Matthew or anyone - snack ideas?

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celia
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Matthew or anyone - snack ideas?

Post by celia »

I need some creative help! Matthew, I thought you especially might have ideas since you have so many intolerances as well. But I am grateful for any help that anyone can offer!

I did okay on vacation because I literally ate pounds of almonds as between meal snacks. But I think I ate way too many, that it's not so great for my digestion, and I'm primed to developed an intolerance to almonds by eating so many.

My challenge is that all I can eat is meat and low starch vegetables plus almonds. I seem to react to all other nuts and to all fruit. I also don't want to overdo it on the meat, which I already eat at three meals a day. Also, my anti-inflam diet calls for no raw vegetables.

I lost a few pounds on vacation, I'm down to 106. Which is not horrible for my height of 5'2" but I really can't afford to loose more weight. And, if I don't fill in with the almost, it just boils down to being hungry when I wake up and in between meals. I would really like to stop the almonds for a week or two and test them again to make sure I am not reacting to them.

Well, my stomach is rumbling so I bet go cook some breakfast!

Celia
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Post by Jean »

Celia,

Can you eat sugar? I don't remember. I have a recipe for meringue cookies that just contains egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar. I make them once a month, LOL.

How about coffee and chocolate? Every once in a while, I add a little sugar and cocoa powder to my coffee. It's very satisfying. Don't overlook drinks as snacks. Sometimes tea gets me through those hungry moments.

I know when I eat too many nuts, I feel funny, but I'm not intolerant of them. I just have to limit how many I eat.

There are a few brands of potato chips I can eat, they are made with cottonseed oil. I use them as crackers with tuna, sardines, smoked oysters, etc. Have you tried one of the mayonnaises made with canola oil? I've used it to make chicken and tuna salad and even a spinach/water chestnut dip.

Too bad you can't have fruit! It's my standby snack. Dave got an ice cream maker and has been making me sorbets. He just uses fresh fruit and sugar water. They are excellent.

This isn't a snack, but I've been making a sweet potato casserole. It's just mashed sweet potatoes with brown sugar and pecans sprinkled on top. It's yummy.

I hope this helps. I'll add more if I can think of anything. Love, Jean
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Post by Polly »

Hi Celia!

Can you tolerate dates? If so, Larabars are a great snack (Trader Joe's and Whole Foods both carry them). And a big Medjool date by itself is my major snack or dessert.

Also: hardboiled/devilled eggs, guacamole, a tin of tuna.

Can you use almond flour to make some SCD goodies? Like muffins?

It's too bad you can't tolerate other nuts. Especially since (as you know from being on an anti-inflammatory diet)) almonds have one of the worst omega 3 to omega 6 ratios (the 2 best being walnuts followed by macadamia nuts. (I have the actual numbers if you are interested). Have you tried any of the tree nut butters? I recently bought some macadamia nut butter - yum. Often folks do better with the butters than with the actual nuts with regard to digestion.

Here's a trick I have discovered. Often the first thing in the morning, I make up a big batch of cooked veggies. First I saute onions/garlic in olive oil and then I add a little chicken broth and steam up a bunch of different veggies. Then you have them readily available all day.

What about homemade soups just using meat/fowl and whatever veggies you can tolerate?

Of course it takes planning for people like us to have snacks. What a bummer, huh? The whole point of a snack is that it should be readily available. No such luck for us!

Good luck.

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Polly
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Post by tex »

Frozen bananas make a good snack, if you can tolerate bananas. They're sort of like banana popsicles, and they're also a good source of potassium, which, as you known, tends to be in short supply if active D is present for an extended period of time.

Some of us can use the little snack cups of fruit, jello, puddings, tapioca, etc., depending on our intolerances. Chicharrones, (fried pork skins) are not exactly a health food, but they were one of the few snacks that I could tolerate, back when I was reacting to many foods.

It's much easier to make snack suggestions if we have an accurate listing of your intolerances close at hand. There is a place in your profile where this information can be added, so that it will appear beside every post you make, if you are interested in doing that.

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Post by celia »

Thanks for the great ideas, there are a few that might work for me!

When I say that all I can eat is meat (incl. fish, poultry) and low starch vegetables and almonds, I mean that literally. That seems the quickest way to explain my intolerances because the list is just too long! There is a list in my journal, but I don't expect you to go there just to be able to write a response.

