jeninok Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 My allergies have been horrible for several months, and my digestion has been slooooooow. This culminated in the worst sinus infection I have ever had, with staph on my face and the start of pneumonia this morning. Granted if the awful doctor had given me some decent medicine on Monday, it likely wouldn't have gotten this bad. But I would like to avoid it in the first place. DH just had a kidney stone, this week and his diet could use some serious help, he is thin and in good shape. But his parents died young and all sorts of health problems run in his family. DS is growing like a weed, awkward and needs to not gain any more weight until his height catches up with the rest. He also has loose ligaments in his ankles, which the doctor had a name for, but said the only thing to do is quit growing so fast, and give Advil or Tylenol when it is really bad. The first thing I am really considering finding a new part time job, maybe back to bartending just one or two night, at a busy high volume place. My current job is really stressful where I have seen things going on with the books that ping my ethical radar big time, and also I am exposed to lots of fumes from industrial paint. I think this is making my allergies much worse!!! It also means that we aren't able to go do as many things with the other homeschoolers in town because I feel like we are always behind. Right now I am working mon-fri 8-12 and rushing home to do school, then by dinnertime I am totally DONE, so we end up eating crappy food and not getting enough exercise or outside activities. Quitting means I will have to cook, nearly every day, all meals, and it has been a while since I have done that. :D Honestly though it won't be that hard to cut back the budget if I commit to cooking well and have a do able plan Right now though my fridge and pantry are pretty pitiful, and I have enough money to stock up on the basics. I'm just not sure what basics I want to get. I would like to cut down or eliminate gluten to see how I feel, but I don't even know where to start with that, without buying a whole bunch of expensive not so healthy packaged foods. I am a good cook, but NOT much of a baker. I am guessing I will have to learn. We limit our milk intake, I'm allergic and DH is lactose intolerant, so we use almond milk for drinking and cereal. And I buy half gallons of a local Jersey minimally pasteurized milk for my coffee and cooking. I drink a lot of coffee, and DH drinks way too much pop, but baby steps!!! DS drinks mainly water or unsweet tea. We do however eat quite a bit of cheese and yogurt, which we all do fine with. Beans are hit or miss, DH loves them, me and DS not so much. I am willing to do fish that isn't too fishy. We like all fruit and most veggies, We draw the line at regular canned/frozen peas and brussel sprouts. Soooo, any ideas or tips or resources on restocking a pantry and fridge/freezer to start fresh? Must have supplements to help with brain function and immune systems? If I don't plan this well we will end up with grilled chicken breasts and carrot sticks or green beans every night :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbmamaz Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 I am a weekly shopper . . i dont 'stock the pantry' as much as I plan out what we will eat for the week, and buy it. if you are thinking of going off of gluten, i would not suggest buying any substitutes as much as just . . eating foods that are gluten free. Put a chicken and some potatoes in a roasting pan for an hour .. . stir fry and rice, or just sauted chicken breast and rice, with veggies. I do like the gluten free pasta . . its more expensive, but its quick and easy. my fave is the quinoa ones. for snacks I eat a lot of corn chips, my younger son like rice cakes and the older one eats cereal - there are several gluten free kinds of chex, you can even make gluten free chex mix using gluten free pretzels (those are pricey tho) or rice crackers or something. there is no cheap gluten free bread. home made is slightly cheaper but its really a different kind of baking and the process of learning how is frustratingly expensive. but i did find that getting rid of the foods I was allergic to helped clear up my sinus problems immensely! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeninok Posted October 19, 2012 Author Share Posted October 19, 2012 I think bread and pasta will be my biggest hang ups, We eat decent whole grain bread, but pasta is a staple around here. I REALLY like bread, like a lot. :tongue_smilie: I suppose I could just cut back on pasta for all of us, and then when I cook it for the guys make rice or something for myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventureMoms Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 I wouldn't buy gluten-free substitutes until you get used to structuring your meals around something else. We are generally grain-free at meals, so we center our meals around vegetables and meats. The "fake" bread-type substitutes are nice once in awhile, but it's a lot cheaper and easier to eat this way if you just get used to not having a starch at every meal. My favorite links for recipes and ideas: (note - these are all primal/paleo. If you choose not to go that route, that's fine! but they still have some good recipes that center around vegetables and meat which you might find valuable. There's no law that says you can't add rice or whatnot if that's something you still want to be eating!) http://everydaypaleo.com/ http://www.marksdailyapple.com http://paleohacks.com/ http://nomnompaleo.com/ http://theprimalparent.