It does seem an odd thing to voluntarily give up so many foods. Meat. Dairy. Gluten. Sugar. Soy. Why would anyone do that? I can explain.
I'll start with gluten. My youngest daughter has Celiac Disease. You don't want me to describe what happens when she eats gluten. We are in the process of trying to figure out if casein might also be an issue for her. It does seem to have some nasty consequences. In addition, my husband cannot tolerate wheat. It stuffs up his sinuses, adds weight to his gut, and makes his cholesterol skyrocket. When he gave it up, he lost 60 pounds without counting a single calorie. So, while I will eat gluten when out and about and still buy one or two items with gluten for my other two kids (when the gluten-free alternative is just too expensive to feed an entire family), I keep a mostly gluten-free household.
That one was easy. It's always easy to explain giving up a food when allergies or intolerances are involved. Which brings me to soy. If it's processed, I can't eat it. It makes my heart palpitate. No kidding.
Then there is sugar. Hi, my name is Paula and I am a sugar addict. True story. Sugar makes me want to eat everything in sight. I once made S'mores Nachos. I put Totopos, our favorite brand of tortilla chips, found in the Mexican aisle, on a plate, sprinkled (read dumped) chocolate chips on them, carefully placed 6-8 large marshmallows on top, and then nuked the whole thing for 20 seconds, just enough for the marshmallows to threaten explosion. So, three months ago I broke up with sugar for good. I have never been one to use artificial sweeteners as they give me a headache and are, well, artificial. I do use agave, however, so you will find plenty of sweets here.
What's next? Ah yes. Meat and dairy. Ooooh, see now...I hate conflict. How do I say this without offending anyone? Let's see. I could write how, when I think dairy, I think pus. But that's just me. I get myself all worked up like that. I don't think anyone would argue that the current manner in which livestock is raised and slaughtered in this country is less than ideal, inhumane even. There is also the environmental impact of raising and consuming meat and dairy to consider. And then there is the fact that meat and dairy just plain old make me feel like the unmentionable stuff that comes out of my youngest daughter when she eats gluten.
Finally, I have been slowly working to lose a little weight, trying to do it in the most healthy way possible. Meat, dairy, and sugar just do not make losing weight easy at all. I am not one of those people who does moderation very well. In fact, I am a complete failure at it. To make matters more complicated, this past year I went into atrial-fibrillation twice, both times while eating frozen yogurt. In each case, I had just completed a very long work-out and in both cases, the ice cold yogurt sent my nicely warm and over-exerted heart into electrical confusion (I apparently have not evolved enough to handle refrigeration). It's not actually a big deal because my cardiologist (because I, in my early 40's, have one of those now) checked my heart out thoroughly and found it to be freakishly perfect (freakishlybecause my father died at 44 of heart disease and because I still have some weight to lose). Nonetheless, one does not spend two hospital stays on the cardiology floor planning their next fat-laden, diabetic-coma-inducing meal. I spent it planning my very long future with my three children, wonderful husband, and all the grandchildren I will have. And so, to that end, I come to this place where meat, dairy, and sugar are not welcome.
Whatever reasons you might have for eschewing this slightly daunting list of foods, I hope that you will enjoy the fruits of my labor. I try and avoid processed food as much as possible, both for financial and health reasons, and so I do a lot of cooking from scratch. May you and your heart/conscious/family/allergies benefit from the recipes you will find here.
Bon Appetit!
I'll start with gluten. My youngest daughter has Celiac Disease. You don't want me to describe what happens when she eats gluten. We are in the process of trying to figure out if casein might also be an issue for her. It does seem to have some nasty consequences. In addition, my husband cannot tolerate wheat. It stuffs up his sinuses, adds weight to his gut, and makes his cholesterol skyrocket. When he gave it up, he lost 60 pounds without counting a single calorie. So, while I will eat gluten when out and about and still buy one or two items with gluten for my other two kids (when the gluten-free alternative is just too expensive to feed an entire family), I keep a mostly gluten-free household.
That one was easy. It's always easy to explain giving up a food when allergies or intolerances are involved. Which brings me to soy. If it's processed, I can't eat it. It makes my heart palpitate. No kidding.
Then there is sugar. Hi, my name is Paula and I am a sugar addict. True story. Sugar makes me want to eat everything in sight. I once made S'mores Nachos. I put Totopos, our favorite brand of tortilla chips, found in the Mexican aisle, on a plate, sprinkled (read dumped) chocolate chips on them, carefully placed 6-8 large marshmallows on top, and then nuked the whole thing for 20 seconds, just enough for the marshmallows to threaten explosion. So, three months ago I broke up with sugar for good. I have never been one to use artificial sweeteners as they give me a headache and are, well, artificial. I do use agave, however, so you will find plenty of sweets here.
What's next? Ah yes. Meat and dairy. Ooooh, see now...I hate conflict. How do I say this without offending anyone? Let's see. I could write how, when I think dairy, I think pus. But that's just me. I get myself all worked up like that. I don't think anyone would argue that the current manner in which livestock is raised and slaughtered in this country is less than ideal, inhumane even. There is also the environmental impact of raising and consuming meat and dairy to consider. And then there is the fact that meat and dairy just plain old make me feel like the unmentionable stuff that comes out of my youngest daughter when she eats gluten.
Finally, I have been slowly working to lose a little weight, trying to do it in the most healthy way possible. Meat, dairy, and sugar just do not make losing weight easy at all. I am not one of those people who does moderation very well. In fact, I am a complete failure at it. To make matters more complicated, this past year I went into atrial-fibrillation twice, both times while eating frozen yogurt. In each case, I had just completed a very long work-out and in both cases, the ice cold yogurt sent my nicely warm and over-exerted heart into electrical confusion (I apparently have not evolved enough to handle refrigeration). It's not actually a big deal because my cardiologist (because I, in my early 40's, have one of those now) checked my heart out thoroughly and found it to be freakishly perfect (freakishlybecause my father died at 44 of heart disease and because I still have some weight to lose). Nonetheless, one does not spend two hospital stays on the cardiology floor planning their next fat-laden, diabetic-coma-inducing meal. I spent it planning my very long future with my three children, wonderful husband, and all the grandchildren I will have. And so, to that end, I come to this place where meat, dairy, and sugar are not welcome.
Whatever reasons you might have for eschewing this slightly daunting list of foods, I hope that you will enjoy the fruits of my labor. I try and avoid processed food as much as possible, both for financial and health reasons, and so I do a lot of cooking from scratch. May you and your heart/conscious/family/allergies benefit from the recipes you will find here.
Bon Appetit!
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