Feingold Diet Corrections

Well I finally got my book “Why Your Child is Hyperactive” by Dr. Ben Feingold from the library.  I am still waiting for “Why Can’t My Child Behave?” which was written by Jane Hershey and is considered an updated (1995 vs 1975) version of the Feingold diet guidelines.

As it turns out, the original “Off the Menu” list was more restrictive than necessary.  I’m a fan of this news!   If I were following a salicylate-restricted diet for suspected allergy/asthma exacerbation reasons, the first list would be more appropriate.  However, the Feingold diet only requires the elimination of certain salicylate-containing foods based on those which seem to cause the most trouble for those on the program.

The Feingold Association offers a program that provides members with shopping guides.  Since companies are allowed to leave certain ingredients off of ingredient labels (an outrage I know!), these guides help people know which types of foods are safe to eat.  It costs around $80.00.  Since I’m only following the Feingold diet for 1 month, I’m going to hold onto my cash and use my background knowledge to assess safe options.

Here’s my updated “no” foods list:

Off the Menu: (All bold items are those that I currently eat on a regular basis and will be the hardest for me not to eat!)

*Dairy: milk (due to addition of vitamin A palmitate which may be preserved with BHA)

*Grains: cereals fortified with vitamin A palmitate

*Vegetables: cucumbers, bell peppers, chili peppers

*Fruits: cherries, currants, grapes, nectarines, peaches, apricots, tomatoes, tangerines, apples, plums, raisins, oranges, prunes, all berries (Kiwis, pineapple, & grapefruit deserve special mention.

*Meat, poultry, eggs & fish: lard (if preserved with BHT)

*Nuts/Seeds: almonds

*Spices & herbs: cloves

*Condiments: apple cider vinegar, BBQ sauce

*Food additives/misc: Avoiding specific food additives is at the heart of the Feingold approach, so definitely NO artificial colors or flavors of any kind, such as vanillin, preservatives: BHA, BHT, & TBHQ.  “Natural flavors” are not specifically mentioned but since those can be derived from any ungodly chemical, I’m going to assume those are unacceptable.

*Fun Stuff: tea, coffee, apple cider, grape/berry jellies, wintergreen oil, cucumber pickles, aspartame, shortening (if contains BHT), wine & wine vinegar (Blast!  A couple of friends gave us a bottle of sparkling wine I was hoping to dip into for Derek’s birthday!  Le sigh…I’ll just have to be patient I guess )

Sources:

Feingold, B. (1975)Why Your Child is Hyperactive. “The KP Diet”. Pgs. 169-181.

Strickland, E. (2009) Eating for Autism. “The Feingold Diet”. Pg. 115.

Diagnosis: Denial

Just a quick observation that I thought I’d share.  Ever since starting the Feingold diet, I’ve been eating fructose and fructans with disregard.  My willy nilly approach has backfired and my digestive system has been revolting ever since.  For a long while, I’ve suspected that fruit, wheat, and onions were a problem.  When I worked at Subway, I would eat at least one banana a day (all at one sitting), and veggie sandwiches (with raw onions) on honey oat bread (with whole wheat flour and high fructose corn syrup).  My stomach felt like it was rotting constantly, but I couldn’t wrap my brain around the idea that “healthy” foods could be bad for me.  Time and time again, I’d come to the conclusion that there must be some other responsible factor.

My favorite scapegoat was dairy.  There are plenty of reasons to suspect dairy, after all.  Dairy is the most common of the top 8 allergens in the United States.  Lactose intolerance is the most common intolerance in the world.  Almost 3/4 of the planet is lactose intolerant.  In this regard, it seems the proper terminology for someone who actually CAN digest lactose should be lactose TOLERANT, and this tolerance should be seen as the anomaly it is.  The group of folks most likely to be lactose tolerant are Northern Europeans.  It has been speculated that Northern Europeans evolved to utilize the calcium from cow’s milk due to a lack of sunlight (and corresponding vitamin D).  Vitamin D helps us use calcium.  Lactose may increase the absorption of calcium from the intestine which would allow for some compensation.  Now that I’ve been dairy-free for 4 months, I can’t keep pointing the finger at (just) dairy.  Although, I do feel better overall since giving dairy the boot.

