new foods, new flavors

Generally speaking, I'm not much of a meat eater. I don't recall that I ever have been crazy about it, but I enjoy it every now and again. (Just ask my mom about eating plain spaghetti and jello when I was little.) Because I have been thrown into the world of proteins on my elimination diet, I have had to make a few big adjustments, fast, and they haven't been easy. This has sent me on the recipe hunt of a lifetime.

Let me rewind by explaining more about the diet. In order to have my body revert to its normal, healthy, food-processing self, I have had to cut out a lot of foods. Anything that will encourage the growth of yeast or bad bacteria in my digestive track is out, until I can figure out what foods especially trigger problems. To try to make it simple, once I can isolate/identify problem foods and the balance of healthy bacteria is greater than the bad, these will be avoided for a period of time and then slowly reintroduced to see if they will still bother me. There are some foods that I will probably never eat again, like white flour, white rice, or refined sugar, but only time will tell.

What CAN I have at this stage? Generally, these are supposed to all be organic or unprocessed, which are products easy for me to find here in Kuwait because of how they grow/butcher foods.
- meats (beef, lamb, chicken, fish)
- vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, lettuce, cucumber, onions, zucchini, summer squash, radishes, eggplant, spinach)
- eggs
- some cheeses (mostly white)
- nuts (almonds, macadamia, pecans)
- plain yoghurt w/ live cultures
- garlic, ginger, apple cider vinegar, lemon
- water, decaf. tea (my favorite treat has been Apollinaris sparkling mineral water)

What CAN'T I have? (At least for now)
- basically, anything with carbohydrates
- anything with flour, yeast, sugar, or artificial sweetener except for stevia
- any grains (oats, barley, rye, millet, etc.)
- corn and other high carb vegetables (carrots, potatoes, beans, etc.)
- Caffeine or caffeinated beverages (coffee, tea, regular or diet soft drinks)
- tomatoes/sauce
- mushrooms (they're a fungus!)
- milk
- fruits or fresh fruit juice (I've made an exception to have lemon so I am not eating plain salads. Some people say you can eat low-sugar fruits, like strawberries and grapefruit, but I'm not taking any chances.)
- anything pickled, containing regular vinegar, or having dried spices (i.e. garlic powder)

That said, I am eating a lot more meat and vegetables these days! One of the best resources I have found so far is a site called Elana's Pantry. She aims to create gluten-free recipes, using mostly almond flour in place of regular flour. I haven't yet attempted many of these because: a) almond flour is expensive, b) it's nearly impossible to get here, and c)I haven't had time; however, she has a lot of good ideas that I can work from. I don't 100% endorse her site because of some of the comments she makes, but you don't have to read them to look at the recipes!

Photo: Can you name that water by looking at the label? It's not Apollinaris.

More than you may want to know...

This is a different type of post, simply because I am usually posting pictures of what delicious foods we've had around the region. Things have changed a little around the Freeman house, and though it seems crazy to say it, we're eating more organic foods.

Yes, you read that correctly. The guy who loves ranch, hot sauce, and ketchup on many foods is going easy on the sauces. The gal who eats fatayer and zaatar breads with a cup of coffee everyday for breakfast has gone grain-free. So, what happened?

To make a long story not too short, I have been dealing with what I thought was hereditary and/or environment-induced eczema on my hands for the last 5-6 years, all the while praying that it would get better. Over the past 20 or so months that we've lived in Kuwait, I noticed the symptoms becoming increasingly worse. There are times when my hands are relatively clear and other times when they are extremely dry, cracked, and sore. I've been to the doctors, and they only prescribe a new, better steroid cream each time, none of which heal my hands. See the frustrating pattern?

I can't even remember how the conversation got started, but one night, we were hanging out with a few good friends. Somehow, the topic of conversation turned to my skin irritation (great dinner conversation, I know), and someone mentioned that her sister had the same problem, but that it was due to a food allergy/yeast overproduction. Being the scoffer at all things organic, "environmentally safe," or holistic that I was, I was initially very skeptical that a simple diet change could make my life so much easier. Initially.

I came home and did about 10+ hours of research over the next few days. Still skeptical, I found that something called Candidiasis, though existing, is widely rejected by general practitioners as being a true disease. I started putting a few puzzle pieces together, like from when I had mono- in University and several rounds of antibiotics in my lifetime, to the fact that I had a very high-carb, high-caffeine diet.The possibility snuck into my brain that I could be healthier than I was. I'll spare the gory details, but if you're interested, you can read the following article about what I think the problem is.

In light of this, I have been on a self-imposed, highly restrictive diet for the last 20 days. Since the week I began, I have noticed remarkable improvements in not only the texture of my skin, but its "moisture level." I will admit that the first week was awful, and I felt like I had been run over by a truck, but the last two weeks really haven't been so bad. An unintentional benefit is that I've lost 3kg! I am finding more resources for tasty foods, and Chris has gone on a low/no carb diet with me to be supportive. He's probably the best husband ever, but I'm biased.

In my next blog, I'll post some of my new favorite resources for gluten-free and sugar-free recipes, as well as the kinds of meals I've been making. Last night, I finished making my mom's halupki with a few modifications. Today, there are only a few pigs left in the blanket.

photo: catching up on some lost Ultimate Frisbee on Sports Day

Yemen Pictures

It's been over a month since Chris went to Yemen, but here are his pictures. Stay tuned for some descriptions. http://picasaweb.google.com/thecsfreemans

Dear World

I saw this on a blog today, and found it quite interesting. It's a compilation of individual projects done by artists as a campaign to help the homeless. Download your free copy of the book and take a look around the website. http://dearworld.squarespace.com/

Doha, Qatar '10

I finally have finished sorting through my pictures from Doha and have them posted for all to see. This is kind of working backwards chronologically, but I will try to put up Chris' pictures from Greece and Yemen soon. Pictured are some men in traditional garb, getting ready for a concert.