First of all, the brain isn’t separate from the rest of our bodies.  Of course this is obvious when we look at the human body.  But somehow, we have been led to believe in our culture that our stomachs and the food we eat don’t really affect our brains and how we think.

In Five Element Acupuncture, the body is viewed as an intricate whole.  There are separate systems but each one of these systems or elements affects and relies on one another.  It is also said that the Earth element, which is connected to the stomach and the spleen, is the most important element, or the Mother of all elements.  If out of balance, this can lead to many other imbalances within the body, mind and spirit of a person.

To understand this, you only have to imagine the Earth.  When the Earth is diseased – unhealthy plants, too many toxins, pesticides, etc. – this has a detrimental affect on the living organisms on the planet.  We have seen the result of pollution on the Earth over the past several years and can attest that an unhealthy planet leads to diseases in plant, animal and human life.

Another example:  Imagine a bicycle wheel and the spokes that come out from the center.  The stability of the center is vital for the bicycle wheel to function properly.  Now imagine a broken center, where the spokes don’t connect properly or there isn’t any real substance of the center to hold the spokes.  So what happens?  The wheel falls apart.

Now return to the human being.  The stomach or Earth element is our center.  It is the place where the nourishment and food we eat becomes digested and transformed into energy in order for our bodies to be healthy and happy (hopefully!).  It feeds every cell in our bodies, especially our brains.  So in essence, the food we eat fuels the way we think, how we feel, and how well we are able to accomplish a task at hand.

We don’t usually think about food in this way.  But when you take into consideration that alcohol can affect speech, actions and thoughts, it is easy to understand that the food we eat also affects our minds, either positively or negatively.

Now imagine the Earth element or digestive system that is imbalanced or unhealthy in a person.  The result is that the food doesn’t become digested properly.  Toxins, yeasts, and unfriendly bacteria build up simply because there is a shortage of the good bacteria or normal gut flora to keep these toxins in check.

The Earth element is very unhappy in a person like this.  And what’s more, the gut lining of this person becomes damaged.  This is what is termed “leaky gut syndrome,” where undigested food and toxins leak through the gut and into the rest of the body.

Where do these toxins go?  They can go all over the body, unfortunately, and wreak havoc on any other body part.  Skin rashes, eczema and psoriasis can begin this way, from an unhealthy, leaky gut.

Where else do you suppose these toxins swim to in our blood stream?  Unfortunately, these toxins reach the brain and cause all sorts of malfunctions.

What are some of these problems? To name a few; depression, autism, ADHD, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, learning disabilities, schizophrenia, anxiety, nightwakings, behavioral problems, hyperactivity, bipolar disorder and others.

Is this for real?  Yes, and a lot of people, including some doctors, still don’t believe that a poor digestion has anything to do with the way one acts, thinks or feels.  But fortunately there are doctors, parents and other people who can vouch that this is indeed true.

One of these pioneers is Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride who wrote Gut and Psychology Syndrome.  She is a doctor of Neurology and Human Nutrition and she herself has a child who was diagnosed with learning disabilities.  But through a specific diet, she was able to heal her child who now lives a normal and healthy life.

Reading this book has been like finding the missing piece I’ve been looking for over the years.  Everything she writes makes perfect sense, even if sometimes I have to read it 2-3 times because it is a little technical.  I haven’t even finished reading it yet, and when I do, I’m going to start over at the beginning.

In my recent posts, I have written about how my diet is going the grain-free direction.  Actually, it’s already there, I think for at least a couple weeks now.  I have decided to do the GAPS diet, which is a grain-free, sugar-free, starch-free diet.  (I am waiting to do the Intro. diet until my son is no longer nursing.)

