Thought Pantry

So, we’re going to go a little bit of a different direction with thoughtpantry for a while. Now it’s going to be a place for me and my wife to post cool stuff. Like this video about multi-touch screen monitor technology. This video is from TED, Summer, 2006. Multi-touch technology has been around for a little over a year now, but Jeff Han is one of the guys that made it happen, and this is widely recognized as the paradigm-shifting presentation of that technology. It’s very, very cool.

I’ve been trying to eat on a rotational diet where I only have problematic foods every 4-7 days. This means I’ve had to get better at menu planning, which in turn means that I’ve had to get myself organized! The worst sabotage for a restricted diet is a poorly stocked cupboard and a time crunch.

I decided after a few weeks that, even if I could tolerate foods after 4 or 5 days, I didn’t have the discipline or planning savvy to stick to a 4-day rotation, although some people have great success with those. I’ll try to put an example of a short rotation diet up soon. For me, though, I find it much easier to eat the same, pretty restricted diet on weekdays and then Saturday and Sunday I can add other foods moderately. Something about having certain days of the week to count on works in my brain.

Regardless of which rotation diet works for you, there are a few tricks to make life much easier! Here are a few I’ve found:
- Organize your recipes by category of food allergens. I have the following categories: Completely clear, Corn-containing, Gluten-containing, and Some sugar. I put the names of recipes and their respective books on a bunch of note cards (e.g. Completely Clear Card —- Chili . . . Dad’s Cookbook, pg. 63). Just think of elementary school when you organized your sources into topics on 3×5 cards.
- Remember to include online recipes you love (I abbreviate the names - AR for allrecipes.com, etc.). That will spare you from getting caught on the web for hours.
- Once a week, sit down with your cards and plan the menu. As you approach each day, pull out the card that applies (e.g. if Tuesday is your gluten-allowing day, pull out your Gluten card) and choose your menu from the choices listed.
- As you write your weekly menu, have another note pad to write out your grocery list simultaneously.
- Add new recipes to your card system as you try them.
- If you’re beyond the paper age, make an electronic version - whichever way will encourage you to use it!

This system can work just as easily for families without food restrictions in order to bring variety to meals. Just make cards with chicken, beef, fish, and bean recipes, and aim for at least one of the latter two every week. The cards eliminate the hours of poring through recipe books and online databases orchestrating next week’s menu (except for those meals when you want something new!).

Setting it up for the first time will take the better part of an afternoon, but it’s well worth it. Now I can plan each week in about 15 minutes, and it’s just nice to have all my frequently used recipes organized in one place!

I’ve always been intimidated by the bulk flour aisle in my health food store - I always feel like I’ll buy the wrong thing or not enough, or I’ll buy it and it’ll taste bad so I won’t use it. This week I overcame that fear. Celiac.com has some great all purpose flour recipes. My blend most resembles #4. I ended up getting 1 part brown rice flour, 1 part garbanzo bean flour, and a scoop of arrowroot flour (about 1/2 a part). Yesterday morning I made pancakes with them, following very loosely some pancake recipes from other sources. Here’s about what I came up with:

1/2 c brown rice flour
1/2 c garbanzo bean flour
1/4 c arrowroot flour/starch
2 tsp baking powder (GF if needed)
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c oil
2 eggs
1 c milk (or substitute for GFCF)
2 tsp honey (optional)

I mixed the dry ingredients, then added the wet and poured cup-fulls onto a hot skillet. It helped to shake them as soon as they were poured on because they started out thick and difficult to cook. I also threw in a handful of carob chips because I like them.

They worked beautifully! They looked like pancakes and even tasted like them! There were no weird off flavors, and texture-wise they kind of dissolved in my mouth, probably because of the arrowroot and rice flours. If there was anything bad about them, It would just be slightly less overall flavor, but to me that’s better than a gross flavor. My husband, whose diet is not restricted, was really impressed. This recipe is nice because it only uses 3 “weird” flours and xanthan gum, but if you’re going to do much gluten-free cooking, it would be wise to go ahead and get some. It’s kind of expensive, but it goes a long way. I’ll try mixing up the amounts and tinkering with the recipe more to make it perfect.

If you try this recipe, tell me how it goes and feel free to offer suggestions to make it better.