Wayne, I've tried to list my intolerances on my profile page a few times, but so far its never worked. I will try again.

Definitely I cannot eat sugar or any sugar substittues even honey, chocolate, fruit, starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes, dried fruit like dates (even half a Lara bar gives me a neuropathy type reaction), onions, garlic, etc. I'm am now for sure casein and glutuen intolerant. I may get the other tests to check soy and yeast and eggs but I'm pretty certain I am soy and yeast/mold intolerant too since I react to vinegar, tamari, mushrooms, etc.

But I am game to try the homemade soup, can of tuna, and fried pork skins. The later sounds outrageously unhealthy, but at this point any little treat like that would help. I might be able to have the almond flour but usually there are eggs or fruit juice or something I can't have along with it in the SCD recipes. But I will look into it more. I'm not sure about eggs yet.

Polly, your points about nuts and nut butters are interesting. I thought almonds were better on that ratio, so I'm really glad to know that. I've become a little fearful of trying nuts since I always seem to have some sort of reaction, the worst being when I broke out in a rash all over my torso. Not sure which kind of nut that was. But when I feel brave, I think I will try a few different kinds that I haven't tried for awhile. I know for sure that walmuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds don't work for me.

I confess to feeling a little depressed that my options are so limited. But then I went back and looked over posts in this thread over the last year or so and have seen what all of you have gone through. My goodness!!!! I've read through Wayne's 3 day rotation diet and Polly's first 10 days Paleo and Matthew's olive oil mister and much more! It made me realize that I just have to buck up and become a better cook, like Matthew, have more fun with this, and get creative.

Thanks for all your wonderful support. Please keep the snack ideas coming if anyting else occurs to you. I will let you know how it goes with the pork rinds. My mouth is watering.

Celia
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Post by tex »

Celia,

For a couple of years I had trouble with virtually all sugars, also. I finally discovered, at the suggestion of others, that I could eat maple sugar, and therefore, maple candy.

I'll check into the code for the entry of food intolerances in profiles. I'm thinking that I set the character limit at 255, and you don't seem to be over that. If I can figure out the problem, I'll let you know. Putting that information in the signarute block works, too. We did that before I added the special slot for it.

Thanks for the clarification.

Wayne
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Post by Matthew »

Celia

Better late than never.

Everyone has posted such great replys on snacks that I can’t think of any more additions at the moment. I hope you can find something that works for you.

My recent elimination of green beans a couple of times a week , Yes, Matthew they are legumes, DUhhhhh, has really eased up my digestion. Not that I could not eat fruit or raw vegetables before, it is just that now I can eat larger amounts. Makes me laugh . :-) :-)

I mention this here because some of us have found that just one food or additive can set off a cascade of events that might appear to be an intolerance to almost everything one eats. A classic example is Karen’s discovery that a chocolate she enjoyed contained (soy?) lecithin and when she eliminated it she had a major reduction of symptoms. Not that lecithin is a problem for you but the concept might be a new insight. Absolutely no grains, no soy, and no dairy was a great place for me to start from and as you can see I am still enjoying sorting things out

I trully belive that if you stick around long enough and ask the great kind of questions you have been asking you WILL find your answer.

To your continued recovery

Matthew
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Post by Polly »

Hi Again Celia,

According to Dr. Cordain, who wrote "The Paleo Diet", these are the omega 6 to omega 3 fat ratios in nuts and seeds:

walnuts 4.2
Macadamias 6.3
pecans 20.9
pine nuts 31.6
cashews 47.6
pistachios 51.9
Hazel nuts 90.0
pumpkin seeds 114.4
brazil nuts 377.9
sunflower seeds 472.9
almonds extremely high (no detectable omega 3 fats)
peanuts* " " " " " " " " " "


* Remember, peanuts are NOT nuts - they are legumes and therefore high in our old enemy, lectins.

Cordain says the ideal ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 fats should be between 2 and 3 to 1. (For most Americans, it is between 10 and 15 to 1, unfortunately).

But don't forget that nuts and seeds are high in monounsaturated fats and have been shown to reduce cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease. So they are very healthy! If you are trying to eat an anti-inflammatory diet, it is best to eat small amounts of the nuts that have poor omega 6 to omega 3 ratios. And, of course, eat fish and use flax seed oil, etc.

Love,

Polly
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Post by celia »

Thanks everyone!