This diet is based on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet with a few modifications.  From the GAPS guide book:
“GAPS relieves symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Celiac Disease, depression, colitis, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, learning disabilities, diverticulitis, Cystic Fibrosis, chronic diarrhea, schizophrenia, Attention Deficit (Hyperactive) Disorder, anxiety, Crohn’s, rheumatoid arthritis, nightwakings, eczema, non-anaphylactic allergies, asthma, behavioral problems, gas, bloating, constipation, feeing difficulties, coilc, reflux, food intolerances, vomiting, heartburn, psoriasis, dyspraxia, hyperactivity, urinary and fecal incontinence, malnutrition, tummy pains, stool abnormalities and more.”

Why have I decided to do this diet?  If I stay away from certain foods, such as most dairy, gluten, soy, beans and most sugars, then I can keep my food allergies and symptoms in check.  However, I don’t feel that eating a limited diet like this is ultimately going to heal me from my food allergies.

What I have been learning  is that through a specific protocol of avoiding all grains, starches and sugars (honey and fruit is okay), while giving the body probiotics and nutrient packed foods that are easily digestible, the gut lining can begin to heal.  After about two years on this specific diet, people’s guts have normal gut flora, their linings are healed and they will no longer have the symptoms they once had from eating certain foods.

This means that for many people, they are able to eat dairy products again, maybe after years of avoiding them.  People become “un-allergic” to other foods too, such as eggs and nuts.  It is also said that after the gut lining heals, you can deviate from you diet and eat some grains (even glutenous ones) here and there and you won’t have the symptoms you used to have from eating these foods.

Now, would I rather continue eating a gluten-free diet for the rest of my life?  Or will I be able to stay grain-free for two years in order for my body and gut lining (the source of the problem) to heal so that I can live a healthier and happier life?

Although this diet is not easy, I am choosing the latter.  For many people with children with autism or other mental and digestive problems, this diet is their last straw and hope.  Although this diet is not a “quick fix,” there are many families, individuals and families who have done the diet with success and have had some amazing results.  Click here for testimonials.

I think I’d better stop here.  I am very passionate about this subject, this diet and what it can do for millions of adults and children who are suffering right now.  Please help me spread the word, check out the diet or tell someone you love about it today!

I receive a lot of emails from people who have found my site and are looking for ideas for their very limited diet.  Some of these people are at a complete loss as to what to eat because their diet is so limited.  I received one of these emails from someone last week inquiring about a diet for her daughter.

Here was her list of foods that her daughter was told to avoid:

gluten (wheat, barley, oats, spelt, kamut, tricale, and all products containing gluten such as soy sauce, etc)
grain (includes rice, millet, teff, and other gluten-free grains)
dairy
egg
soy
corn
banana
kiwi

This is a similar list to many of the people who come to me.  There are definite variations and more limited diets like those without any meat or fish, legumes, nuts, all fruit, etc.  But I thought I’d start with this diet to give you some ideas on where to start.

So what do you do when you get a list like this?  My hope is that in this post, I can give you my process for starting to come up with some foods and recipes you can eat when you receive a long list of foods you should be avoiding, even temporarily.

I am also working on compiling my recipes into menu plans for different diets such as this one so that people can have a menu planner for their specific limited diet.  I am also going to start writing some blogs about how you can start to do this for yourself!

1.  Focus on what you can eat, not what you can’t! Make a long list of all the foods available in your grocery store, farmer’s market and local health foods store.  Make categories for the main food groups and list all the foods under them that you can find.

Categories would include: meat, seafood, dairy products, fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, glutenous grains, gluten-free grains, grain-free “grains,” condiments, nuts, seeds, legumes, and sweeteners.

The most difficult part of receiving a list such as the one from this woman for her daughter, is that you have to be very creative when it comes to having foods that resemble grains, baked goods and pastas.

