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Hello my food loving friends!!

Sorry I have been MIA for a week, but school is starting to kick my butt. I know you don’t want to hear any excuses! I realllly want to blog 3x/week, so I need to step my game up. In true Barney Stinson fashion – challenge accepted! (How I Met your Mother anyone??)

I had my first midterm yesterday, and I still have two more before reading week. Ahhh the joys of reading week! Unfortunately it won’t be a total snooze fest, I will still have a decent amount of work to do. Some of my super duper profs made papers due the week we get back. At least I can sit at home in my peejays, drinking tea while writing!

Also my super cool friend Kat, is coming to visit for a few days! Wahooooo! Unfortunately she has other friends to see while in Toronto, but I am going to try and hog her all to myself.

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Today marks two weeks of eating allergy free, and I am happy to say that I am feeling pretty darn good. My digestion has improved, and I am definitely sleeping better.

As well as cutting out the 29 food sensitivities, I have also been doing a yeast cleanse. One of my sensitivities was bakers and brewers yeast, and many alternative practitioners believe that this sensitivity signifies that you have an overgrowth of yeast in your system. Usually yeast and healthy bacteria live symbiotically in your gut, but some situations may cause the yeast to take over**. As many of you know you can have oral yeast infections (thrush) as well as infections down south, that both occur when your body overproduces yeast. A lot of the time people also have a systemic yeast overgrowth that is greatly affecting them. Many people refer to this overgrowth as Candida. (Sorry for my total lay description of this process, check out here if you wanna read more!)

**Some of the common causes of yeast overgrowth are antibiotic use, oral contraceptives, diets high in processed foods, stress etc.

Some of the symptoms of Candida are:

THE WAY YOU FEEL

Inability to focus, Poor memory, Brain fog, Irritability, Anger, Dizziness, Depression, Crying spells, Panic attacks, Low libido, Persistent extreme fatigue, Hyperactivity, Cravings for sweets and alcohol, Insomnia, Poor coordination.

YOUR DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

Acid reflux, Bloating, Flatulence, Nausea, Diarrhea, Constipation, Stomach cramps, Indigestion, Burping after meals, Mucus in stool, Hemorrhoids, Itching anus.

YOUR SKIN

Acne, Cysts, Hives, Night sweats, Psoriasis, Eczema, Dermatitis, Fungal infections of the nails & skin, Athlete’s foot, Body odor.

YOUR MOUTH

Thrush (white coating on tongue), Swollen lower lip, Halitosis, Metallic taste in mouth, Bad breath, Canker sores, Bleeding gums, Cracked tongue.

YOUR RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

Persistent cough, Mucus in throat, Sore throat, Sinus congestion, Chronic post-nasal drip, Flu-like symptoms, Hay fever symptoms, Sinusitis, Asthma.

YOUR EYES AND EARS

Eye pain, Itchy eyes, Sensitivity to light, Blurred vision, Bags under eyes, Ringing in the ears, Ear infections.

YOUR GENITO-URINARY SYSTEM

Recurring yeast infections, Recurring UTI’s (urinary tract infections), Cystitis (inflammation of the bladder), PMS & menstrual irregularities, Fungal rash

YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM

Frequent colds and flu, Allergies, Sensitivities to food, fragrances and chemicals.

YOUR WEIGHT

Inability to lose weight, Water retention, Weight loss.

OTHER SYMPTOMS

Headaches, Heart palpitations, Chronic body pain and/or joint pains, Muscle aches and stiffness.

Source

Okay so that is a pretty extensive list. Obviously I didn’t have all of those symptoms, but I definitely had some of them.  So what does this fancy little yeast cleanse entail?? It means no sugar, no mushrooms, no cheese, no chocolate, no honey, no vinegar, no coffee and no alcohol. So on top of all of the 29 foods that I had to eliminate, I also have these guys. Pretty much I can’t have any thing that is moldy, fermented or cultured. Smell ya later goat cheese and honey!

