Cautionary Tale

I really don't want to turn this into just a health blog; I like to explore ALL aspects of life as we know it on here, especially the annoying ones. ;o) However, as some of these important aspects of life are health issues, I'd like to share a cautionary tale.

I do this simply because I don't want others to go through what I have if there's a way to prevent it. And there is. Awareness is the key. So I give you one word: ALUMINUM.

I mentioned on my last blog that before I got celiac disease, I already had colitis. Symptoms of chronic illness can be so insidious, sometimes we really don't realize we're ill until those symptoms become debilitating. So it was with colitis. I knew something was wrong, but I just thought I needed to eat healthier, so I got the whole grain pastas, added veges to my diet, ate fish (tuna) regularly. Yet I still got sicker and sicker... no energy, gut pain, bleeding bowel... I won't get too graphic because if you want to know more about colitis you can always look it up. Suffice it to say I was suffering and wound up ass up in a little room in the hospital, somewhat drugged, a doctor coming at me with a hose-lookin' thing with a camera on the end of it. This is called a colonoscopy. Not fun... drugs notwithstanding. Through the haze of those lovely seditives I heard the doctor say, "colitis." Then he instructed the nurse to have me make an appointment for 3 weeks hence.

Three weeks to find out about this colitis thing... more than enough. The library books told me what the doctor would say and gave all kinds of case histories. A common thread ran through many of them. Aluminum.

After reading this, I looked at my pots, pans, utensils. I'd grown up with these. Mom gave them to me years ago when I left home and got herself new stuff. Aluminum. I looked at the colanders I used to drain my healthy pastas ~ both of them ~ aluminum.

Longer story short, I got rid of them and replaced them with stainless steel, enamel or glass. I started noticing all the consumables that come in aluminum and I stopped using them. I made dietary adjustments to accomodate my condition, including no dairy, white wheat, red meat and no more tuna (mercury). I got well. My colitis remained in remission until I got complacent and drank some iced tea out of cans. Lesson learned. (Canned beer, soda pop, teas and even the lining of some drinkin' boxes.. aluminum.)

Life is good with no gluten. Life is good with no aluminum. Even with all these dietary restrictions, there are still lots of foods left and I feel good. I can see the blue sky, feel the warm sun, smell the fragrant breezes, hear the rain on my deck, get annoyed with technology and its limitations (another blog.. again) and go shopafrolicking without worry! Yep, life is good.

Note: Everyone is different. You may have enjoyed your drinks from cans forever and feel no ill effect. I reached my saturation point for aluminum in my 40s. You may never do so. But know that you could and what it can do to you. Aluminum and consumables don't really mix well.

To follow me on Twitter: @Wendakai

Other health resources on twitter I suggest:

@Marielhemingway

@mercola

@MattinglyMD

@iHerb

Some of these folks are also on facebook.

It's Not About the Destination...

..it's about the journey. Today I embark on a search for alternative grains and other gluten-free foods I can have.

I already traded in my beloved lite Miracle Whip for gluten-free mayonaisse. (Kraft, do you make a gluten-free product??) And I found gluten-free dijon mustard in the same health-food aisle. Chic peas have become a big part of my life. Oh, the mighty chic pea. *bowing*

Of course, you may be saying to yourself, who cares? All I can tell you is that the doctor wasn't at all surprised by my gluten intolerance, and that's simply because he's encountering it with so many of his patients. Pay mind, readers ~ this may be a problem you'll need to be aware of in future. That might not be a gall stone causing your discomfort... might be gluten.

Todays' search will focus mostly on alternative grains. Specifically I'm hoping to find sorghum flour, amaranth, bean flour and/or oats that aren't contaminated with wheat. We'll see what I bring home. I really miss bread, rolls, biscuits, etc. While the brown rice pasta is delicious and the rice cakes are good, brown rice bread is yucky and cloying, even when toasted and toasted some more. I must find alternative flours, and while I'm out there, I must get some gluten-free baking powder.

Onward to the hunt. And then on to the kitchen experiments, with the guidance of others who've gone before. Later ~

Added several hours later:

Ok, here's how I did. As I suspected, I couldn't find these flours on my first lookabout, but what I did find was Bob's Red Mill mixes, some of them using the very flours I was looking for. I'm not really a "mix" kind of cook, but hey... gotta go with what's available and maybe this isn't a bad place to start.

So then, here was the opportunity to make something for supper besides the brown rice pasta with veges and some sort of dressing. Don't get me wrong... I love that. But EVERY night? Maybe not. So I went with the biscuit mix and the almond "meal/flour." I made half a recipe of the biscuits using part vege shortening and part roasted garlic olive oil and water. Those in the oven, I cut several slices of zucchini, dipped them in egg seasoned with salt and pepper, then the almond, and fried them in XV olive oil. In another small pan I put some mushrooms, chopped green onion and pieces of asparagus to saute. Then I poured the beaten egg leftover from dipping the zuc in with the veges. With some li'l tomatoes, this was my supper:

It was surprisingly good. Really the only complaint I had is that the biscuits took longer to bake than the pkg. directions indicated, so some of my zuc slices got a little mushy, and I like them firm. But that's easily adjusted another time.

You may have noticed that there's no meat included in any of my food posts. That's because before I got celiac disease, I already had colitis. So I was already on a special diet where I couldn't have any dairy, red meat, or white wheat. I did eat chicken, but now apparently that's no longer an option either. Basically then, there's 3 things I can eat: *veges, brown rice and the one animal product my body will still tolerate, eggs. So this is why I'm so anxious to discover some of these gluten-free grains. So far, so fun and interesting. ;o)

*Yes, I can also have fruit ~ I'm just far more likely to have it as a drink, rather than in solid form.

Note: if you're interested in more info on dietary issues, look for Chickie Pea's blog on Facebook called Eating for Autoimmune Health, and The Healthy Haven, by iHerb on wordpress.com, and nutritionevolution.net, all great nutrition resources. (I'd give you the links, but this thang won't copy and paste and they're rather long.)