As a little help in the grain and grain-free department, here is a list that you can start with.  There may be others on the list I haven’t thought of or forgot to include:

Wheat-free grains:
spelt, oats, kamut, rye, barley plus all gluten-free and grain-free “grains”

Gluten-free grains and flours:
rice, all varieties
brown rice
corn
gluten-free oats
teff
millet
sorghum

Grain-free “grains,” flours and seeds
buckwheat

quinoa

amaranth

chia seeds

potato starch

sweet potato flour

yam noodles

pumpkin seed flour

coconut flour

almond meal

pecan meal and other nut meals (made from grinding any nut very finely)

blanched almond flour

flax seed meal

hemp seeds (great as protein powder)

tapioca – this is made from the cassava root

arrowroot

besan or chickpea flour

sunflower seeds (can be ground)

sesame seeds (can be ground up as well)

As you can see the grain-free list is pretty long!  I could probably keep going but I’ll stop there.  It’s really just a matter of knowing what to do with these ingredients once you figure out that there is quite a bit of variety out there!

2.  Highlight all the foods you can eat on the list. Focus on these foods and what you can create from them.  This first step will help you immensely if you can get through it.

3.   Going  back to the example diet that I listed before, here are the things that her daughter can eat based on doing this process.

All meat and seafood - this is a huge plus if you’re in this boat.  The challenge with this is some kids just don’t like meat or won’t eat it.  But if you aren’t a vegetarian but have a limited diet, this helps a lot with meal planning.  Also, you can bread fish and chicken with almond or pecan meal and it makes it more appealing to children.

You can also make chicken puree and slip this into things like potato pancakes.  More on this in a future post.

All veggies and all fruit except for corn, banana and kiwi.  It’s also helpful that her daughter can still eat potato as this is in a lot of foods and can also be used as a starch in baking.  Vegetables and fruits are so versatile – a great opportunity for creativity.

All beans except for soy. Beans are hard to digest in general so this may be something that she would eat every now and then but it also depends on her health issues.  Chickpeas can be ground into a flour as well as others such as fava beans.  I personally don’t like the taste and find them hard to digest as flours but they are an option.

All nuts and seeds. This is extremely helpful that she can still eat nuts and seeds.  Peanut butter isn’t even on her list (though this is a legume).  Nuts can be used as nut butters, flours, nut milk ( which would be a good option for her for a milk alternative since she can’t have soy or rice), cheese (though commercial brands have casien in them), as breading on chicken or fish, dairy-free cheese sauces (cashews) or just eaten whole as a great snack.  They are most digestible however if they are soaked and then dehydrated.

Most condiments: mustard, ketchup, vinegars, lemons and limes, oils.  As far as mayo goes, you can find an egg-free version but it’s made with soy.  I have a recipe for mayo made from cashews but I haven’t tried it yet.

All herbs, spices, chocolate and carob: You can make a meal with a piece of fish or chicken, some garlic and onions, vegetables and some fresh herbs and spices.  Very simple but very good.  There are infinite ideas and recipes out there in terms of just using meat or fish, vegetables and fresh herbs and spices.

She can also still eat chocolate and carob as long as it’s dairy-free and grain-free.  You could make grain-free chocolate or carob muffins, cookies, cakes, etc (search for grain-free and egg-free dessert recipes).  Even make your own hot chocolate with some cocoa powder, nut milk and a sweetener.

All sweeteners: also another plus.  Try to stick to raw honey, agave, molasses and real maple syrup.

Some alternatives for what she can’t eat:

Eggs: This can be a tough one if you’re used to baking with eggs or having them for breakfast.  However, there are several egg substitutes you can use when you’re baking, as long as you’re not making a quiche.  There are egg-free quiches but they are made with tofu, and she can’t have soy, so that is out.

As far as some other breakfast items, this is going to be more challenging without the eggs, grains and dairy-products.  But here are some ideas:

turkey or chicken sausages
grain-free pancakes
amaranth bread
turkey bacon
quinoa or buckwheat muffins, made grain-free, egg-free and dairy-free
nut butter on grain-free crackers
fresh fruit – smoothies, fruit salad

Dairy-free alternatives: This is really a topic in and of itself, so I won’t go into this completely.  But as I mentioned earlier, her choice milk would be almond or another nut milk or hemp milk.  You can make your own nut milk very easily.  Coconut milk would also be a good option.