My cute aunt wrote the following:

Hey Dani- Cool site. Good luck with it. Here’s a really yummy salad dressing recipe:

1/3 c. olive or veg oil (I use olive)
2 T. lime juice
2 T. chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
1-1/2 t. sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 t. chili powder
1/2 t. salt, (opt.)
1/4 t. pepper

We eat this on a salad with hickory smoked chicken breasts, sweet red peppers, onions and mixicorn, but it is good on any salad.

I have been working through a temp agency this summer, which has been really fun. Well, mostly fun. The beauty of temp work is that it changes every week, so you have some that are better than others, but I love every assignment being different. It also gives you the flexibility to take off a week here or there if you have planned vacations or anything (which is a main reason I’m doing it).

The one down side is that sometimes you get jobs that are difficult, strange, or just plain awkward. Yesterday was one such job. I won’t go into details of companies or names, but this may serve as a cautionary tale about the dangers of internet promises. The lady at the staffing agency told me they had a job for me yesterday afternoon, only for a few hours. She said she wanted me to tell her all about it, though, because they “don’t usually do jobs like this,” and she wasn’t sure how it would be. I was told it would be data entry type stuff, with other miscelaneous duties thrown in. It would be in a man’s basement.

I entered the room - a dim, wood-paneled room from the 70’s - and met an older gentleman. We’ll call him Dr. Robertson. He seemed very excited for me to be there, and proceded to tell me his plans to save the world. He was going to take people off the streets and give them homes and food, and fix the prison system, and put kids in schools, and demolish unemployment. His plan was very secretive because it was so revolutionary. He would raise the money for it by paying other people, through temp agencies, to make the money for him. Then he gave me a printed out webpage of Paid Survey Program, one of these databases for companies that will pay you to take online product surveys. I was supposed to do that. For him. And we were supposed to make $50-100 that day. This website charged him $40 to sign up, which he informed me he’d done previously, but I couldn’t find their login page anywhere, and as far as I could tell, there was no way to log in, and he’d just been robbed $40. I know there are places that will pay you for surveys, but this was not one of them - it was just a “database,” which, itself, wouldn’t pay you, and you’d have to still register with each individual company - and regardless,there’s no way we’d be making the kind of money he was expecting filling out surveys.

Since there was no login page, I spent the day searching for his login information that he said he printed out, which would have been possible - he printed out every page he went to online and stuck it in one of 50 binders - if there had even been a login account possible.

He had me get into his email to see if the login was emailed to him (which it wasn’t), but I made some more discoveries. On the left side of his inbox were file folders, like any normal emailer, but he had a million, and each was a different internet get-rich-quick scheme. The ones you see all over the internet and once you sign up for one, your spam mail builds up with the “offers” other eager scammers send you. It was really sad. I remember when he tried to get into Paid Survey Program, an ad popped up, “OWN YOUR OWN DOLLAR STORE, $30″, and he hurried to click on it, saying, “That’s too good to pass up!”

When he finally gave up on the Paid Survey Program, he had me look up the numbers for the biggest oil companies available. His calls would sound something like this:
Receptionist: Hello, this is Sinclair Oil
Dr. Robinson: Hello, may I speak to the president?
Receptionist: I’ll transfer you to his secretary.
One time he talked directly to the president of the company. I’ll never forget it.
President: Hello?
Dr. Robinson: Hello, I am Dr. Robinson and I am trying to get the word out about a wonderful new fuel additive. I’ll be in town tomorrow, will you have time to sit down and talk about it?
President: Well, I’m not the one who usually does anything about that. You really want our plant down in Texas -
Dr. Robinson: Well do you have time to talk about it tomorrow? How about 2:00?
President: Like I said, I really can’t do anything for you, but -
Dr. Robinson: Sir, I know that you will love this fuel. Can I come by tomorrow?
President: I guess so, yeah, that will work. 2:00 then.
Dr. Robinson: Thank you.

The most awkward conversation I’ve ever had to listen to. Then I listened to him call the governor. And the governor’s son, and make appointments with them, as well. If he couldn’t get appointments, he was just going to drop something by for them.

I asked him what it was he was selling. It was this chemical used to clean fuel and improve gas mileage that was designed by someone local, but who wasn’t a good marketer. He then explained to me that if you ever want to “move something” (i.e. a product), multi-level marketing was the way to go. It was a multi-level marketing deal, and he was targeting the big guys. Not a bad plan, but he had no idea how to go about it, poor man, and he believed implicitly in his product, as he did with all the other scams he bought into.

