really want chocolate is important :) This is where being able to throw together something quick using baking cocoa really helps. You can make pretty much any cake or brownie in less than 30 minutes. For brownies, you don't need any milk at all (the oil and eggs are the liquid) and for cakes, you can add any other liquid in place of milk. It may take some experimenting to get to know the right consistency you need - but once you do - it is quite easy and quick to whip something up. You only have to have the patience to let it cool down before eating it :)
I posted on my Gluten Free blog the brownies I made last night. They were so yummy. No, I did not need the calories - but I did want the chocolate - and it was worth it :)
Other ideas if you like dark chocolate - most chocolate bars out there that are 80% or higher pretty much are guaranteed (you still need to check labels) not to have any milk protein or whey in them. The higher the quality chocolate and % cocoa, the better chance you have knowing it is casein free. And also - it is much healthier for you. You also need to watch out for soy as well. A lot of chocolates have soy in them. As always READ YOUR LABELS!!
Which brings me to my next point - Chocolate can be good for you!! Here is an excellent article that tells different benefits of chocolate - enjoy the read...
Womens Health magazine - Chocolate!
As I am not a big fan of dark chocolate (my weakness is milk chocolate - 30-50% is my max) finding a substitute when you really want chocolate is important :) This is where being able to throw together something quick using baking cocoa really helps. You can make pretty much any cake or brownie in less than 30 minutes. For brownies, you don't need any milk at all (the oil and eggs are the liquid) and for cakes, you can add any other liquid in place of milk. It may take some experimenting to get to know the right consistency you need - but once you do - it is quite easy and quick to whip something up. You only have to have the patience to let it cool down before eating it :)
I posted on my Gluten Free blog the brownies I made last night. They were so yummy. No, I did not need the calories - but I did want the chocolate - and it was worth it :)
Other ideas if you like dark chocolate - most chocolate bars out there that are 80% or higher pretty much are guaranteed (you still need to check labels) not to have any milk protein or whey in them. The higher the quality chocolate and % cocoa, the better chance you have knowing it is casein free. And also - it is much healthier for you. You also need to watch out for soy as well. A lot of chocolates have soy in them. As always READ YOUR LABELS!!
Which brings me to my next point - Chocolate can be good for you!! Here is an excellent article that tells different benefits of chocolate - enjoy the read...
Womens Health magazine - Chocolate!
14 February 2012
30 day casein/soy elmination project to feel better without the foods that harm me.
So, here I am - sitting here after making so many changes the last year and I still have health/mind issues that I feel are due to food intolerances. I am already 100% Gluten Free because of my diagnosed Celiac Disease (have had several endoscopies/biopsies the last 10 years) - so this is quite stable and I cook/bake 100% Gluten Free- and my partner also eats GF in the home as well (eats what he likes when not at home,but at home - no gluten allowed!!!!)
I have tried to be cow's milk free for the last couple years as I had a test a few years back that showed I had an intolerance. This is quite common for celiacs. So, I started using soy instead. I quickly found out that I could not have soy either. So, I then went to Goat's or Sheep's products (I LOVE goat's cheese). I did not immediately recognize any issues. But over the last few months, I have realized that I have increased the use of these products (especially the cheese) and that my "old" symptoms are coming back. There are the shoulder pains (I used to have to get cortisone shots in both shoulders in order to move them). My fingers joints are hurting overnight. My monthly cycle is "off" and most of all, I just feel like I have no energy at all.
I have already went to the doctor this last week to get my vitamins checked again. I continually have very low Vitamin D levels and B12 and Iron are usually just above the border. I will find out next week how these are looking.
I have done a lot of reading and searching of different sites/blogs from different sources (medical, private and education sites/blogs) and am finding out so much more that we celiacs are prone to many intolerances. I am now wondering if I am not only cow's milk (this was the only milk the test I had tested for) intolerant, but casein intolerant - meaning I would not be able to have any animal milk. This is what is prompting me to start this 30 day elimination project. I will also make sure that I am not eating anything that has soy in it either, as I have realized it is in many things that I have. Perhaps it is only the soy that is causing the problems?? I will find out after the 30 days when I start adding items back in one at a time.
My hope is that perhaps it is just certain items. I am so hoping not to have to give up goat's cheese :)
The Plan!!
The plan is to start on 15 February (tomorrow) and go 30 days without the following ingredients
- Milk from any animals
- Cheese
- Any items that contain milk protein
- Any Gluten Free baked products or manufactured products that may contain milk protein. (ie crackers, bread etc...)
What I will eat more of
- Vegatables
- Fruits
- Fish
- Beans
Things I need to check out this evening before continuing with them from tomorrow
- daily vitamins (ensure there are no milk protein in these)
- tooth paste - don't laugh, you would be shocked at what gluten and milk protein are in
EDIT:
So, my daily calcium/Vit D tablets have soy in them. I will discontinue taking these for the next 30 days. Will need to find a replacement for this since - any ideas?
I have tried to be cow's milk free for the last couple years as I had a test a few years back that showed I had an intolerance. This is quite common for celiacs. So, I started using soy instead. I quickly found out that I could not have soy either. So, I then went to Goat's or Sheep's products (I LOVE goat's cheese). I did not immediately recognize any issues. But over the last few months, I have realized that I have increased the use of these products (especially the cheese) and that my "old" symptoms are coming back. There are the shoulder pains (I used to have to get cortisone shots in both shoulders in order to move them). My fingers joints are hurting overnight. My monthly cycle is "off" and most of all, I just feel like I have no energy at all.
I have already went to the doctor this last week to get my vitamins checked again. I continually have very low Vitamin D levels and B12 and Iron are usually just above the border. I will find out next week how these are looking.
I have done a lot of reading and searching of different sites/blogs from different sources (medical, private and education sites/blogs) and am finding out so much more that we celiacs are prone to many intolerances. I am now wondering if I am not only cow's milk (this was the only milk the test I had tested for) intolerant, but casein intolerant - meaning I would not be able to have any animal milk. This is what is prompting me to start this 30 day elimination project. I will also make sure that I am not eating anything that has soy in it either, as I have realized it is in many things that I have. Perhaps it is only the soy that is causing the problems?? I will find out after the 30 days when I start adding items back in one at a time.
My hope is that perhaps it is just certain items. I am so hoping not to have to give up goat's cheese :)
The Plan!!
The plan is to start on 15 February (tomorrow) and go 30 days without the following ingredients
- Milk from any animals
- Cheese
- Any items that contain milk protein
- Any Gluten Free baked products or manufactured products that may contain milk protein. (ie crackers, bread etc...)
What I will eat more of
- Vegatables
- Fruits
- Fish
- Beans
Things I need to check out this evening before continuing with them from tomorrow
- daily vitamins (ensure there are no milk protein in these)
- tooth paste - don't laugh, you would be shocked at what gluten and milk protein are in
EDIT:
So, my daily calcium/Vit D tablets have soy in them. I will discontinue taking these for the next 30 days. Will need to find a replacement for this since - any ideas?
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