As far as cheese goes, here is a good dairy-free cheese that is also grain-free.

Some people can eat ghee in place of butter, which is clarified butter.  Also, coconut butter is a great alternative to butter.  It is delicious!

She can also eat coconut yogurt and coconut ice cream, great alternatives (and yummy too) since she can’t have dairy, soy or rice.

Cornstarch alternative: Arrowroot powder can be used part for part in baking recipes that call for cornstarch.  You will also need to find a corn-free baking powder for baking.

Soy-free soy sauce: One last tidbit I’ll leave you with.  Here is a recipe I recently came across for soy-free soy sauce.  It looks very good to me but I haven’t tried it yet.  A good alternative for someone who loves asian food but can’t have soy.

4.  Get organized: Once you have compiled a list of recipes you’d like to try that fit your new diet, the next step is to organize them for them week.  Print them out or make copies from cookbooks.  Then look through the ingredients to see what you need to add to your shopping list for the week.  Then, yes, go shopping, or order unusual ingredients online.

5.  Be brave and take baby steps: Take the last step and be brave to try something new.  It can seem daunting at first to use unusual ingredients you’re not used to using in cooking and baking.  But start with something most familiar to you and go from there.  Take baby steps.  Try one or two new ingredients a week so you don’t get overwhelmed by too many choices.

6.  Don’t get too discouraged: Expect to have some flops.  You’re learning something new and it may take some time to learn some new tricks of the trade.  But be patient and keep trying.  Pretend you’re on an adventure and your next meal is your next mission.  This may sound corny but if you can get excited about creating new and delicious foods, you will most likely have better results than if you think you’re making another disaster.

Good luck!  I’d love to hear from you so leave a comment about your own adventures in allergen-free cooking and baking!

All the best,
Sarah

In every situation where you are faced with the reality of your limited diet, you may also have different issues come up.  It is very common for people with diet limitations to have different feelings about their new diet.  If you’re just beginning a new diet, it may be more difficult as you may feel misunderstood or left out leading to feelings of frustration, anger, or sadness.

So where does acceptance come in with all of this? As humans, when we don’t like something, it is our initial reaction to want to change or fix it.  The other side of this coin is that we may resist the change or circumstances that life is giving us.  What we end up with is being unhappy with our situation, trying everything possible to change it, or simply giving up and believing that life is going to be miserable for us.

Even if our outward circumstances did change, it may not really bring us the peace and happiness that we think it will. In other words, is it really the pizza we miss?  Maybe yes.  But on a deeper level, if we can accept our feelings about not being able to eat the pizza, we will come closer to being “okay” with the fact that we can’t eat it.

Acceptance can be tricky.  We hear we “should” or “need” to accept our circumstances. So our mind goes, “I accept the fact that I can’t eat pizza,” while our heart feels totally despondent.  How do we go from not accepting or not liking what is happening in our lives, to being okay with what life serves us?

The answer is really in the word acceptance. You can’t suddenly start repeating a positive affirmation like, “I really love eating gluten-free,” when in fact you really don’t.  But what you can do is accept the fact that you don’t like it or don’t want to do it.

This is an interesting paradox.  We are hardwired to not accept the things we don’t like. But liking and accepting are two different things.  You don’t have to like the fact that your diet is limited but you can accept the fact that you don’t like it and that opens to a whole new perspective.  The more you can open to the place in yourself that feels the restriction, the more you can open to peace and healing.

Here are some practical things you can start doing today:

• Notice your thoughts more and where they dwell. What do you think about when you are about to cook or sit down to your next meal?  If you can identify a specific thought, it may be a doorway for you to see how you are feeling about your diet.
• When you identify a thought or emotion that doesn’t feel good, take time to sit with it. Write it down and give it a voice.  Then ask yourself if there is something you believe about yourself or life that is creating this thought or emotion.  This belief will be something significant to you.
• Then allow yourself to accept this feeling as part of yourself. The more acceptance you can give to this place, the more at peace you will be.
• Remember that you are a whole person with a spectrum of emotions. To accept yourself fully means to accept all of you – from the happiness to the sadness and anger to joy.
• Find a support system – on-line forums (there are many different ones such as for celiac disease or food allergies), a local group where you can share and meet others, or even with a few close friends who understand what you may be going through.  Simply sharing with someone can be healing.
• Begin nourishing yourself with delicious food. Allergen-food may be different but it doesn’t have to taste bad!  Make a commitment to start cooking for yourself more often if you haven’t already.  And begin compiling new recipes that satisfy, heal and replace old favorites you used to love.