The time has come to admit something I’ve known for awhile but didn’t want to believe.  In some capacity, I have FructMal.  It’s not as severe as that of my ally’s.  Mine tends to present itself as a delayed response.  In other words, I can eat a delicious fruit smoothie and feel fine until the next day when I wake up with the sensation of having been punched in the stomach.  Why universe, WHY?!  I’d like to eventually see a gastroenterologist to get a proper diagnosis through the use of a hydrogen breath test.  I think I would be more compelled to take the condition seriously if I had a piece of paper proving my blaringly obvious reactions to fructose.  I’m also highly defensive and can’t stand the idea of someone accusing the situation of being “all in my head”.  I could pull out my piece of paper and push it right up under his/her nose.  “SEE?!  It’s real!” 

Some may have already been aware of my ulterior motive behind this project.  Experimenting with food intolerance diets allows me to learn what type of eating style my body prefers.  This doesn’t mean that the other goal of the project (empathy) is any less important.  I certainly didn’t choose the dysphagia diet with any hopes of personal clarity.   Each diet is teaching me about the array of dietary struggles that are out there.  Celiac disease is getting more and more recognition these days, but there are plenty of misunderstandings in relation to every diet.  Contrary to popular belief, vegans can get enough protein without animal products, oats do not contain gluten, and lactose is not the only component in dairy that can cause intestinal distress.  Then there are those who struggle with histaminosis or salicylate intolerance.  Many people have never even heard of these conditions.  At the end of the day, I hope my experiment teaches others that whole wheat can be toxic for some and “an apple a day…” may send some people rushing TO the doctor.  I’ve said it before and I will say it again: there is NO one size fits all diet!  I’d love to take a baseball bat to the food guide pyramid.  It’s all rubbish!  (Just don’t tell anybody I said that or they might take away my credentials )

http://www.cambridge.org/us/books/kiple/lactose.htm

May Eats: Feingold Diet for ADHD

While working as Chief of Allergy at Kaiser Permanente in the 1970s, Dr. Ben Feingold created a hypothesis about the connection between certain compounds in the diet and behavioral patterns.  After observing changes in his patients, he speculated that hyperactivity could be triggered by synthetic colors, flavors, & preservatives, and certain artificial sweeteners.

“Stage One”, as it’s referred to on the Feingold program, also excludes aspirin and some foods with high amounts of naturally occurring salicylates, a group of chemicals related to aspirin.  Plants make salicylates to serve as natural pesticides.  It has been proposed that some people with ADHD may not process salicylates normally.  “Stage Two” of the program systematically reintroduces high salicylic foods to gauge a response.

Like the Candida diet, the efficacy of the Feingold diet is a controversial topic.  There is some evidence of behavioral reactions to artificial colors and preservatives, and many parents have reported notable benefits in their children while following such an approach.  However, only a handful of studies appear to show strong support for the Feingold diet in its effectiveness for the treatment of ADHD.  Without sufficient scientific evidence, many conventional practitioners are not convinced.  My general attitude is that if one can follow a diet that is safe and may prove to be helpful, why not give it a shot before assuming medications are the only reliable route?

To the Average American, the Feingold diet is probably a daunting endeavor.  Luckily for moi, I’ve eliminated most processed foods from my diet already.  I’ve also become somewhat of a master at interpreting ingredient lists.  In this regard, I’m at a bit of an advantage when it comes to making the following dietary adjustments.  I utilized a few different sources to compile this salicylate-restricted list.  I have ordered the book written by Feingold himself that should provide clear cut rules.  Until I’ve had a chance to glance through it, view this list of restrictions as a work in progress…Ugh I’m tired of trying to figure out what I can and can not eat!!!

Off the Menu: (All bold items are those that I currently eat on a regular basis and will be the hardest for me not to eat!)

