What Can't I Eat?

I guess I should explain some of the reasons for the question, "What do I eat?"

First and foremost, why do any of us eat?

Most would say, "Because we need to in order to live."

Others would say, "Because it's fun."



In regards to the first answer, we do need food to survive. But we need good, meaning nutritious, food to live. There are some basics that everyone should follow if you want to live a healthy life. And the excuse that you can eat anything and still be fine will not sit well with you when the effects eventually do catch up with you. If they don't now, they will later.

For me specifically, I have a disease called Endometriosis (stage IV) and part of controlling this disease (i.e. not being in pain with my hot water bottle all day) is in restraining from certain foods.

These foods include;
dairy, sugar (including honey), red meat (although now I can have organic, grass fed occasionally which is apparently 3 times a week - more than I did regularly anyways. I will have more to say on the importance of red meat in the diet hopefully later.), and wheat and glutenous grains.

So, hence the question that has been asked so often, "What does Andrea eat?" or the popular, "So...what can you have?"


As to the second answer, (Because it's fun), I am very glad that I enjoy cooking and creating, because this diet can be very monotonous if all you eat is rice and carrot sticks (often my choice at potlucks). Rice and carrot sticks are quite good at times, but not everyday. So this blog will become my record of what I eat...to live...and for fun, because it's great when food is enjoyable as well as healthy.


A quick warning to those who are not used to eating like this. This food may not be so enjoyable to you at first. That is because your taste buds are currently conditioned to whatever foods you are eating right now, which is probably white wheat flour and sugar. Let me say right now that these are B-A-D for you. Your body will need to get off of these foods, and it will not like you while you are going through withdrawn (not even exaggerating, sugar is addictive). Also you will need to get used not eating every sweet. Everything tastes bland if you are used to sweet all the time. You will need a nice long break from sweet in order to start truly tasting again. Then, after that things will be so much more flavourful!


That's my diet in a nutshell. I will have more in depth posts to come periodically about this stuff and the bad stuff you should avoid. Until then, start by trying to avoid white stuff. It's easy to remember, just eat nothing white (cauliflower is okay though). What I mean is no white sugar, no white flour, no white rice even. (Am I scaring you?) Start with what you can. It doesn't help to try and do something all at once if you can't follow through. Start with the flour and sugar and you will be well on your way.

The Molasses Cookie

MMMM...the molasses cookie...
a completely made up recipe which I use as a source of fiber. My naturopath told me to take 1-2 tablespoons of ground flax daily, plus a tablespoon of black-strap molasses daily. I often forget to do the ground flax in water, and I don't like taking right before bed as then I have to use to bathroom in the middle of the night and that was the time that I would usually remember. The molasses...a cookie sounded good for an intake of molasses. So thus, the molasses cookie was born.

Since it is completely made up I have done a number of variations on it. I've added coconut milk, or used 1 cup oat bran and 3/4 cup brown rice flour in place of all the rice flour (the best variation in my opinion). Many people also don't like the overwhelming molasses taste and have lessened it considerably when making these cookies with these people in mind. I, however, really enjoy a good serving of molasses.

If you don't have an ingredient, that's fine. Substitute whatever you need to. (I currently don't have coconut oil, and I found that it really doesn't make a difference). Also I never measure spices, so these are just a guideline.

In a bowl combine;

1 cup ground flax
1 1/2 cup brown rice flour (blend rice in blender/ coffee grinder)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon

add;

3 tbsp coconut oil
1/4 tsp liquid Stevia
3/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup water

Mix all together. If too watery, or if you like a dryer cookie, add oats, or more flour. Place in spoonfuls on a stainless steal cookie sheet, or a stone or something that's not teflon or aluminium. You do not need to grease the pan.

Cook at 350 F for 15 min or so. (Depending on how I change the recipe the time varies a lot).

The flax nutrition is mainly lost in cooking. If you want flax for it's omega-3 oils, then you'd better have it raw. For this purpose, however, I was more interested in fiber.

Be sure to drink lots of water! Your body needs good old fashioned water to work with the fiber to aid elimination. A very common reason why people are constipated is simply because they do not drink enough water, and especially if you are taking something like flax or psyllium, added water will help things along. A good "calculator" of how much water you need is to take half of your body weight (in pounds) and that is how many ounces of water you should have daily. But don't drink all at once, spread it throughout the day.

Enjoy!

Well there you go, I started a blog. I have been asked many times for recipes and what I eat, instead of writing them out and emailing them individually, I'll just do a blog!

This way, maybe I can post pictures too, which is always much more interesting and helpful. That is - if I get around to it.

Enjoy!