What is a consulting session all about?

There are many reasons why I do consulting with people, probably as many reasons as there are people.

I say that because each person is unique. Each person’s situation, lifestyle and experience is different.  While one person has children who have allergies, another person may have personally lived with food allergies or celiac disease their whole life.

Everybody’s challenge is different but I am here to help in whatever way you need; may it be extra help with cooking techniques, learning to adapt recipes to your needs or support with following a restricted diet.

You can also learn more about it by clicking here.

Or, you can contact me if you are interested in receiving a free 15 minute consult over the phone.

Many blessings!

Sarah

It wasn’t until I started baking my own gluten-free breads that I came to discover that what she says is in fact very true.  I had tried out the commercially made gluten-free products; some were okay while others turned me off completely.  I admit I was very happy when I discovered her recipes and flour combinations that create wonderful alternatives to wheat bread.

Bette gives a thorough explanation of the different gluten-free flours in her books, which I highly recommend purchasing if you are serious about making your own gluten-free breads and desserts.  However, I will list the main flours, which I use when baking and a brief explanation for each.  Most flours listed here work much better in combination with other flours.

Flours:

Amaranth, Buckwheat, Millet, and Quinoa Flours: Not technically grains, these plant’s seeds are ground into flours and contains all eight essential amino acids, which make them all complete proteins.  When baking with these flours, you can use a blend of half of GF baking mix (such as 2 part rice flour, 2 part tapioca flour, 1 part arrowroot flour and 1 part potato starch) and half whole-grain GF flours such as these.  They add great flavor and added nutritional value to baked goods.

Arrowroot: This is fine white flour and can be exchanged measure for measure with cornstarch.  I personally use this flour in place of cornstarch mainly because it is healthier for you than cornstarch.  Also, corn is a main allergen so I don’t use it in many recipes for this reason as well.  I use it in place of the cornstarch in Bette’s “Featherlight Rice Flour Mix.”

Coconut flour: This flour is new to me and I haven’t had a chance yet to try it.  But Elana at Elana’s Pantry recently posted a recipe using it.  It looks delicious and very simple because she didn’t use any other flours in combination with it.  She recommended the book Cooking with Coconut Flour to learn more about baking with coconut flour.

Cornmeal: This meal is ground from corn and is used in making cornbread or other dishes.  The courser variety is called polenta and can be used in a variety of dishes.

Potato Starch Flour:  This starchy fine flour is made from potatoes and is used in “Bette’s Gluten-Free Mix” and the “Potato Flour Mix.”

Potato Flour: This is a heavy flour and not to be confused with potato starch.  Buy it in small quantities and store it in the refrigerator.  It is used in in Bette’s “Featherlight Rice Flour Mix”.

White Rice Flour: This is used in many gluten-free products.  It is milled from polished white rice and is very mild in taste.  This can be stored in the pantry and has a long shelf life.  It is a main ingredient in most GF flour mixes and is usually used in combination with potato starch, arrowroot flour, tapioca starch, potato flour and/or bean flours.

Brown Rice Flour: This is made from unpolished brown rice and contains bran so it is healthier for you. You can use it in breads, muffins and cookies where a bran taste is desired.  You can use brown rice flour instead of white rice flour in most recipes.  It should be kept refrigerated.

Sorghum Flour: Ground from sorghum grain, this flour works well in combination with other flours.  It is available at most health food stores, grocery stores with a gluten-free section or suppliers you can order from.  It stores better in the refrigerator.  It is used in combination with other GF baking mixes.