Okay so you are probably all wondering what the heck I eat now! Well actually, I have found it pretty easy to find tasty meals to enjoy. I have been surviving with out sugar (stevia is still allowed), but I have really been missing fruit. My Naturopath said that I can have 1 piece a day, which I usually save for in a smoothie. I have been eating lots of lean meats (white fish, chicken), vegetables (especially roasted) and healthy carbs (quinoa, millet, brown rice, sweet potatoes, buckwheat etc).

That’s right people whole & unprocessed foods are my bitch. I am downin’ them like its no ones business. I have really been focusing on eating health promoting foods. Before I eat something I try to ask myself ‘will this harm me or help me’. Right now my body needs all the help it can get!

The main thing that has kept me honest and with the program, is that I know I won’t have to eat like this forever. At some point I will hopefully be able to reintroduce at least some of my sensitivities, and I won’t be doing a yeast cleanse forever. 18 more days… Not like I am counting.

In the meantime here is what I have been up to!

1. I have fallen in love with brazil nuts. I used to think they tasted like dirt, but now I love them. Okay they kind of still taste like dirt, but in a good way. Weird I know.
2. I have been sprinkling ground flax on everything – salads, smoothies, hot cereal bowls to name a few. I grind my own and keep it in a small jar in the fridge. There is controversy over how long you can store it for. I grind up about ½ cup at a time and it never lasts more than a week. I find that a little ground flax really helps boost the satiety factor of my meals. I feel more full after, and a little extra fibre and Omega-3′s makes any gal happy.
3. I miss coffee. I haven’t drank caffeinated coffee for a looonnng time – yes I was one of those people who drank decaf coffee by choice. I just absolutely love the taste. It is definitely one of my comfort foods drinks. I don’t really miss the caffeine of the coffee, but I totally miss my decaf Americano.
4. I have started drinking tea like a champ – I always ‘steal’ hot water from Starbucks. Call me cheap, but I am not paying $2.25, 5 times a day. Yes I drink 5 mugs of tea a day. Not all green – most are herbal, so I don’t have to worry about my caffeine consumption.
5. Roasted carrots taste like candy. The other night I was munching away on some roasted veggies, and I couldn’t figure out why they tasted so damn sweet. I wondered if I accidentally sprinkled sugar on them instead of salt, because that is definitely something I would do. Then I tasted the salt and realized that they tasted so damn sweet because I haven’t had sugar in soo long! Seriously this no sugar thing is making vegetables taste like candy! Call me crazy, but I am not lying to you peeps.
6. Speaking of no sugar, I am over the blahh phase. When you first eliminate all sugar from your diet (including natural sugars – fruit, honey, maple syrup, agave), your body goes in shock a little. Last week I was like a walking zombie – everything was soo darn difficult. I wasn’t tired/sleepy, I just didn’t have any energy. Now I actually have quite a bit of energy!
7. I am slowly getting over food cravings. I obvs still crave things when I smell them, umm hello freshly baked goodies, but I don’t really crave them out of the blue as much. I am still a treat monster deep down, but I know that I need to tuck that side of my away for a while.
8.  I am not trying to replace the foods that I have cut out, but instead I am trying to find new foods to enjoy. Instead of finding a gluten free/yeast free bread to enjoy, I have been using other foods as a vehicle for my nut/seed butters. Has anyone tried topping a sweet potato with sunbutter? (or almond or peanut butter for those of you who can eat them) YUMMMM!
9. I am definitely steering clear of any negative health cycle. I refuse to let stress bring me down! 

Well I think that this lengthy post made up for my last of posts in the last week and a half. I promise I won’t run away like that again. You can definitely expect more updates and a few recipes in the next week!

I hope I have shown you that eating healthy, no matter what your food restrictions are, can be EASY, FUN, and ENJOYABLE! Don’t let your food allergies, sensiviities or preferences get in the way of you having fun with food.  Food is to be enjoyed and savoured, so everyone get out there and do just that!

