I Fell Off the Horse

Happy Mardi Gras! Or last night in our apartment it was "Happy Party Gras!"

After weeks of avoiding cow's milk, soy, gluten, corn, yeast, most nuts, sesame, eggs, garlic, lentils, oats, kiwi, chili peppers, peanuts and sunflower seeds I decided that if we were going to throw a Mardi Gras party, we were doing it right. I made jambalaya, king cake, a good friend (and excellent chef) made red beans, got corn bread from Hard Knox (no one does it like them) and New Orleans' cocktails were in abundance--I even had a top secret mix shipped up for the party! I did not have any major reaction, but I also had taken a pill for upper respiratory infections, as my asthma was already quite annoying. Plus, my skin did breakout a bit, and my tummy was not its happiest (gas, bloating, etc.).

So last night I did "laissez les bon temps roulez," though just as Mardi Gras is all about the storm before the calm (i.e. going full glutton before Ash Wednesday delivers lent), I abandoned all "good eating habits." And tomorrow is eating "Ash Wednesday" if you will. As I have made a resolve to begin all over again.

The tricky part with food allergies is that there are so many possible culprits, so determining which food is to blame causes quite a limiting eating situation. By my third week of eliminating all 20 common food allergens, I about go crazy, in need of taste, flavor, satisfaction. Life without a couple of foods is fine, but 20 common ingredients gets quite complicated.

So tonight, as I enjoy a glass of white and a slice of king cake, with my chest wheezing for the past two days, and newly erupted breakouts, I ready myself for tomorrow. A time of solemnity and "being good," a time to follow the eating rules, only this time, in an expedited fashion.

I have done three weeks twice and both times fallen off the wagon before I could determine even one food that I should not eat. This time I will go one week at a time.

Week 1: I will eliminate all 20 most common food allergens. And this time I am being quite good about it, not even allowing cow's milk alternatives, etc. In preparation for the week we even cooked for an army:
-Chicken with Diced Tomatoes and Shitake Mushrooms
-Chicken, Red/Green Pepper and Onion Stir Fry
-Buffalo Burgers with Caramelized Onions
-Quinoa (prepared with allergy free chicken broth)

So armed with plenty of allergy free meals, I will avoid all 20 of the most common food allergens for one week. Plus all alcohol.

Week2: I will reintroduce one of the most common food allergens. I have yet to decide which: yeast, gluten, cow's milk, yeast. I will see how my body reacts. If the asthma returns, the tummy troubles, the skin breakouts, etc. I will know not to eat that particular food. If it does not, it is now a "safe" food for me. And after the week is done, I am ready to reintroduce another food.