Baseline Foods

TooManyHats · Post by **TooManyHats** » Sat Mar 12, 2011 11:05 pm

I'm trying to establish some baseline safe foods. I know all of us are different, but I was wondering if I could get a few suggestions.

It seems I can tolerate g/f rice chex cereal dry.

I've cooked a turkey breast that I will use for lunch meat.

I seem to tolerate chicken soup (onion and dill cooked in a cheesecloth bag and removed) with carrots and celery, but I don't eat many of the vegs. I can eat oven baked chicken, mashed potatoes (made with kitchen basics chicken broth and Earth balance s/f butter substitute), rice noodles, and of course rice made with the chicken soup stock. The Barney's creamy almond butter on rice cakes seems to be ok, too.

I would imagine that I could probably tolerate rice pasta (haven't been brave enough to cook it yet though). I just don't know what to use as a "sauce". I know tomatoes are a no-no, but I'd like to hear other options, please. I'm at a complete loss here.

I'd also love some suggestions for snacks. I've eaten potato chips and rice chips, but they're made with brown rice and I'm concerned about the fiber. I've found if I eat too many potato chips, I have a problem. Perhaps they're too greasy?

I am SO hungry so much of the time!

One thing I've tried that I seem to have a huge problem with is Dee's Salisbury Steak recipe. It is simply delicious, but my body rejects it every time I eat it. I just cannot figure that out, even when I don't eat any of the mushrooms. Also, no fish for me...every single time I eat it, I'm sick. This is a huge disappointment as I LOVE fish. Eggs seem to cause me problems too. I haven't tried any gluten-free breads for quite a while now because I'm too afraid.

My medication seems to be helping if I stick to safe foods. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I've looked over the list of high histamine foods and all the spices they say to avoid I've already tested allergic to. This coupled with the fish and egg problem makes me think I may have problems in this area.

Thank you all for your help!

Coach Polly · Post by **Coach Polly** » Sun Mar 13, 2011 10:36 am

I'm with you girl! I'm fairly new to this also so I am curious to hear some of the veteran members' replies. I eat rice in every form I can get it (plain white cooked in a rice cooker, cream of rice for breakfast, etc.) I also eat a lot of white potatoes, turkey, chicken, and bananas. Very boring, very bland, but very "unconfrontational" with my system.

I'll be waiting with you on some great advice from the others.

takef586 · Post by **takef586** » Sun Mar 13, 2011 11:38 am

I would generally suggest, to stop buying anything ready made. Buy the ingredients and make things yourself, then possibly divide into smaller quantities and freeze. My staples are: extra virgin olive oil, white rice, millet flakes, fresh beef. I have stopped buying the chicken, because it can be high in histamines, the same for fish and shellfish, but that could be just my problem. Boiled apples or bananas with millet for breakfast, meat and vegetable stock with pieces of meat, a carrot and rice for lunch, and a grilled steak with rice or millet flakes for dinner is my current menu. I season everything with olive oil, as I have been losing weight and do not fear the callories.

TooManyHats · Post by **TooManyHats** » Mon Mar 14, 2011 10:33 am

I am curious to hear some of the veteran members' replies.

So was I.

harma · Post by **harma** » Mon Mar 14, 2011 11:13 am

Well I can add my "short" list:
- rice product: normal cooked rice (any kind expect brown or whole rice), rice cakes, rice milk (from brand rice dream but I skipped that because it may contain gluten, other brands contain guargom or carrageen what I can't stand either) and I found rice toast. That are a kind of small rice crackers from a Dutch brand "vandermeulen".
- vegetables fresh well cooked: broccoli and carrots, out of a tin: spinach and red cabbage.
- fruit: banana's, cooked apples and pears. Dried any kind of fruit (but I almost never buy it), any fruit out of a tin
- meat: beef, chicken, turkey. Pork would be fine too, but I never eat it.
- fish: any kind of white or red fish, mostly eat salmon, mackerel, sardines.
- other things: apple sauce, any type of fruit jam (is that English, like marmalade) on a rice cake, chocolate dark from brand Lindt other types of from Bovista.
- I drink tea (a lot of green tea with mint) and clear juices like grapefruit or apple juice. Very occasionally alcohol.

When you start the diet, even when it is gluten, soy and/or dairy free, than still it can be a struggle finding food you can tolerate. In the first months I discovered I can't tolerate most of the fruits, no cocosmilk, no carrageen or guargom or any other thickener in fruit juice/rice milk/almond milk, most of the vegetables even well cooked is a problem. Herbs and spices I gave up on. After about six months trying all kind of things, I decided to stick to my very boring very plane diet. And from that point I have been starting feeling much better.

What works for me does not have to work for anyone else here (I mean what food I can eat, can be bad for someone else and the other way around). But what I have seen here is, that a very simple very basic diet, food from scratch seems to work the best.

Post by **tex** » Mon Mar 14, 2011 11:13 am

There's a lot of information on that topic available in various forums here, that are devoted to such topics, such as:

http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=53

http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=49

and some of the posts here:

http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=66

such as:

http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=13363

Everyone's needs are somewhat different, so we have to study the options, and decide on our own best potential choices, and narrow them down by trial and error, if necessary.

I lived on pork, eggs, potatoes, rice, occasional small helpings of overcooked squash, green beans, or broccoli, jello, unsweetened tea, Virgil's Root Beer, and water, for almost 2 years, to allow my gut to heal.