*Dairy: milk (due to addition of vitamin A palmitate which may be preserved with BHA)

*Grains: cornmeal, cereals fortified with vitamin A palmitate

*Vegetables: cucumbers, bell peppers, chili peppers, alfalfa sprouts, chicory, endive, gherkins, radishes, zucchini, olives, potato skins (peeled potatoes are okay), water chestnuts

*Fruits: cherries, dates, avocado, guava, watermelon, cantaloupe, currants, grapes, nectarines, peaches, apricots, kiwi, pineapple, tangerines, apples (except for peeled red/green golden delicious), plums, raisins, grapefruit, oranges, prunes, all berries

*Meat, poultry, eggs & fish: lard (if preserved with BHT)

*Nuts/Seeds: almonds

*Legumes/beans: fava beans, peanuts with skins on

*Spices & herbs: aniseed, cayenne, celery, cinnamon , cloves, chili, cumin, curry, fenugreek, five spice, turmeric, garam masala, mace, mustard, oregano, hot paprika, rosemary, sage, tarragon, thyme, & dill powders

*Condiments: apple cider vinegar

*Food additives/misc: Avoiding specific food additives is at the heart of the Feingold approach, so definitely NO artificial colors or flavors of any kind, such as vanillin, preservatives: BHA, BHT, & TBHQ.  “Natural flavors” are not specifically mentioned but since those can be derived from any ungodly chemical, I’m going to assume those are unacceptable.

*Fun Stuff: tea, coffee (decaf is apparently okay, but what’s the point in that? ), honey, apple cider, licorice, peppermint, wintergreen oil, cucumber pickles, aspartame, shortening (if contains BHT), wine & wine vinegar (Blast!  A couple of friends gave us a bottle of sparkling wine I was hoping to dip into for Derek’s birthday!  Le sigh…I’ll just have to be patient I guess )

What I ate my first day on the Feingold Diet:

Breakfast: Oatmeal with vanilla (here’s where that real vanilla extract comes in handy) soy milk, pecans, & 1 brazil nut

Snack: Banana & handful of walnuts

Lunch: Sprouted grain tortilla with chili beans, tahini, bean sprouts, spinach, raw mushrooms; kale chips (made with macadamia nut oil)

Supper: Banana + sprouted grain tortilla with chili beans, bean sprouts, spinach, raw mushrooms; (Feeling crazy creative as evidenced by almost exact same meal as lunch )

Sources:

Aitken, K. (2009) Dietary Interventions in Autism Spectrum Disorders.  “The Feingold Diet”. Pgs. 101-107.

Haynes, A. & Antoinette, S. (2005) The Food Intolerance Bible. “Appendix V: Foods Containing Salicylate”.  Pgs. 307-312.

Vickerstaff Joneja, J. (2003) Dealing with Food Allergies. “Salicylate Intolerance”. Pgs. 255-264.

http://www.feingold.org/theory.html

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/adhd/AN01721

http://www.feingold.org/enews/09-2010.html

Cricket Reprise: FructMal Farewell

April 30th was my last day with FructMal.  My general strategy for the month was as follows: I tried to stick with 3 concentrated acceptable sources of fructose a day as long as they were spread out at least 2 hours apart.  A concentrated source would be 1/2 cup allowed fruit, 1.5 TBSP of sugar, or a combination of the two.  For example, I would often add a 1/3 cup of strawberries and blueberries along with a tsp or two of sugar to my oatmeal.  The tiny amounts of fructose in my 80% dark chocolate pieces, spritzes of lemon juice, and potato chips, for example, were considered discretionary and not included in my concentrated allowance.

Sins to confess: There were a couple of occasions in which I ate slightly more sugar/fruit at one sitting than I should have.  This wasn’t really on purpose, however.  It was (mostly) oversight.  I miscalculated and didn’t realize it until after the fact.  I got a bit lazy towards the end of the month.  I also had a couple of careless moments where I assumed something was safe without making absolutely sure beforehand.  I had some theater popcorn and flavored coffee without proper prior ingredient analysis.  My only saving grace here is that I had both of these items on the weekend when I had nothing to do and nowhere to be.  The golden rule of pushing your limits, as verified by my ally, is to do so on the weekend.  That way if any symptoms surface, you pay the price but are more in control of the situation.

