Is diet a source of conflict with your dh?

[nerd]

Sorry that was wordered poorly on my part. Also let my imagination run wild to much. I was imaging that DH was at work all day, coming home tired and hungry. Really wanting to eat meat, but being presented with just vegetables to eat. Being too tired and hungry to cook meat himself, he settles. I wrongly assumed the diffficulties were in relation to not having enough meat meals for dinner.

 

Didn't realize that he was doing the cooking as well. Should have read the posts more closely. Understand now that you have an arrangement where he cooks the meat portion of the meals for himself, and he gets as much as he wants. Makes sense.

[nerd]

A thing that would work well is prefrying some chicken pieces and leaving them in the fridge. If fried, they should not spoil for the week in the fridge if in a sealed container. For dinner, split any pots of vegetarian stew, soup, curry type dishes into two pots and prewarm them. One vegetable only for everyone else, and one for him.

 

Then he can just drop the precooked chicken in his pot when he comes in, and make an instant meat stew. Will take about 6 minutes to heat the precooked chicken through if the stew is hot.

 

Frozen shrimp doesn't even need to be precooked, they cook within a few minutes of being dropped in hot stew/soup. Frozen fish fillets are good for this as well.

[wapiti]

If it has been completely out of the diet for 4-6 weeks, then you reintroduce it (2-3 servings a day) and watch for reactions. If there is a reaction, you remove it from the diet and consider it an allergy (or intolerance). If there is no reaction after several days, you can assume it is safe to eat.

 

Thanks. I have really been confused by conflicting advice.

 

One aspect I don't see discussed often, but experienced myself, is the potential issue with enzymes during a period of food avoidance. For me, after I avoided the top-8 allergens while nursing, I ended up with major issues digesting dairy and eggs. It took a long time to get back to normal. I believe that during a prolonged avoidance, my body stops producing the enzymes for digesting these in sufficient amounts. This means that re-introduction of some foods - for me, dairy and eggs - involved digestive disturbances (shall we say; stomachaches, gas, diarrhea, nausea, etc.). It takes a surprisingly long time for my body to get back in the game after a period of avoidance. Having done this more than once, it's entirely predictable, though it was surprising the first time around. However, in no way do I have an "intolerance" for these. My concern would be that someone doing a dairy-free trial who then experiences such digestive symptoms upon reintroduction might interpret that, incorrectly, as a reason to avoid that food for the rest of their lives, when all they really need to do is slowly increase their intake so that their body has time to ramp up production of the enzymes or otherwise anticipate the potential for such symptoms (unless those types of symptoms were the reason for undertaking avoidance in the first place).

 

Accordingly, I feel it's important to be clear about the types of reactions one is looking for upon reintroduction - presumably, the types of reactions would include things that made one wonder whether the food was causing a problem in the first place.

[stripe]

One aspect I don't see discussed often, but experienced myself, is the potential issue with enzymes during a period of food avoidance.

In the case of my child, it is an entirely different situation that I want to sort out once and for all, hopefully to expand the child's diet. Symptoms were either entirely absent or more immediate and specific, not involving gas or such. However, this is my concern when I've read suggestions to avoid gluten/dairy/whatever with no evidence that it is causing any problems. I have read that it can be a problem; even the other day I came across something about it.

 

It is no longer an issue as we have worked out a compromise. I make the salad how he likes it, and we skip out on all the sauces. We are both happy with this arrangement.

the salad has to be made in a VERY specific way, otherwise it is not right according to DH. it involves the dressing being made first and the salad ingredients being very slowly added.

as for the sauce for the spinach and whatever I cannot make it right. I have had lessons from my MIL and still cannot get it right. so I have given up.

Ah, well, I have never heard of such a salad, but I would be able to make myself one with the salad ingredients put in a separate bowl and not added to the amazing, slowly prepared dressing. Presumably the non-octopus cook chops the veges before beginning the ingredient-adding process. I would just make two, in other words, if I didn't want the dressing, and add an extra tomato to mine. I still don't see how that would impact the other one. All the veges would be prepped at the same time, and then directed into two different dishes.

 

I am glad you have worked out a compromise.