The last straw for me was not when he asked me to start calling presidents of companies, trying to sell this product that I knew nothing about and had my doubts as to its legitimacy, it was when he asked if he could put my picture in the email he was sending to his hopefuls. I was supposed to be his advertisement. I told him I was absolutely not comfortable with that and he asked if he could just take my picture and not send it. Nope. No way. He then opened a giant binder on the table, showing me dozens of pictures of other girls (he took their pictures at the mall — I asked), saying he might put one of their pictures in the email. “Now wouldn’t that just brighten an executive’s morning?” Creepy.

He really is a victim. These are the kinds of people scammers prey on. They’re generally older, haven’t been exposed to the internet as much, and are a little more vulnerable and gullible. It’s a horrible thing to do. I am writing this man a friendly, anonymous letter to try to kindly tell him that he’s losing money, but I am quite happy to be done with that assignment. I informed the staffing agency that they might want to terminate their part in this poor man’s downfall.

So I bought a thing of digestive enzymes. I had a gift certificate for the Gluten-Free Mall, so I bought a cheap thing of enzymes. I know brands matter, but so does money, and this one was free free free, and I would have waited to buy them if I had to pay. It was worth a shot!

The pills came on Friday. A reminder: these were supposed to cure my food allergies. Supposedly I should be able to eat anything with them because they’d break down the offensive proteins before they could affect me. Here’s what happened:

Trial 1: As soon as I got the bottle, I took 2 pills and ate a bowl of cereal - half Lucky Charms, half Total Raisin Bran. No problems!!

Trial 2: We celebrated by ordering 2 large pizzas (pepperoni/pineapple and sausage/banana pepper - I’d forgotten what went well on pizzas). I took 3 pills and summarily stuffed myself with 4 giant pieces. Oh yeah, and 2 small cookies. It was heavenly!! I took one more pill after I finished because I ate so much, but I had no intestinal issues and no neurological issues! It seemed to be working like a charm. About 3 hours later I got just a hint of brain fuzz (overwhelming sleepiness and inability to concentrate), but I was impressed.

Trial 3: Saturday I took 2 pills and ate 2 pieces of cold pizza for lunch, then we went to Costco and I ate all the samples! Oh the excitement! And still just the gentlest murmur from my body in protest. Still going strong.

Trial 4: Sunday friends came over and brought brownies, so I had 1.5, with 2 pills. No problemo.

Trial 5: I had a big wrap with 3 pills at a training meeting, and the floor fell out from under me. Everything came back. My intestines felt like they were all contracting at once, my brain felt like it was expanding and floating, and to top it all off, I threw up a little. Still, 8 hours later, my abdomen still hurts. One of the worst reactions I’ve ever had.

Conclusion: none. A few ideas —
-I got a very cheap, unproven formula of digestive enzymes, and they all work differently. Enzymes may still be the answer, just not this brand.
-Maybe the enzymes never worked, and it took my body a while to build up a threshold to react to.
. . . and that’s about all my ideas. Back to the drawing board.

Cool Article:

Lustig RH, The ’skinny’ on childhood obesity: how our western environment starves kids’ brains. Pediatric Annals [Pediatr Ann] 2006 Dec; Vol. 35 (12), pp. 898-902, 905-7

Dr. Lustig, of the University of California at San Francisco’s Center for Obesity Assessment, is a pediatrician writing to pediatricians. He describes how America has become insulin-driven. Insulin’s normal function is to allow muscle and body cells to take up glucose from the blood, but Lustig outlines the result of a system imbalance, particularly that of a consistently high intake of sugar - even if total calories are in balance. In this case, when a child has become insulin-resistent, a smaller percentage of the glucose is accepted into the cells, leaving more of it to go directly into fat production. Leptin (a hormone responsible for feeling “full”) is suppressed, and the child now has fewer energy molecules at ready disposal as opposed to in fat stores. The child feels hungry, although he ate plenty of food, and thus begins the savage spiral. His body and brain think they are starving, as more and more glucose is denied them, and the child’s behavior begins to change — to become more sluggish and lethargic, eating more and moving less.

I thought Dr. Lustig’s ultimate point was beautifully stated. Here is just the end of the abstract - I don’t dare summarize it!