What I ate my last day with FructMal:

*Breakfast: Oatmeal with a little less than 1/2 cup of mixed strawberries, blueberries, & pineapple with ground chia & hemp seeds, pecan milk, pumpkin pie spice, 1 brazil nut (I’ve been eating one a day to boost my selenium intake) & 1 small chunk of 80% dark chocolate (startin’ the day off right!)

*Snack: [After 2 hour window between fructose sources] Small portion of pineapple and strawberry slices (~1/3 cup) + trail mix (picked out roasted almonds, peanuts, & cashews, leaving the raisins and M&Ms behind)

*Lunch: [After 2 hour window between fructose sources] Roasted root vegetables (sweet potatoes, beets, parsnips, & carrots) mixed with fried “gatta” (remember those delicious chickpea dumplings from the Jain diet?  Holy Yum!), & chopped rainbow swiss chard & fennel greens; 2 pineapple cornbread muffins with Earth Balance “butter”; 1 small chunk of 80% dark chocolate

Afternoon temptation: Special K bars were served at a work event.  I’ve been craving these for awhile.  I toyed with the idea of just giving in and adding it to my list of “sins to confess”.  I also had the irrational thought of eating it exactly at midnight, as if a void of time existed between 12AM & 12:01AM making the restrictions of either diet irrelevant.  Haha…what a nut I am! I felt slightly vulnerable to the craving madness and was actually saved more by my factory vegan convictions than that of the diet restrictions.  I could take it home and eat it later otherwise.  I figured if I had FructMal and knew there were to be real consequences after eating such a blatant morsel of gut rot, I had the mindset on that day that I would have probably just suffered in the privacy of my own home.  Food addictions can be vicious enough to convince you to donate your body’s comfort & health for it’s cause.  All brain torment aside, I didn’t eat one.  Kudos to me!

*Supper: Leftover roasted root vegetables + 1/2 baked potato mixed with a small amount of spinach, mushrooms, and chili beans; 1 more pineapple cornbread muffin with “butter” [Those muffins were so frickin' delicious!  I would share the recipe but...I think my house ate it, because it's nowhere to be found at the moment.  It's from Blissful Bites (where that awesome lentil soup recipe came from).  The only changes you need to make it FructMal friendly is to use butter/oil instead of applesauce and white vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar.  Check it out!]

Binges:  In April, I was all about the salt!  Salty potato chips, tortilla chips, and popcorn.  Nummy!

Lessons Learned:  I touched on the social consequences of following a special diet in my “BBQs, Wedding Cake, & Easter Pie” post.  Another point I’d like to address is the daily mental torment of calculating your allowances and the corresponding stress it brings.  Obviously, where allergies exist, there is no such thing as an “allowance”.  However, for a condition such as FructMal where your symptoms are dependent on the total fructose load, there was a constant tally going on in my head.  Since I had this much sugar with breakfast and this much fruit with lunch, is there any leeway left over for supper?  Then there’s the fun of explaining why you could have pineapple for breakfast but none with supper (because the daily allowance was already met!)

Shout out!: I have an amplified respect for my ally whom I already had a ridiculous amount of respect for.  Especially after my experience at Easter, I feel as though someone living with FructMal on a daily basis deserves a medal.  To my ally: Here’s looking at you, kid! (P.S. Hope you are enjoying the maple syrup )

Next post: “May Eats: Feingold Diet for ADHD”…Coming soon!

Fructose & Fructans: Just 2 Pieces of the FODMAPS Puzzle

FODMAPS is an acronym that stands for Fermentable Oligo-, Di-, & Mono-saccharides And PolyolS. What?!  In simple terms, these are carbohydrates that some people malabsorb.  Included under this FODMAPS umbrella: lactose, fructose, fructans, polyols, and galactans.  Some folks with FructMal may find additional relief by limiting other FODMAPS on top of the fructose and fructans restrictions.

I mentioned in an earlier post that some studies have linked a low-fructose diet with IBS symptom relief.  The symptoms of IBS are similar to those of FructMal: constipation &/or diarrhea, gas, bloating, abdominal pain.  IBS is considered a functional rather than structural disorder.  This means there isn’t a problem with the intestines themselves but in the way in which they respond to stimuli.  It’s all about hypersensitivity.  Basically, your digestive system is broken.  :/ What a person without IBS might experience as a “bit of gas”, a person with IBS may feel as knives trying to stab their way out of their insides.  This is not an exaggeration.  The pain is real whether or not it can be shown on an X-Ray.

