Food Sensitivity and A Brand New Diet

Wow- the past couple days have been informative, satisfying, and frustrating all rolled into one. 2 weeks ago I had my blood drawn for the ALCAT test. The ALCAT is a pretty special test because it doesn't test for food allergies, it identifies food sensitivities. Up to 200 of them to be exact, plus chemicals, molds, food additives and herbs. It's almost too good to be true. I was tested for 150 foods and 20 food additives. Still pretty comprehensive yet more affordable than the more extensive tests. Did I mention it's usually not covered under insurance and costs a pretty penny? I've been looking forward to having this test done for months and was so excited to finally get the results. It turns out... I'm "severely intolerant" to chicken. CHICKEN. I didn't even know that was possible! It also confirmed my suspicion that I was gluten intolerant, and listed about 20 other foods I should eat sparingly. Most of which are included in my regular daily diet. Great.
Although receiving this information was a huge leap forward in my journey to feeling better, it caused even more frustration for me. Let's tally it up- Fructose Malabsorption, Gluten Intolerance, Lactose Intolerance, and chicken sensitivity. Luckily the ALCAT provides a long list of acceptable foods to eat, but sadly for me a lot of them are high in FODMAPs. Crap. My solution? I'm seeing a Dietician next week and leaving it up to her to tell me what to eat. My brain is fried from thinking so much about this. Second solution? WINE. :)

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

So I tried out this recipe from SparkPeople for low fat zucchini brownies and it turned out more like a bread. Still delicious, and I can't wait to have some lathered in cashew butter for breakfast tomorrow morning! I also modified some of the ingredients to make it even healthier. Today at Whole Foods I discovered the most wonderful thing ever invented- ground chia and flax seed with coconut and cocoa. I tested it out in some vanilla yogurt and I couldn't believe how good it was- not too powdery or gritty, just sweet enough, very chocolatey. I felt like I was eating dessert and can't wait to try it mixed with frozen banana "ice cream".

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup applesauce
•  2 small or medium bananas mashed 
• 1 cup brown sugar 
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract 
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder 
• 1/4 cup Decadent Blend
• 1-1/2 tsp baking soda 
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 2 cups finely shredded zucchini (I used 4 small zucchinis) 
• 2 cups all purpose gluten free flour 
• 1/2 cup walnut pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an 9x13 inch baking pan. In a large bowl, mix together the applesauce, mashed bananas and sugar. Add vanilla, cocoa, and ground flax/chia seed and mix together. Then add baking soda, salt, and zucchini and mix together. Add flour and walnuts and mix together. Spread evenly into a prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes until brownies spring back when gently touched.

Tea Fortune

I love Yogi Tea. On every tea bag there's a little quote, kind of like a fortune cookie but with positive words for the soul. Today's was something I really needed to hear. How did you know Yogi?

Gluten Free Cupcake Thursday?

.... I am so busted.

Today I had not one but TWO Funfetti cupcakes. These things are my kryptonite. With fake vanilla FODMAP nightmare icing too. When I let myself cheat a little, I tend to let it snowball. I'm feeling the wrath of those tasty little devils and need to tap into the willpower I know is in me somewhere. The diet that I've found works best with my tummy is gluten and dairy free with a green smoothie every morning. I'm gonna try my hardest to get back to eating that way and begin feeling healthy and energetic again.

Chicken Fried Rice

Holy fried rice Batman! This recipe is crazy good. I'm usually intimidated by Asian dishes, but I found this recipe on Delicious As It Looks and it was not only easy but had a small number of ingredients that I actually had in my kitchen! I added a little broccoli and chicken cooked in coconut oil.

If you're looking for more great low fructose recipes, check out this blog.

Gluten Free Cupcake Thursday

Today's flavor was lemon, one of my favorites. Nom nom nom!

Oat Cookies

I think my favorite thing to cook with is oats. I'm obsessed with them. You can make pretty much anything with them. These cookies are made without flour, FODMAP free, and really really good.

Recipe adapted from carrotsncake.com
Ingredients:

• 1-1/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well until blended evenly. Portion batter on a greased baking sheet, approximately 1-2 inches apart. Bake cookies for approximately 12-15 minutes.

FODMAP Free Lunch

Quinoa Tuna Salad

I've been eating this for lunch lately. It's really good and also a great post-workout meal. I just add all the ingredients together without measuring, so I'll just list the ingredients.

• quinoa pasta, cooked
• tuna
• lemon juice
• low fat mayonnaise
• salt
• pepper
• shredded parmesan
• grapes
• cucumber

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

This morning I made some seriously delicious oatmeal. It was really fast and easy too. I know apples are a BIG no-no, but cooking them seems to aid in digestion (and I haven't had an apple in over 2 months and was really craving one). Has anyone else found that cooked fruits and veggies are easier to digest? This makes sense to me for IBS but not Fructose Malabsorption. I'll have to do some more research on this.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup quick cooking oats
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 apple sliced into small chunks (remove peel for even easier digestion)
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 2 tbsp butter of choice
• 1/2 tsp white sugar
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 1-1/2 tsp cinnamon

Cook apple in skillet with butter, cinnamon, and sugar until almost soft. Add in raisins and simmer with apple mixture until apples are soft all the way through. Combine oats, maple syrup, and almond milk in a small pot and cook on medium, stirring frequently, until desired consistency is reached. Top oatmeal with apple mixture and enjoy!