A new challenge...

It's been a bit of a rough week.  To start off, I donated blood last Friday and it's taken me all week to get over it.  I was completely wiped out, and with a headache that lasted all week and just won't go away I'm good and ready to appreciate feeling well and energetic again.  I've donated blood before without a problem, so I'm nost sure what's up, but I suspect that my iron stores are low.  Last Saturday we decided to try an elimination diet for Allison, Leah and me.  The two girls have ongoing skin/rash/eczema issues, and we know that for Allison at least, they are food related.  She's improved on a gluten and dairy free diet, but the problem lingers.  So, after a year and a half of procrastinating, we've jumped in.  Now we are eliminating not only gluten and dairy, but also soy, corn and eggs.  I'm joining them in the hopes of clearing up a few issues of my own, and I just find it easier to plan and work around the diet when I'm on it too. 

Going scedg free is a challenge.  I like a challenge, though, and it's been interesting to research and learn what we can and can't eat, where soy and especially corn are hidden, and finding recipes that will work for us.  There're all a little tricky to work around.  What's a breakfast without eggs?  And eggs do wonders in your baking.  Soy is used in a lot of things and as a substitute for other things (dairy for example) and corn  is in almost everything.  You wouldn't think so from reading labels, but there isn't a law for labeling corn and corn products like there is for gluten, dairy and soy.  Corn is used in so many things - in baking powder, vinegar and even in iodized salt. Glucose is usually made from corn. It's used on food and other things like paper plates to prevent sticking.  There are very few packaged  or prepared foods that are corn-free. 

So now you are wondering what we have left to eat.  Let me assure you, there is plenty.  The internet is full of recipes for special diets - so much that we'd never be able to try them all.  Good ones, too.  Like these chocolate chip cookies that Allison made this morning.  We've used this bread recipe for loaves and buns, substituting sorghum flour for the corn starch and guar gum for the xanthan gum (which is a common ingredient in GF baking but is derived from corn.)  The thing is, almost everything we eat has to be made from scratch.  Things like jam, tomato sauce, ketchup, mustard and mayonaise. (Yes, it is possible to make egg and soy free mayo, but it sure isn't anything like Hellmann's.)  I found a ketchup recipe in one of my allergy cookbooks and it's so good I'm tempted to plan my menu around meals that need ketchup. :)  Making everything from scratch is a lot of work but I don't mind that.  The problem is, it takes time, and I'm a little short on that as it is.  It'll all get a little quicker once we have a good collection of recipes and we get into the routine of planning and cooking ahead.  But no matter how you look at it, it's going to take some creative thinking to find the time for it while the rest of life keeps marching on.

The really good thing about this is that now we have better control over what we are eating.  When you choose all the ingredients, only the good stuff goes in, while the preservatives, stabilizers and enhancers are kept out.  That is such a good and rewarding feeling.  That alone almost makes it worth the extra effort. 

In case you are following the recipe links, you'll notice not all of them meet the scedg free criteria.  We convert and substitute as we go.

While we are eliminating so much, we have to consider how we are getting the nutrients we need.  In researching this, we've rediscovered how awesome our God is in providing what our bodies need in the food He designed.  Simply put,  if you eat a balanced diet of wholesome food with plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits, legumes, meat, fish, and whole grains, you will be getting what you need.  I looked specifically at calcium rich (since we're dairy free) and iron rich (on account of needing to get my iron levels back up) and iodine rich food (we won't be consuming iodized salt).  Interestingly a number of items from the calcium list were also on the iron list.  Things like peas, beans and lentils, blackstrap molasses, sardines, almonds and dark, leafy greens.  We're finding recipes that use these ingredients, like this chickpea kale soup which has, besides chickpeas and kale, of course, sweet potato.  I made a few adjustments to it and added some lemon juice, and blended it up a bit to make it a little more appealing to the little ones.  Some of us liked it, and I think the rest will learn to like it with another try or two.  Tonight we are having Canadian winter molasses baked beans  with biscuits and next week we hope to try pasta with sardines (not too sure about that one but we're feeling adventurous these days!)  We need to teach our tastebuds to appreciate different foods.  It can be done, but not always with just one taste - so we will keep trying.   I'm glad we've never tolerated picky eating habits in our kids.  I'm thankful for a husband who likes almost anything and is always appreciative, and for a team of chefs who work with me. 

Today I went outside to soak in some February sunshine.  I took a ramble through the woods with a little girl chattering at my side, and Gavin as my guide. We visited the kids' forts, heard geese honking overhead and noticed the green sprouting up underfoot.  Gavin nicely showed us how to get around the mud puddles along the path, and then stomped right through them himself. 

Life is rich, isn't it?


P.S. Allison is seeing some improvement already, so I'm pretty sure we're on the right track.  So exciting to see positive results and to think that she will enjoy relief from her symptoms!!