A reduced FODMAPS diet has been implicated in the dietary treatment of IBS.  What does this mean in layman’s terms?  Limiting/avoiding the following types of foods may help ease some of the uncomfortable digestive symptoms associated with a touchy tum tum:

Lactose: Milk is the biggest culprit for problems with this category.  Hard cheeses & yogurts are sometimes more tolerable since they contain bacteria to help partially digest some of the lactose.

Fructose & Fructans: You should already be an expert on these categories!

Galactans:  Cabbage, lentils, & Beans! Beans! The magical fruit…you know the rest .  Everybody malabsorbs beans to a certain extent due to inherent indigestible fibers.  The trick to incorporating beans is to build a tolerance to ‘em over time.  Start by eating smaller portions on a regular basis.  Through consistent exposure, your body can actually begin to develop more of the enzymes necessary to digest them.  Isn’t the body AMAZING?!

Polyols: Sugar alcohols such as sorbitol (which we’ve already talked about) and others such as xylitol found in mushrooms, certain fruits, & some sugar-free gums

This is a bare bones description of the FODMAPS diet for IBS.  In general, limited portions and spacing (such as with my current FructMal diet) are key strategies that can be applied to all FODMAPS.  The more FODMAPS consumed at 1 time or within 1 day, the greater the chance for symptoms.

The book IBS-Free At Last! by Patsy Catsos provides all of the tools a person wishing to undertake a FODMAPS elimination diet might need.  An updated second edition was just released this month.  For more information, visit: http://www.ibsfree.net.

Sources:

Catsos, P. (2008) IBS-Free At Last. Pgs.19-21.; 60-65.

FructMal Friendly Feast: Hearty Lentil Soup + Buckwheat Sesame Crackers with Hummus (kinda)

Woo hoo!  That’s a lot of recipes all rolled into one post.  Are you excited?  You should be!

Ahh soup.  Who doesn’t find comfort in a big bowl of hot soup?  I have yet to discover a store-bought vegetable broth sans onions.  I’m sure it’s possible to make a decent homemade stock without onions or garlic, but I’ve chosen to take the lazier route.  Instead, I’ve been seeking out soup recipes that do not contain stock/broth in the first place.  Blissful Bites is a vegan cookbook by Christy Morgan chock full of onion & garlic-free recipes.  Here is a gem I discovered from within its pages…

Hearty Lentil Soup 

Ingredients:

*Tbsp sesame oil

*Pinch sea salt

*Pinch of asafetida (optional) – This ingredient was not mentioned in the original recipe.

*2 medium carrots, chopped

*2 celery stalks, diced

*1 Tbsp oregano

*7 cups water

*2 bay leaves

*1 cup green lentils, washed & drained

*1″ piece of fresh ginger, minced

*2 Tbsp tamari

*2 Tbsp miso

*2 Tbsp lemon juice

*Parsley (optional, for garnish)

Method: Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add carrot, celery, oregano, (asafetida if desired) & sea salt & saute for a few minutes.  Stir in water, bay leaves, lentils, and ginger.  Bring to a boil.  Simmer with lid until lentils are tender ~30-40 minutes.  Stir occasionally.  Add tamari and continue to simmer for 3-5 minutes.  Remove bay leaves.  Turn off heat.  In a small bowl, dilute miso with a little cooking liquid.  Stir miso & lemon juice into soup and let sit for 5 minutes.  Serve, garnished with parsley.

