Well it has certainly been a long two months! For those of you unaware I was hospitalized after July 4th weekend because I lost feeling in my legs (it sounds much worse than it was! more awkward than anything!). After LOTS of tests and some serious steroids (I can now say that I have had ROID RAGE!), I left the hospital with some feeling in my legs and feet and no diagnosis. Though the most likely cause is Multiple Sclerosis, only time will tell.
I was extremely blessed to have my mother visiting for the first two weeks of July. She didn't get to enjoy the Michigan summer quite the way we had planned but I don't know what I would have done without her here- especially after my spinal tap led to some complications. Before she left for Texas, she made sure she felt comfortable about my health. First, she bought me a few $100 worth of vitamins and supplements and made me pinky promise to take them twice a day. Next, she installed a land line in my apartment because she hates the sketchy (at best) reception my cell phone gets inside the building.
And finally, she very seriously sat me down and discussed an Allergy Free Diet. Since MS is an autoimmune disease that causes lots of inflammation, it is believed that removing other sources of inflammation (ie. stress, heat and allergens) can alleviate frequency of flares and severity of symptoms. Normally, removing one or two things from my diet wouldn't be very bad. But let me give you an idea what my diet looked like before. I was ALWAYS exhausted so I started to hate cooking, especially cooking meat. It took too long. By the time it was defrosted, seasoned and cooked I would have already eaten half a package of hummus or a block of cheese and be passed out on the couch. My diet consisted of: every kind of cheese imaginable, hummus, bread, yogurt, edamame, sauteed chickpeas, prepared salads and lots of TakeOut. So as my mother started ticking off the things that I could no longer eat I began to despair.
No gluten? There goes bread and pasta. And all the things I love to bake.
No dairy? I almost refused. Cheese is pretty much my life. I had been seriously considering using my Microbiology degree to run a goat farm and make cheese. Why would she do this to me?? But I still had some of my favorite foods including chickpeas and soybeans!
And then she said No Soy or Legumes! This is where I very sarcastically asked her what exactly I COULD eat.
And so we began the list of Allergy Free Foods: all lean meats, all fruits and veggies, tree nuts and brown rice. The list sounds short. But I've learned that my very sarcastic question What CAN I eat? was exactly on point. Living this lifestyle isn't about focusing on all the things I can't eat but identifying things I CAN eat and making sure I keep those things available. Shockingly, I have transitioned fairly well to this Allergy free diet. It doesn't hurt that it makes me feel much much better. My energy level is so much higher when I follow the diet and my symptoms seem to me waning. Many would argue that there are multiple factors that could contribute to this, but I will continue on my allergy free path!
This is where EatDrinkBeMary takes a slight turn! The blog is going to start discussing my journey eating Allergy Free. I've found that there are many sites that discuss gluten free OR dairy free OR soy free cooking, but it is hard to find true allergy free recipes. I'm hoping this will be a home for the products and recipes that I discover along my journey. If you are looking for yummy cheesy bread and ooey gooey desserts, you are on the wrong page. But if you too are searching for great allergy free options (or just want to hear about the journey!), welcome to the new EatDrinkBeMary!
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