Thus, the vicious cycle of gluttony, sloth, and obesity is promulgated. Is this personal responsibility, when a kid’s brain thinks it’s starving? Is it personal responsibility when the American Academy of Pediatrics still recommends juice for toddlers? Is it personal responsibility when the Women, Infant and Children program subsidizes fruit juice but not fruit? Is it personal responsibility when the first ingredient in the barbecue sauce is high-fructose corn syrup? Is it personal responsibility when high-fiber fresh produce is unavailable in poor neighborhoods? Is it personal responsibility when the local fast food restaurant is the only neighborhood venue that is clean and air-conditioned? Is it personal responsibility when in order to meet the criteria for No Child Left Behind, the school does away with physical education class? Is it personal responsibility when children are not allowed out of the house to play for fear of crime? We must get the insulin down. Fixing the “toxic environment” by altering the food supply and promoting physical activity for all children can’t be done by government, and won’t be done by Big Food. This will require a grassroots, bottom-up effort on the part of parents and community leaders. We as pediatricians must lead the way.

This article was not meant to be a primary study, but a call to action, and I hope more people than a few pediatricians take heed.

I picked up this book at a sidewalk sale — “Enzymes for Autism” by Karen Defelice. I actually bought it for my mom, but now I don’t want to give it up! The book follows Defelice’s own family’s journey to find a root cause/solution to their many inter-related problems. As I read, I kept saying, “hey, my sister has that!” or “boy does that sound familiar!” Defelice asserts that many families with similar problems follow a pattern — once they find out that their problems are food-related, they begin a restrictive diet to eliminate problematic foods (usually gluten, casein, corn, etc.). As time passes, however, they find they have to eliminate more and more foods to achieve the same health benefits. She calls this the “food-free” diet.

Hey! That’s where I am!

Defelice also discusses other common causes, such as yeast overgrowth (candidiasis), bacterial overgrowth (dysbiosis), and parasites, which all may cause leaky gut syndrome, a state in which the intestine becomes permeable, allowing food particles, especially proteins, that aren’t fully digested to enter the blood stream.

Check out Karen Defelice’s site for more enzyme information.

Good dinner tonight!

~2 c cooked brown rice - 1/2 lb chicken breast

1 can black beans - a handful of chopped green onions

1 c red or green peppers (to taste - I used a handful of dehydrated ones)

1-2 cloves garlic - 1.5 tsp cumin

1.5 tsp chili powder - 1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper tortillas for wheat-eaters

spring roll wrappers for non-wheaters

salsa & cheese

Directions:

As the brown rice finishes cooking (if you’re making it fresh), saute small chunks of chicken in some oil (I sprinkled them with garlic powder and seasoned salt while they were cooking). When they’re done, add the onions and garlic and saute until soft. Add rice, peppers (after rehydrating them if needed) and beans, stirring until mixed and thoroughly heated. Add spices and remove from heat.

I made these on flour tortillas for my husband and used rice wrappers (spring roll wrappers) for myself. Soak spring roll wrappers for ~2 minutes or just until soft. Spoon some salsa onto the center of each tortilla/wrapper and roll up like an enchilada. Place into a greased pan and spread salsa on top of enchiladas. Bake covered with foil at 350 for 25 minutes. Remove foil and cover with cheese for last 5 minutes.

The spring rolls were really crunchy/chewy. They’d probably go better fried, but this was a great filling that could easily stand on its own! My husband raved about it! No wheat, corn, or dairy if you leave out the cheese!

I have a confession to make: I’m probably studying nutrition for the same reason psychologists do what they do – to figure myself out. It’s true. In high school I experienced my own “awakening” to the power eating has over the way I feel and act, and I noticed that it seems to affect certain people more than others. My family’s bodies are the more sensitive type. My mom’s side especially has a rainbow of curious symptoms that seem completely unrelated, except that many of them clear up if we eat or don’t eat certain things. A few of us have become crusaders for the cause and have charged ourselves with finding and fixing what’s wrong with us. We know it’s all linked somehow!

By having our noses in books about allergies, additives, corn, and wheat, as well as in other peoples’ lives, we’ve discovered, amazingly, that we are not alone! There are other families just like us – with similar symptom spectra and similar frustrations! Not only this, but it seems that our problems are becoming more common throughout the nation. So really, this isn’t a self-centered quest at all: we’re fixing the world!

The difficulty of studying nutrition today is an overabundance of information, and, frankly, a lot of it is rot. This is a researched forum – we’ll discuss current research and present ideas, trying to wade through the mess of opinions out there. In accordance with this search for truth, if you, Dear Reader, find quality research that contradicts (or supports) any statement here, PLEASE share them with us!