If you are anything like me, you also like crackers in your soup!  When I was a kid, chicken noodle soup with Saltine crackers was a diet staple  (Salt city!)  Anyway, since wheat is not allowed on my FructMal diet, I have replaced Saltines with homemade buckwheat crackers (Buckwheat is NOT wheat?! Confusing I know!)  I found the following recipe during my candida diet in The Yeast Connection Cookbook by William G. Crook.  They taste reminiscent of the sesame sticks I also used to enjoy as a young tot.  Mmm…yummy nostalgia…

Buckwheat Crackers

Ingredients:

*1 cup buckwheat flour

*1/4 cup arrowroot

*1/4 tsp salt

*3 Tbsp sesame seeds (I used a mixture of white and black sesame seeds)

*2 Tbsp cold-pressed sesame oil (I used oil from the top of my unstirred raw tahini )

*1/2 cup water

*Sea salt (optional, for sprinkling)

Method: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Mix the flour, starch, salt & seeds in a medium sized bowl.  Make a “well” in the center of the flour mixture & pour in the oil & water.  Stir with a fork.  As the flour absorbs the liquid, the dough will start to clump into a ball.  Oil the center of a cookie sheet.  Leave 1″ of the outer edge oil-free.  Scrape the ball of dough onto the middle of the cookie sheet.  Pat it into a flat rectangle.  Place piece of parchment paper down on the dough.  Roll dough out very thin.  Cut the dough into 2″ squares (or whatever shapes you prefer).  Salt the tops lightly if desired.  Place crackers in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F.  Remove from the oven in 12 minutes, and lift off the crispy crackers around the outer edge.  Put them on a wire rack to cool.  Separate remaining crackers with a spatula.  Turn oven off and return those crackers to the oven for 10-20 minutes until they’re as crisp as you like.

Don’t go dumping all of those crackers into your soup just yet!  Save some for this delectable hummus!  I wanted to make some hummus the other day and realized that I was fresh out of lemons… & olive oil… & I couldn’t add any garlic.  I have already mastered hummus without garlic.  But hummus without olive oil OR garlic OR lemon juice?  Well, nothing is going to stand between me and my hummus!  I was up to the challenge.  I’m happy to report it was a success!  This hummus is 100% my creation and tastes absolutely delicious (even though it’s missing half of the traditional hummus ingredients).  Plus, it’s lower in fat and fructose (since I omitted half the oil and all of the fruit juice).  I rock!  Yeah baby!

Hummus (kinda) – Makes ~1 + 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

*1 15-oz can or 1 + 2/3 cups prepared chickpeas

(Note:  I recommend homemade beans for the best results.  I make giant batches of chickpeas and freeze them in individual portions.  One trick I’ve learned is to cover the beans with water so that the flavor will not be affected by freezer burn.  The night before you plan to make a batch of hummus, pull a jar out of the freezer [or use a microwave in a pinch].  Whether you are using canned or home-prepared, do not drain the liquid.  You’ll need this starchy stuff to bulk up the batch!)

*2 Tbsp tahini (I used raw, but roasted should work)

*2 Tbsp macadamia nut oil (You can of course use olive oil if you have it)

*1 tsp coriander (for a hint of lemon)

*1/2 tsp cumin (for a slight kick)

*1/2 tsp salt

Method: Blend all of the ingredients until smooth.

(Note: It’s best to let the flavors meld for at least an hour before devouring.)

Yes!  Mastered!  (I get a little excited about my hummus…call me a cliche hippy vegan if you must! )  Now get cooking/baking/blending and have yourself a FructMal friendly feast!

BBQs, Wedding Cake, & Easter Pie…Oh My!

Now that Spring is in full swing, I have lurched into the world of social functions that revolve around eating.  Some days my attitude is better than others towards this verdict.  Up until recently, I successfully dodged most communal munching opportunities.  I have yet to eat at a restaurant in 2012.  It’s too complicated and risky.  Processed food is a witch’s brew and figuring out exactly what’s in your food is an exhausting quest.

Following a vegan FructMal diet is one that requires planning galore.  Two weeks ago I spent almost an entire day preparing a bunch of meals to get me through the upcoming social functions.  I made tempeh bacon to throw on the grill for BBQs.  I made “cheesy” broccoli (before knowing better) potpies with chickpea gravy and homemade barley buckwheat crusts to get me through Easter.  I learned to enjoy black coffee (to avoid wasting any of my daily sugar allowance).