Be aware that if you suspect that you might have mast cell issues, all types of dried foods should be avoided, along with any other foods that are either high in histamine content, or tend to promote histamine release, (degranulation of existing mast cells), in the body. Suspicious symptoms would be itching, rash, unexplained GI symptoms, despite being on a GF, DF, SF, etc., diet

Tex

Gloria · Post by **Gloria** » Mon Mar 14, 2011 6:14 pm

Personally, I think that if you can determine which meats, vegetables, fruits and possible starches you can handle, then you have a good basis for a diet. I would avoid all legumes until your MC has stabilized enough to test them.

We used to think that all meat was safe, but in the past year, some of us have discovered that we are intolerant to chicken (a staple "safe" food), some to beef, and some to pork. Fish are high in antihistamines, and should be avoided by those with mast cell issues.

Some vegetables can also present problems. Rice seems to be tolerable for most of us, but Pat recently tested reactive to it on the MRT test.

I noticed I was having problems after I ate some fruit, so I followed Tex's example and eliminated all fruit for the past year and a half.

I was always hungry until I decided to add calories by making pudding and muffins; my recipes are in Dee's kitchen. I also eat almond butter with corn chips or rice crackers for a snack.

I make my own brown/white rice tortillas and white corn tortillas, rice milk and almond milk. These recipes are in Dee's kitchen.

I eat using a three-day rotation diet:

Turkey-Quinoa Day
Breakfast - pancakes or waffles using quinoa and other flours, maple syrup, turkey sausage

Lunch - turkey soup with quinoa and cauliflower or a turkey sandwich

Dinner - turkey, gravy, quinoa with gravy, asparagus, ghee

Snacks - almond pudding (almond milk), almond muffins (almond milk, quinoa and almond flour)

Lamb-Rice Day
Breakfast - Arrowhood Rice Flakes or Rice Chex with homemade rice milk

Lunch - brown/white rice tortillas, lamb, almond-mustard-walnut oil spread (homemade)

Dinner - lamb, gravy, white rice, cauliflower, ghee

Snacks - maple pudding (rice milk), maple muffins (rice flour)

Pork-Corn Day
Breakfast - Corn Chex with homemade almond milk

Lunch - white corn tortillas, pork strips, mashed avocado

Dinner - Pork, occasionally ham, corn noodles, gravy, Brussel sprouts, ghee

Snacks - coconut pudding, white corn muffins

This is a very basic soft diet to allow healing of my gut. I take a daily multivitamin, calcium, vitamin D3, and a probiotic as supplements. The above menus provide between 1,700 and 2,000 calories a day.

Joefnh · Post by **Joefnh** » Mon Mar 14, 2011 6:23 pm

Gloria I am bookmarking your post here it sounds delicious!!

Have you posted any of these recipes??

--Joe

Gloria · Post by **Gloria** » Mon Mar 14, 2011 6:27 pm

My meats and vegetables are very plain. I have posted all of my muffin, tortilla and pudding recipes.

Gloria

TooManyHats · Post by **TooManyHats** » Mon Mar 14, 2011 6:46 pm

Thank you Gloria for answering so specifically. Your list is a great guide. I'll have to find a substitute for lamb though. It must have been so many years of my grandmother serving leg of lamb for Sunday dinner. I just don't care for the taste at all.

I'm going to try pork roast this week. I'm crossing my fingers, but I thought pork was a high histamine food? I've googled the high histamine foods, but the lists seem to disagree.

I ordered Barney almond butter from Amazon today. My grocery store had it, but has been out of stock for weeks.

I see you eat corn noodles. Have you ever tried the Tinkyada rice pasta? Have you been able to tolerate it? And what do you put on your corn noodles? I can eat rice noodles where the ingredients are just rice flour and water. I'd like to find something else to do with them beside put them into soup.

When I tried the quinoa, I put hemp milk on it. I did react later that day, so now I'm not sure whether it was the quinoa or the hemp milk. But I'd like to try quinoa cooked like a rice grain. I'm not sure how to cook it though. I've heard it has to be soaked beforehand. Is this true?

Pat · Post by **Pat** » Mon Mar 14, 2011 7:01 pm

Arlene,

The Quinoa I have purchased did not have to be soaked. I bought Ancient Harvest. They have it at the HFS and grocery. It's in a green box. Then I found it much cheaper at Costco, but it is a large bag, 4 lbs. I think. I put 2 c. water and 1 c. Quinoa and bring to a simmer then lower heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. Perfect every time. That is about 4 servings.

Pat

TooManyHats · Post by **TooManyHats** » Mon Mar 14, 2011 7:11 pm

Thank you Pat!! Complete with the brand name...just what this gal needs.

Gloria · Post by **Gloria** » Mon Mar 14, 2011 7:13 pm

Hi Arlene,

I put ghee and/or pork gravy on my corn noodles. I can eat rice noodles, but I usually don't because I have corn noodles every three days. Rice with gravy gives me a change. I will sometimes put rice noodles in my turkey soup. Tinkyada rice noodles are very good. Trader Joe's sells cheaper rice pasta noodles, though.

I've cooked quinoa like a rice grain, but I felt it was too rough, so I started grinding it first. I'm sure I'll go back to eating it cooked whole once I feel my gut can handle it. I buy quinoa in the bins at Whole Foods for $2.99 lb. and it's prerinsed, like most retail quinoa. I've never had to soak it before cooking.

Pat, didn't you write that you cook quinoa whole and then puree it in a blender? I'm thinking it might be a little more substantive that way. When I grind it first, it's pretty soupy.

Gloria

Joefnh · Post by **Joefnh** » Mon Mar 14, 2011 7:15 pm

Thanks Gloria, I found them. I like the way you listed your different meals

--Joe

Pat · Post by **Pat** » Tue Mar 15, 2011 1:59 pm

Gloria,

Yes, I did try pureeing the cooked quinoa. I should have added some water to it cause it was very thick. Lately I have just used the flakes for that type of quinoa.

Pat