Happy Wednesday to you! Today is the day of sharing my eats with you! My visual food journal for all to see! No shame, no judgement, just the truth! I've increased my exercise routine and apparently it has also increased my appetite! BUT I am losing those last 5 pounds I've been working to take off, slowly but yes loosing!
So here's the start of my day:
I love making my Personalized Baked Oatmeal cups with individual toppings so everyone has a choice of what they like in their oatmeal and they are so easy to heat and go on the road with! I had 2!!
Love me some banana for a snack!
I've started adding 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in my smoothies or salads, not daily though. Not sure if I see any positive benefits from it but I'm not being that consistent so..... Anyone use the stuff?
My favorite snack is plain yogurt (I've been enjoying the Brown Cow brand, it is full fat but so good!) and fresh berries! Perfect after lunch snack!
We went out to do some errands so I treated myself to an ice coffee since it was quite warm for a winter day in RI! When I got home I had these little Cookie Dough Truffles in the fridge so I ate 1, ok maybe 2. 🙂
Hungry again before dinner so I had some carrots with cashew butter. Have you tried it? Can't say I like it more than peanut butter but it's good.
For dinner I roasted a whole chicken with carrots, onions and potatoes and it was delish! I took the skin OFF that thigh, yes I did.
My after dinner, cleaning up the kitchen snack was my Light Berry frozen yogurt I still had tucked away in my freezer. I scooped out a ½ cup and called it a night!
Food Allergy Update:
Yesterday I received a call from my doctor informing me of my blood test results. I was quite surprised that I don't have a wheat allergy but am pretty sure I do. I've been off wheat/gluten since New Year's and my stomach/digestive issues have disappeared! When he tested me though I was already without the gluten and wheat so I think my results are inaccurate. I also was surprised to find out I don't have a milk allergy as I thought since I can;t stomach milk since I was a kid. Apparently the blood test doesn't check for lactose intolerance which I am positive I have. I get sick immediately after consuming milk based soups or milk or too much yogurt or cheese in a day. Needless to say since New Year's and being gluten free I've had a half cup of yogurt a day without any stomach aches so hmmmmm........
Another crazy surprise was the fact he told me I have a moderate to low egg allergy, specifically to egg whites....WHAT????? I eat them daily, I drink them in smoothies, I bake with them and I don't seem to have any issues after eating them, so again I say....WHAT!!!!!
So now I'm not quite sure what I will do. I think I will continue gluten free eating until the end of this month and try some back and see if symptoms occur. After that I may decide to eliminate eggs for a short time and see what happens. I really love eggs and egg whites!
If you celebrate the first day of Lent today (Ash Wednesday) and are looking to eat cleaner you could start with my 3 Day Cleanse & Detox Plan!! Also be sure to check out the host of this foodie party, Peas and Crayons!
Almost forgot!!! Tomorrow is Valentine's Day!! Here's some of my new delicious and healthy Valentine treats:
- Light Berry Frozen Yogurt
- Valentine Coconut Filled Candy
- Healthy Chocolate Pudding Parfaits
- Valentine Peanut Butter Cups
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles
Enjoy!
About Brenda
Brenda Bennett is a certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, certified Sugar Detox Coach, certified Keto Coach and certified Life Coach. She has been Sugar Free & Refined carb free for 17 years and has written 2 cookbooks, Sugar-Free Mom, and Naturally Keto and her 3rd book The 30-Day Sugar Elimination Diet, is a four part program to help you detox from sugar, eliminate cravings, balance blood sugar and lose weight all while eating a delicious, nutrient dense whole foods. Meal plan offers two tracks to follow, low carb or keto. She is the founder of the Sugar Free Fresh Start course and Sugar Free Tribe weight loss membership. Learn more.
Rachel @ painfreekitchen
I'm really hesitant to trust allergy tests. My doctor herself said they can be incredibly inaccurate. But she still had me take one yesterday. Don't have the results yet so I can't comment if they are correct or not. I am almost positive I have a severe soy allergy. Came out of no where about a year ago. And I've been lactose intolerant since I was a kid. Doctor said that no matter what the test says, I should always trust my own experimentation. If I get sick eating soy, then I shouldn't eat it. Anyway, my point is that I think your decision to continue eating gluten free is a good one. Might try cutting out eggs though. Maybe? See what happens. Maybe the reaction is so small that you don't really realize it.
KimH
Bottom line is.. if being gluten free keeps you from being symptomatic.. keep on keeping on.. Its huge for me and I test negative for celiac spru too.. Keep in mind though that they are only testing against one specific gluten protein.. they are NOT the only ones in wheat or other grains. There are others that do not have tests and it may be them we're reacting to. We dont really know. My endocrinologist tested me several times and told me to consider myself allergic to gluten even though the tests were negative and my intestinal tests also test negative. What happens to me is that I get severe joint and muscle pain, fibromyalgia, & chronic fatigue when I eat anything with glutens.
My endocrinologist told me that he sees people like me every day and it frustraits him because he KNOWS there is something really wrong with us and it usually is cleared up when we get glutens out of our diet.. but the test they have to diagnose it is useless most of the time to him & us.
Many years ago, I learned how to figure out what it was that I was reacting to.. and there have been many over the years.. including milk for me too. It may not be the lactose specifically.. but something else.. We dont know. I get nauseous and bloated and feel really ill when I drink or eat anything with milk, cream etc including yogurt and to a lesser degree cheese.. Most of the time, I just stay away from it.
Trust your body.. IT knows what it likes & what it doesnt... It doesnt lie.
Eating 4 Balance
For those who have egg allergies, egg whites are the most common part to be allergic to. I know I personally can tolerate egg yolks much easier. And if you feel better off of gluten and dairy, I'd just stay away for a while longer. I wasn't eating any gluten when tested so my results weren't accurate either.
Yay for Lent. I'm excited (is that strange?) to give up something. I like little challenges like that.
Michelle @ Eat Move Balance
Those are definitely some interesting results from your doctor. Wow. I guess you just have to keep experimenting and reflecting on what works best for you, because ultimately, that's what it comes down to: How are YOU feeling when eat certain foods? Very interesting!
Jessica
My son was Gluten intolerant for the first 4 years but not allergic..for his bloodwork I had to ensure he was eating gluten for 10-12 weeks prior to bloodwork. His skin pricks were negative for wheat allergy, but as his gut developed he is now able to tolerate. I on the other hand since having him can no longer tolerate dairy, pineapple, avocado or shellfish..all of my allergy tests were negative but my gut cannot tolerate them anymore.
Claire @ Flake And Cake
My favourite afternoon snack is yoghurt and berries too - just about to tuck in as it happens!
Suzanne
Just wanted to say I recently had the bloodtests for celiac and they came back neg but I had been eating GF for some time (ate gluten for a week or so prior to testing). I then learned that I had to really increase the gluten to know for sure so I spent 5 months (more than necessary ) eating gluten and then just repeated the tests. I have not rec'd the results yet but I wonder if it would be the same (needing to eat lots of gluten) with allergy testing. My niece was diagnosed with celiac and my brother is likely celiac but has not been tested. We all have similar symptoms but I would really like to know for sure so I know if my kids should be tested. Sounds like you are listening to your body and what it needs - good for you.
Brenda
thanks for sharing Suzanne!
Laurie
took that crispy skin off that thigh and...ate it?
lol
no, u would never-but I have been known to eat the skin off everyone elses! You know-to keep them healthy!
Brenda
HAHAHHA, nope didn't eat it!