BBQs on a diet: When we grill at our house, it’s easy to control the types of foods that are prepared.  Derek would make one batch of potatoes with onions and a separate onion-free batch for me.  The first BBQ I attended this year at a friend’s house was a little rough.  Someone brought homemade chocolate chip cookies.  Even if I decided to let down my vegan guard for a cookie, my FructMal diet wouldn’t allow the wheat & brown sugar surely lurking inside.  Instead, I ate a concotion of dill, lemon juice, and lima beans with ruffles potato chips for dessert.  Not my first choice by any means but still tasty.

Easter on a diet:  I went to my grandma’s for Easter.  This was my first full-blown family oriented function of my food intolerant year.

When it was dinner time, I surveyed the assortment of prepared dishes to scope out any possible “safe” foods.

Not A One!

Laid out before me: turkey, ham, gravy, mashed potatoes made with sour cream, cream-based broccoli salad, fresh pineapple (a small amount could be considered safe but I wasn’t going to have any room in my daily sugar allowance for such a luxury), applesauce, & wheat buns.  Hmmm….

I purposely sat back while people piled their plates full of things I couldn’t eat.  Then I coyly took my pot pie out the freezer and popped it in the microwave.  I sat at the “reject” table as I labeled it this year.  In the past, it was known as the “kid’s table”.  Kids… rejects… same thing!   Really it was just a small table set at the end of the larger table for overflow purposes.  All of the “kids” have grown up, so its modern inhabitants are based on luck of the draw.  I had a mixture of emotions in this position.  On the one hand, I felt even more disconnected from most of my family.  I couldn’t share the food or dining experience.  On the other hand, I was grateful to be separated from the larger group in the interest of avoiding a question and answer session in relation to my special food.  This year the “reject” table consisted of me, my grandma, and my uncle.  My grandma was very troubled by my inability to eat anything that was offered.  Well of course!  She’s a grandma, and that’s her job!  More often than not it’s those who are trying to feed me, rather than myself, that I feel sorry for.  She saw me eat my pot pie but worried that I would still be hungry.  Here’s where I had one of those aha moments.  On any other day, if someone watched me eat a pot pie for lunch, they wouldn’t fret over my lack of overindulgence.  But you only ate 1 pot pie!  How will you make it until supper?!  How privileged we are to feel deprived when only allowed to eat a reasonably sized meal while others stuff their faces.

My uncle asked me if I ever made sure that the diagnosis I received requiring me to eat this way was accurate.  Wow I thought.  Why can’t more people in my family read my blog so I don’t have to explain myself all the time?!  Anyway, I went on to explain that no doctor ever told me that I had to eat in a certain fashion and that I was in the midst of an experiment.  My ally told me that she gets tired of having to explain her condition to people all the time.  After about 3 1/2 months of special diets, I can attest to this one!    Everyone wants to know why you are/are not eating a certain way.  Not that I can blame them.  I am as guilty as anyone in this regard.  Food is intimate and alluring.  Sharing meals is an integral part of family/friend/significant other bonding.  Think of how many memories you have that involve specific foods intertwined with happy days.  I think of the pancakes and bacon my dad would prepare for me at 2 in the morning after a band gig, the pecan pie I shared with my mom for breakfast on Christmas, and the homemade chicken dumpling soup and rolls of my grandmothers.  These types of memories have the potential to be tarnished by food restrictions.

I was feeling particularly vulnerable on Easter towards dessert.  There was one thing I decided that I MUST have.  That one thing was a chocolate covered peanut butter egg.  Holiday themed Reese’s peanut butter treats are a vice of mine.  In theory, a person with fructose malabsorption could probably tolerate one Reese’s peanut butter egg as long as other fructose sources were carefully monitored for the remainder of the day.  Reese’s peanut butter cups do not contain any high fructose corn syrup and even have a bit of dextrose (that glucose that helps the body to digest fructose).  However, there are milk derived ingredients involved, so on the vegan front I was screwed.  It is milk chocolate afterall.  I solved this by preparing a homemade vegan dark chocolate version to bring along.  I was happy to have my dark chocolate peanut butter egg, but there was blueberry, pumpkin, and pecan pie to tempt me.  Pie is my other vice.  (Okay, maybe I just have a vice for sweets!)  Anyway, there is no ending to this story really.  I didn’t eat any pie, and I wasn’t happy about it.