This is what I came up with snack-wise after an attitude adjustment and a trip to the grocery story.

-I made homemade chicken brother from bones I had in the fridge, which I will freeze in small containers for quick use.
-I usually buy all free range meat from reliable farms, but decided I would bend the rule and get prosciutto.
-I tried the pork rinds---totally heavenly!!!!! However, I had some mild neuropathy afterward. Not sure if it is the tailwind of a reaction to a food I ate on our travel day home (I was unwell for a few days afterward) or the pork rinds...so I will test again. My husband pointed out that they might be fried in corn oil, which I react to, although it doesn't mention that on the package.
-Then there's the can of tuna, salmon, or oz. of any meat.

I'm going to make a list and keep at it so I can add new ideas as I pick them up. I read a recipe for dry dulse wrapped in arugula. Conversely, I suppose there are a number of things one could wrap in nori.

Wayne, I put my main intolerances in my siganture since it didn't work when I tried to enter them in the formal intolerance slot again. I have a few others (like garlic and onions, darn!) but this at least covers all the key ones.

Polly - LOVE the nut list! I will print it out. I defininately don't eat peanuts. And I am finally ordering the Cordain book today.

Matthew - that's interesting about the green beans. I eat them fairly often. I've read before that they are legumes but totally forgot that. I understand what you mean about how it's easy to mistake a trigger. I've made big errors that way. At the same time, I am clear for days at a time when I stay on the simple diet so it's usually seems obvious which food I am reacting to if I add something back in.

I never eat foods with an ingredient list and I haven't eaten soy or gluten or yeast for eons. I was holding out when it came to casein and eggs, but now they are totally out of the diet. I am going to test eggs but I am going to wait a little while. But then there's the green beans, so you are right...there's always a danger of a hidden trigger. That's great advice!

At this point it's not worth it to try to add foods back in because they inevitably cause a reaction. I think I need to take a longer break before I try to add any foods. I think I may have become intolerant of more foods because I didn't rotate. I've read of people who were intolerant of specific foods and then became intolerant of all the ones they used to replace them probably because they didn't rotate. That's definitely my story. Once I stopped eating gluten, I ate the alternative grains two or three times a day. Once I stopped using milk in my tea, I used soy creamer everyday, which has both maltodextrin (corn) and soy.

You are all so terrific. Thanks so much for the support.
Celia
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Post by Polly »

Celia,

Just wanted to say how remarkably well I think you are doing in adjusting to a major lifestyle change.....not to mention the ongoing intensive detective work that is required! LOL! You are a quick study, for sure!

Reading your posts brings back poignant memories of the process we all go thru - deperately searching for snacks, for example, or having to make that old "attitude adjustment" again and again, or the dawning realization that we must COOK (and plan ahead and be creative in our cooking).

Matthew does have the best philosophy, doesn't he? -he sees it all as a fun, enjoyable, positive challenge. It has taken me a while to get to that point, but with Matthew's continued input, I think I am pretty much there now. The gospel according to Matthew includes shopping the "perimeters" of the grocery store (where most of the fresh {unprocessed} foods are), experimenting with different food and herb/spice combinations, not beating up on yourself when you make a mistake, continued reading/digesting (no pun intended) of the latest nutritional info (especially from "alternative sources), paying constant close attention to your body and eliminating anything that makes you feel less than perfect, and having FUN doing all of this. Matthew - what did I miss?

A major part of the process for me was the realization that I have to spend more time shopping and cooking. We have become so used to convenience foods - opening a can or box or frozen package. I now have to shop more frequently (for FRESH foods) since I don't use processed foods.

You know, something just occurred to me. Folks on the GF diet alone have to restock their pantries with alternative grains, GF-free sauces, sweets, etc. But folks on the caveman diet don't even NEED a pantry. Really! I just need a bigger refrig./freezer. Oh, and maybe just one little shelf to put my nuts and seeds on. LOL! Maybe the caveman diet should be renamed the "No Pantry Diet" or "How to get rid of your pantry in 10 easy steps". LOL!

I hope that you will find out soon about eggs. They really are a great staple, if you can tolerate them. That alone will majorly increase your options. Also, Imagine makes an organic, free range chicken broth that you might be able to tolerate......if so, it makes it much easier to make soups or add a little flavor to veggies. It does contain organic onions, carrots and celery, but of course they are all in liquid form and maybe you could tolerate them. It has no MSG, artificial ingreds., etc.