Have a great night

-Karlee

Tags: stress, health promoting foods, tea, gluten-free, food allergies, food sensitivities, yeast cleanse, Sunbutter, Flax seeds, Carrots, Candida

• Comments 2 Comments
• Categories Healthy Eating, Dealing with Allergies

Hey everyone!

Fabulous Wednesday night isn’t it? Nope not over here. I am having one of those weeks, and I just want to hibernate until summer. Unfortunately I am on the brink of the midterm crunch and there is absolutely no time for hibernating.

I feel like I have so many things to do and so much going on, but none of it is school related. I can only imagine how I am going to feel once school starts to kick my you know what. So far February kind of stinks, but I still have 28 more days to change things up (yes it is a leap year this year!!!!).

You know those days when you look at your massive to-do list only to turn it away and ignore it. I have been doing that all week – even the smallest little task seems overwhelming right now. I have been feeling pretty drained since I found out about my food allergies and sensitivities. I guess I have been putting all of my energy and effort into healing up my tummy, making food and grocery shopping. I am 100% confident that I will get the hang of things, but right now I am still feeling a little lost.

Anyone want to volunteer to be my personal assistant/chef for a few weeks? Actually no silly question – I love cooking! Anyone want to volunteer to finish my last semester of undergrad for me? I will pay with baked goodies and healthy meals.

I don’t want this to turn into a rant, and I definitely don’t want to sound like a whiny baby. But I do I think it is important to point out how hard it is to adjust to a new eating routine. I also want to point out how terrible it is to live with digestive issues. In the end I am going to master the art of gluten-free, yeast-free, soy-free, sugar-free, peanut-free, dairy-free and (almost) nut-free eating. Yep that’s a big list and I am going to show it who’s boss. In a few months I will be feeling like a champ and laughin’ at all of those foods that thought they could take me down

Just you guys wait! It WILL happen!

*****

On a happier note – I have been doing some research on food sensitivities and why they develop, and I am very hopeful that I won’t always be this limited in my food choices. I am thinking about doing a research paper on them, but I am not sure on the availability of peer-reviewed journals. If I find anything super interesting I will definitely be posting about it! 

Anyone have any exciting plans for the weekend?? Other than some studying, work outs and chores, I plan to relax and chill out as much as possible! I also plan on squeezing in some funny movies (probs a few Friends episodes too), because we all know that laughter is the best medicine. I just need to survive the next few weeks. Reading week is coming up, and there will be a lot of bum and couch action. I just need to practice a little bit before then Enter this weekend! 

Four more hours and I have successfully survived hump day! I can smell the weekend already. My bum misses the couch. And I think I heard the couch wimper out at it when I walked past it today (okay I actually sat down for a few minutes but shhhhh). 

Have a good night everyone  

-Karlee

You haven't seen this girl in awhile!

Tags: boob tube, chef, cooking, food allergies, food sensitivities, grocery shopping, homework, hump day, laughter

• Comments 3 Comments
• Categories Dealing with Allergies, School

Sometimes I think that I have ESPN (mean girls anyone??) … I can think about someone I haven’t seen recently and the next day I will either randomly run into them or they will text/call/message me. Last night as I was falling asleep I was thinking about my friend Tegan and how I haven’t heard from her in awhile. This afternoon when I logged on to facebook I had a message from her! Creeeepy.

There's a 30% chance that it is already raining

 Source

Before I deliver the bad news, let me brag about how amazing Tegan is. I met Tegan in my first year playing volleyball at Capilano College. I started the season confident and presumptuous, expecting lots of playing time during games. Little did I know I was going to have some competition. For the first few weeks of pre-season Tegan was playing a lot, which unfortunately for me meant that I was not. I am not going to lie, but I was piiiiisssssssseddddd. Not at Tegan, but at the situation. I was never a ‘bench’ player before, and I really did not know how to handle it.