Wedding on a diet:  Last night I went to my first wedding “on a diet”.  I planned ahead, assuming that there wouldn’t be anything there that I could eat.  I had dinner around 5:30, so I was good to go for a 6:00 wedding.  Technically, there were a few things there that I could eat, but I wasn’t interested in those options.  Appetizers that were offered that I could have eaten (sticking to my vegan FructMal guns) included: raw cauliflower, carrots, and radishes.  My digestive system is not a fan of raw veggies on an empty stomach and my taste buds are not impressed with plain veggies, so why bother?  Acceptable dinner options: yams, corn, and roasted potatoes (not sure whether or not they were prepared with butter).  If I were hungry enough, I wouldn’t have let the possibility of butter get in my way.  However, since I planned ahead, I was able to calmly observe others eating without feeling sorry for myself.  It can be hard for some to imagine passing up on free food, but I’m getting better at this all the time. A friend of mine, noticing the lack of a plate in front of me, suggested I “take a day off!”.  If I had a nickel for every time I heard that one…

If my ally decided to “take the day off”, she would have spent the remainder of the reception doubled over in pain, alone in the bathroom.  I’ll come clean right now and admit that I will be taking one day off this year.  That day is my wedding day.  Everything else is fair game: my bachelorette party, honeymoon, Christmas.  If I choose to take several days off, how far could my understanding of living with these conditions really stretch?

Near our table was a candy bar and a table displaying the arrangement of wedding cake.  My sweet tooth waxes and wanes.  When it wanes, it can ignore free peanut M&Ms.  When it waxes, bitch/cry baby alert!  Luckily, I was in the waning stage.  I was more interested in dancing.  Dancing like a crazy person makes me feel better than any piece of cake ever has.

Philosophical Blurbs: People could argue that I make this harder on myself by combining my special diet with a vegan preference, and that would be a fair assessment.  It’s true.  I am eating vegan by my own choosing, but I think it adds an interesting element to the research too.  I almost look at it as an evaluation of  the challenge of mind vs body.  How long can we fight with our what our bodies demand and what our mind has made up?  If my body refuses to accept certain things and my mind refuses to accept others, what is left to eat?  There is not a perfect one size fits all diet.  I know a girl with peanut & nut allergies who also suffers from oral allergy syndrome in which fresh fruits and vegetables make her mouth burn.  Can a die hard vegan rightfully furrow his/her brow at this girl’s decision to eat meat?  There are some people who would demand such things of themselves and others in the name of their philosophies.  I am not one of those people.

I am not against the principle of eating meat.  Some vegans are and that’s good for them.  I believe that humans have evolved to be omnivores, and that it’s very possible that animal products contain nutrients that enable us to be our most nourished selves.  My beef lies with the meat factory system.  I believe in humanity as well as survival of the fittest.  I think if other animals are on board with hunting, we shouldn’t have to feel guilty for similar practices.  Ultimately, every species is doing the best they can for themselves and their loved ones.  No one is solely responsible for being a martyr in this model.

Eating disorder?! Sometimes I worry that people will notice my refusal of food and attribute it to an eating disorder.  I won’t deny that I have a weird relationship with food (I self medicate like the masses), but I can assure everyone that I am not/nor ever would be anorexic.  I eat regular meals.  I just don’t eat recreationally the way I used to.  The only time I essentially “starved” myself (other than that 24 hour fast) was during an elimination diet.  I was having constant stomach aches and finally came to the conclusion that I’d rather be hungry than be in pain all the time.  I was afraid to eat.  This is a harsh reality of the food intolerant world and I know my ally went through something similar around the time of her FructMal diagnosis.  Some of the personal insight I hope to gain on this journey is whether or not a certain pattern of eating makes me feel like my best self.  Ultimately what I have learned so far is that food matters, BUT it’s not everything.  Sleep, exercise, stress…these factors must also be considered in the attainment of optimum health.  I am still able to enjoy a wedding, a BBQ, and a holiday with food restrictions.  When I’m in the right state of mind, I even enjoy the enlightenment these restrictions bring.  If you can’t enjoy these types of occasions without the comfort of mindless eating, you might want to reanalyze your relationship with food.