Tapioca Flour: Also known as tapioca starch, this fine white flour is ground from the cassava plant and gives “chewiness” to baked goods.  It can be stored in the pantry for a long time.  It can also be used to thicken soups or sauces.  Add 1 tsp to 2 cups liquid and bring to a boil while stirring.  Reduce heat to a simmer.

Teff: This flour is available in ivory, red or brown varieties.  It has a wheat-like taste and is high in protein content.  Works well in combination with other flours.  You can find it in most health food stores or you can order it from gluten-free suppliers.   When baking with teff, use a blend of half of GF baking mix (such as 2 part rice flour, 2 part tapioca flour, 1 part arrowroot flour and 1 part potato starch) and half teff flour.

Other Gluten-free Baking Ingredients:

Dough Enhancers: These are powdered products that are used in gluten-free bread making and help the bread to stay fresher longer.  You can order them from companies that produce gluten-free ingredients or at some health food stores.  Make sure to read the ingredients list to make sure you aren’t sensitive to anything.

Almond meal: Sometimes called a flour but really it is finely ground almonds.  I use it in place of dry milk powder or buttermilk.  It also works well when making gluten-free pie crust. 

“Egg Replacer”: You can find this at most health food stores or order it from gluten-free baking companies.  Bette uses it in many of her recipes for extra levening in the bread.

Xanthan Gum: This is a powder that is used to bind gluten-free products together in place of the gluten.  You can find it at most health food stores or in the gluten-free section of your grocery store.  Use about 1 tsp per cup of flour in recipes.

Guar Gum: This serves the same purpose at the xanthan gum but it is less expensive.  However, it should be avoided by anyone whose symptom of celiac disease or food allergies is diarrhea or stomach distress because it is sold as a laxative.

Sally Fallon in her book Nourishing Traditions, talks about why certain foods are hard to digest.  She writes:

“Allergy tests have revealed sensitivities to every food commonly eaten, but most prevalent are allergies to milk products and grains… The proteins in grain and milk, namely gluten and casein, are two of the hardest proteins for humans to digest…(pg. 56.”)

The Other Kind of Food Allergy:

It is well known that when someone is allergic to something that their body will immediately react by breaking out in hives or creating some other kind of histamine reaction.  These foods or substances can be life threatening to people who have allergies to them and they have to avoid them at all cost.

But some people aren’t aware that there is actually another kind of allergic reaction that the body can produce that is actually a lot harder to figure out, called a “delayed-type hypersensitivity.”

Symptoms created from this type of reaction don’t occur until an thirty minutes or so up to a few days after consuming the food.  Plus, a reaction can last for days.  This makes detective work rather tricky;  in order to figure out what’s causing your symptoms, you have to keep on top of your ballgame.

These reactions can run the gamut of everything from digestive complaints, skin issues such as eczema, headaches, fatigue, insomnia, weight-gain and even depression.  Furthermore, there are many digestive disorders which are linked to a person’s diet.

A grim fact:  “38 million Americans are victims of digestive disorders, including Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis, celiac disease, IBS, constipation, diarrhea, GERD, candida and food allergies.”

The old adage “you are what you eat” seems appropriate here.  Unfortunately in our society today, it seems we are just beginning to wake up to the fact that the “normal” diet that most Americans consume on a daily basis is creating a host of problems.

The more I learn about today’s food supply that most people eat on a daily basis, the more I am coming to the awareness that the epidemic of “food allergies” and the numerous digestive disorders that are on the rise is an intense cry for help from people’s bodies.

If we look at history, these disorders either didn’t exist or were certainly not in the numbers they are today less than a mere hundred years ago.  But if we look at the food that is being sold and consumed by the majority of people, it begins to make sense.

What is needed is a return to the traditional ways of preparing meals for our families from whole and nutritious foods the way nature intended and in ways that benefit the whole person, not just the taste buds.