As the beginning of season approached I suddenly started playing more, which meant that Tegan was not seeing the court as often. Unlike my sassy reaction to not getting my way, Tegan continued to be the most supportive, encouraging person on our team. I always felt like she was my biggest supporter – she was always there no matter how I was playing.

It didn’t matter if she was on the court or the bench, Tegan completely accepted her role. She was more than willing to set aside her pride and be there when the team needed her most. I don’t think Tegan knows how much she helped the team and the impact that she had.

FYI we won a silver medal at Nationals that year thanks to Tegan stepping up and playing like a champ That was the only time we were ever on the floor together, and it is one of my favourite volleyball experiences ever!

After our big quarter final win

She is hands down the most selfless and compassionate person I have ever met. I can’t even put all of her amazingness into words – she is actually just that amazing!

Now for the terrible news. The message that Tegan sent me today had me in shock for five minutes before I could muster up any words to write her back.

She was diagnosed with a brain tumour in June of 2010, and had brain surgery in April of 2011. They were able to remove ~ 90% of it. There was a high risk of memory loss during surgery, but she was extremely lucky and walked away unscathed. She says that she feels great now, but she will continue to be ‘watched over’ by the BC Cancer Agency. The remaining ~10% will grow over time.  Tegan is a true fighter and is trying to take an active role in finding a cure.

This summer Tegan will be riding in The Ride to Conquer Cancer, where she will be riding 320km from Vancouver to Seattle. In order to ride she needs to fundraise a whopping $2500! In typical Tegan fashion she isn’t just doing this for herself, but she is looking out for everyone else who has been affected by cancer. She is looking to give back to the organization that saved her life and will continue to keep her and other cancer patients alive. She is working towards her dream of biking for a cure, and every little bit counts.

If you are interested in donating or want to read more about her story, check out her personal page here.

If you or someone you know has ever been affected by cancer, please consider donating. Every little bit counts and Tegan truly deserves the opportunity to live out her dream of biking to cure cancer.

Thanks in advance for your support.

-Karlee

Tags: Cancer, volleyball, biking, Ride to Conquer Cancer

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• Categories Friends

Hey everyone!

School crunch time isn’t even here yet, but I already feel bogged down with a never ending to-do list. I haven’t been able to get myself into the swing of things yet. I love being busy, but for some reason I just can’t get myself into school this semester.

Maybe it is because this is my last semester of my undergrad (have I mentioned that yet lol), but I seriously have no desire to do homework. Readings are torturous right now, and I haven’t even filled in all of my assignment/test dates into my agenda. (okay maybe it’s just me, but my agenda is my best friend)

The thing is that my classes are all soo interesting! I am actually really enjoying lectures, and I am not having as many problems focusing in class. Not only have I been learning a lot, but I have also been learning things that I can actually apply to my own life. I will definitely be sharing some of this useful information!! Don’t worry I am still going to kick some ass in all of my classes – I just need another week to prepare for this ass-kickin.

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Now onto bigger and better news!

I mentioned before that I got some food allergy/sensitivity testing done at the beginning of January, and I got my results! I have experienced a roller coaster of emotions since (surprised, angry, overwhelmed, sad, frustrated etc), but I am feeling better now.

So what is the difference between food sensitivity and allergy? 

“An allergy is an abnormal reaction by a person’s immune system against a normally harmless substance. A person without allergies would have no reaction to this substance, but when a person who is allergic encounters the trigger, the body reacts by releasing chemicals which cause allergy symptoms” (source: allergies.about.com).

“Food allergies are divided into two main categories: immediate and delayed. When an immediate food reaction occurs, sufferers experience symptoms within hours of having ingested the food. Symptom onset is rapid and may include tingling of extremities, wheezing, coughing, tightening of the throat, nausea, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea. Sometimes in cases where nuts, shellfish, and peanuts have been eaten anaphylaxis can occur” (Source: Alletess Medical Laboratory).

“Immediate food reaction is a fixed food allergy. The food to which you are allergic will almost always provoke an immune reaction when ingested. In immediate reactions the body over produces what is called Immunoglobulin E Antibodies, (IgE)” (Source: Alletess Medical Laboratory).