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventureMoms Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 I think bread and pasta will be my biggest hang ups, We eat decent whole grain bread, but pasta is a staple around here. I REALLY like bread, like a lot. :tongue_smilie: I suppose I could just cut back on pasta for all of us, and then when I cook it for the guys make rice or something for myself. Keep in mind that wheat/gluten are addicting for many people, so if you stop eating it for awhile (like a week) you may find that you aren't so desperate for it. It's a hard week, but worthwhile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acurtis75 Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 I really like the blog 100 days of Real Food for ideas on cutting out processed foods. There are some good free recipe ideas. Also, since you mentioned allergies you might consider juicing. I took allergy/sinus medicine daily for about 10 years. At the beginning of this year I started juicing more seriously (for a period of 2 weeks I replaced breakfast and lunch with juice and just ate dinner.) and it has really helped with allergies. I still have them but I no longer get infections. We juice every morning now along with breakfast and I've been mostly medicine free this entire year. I say mostly because a few times we've traveled and fallen off the juicing wagon for a few weeks and I ended up needing medicine for a few days. As soon as I get back to the juicing I'm fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeninok Posted October 19, 2012 Author Share Posted October 19, 2012 We watched a documentary about juicing on Netflix the other night. It made me want to run out and start! I forgot to mention I also lost 8 pounds since Monday. Normally I would be thrilled because I only want to loose about 15 total. But I do not want to be getting so run down and sick that I drop that much weight that quickly. I don't have time!!! I have read some about paleo, I think we could do that fairly well. Off to read links! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeninok Posted October 19, 2012 Author Share Posted October 19, 2012 Also, Chia seeds, For those in the know, is it worth it to add these to our diet. We already take Omega 3 krill oil, and eat lots of healthy fats. I just can't decide if I think they are all that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acurtis75 Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 Dh and dd like are big smoothie fans and add chia seeds. One bag lasts forever and I figure it can't hurt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelsi Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 Perhaps focus on one thing at a time? If you try to go GF, cook every single meal at home, cut out processed foods, etc., you're probably going to get overwhelmed and just throw in the towel, kwim? Personally I'd cut the dairy completely first. You say you're OK with cheese & milk in your coffee but you also say you've had the worst sinus infection ever among other things. Dairy absolutely could be causing those types of issues. I used to be totally DF back when dd needed to be and I felt soooo much better. I don't seem to be allergic or lactose intolerant but I barely eat any dairy anymore just because it makes me feel bloated, constipated, and just gross. After that I'd cut the processed foods. Do you have a crockpot? Loads of great recipes out there (that do not require a can or packet of something). Check out http://www.crockpot365.blogspot.com Not only are they great recipes but as an added bonus they're all GF. MEAL PLAN! Meal plan for the next week, make your list, then do your shopping. I group things together to make it a bit easier. For example we'll have roasted chicken one night then the next night I'll make chicken enchiladas and those usually last us 2 days. Finally after all that if you're still feeling sluggish & like something could be "off" then I'd go GF. After cutting out processed foods, and getting used to cooking that way, it'll actually be pretty simple to go GF. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeninok Posted October 19, 2012 Author Share Posted October 19, 2012 I have really tried to use almond milk in my coffee, but its yucky, and I hate the non dairy creamers. I might just have to try again to get used to almond milk in it. I don't plan to do it all at once! There would be a major revolt :) What about yogurt? It never leaves me feeling snotty at all like ice cream or chocolate does, I've convinced myself it isn't really dairy, but I also really need the probiotics and tend to eat good Greek yogurt rather than something junkier when I want sweet. Were having a big dust storm in the area tonight, my sons eyes are all red and itchy, and its making my nose and chest feel even worse. I shut off the fan on our AC/heat unit that was just moving air, and shut all the windows. But I still feel gritty, not great timing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelsi Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 Really I'd still eliminate ALL dairy for about 6-8 weeks then re-evaluate. You sound like you're trying to rationalize the dairy :) I get it, I've totally BTDT. However if you never totally eliminate something (something that you know you're allergic/intolerant to anyways) you'll never get an actual answer. You can easily replace the yogurt with coconut milk yogurt. You can also make your own using almond or rice milk. I used to make my own rice & coconut milk yogurt all the time using a non-dairy yogurt starter. Or you could buy dairy free probiotics and take those daily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeninok Posted October 19, 2012 Author Share Posted October 19, 2012 I hadn't ever considered that I could make yogurt with the almond milk! And stupid question.....does coconut milk taste like coconut? I cook and make soap with the oil, but unless its fried like on coconut shrimp, we all hate the taste of the actual meat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelsi Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 I hadn't ever considered that I could make yogurt with the almond milk! And stupid question.....does coconut milk taste like coconut? I cook and make soap with the oil, but unless its fried like on coconut shrimp, we all hate the taste of the actual meat. When I was making coconut milk yogurt they didn't have it like they do now next to the almond milk and other alternate milks. I used the coconut milk in a can and yes it had a coconutty taste to it. I've never had the stuff they sell in the refridgerated section though so hopefully someone else can answer that. Make sure you look up a recipe for making yogurt with a non-dairy substitute. I'm trying to remember and I think I had to add potato starch to mine to make it thick but it's been years so I can't quite remember. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.