I think you will really enjoy Cordain's book - it is a wealth of good info. And, I would guess that as your gut heals, you will be able to add in many vegs and fruits. Keep up the good work!

Love,

Polly
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Post by artteacher »

Hi Celia,

Matthew and you and I seem to have a lot of similarities. How about these ideas:

Waterchestnuts wrapped with bacon, speared with a toothpick, baked at 350 for about 45 minutes

I have a special coctail meatball recipe with raisons in it if you'd like to look at the recipe - they're kind of sweet and different

pickles?

diet jello mixed with cool whip - don't ask me why this doesn make me sick

I also can't eat chocolate (gives screaming D) except Green and Black's 70% dark chocolate - available at Whole Foods in the Phoenix area. It is my lifeline. I think perhaps it doesn't contain fillers like maltodextrin? although the ingredients are similar to other chocolates like Lindt 70%. I think it's a good example of how companies (like Lindt) don't list ingredients truthfully on their packages. Making my own chocolate frosting with cocoa powder also works in a pinch, although I have slight problems with it. (but I can eat a couple blocks of G&B chocolate with no problems at all)

canned pears in their own juice?

All dried fruits except dates are heavily sulfited. There's a chance you have a problem not so much with dried fruit, but what's on them to prevent spoilage. Same thing with packaged lemon juice- heavily sulfited, but fresh squeezed emon juice, no problem. So I can make a lemonade with fresh lemon and sweet n low/saccharine. (For me equal and table sugar are not so good)

So, there you have it . . I admire your dedication, keep up the good work. :wavey:

Love, Marsha
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Post by celia »

You are all so amazing! This is SO helpful!

Polly - I looked up the nut families in my food allergy books and I know I am definitely reacting to the ones in the cashew, hazelnut, and birch families. I always wondered why I could eat almonds. It's in a different family, as are macadamia, pine nuts, chestnuts, and brazil nuts. So I am going to test those remaining nuts one by one to see if they will work for me.

Marsha - I really appreciate your ideas. It's good to know that there's someone out there in the same boat as Matthew, Polly, and others with the MI's. Chestnuts and bacon sound like a great option and maybe pickles would work unless they are in vinegar. I don't think I can have raisins, so I will pass on your generous offer of the meatball recipes. I am very curious about the chocoalte your mention, and will check it out. I did think I was reacting to sulfites at one stage in my process, but I don't know anymore. But I still avoid dried fruit. Thanks SO much.

Wayne,
Thanks for the maple sugar idea. That would be mindblowing if it worked!!!

The prosciutto made me slightly sick to my stomach so I think I have to cross that one off the list.

I don't know what I would do without all of you. Celia
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Post by Polly »

Marsha reminded me of another yummy goodie - scallops wrapped in bacon and broiled.

Polly
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Post by Matthew »

Polly and all

Don’t shine my halo to bright. Haha!

I think you’ve got it. Just would say add a dollop of yoga, a tad of meditation and a sharp knife to cut up the vegetables. :grin:

I have often thought that the adage ”Give the laziest person the most difficult job and he will find the easiest way to do it” is what started me on my concept of how to deal with food and get well . I developed my philosophy out of the sheer frustration of hours looking for gluten free foods that fit my intolerance's and coming home with nothing. In a moment of inspiration I walked into my local Safeway and gave up. Suddenly it was so clear that all these wonderful foods were right their in front of my face. I wanted food that even though limited somewhat by ingredients was easy to find and looked just as good as it tasted. Since my work is all about cutting things up and putting them back together in a new way cooking was not very far removed. It was a very natural progression. What is really great is to find that everyone else has their own kind of variation on this and that research shows that it is nutritionally sound.

Yes it is fun. Food and eating should be fun IMHO. Now that I know what to look for it is even more fun. I truly felt at one time that working so hard to find foods I could eat was just making symptoms worse It is so easy to get caught up in all the doing and forget to enjoy. You make me laugh “The No Pantry Diet”. I love it for that is truly what it is. In 10 easy steps no less. After all my "looking" it really is that simple. :shock:

Thanks so much for the great post.

Love

Matthew

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Post by Polly »

Matthew,

LOVE your quote about optimism! Also the adage about giving the most difficult job to the laziest person. LOL!

Love,

Polly
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