“Symptoms of a delayed food allergy can take up to 72 hours to appear. This type of immune response is mediated by the IgG antibody, which is the largest circulating antibody in our immune system. IgG antibodies are the most common form of immunologic mediated food responses. It can be difficult to identify the offending food since we eat so many foods that go through different processes and have many ingredients. Unidentified food sensitivities can contribute to many chronic health conditions: including irritable bowel syndrome, Rheumatoid arthritis, headaches, Autism, ADD/ADHD, eczema, chronic ear infections, malabsorption, insomnia and many others” (Source: Alletess Medical Laboratory).

“Delayed food reactions are also referred to as food sensitivities. Symptoms may include bloating, headache, gastrointestinal discomfort, along with other unidentified ailments. Food sensitivity is often a result of repetitive eating“ (Source: Alletess Medical Laboratory).

So what kind of test did I get done? My Naturopath sent my blood off to a lab where they tested for IgE & IgG antibodies. Not only can they tell what foods you react to, but they can also tell you the degree to which you react to them.

Not only do I have 4 mild food allergies, but I also have 28 food sensitivities. Ya you read that correctly … twenty eight foods that have been hurting my body! Of these 28 sensitivities, 18 of them are ranked a ’3′ (on a scale from 1-3, 3 being the worst).

Here is the list my friends:

Almonds, Bananas, Barley, Cantaloupe, Cashews, Clams, Coconut, Corn, Cow’s Milk, Eggs, Gluten (wheat, rye, oats, barley, spelt, kamut, triticale, graham, couscous, bulgur, farina, einkorn, semolina, durham), Green Peas, Lobster, Malt, Mustard, Oats, Peanuts, Pineapple, Pinto Beans, Safflower, Sesame/Tahini, Soy, Tomato, Walnuts, Watermelon, Wheat, Yeast (baker’s yeast and brewer’s yeast)

Holy cow that is quite a list hey!?! Well the point of my sharing this information is not so I can b*itch to you guys about how I can’t eat anything wah wah blah blah blah. I don’t want your sympathy. Yes it sucks right now. Yes it is going to suck in 2 weeks. Yes I am going to say it sucks sometimes. But most importantly, I am going to feel amazing after I eliminate all these pesky little buggers!

The food allergies were not surprising at all – wheat, cow’s milk, eggs & peanuts – I already knew that those foods bothered me. I always thought I was just sensitive, I didn’t know that I was actually allergic.

From my understanding, food sensitivities are not ‘fixed’ meaning you may be able tolerate them after eliminating them for a period of time. I am fully accepting that I may never be able to eat wheat, milk, eggs or peanuts, but I am reallllly hoping that I will be able to eventually reintroduce some of my sensitivities.

I am not too sure how or why my body is so reactive to so many foods, but I have accepted that this is the case and am ready to do something about it. I have a few theories, and I am going to do my research and report back when I get some answers!

******

I can officially say that I made two days without any of these little a**hole foods that have been causing ridiculous inflammation in my body. Yes. Two down, uhhh a lot to go. So what am I going to eat from now on? Well I will definitely have to expand my food choices, but I am going to try and keep it simple. Some protein, some fat, some carbs and some veg at each meal/snack. Eating out will be hard, but I know that I can make this work.

I probably won’t be making any new recipes in the meantime, but I am going to keep posting about my journey to wellness.

“One man’s food is another man’s poison” – Lucretius

Wish me luck. All I can say is when life throws you lemons, make hot water and lemon. Good thing lemon didn’t come up on the list

-Karlee

Tags: food allergy, food sensitivitiy, Lemon, rotation diet

• Comments 2 Comments
• Categories Dealing with Allergies

My rest day quickly turned into an afternoon of procrastibaking (baking to procrastinate school work).

Stop baking - starting never

 Source

Well by afternoon I mean under 30 minutes. I received a text today at 1:44pm asking if I could bake something healthy, organic and natural for a birthday party tomorrow night. I already felt bad for playing hooky, but the idea of baking cookies instead of reading was far too appealing. And the fact that they asked for healthy goodies, well I really couldn’t resist.

Normally when people ask me to bake things I secretly try to make them healthy, but the fact that I don’t have to pretend like these aren’t healthy really got me excited. Don’t worry though these cookies don’t look or taste healthy!

Note: My idea of ‘healthy’ baking does not mean fake sugars, low fat or low calorie. I believe that the term ‘healthy’ means that it is full of good wholesome foods, regardless of its calorie count and fat content. 

Good thing I have mastered the art of speedy cookie baking, because I started and finished in 30 minutes … including clean up!! (thank you dishwasher). By 2:15 I was done and out of the kitchen.

Not only did I make some cookies in less than 30 minutes, but I also made  new recipe I also only used 1 bowl, a spoon, a few measuring devices and the magic bullet. Easy peasy lemon squeezy cookies pleasy.

I have started experimenting with gluten free baking, and I have had great success with nut flours! I buy big bags of raw nuts from Costco and then use my magic bullet to grind them up. My man Bob sells almond flour, but other than that I haven’t seen other nut flours in stores. I don’t know if hazelnut flour is a real thing, or if any one else has ever tried making hazelnut cookies. Just call me crafty and make these cookies!

Get in my belllly

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Not so Nutella Cookies

{Gluten free, vegan, soy-free and peanut free}

Adapted from my Chocolate Almond Cookies

These cookies accidentally turned out to taste like crunchy drops of Nutella – minus the  pound of sugar, skim milk powder and long list of other scary ingredients. The nutty hazelnut meal makes these cookies crumbly and buttery, and makes you think that you are eating something naughty. These cookies are nice and crispy on the outside and chewy on the outside. 

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 8 -10 minutes

• 1.5 cups hazelnuts
• 4 tbs sucanat (or other sugar)
• 1 tbs agave or honey
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil or earth balance butter
• 1 tbs ground flax + 3 tbs warm water
• 2 tbs cocoa
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (dairy free)

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
2. In a small bowl or mug make your flax egg by combining the ground flax and warm water
3. In a food processor (I used my magic bullet) grind the hazelnuts to a coarse meal. This only takes half a minute. You could also roast the hazelnuts first if you want more flavour.
4. In a large bowl mix the ground hazelnuts, sugar, cocoa, salt, and baking soda
5. In a small bowl mix the agave, flax egg, vanilla, and coconut oil
6. Mix the wet and dry ingredients
7. Fold in the chocolate chips
8. Line a baking sheet with wax paper and grease with a little extra coconut oil
9. Place small drops (about 1 tbs) of dough onto the wax paper
10. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Watch carefully, they burn quickly!! *See note below
11. Enjoy with a glass of almond milk or tea!

*Note: These cookies burn really easily, and I find that they cook really well if you place an empty cookie sheet on the rack below them.  The empty sheet acts as a barrier, keeping some of the direct heat away from the cookies!

Drops of heaven

My only complaint is that the recipe only makes about 14 cookies. If nuts weren’t so dang expensive I would have doubled the recipe. I only got to taste test one cookie (quality control people), and I have to save the rest for the party tomorrow night.

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Now that I have spent my afternoon blogging and baking (my two favourite B’s), I need to get back to my readings! At least I get to dive my nose into this fancy textbook:

Yes that is right peeps! I am taking a dance class for credit – there is still a textbook and lots of readings, so don’t get too excited. It is very interesting though, and I am learning lots of useful information about the body and how it is and isn’t supposed to move.

I am also going to squeeze in one of these guys too:

Nap time

Don’t pretend like you don’t take naps with your stuffed animals. And don’t pretend that you don’t have any stuffed animals.

Anyways have a great afternoon friends!!

-Karlee

Tags: allergy friendly, chocolate, gluten-free,