A thing that would work well is prefrying some chicken pieces and leaving them in the fridge. If fried, they should not spoil for the week in the fridge if in a sealed container.

Really? I can't stand the smell of cooked meat leftovers after a day or two.

[Soror]

. Most little meat eating kids probably don't understand the details of how a chicken goes from the farm to their plate. It's not a pretty story, but I think my kid should know it before she puts it in her mouth. We like to tell the story of vegetables to our kids--we like them to understand how they grow and how they get on our plates. Why not meat? That said, I do teach my kids to be respectful of what other people eat. Dd knows we never comment on other people's food. She knows that what someone chooses to eat doesn't make them a good or a bad person. She knows this is just OUR choice and that she is welcome to change her mind at any time.

That is certainly not the case at my house and most of the people I know. We live rurally though and it is a matter of life. Our kids have been there during deer, rabbit and chicken butchering and none were scarred by this fact. Of course historically most cultures were meat eaters and their kids had close and explicit knowledge of such things, it is only recently that we are so removed from the production of our food.

 

eta- nevermind the rest, I don't have a dog in this fight, as they say :)

[stripe]

Most little meat eating kids probably don't understand the details of how a chicken goes from the farm to their plate. It's not a pretty story, but I think my kid should know it before she puts it in her mouth.

Speaking as someone who was a vegetarian for over ten years, I can safely say that most little meat eating kids around the world know exactly where meat comes from. Many people around the world buy chicken whole, often live or slaughtered to order, or visit markets where the large animals (cow, goat, pig, etc) can be seen in large pieces, and plenty of American kids have gone fishing, if nothing else. Personally, I think this is more healthy than buying a breast on a styrofoam tray or a frozen chicken nugget.

 

I don't think one always needs to tell small children every detail of everything, however. I wouldn't tell my kids every detail of their birth: the general outline is enough.

 

That being said, when I taught a kindergarten class, I took the kids fishing. They all were helped to catch one. Every kid ate the fish they took home, or so they told me.

[wapiti]

In the case of my child, it is an entirely different situation that I want to sort out once and for all, hopefully to expand the child's diet. Symptoms were either entirely absent or more immediate and specific, not involving gas or such. However, this is my concern when I've read suggestions to avoid gluten/dairy/whatever with no evidence that it is causing any problems. I have read that it can be a problem; even the other day I came across something about it.

 

Good!(?) I just felt like making a PSA because I don't remember seeing much discussion about this potential aspect that anyone undertaking a trial of avoidance, including OP, should be aware of going in. I hope you do get it sorted out - I'd be interested to hear what happens. These food mysteries drive me batty (I have a ds with food allergies but not dairy/wheat, yet "everyone," including our nutritionist, recommended avoiding those for his significant asthma. We had no change with avoiding dairy. Right now I'm working on a probiotic/fatty acid/"gut-healing" angle :tongue_smilie:, before we try avoiding gluten).

 

I would just make two, in other words, if I didn't want the dressing, and add an extra tomato to mine. I still don't see how that would impact the other one. All the veges would be prepped at the same time, and then directed into two different dishes.

 

This is basically what I do - I put two bowls on the other side of the cutting board and put the appropriate things in each as I go along.

 

Really? I can't stand the smell of cooked meat leftovers after a day or two.

 

 

I thought I was the only one - I have a very sensitive nose for leftover poultry especially. I try not to have any leftovers at Thanksgiving, for example. I made prime rib on Sunday and dh happily ate the leftovers yesterday, while I ate something else :).

[nerd]

Really? I can't stand the smell of cooked meat leftovers after a day or two.

 

Yes, you are probably right. At least about poultry, even cooked it often doesn't taste good after a few days due to the amount of unsaturated fats. Sometimes It does develop a rancid taste. It could be frozen after cooking in meal sized portions to avoid this.

 

I was thinking about restaurant style cooking. Thai and Indian restaurants use a master sauce, and then prepared meats are mixed in depending on in the customer wants vegetables only, fish, chicken, shrimp, meat, etc.

 

It would be easy enough to prepare a master vegetarian saucy dish like a vegetable tagine, chickpea stew, curried mixed vegetables, etc. And just add meat to his meal only. Then he would have restaurant quality meat dishes with little effort.

 

Asian markets sell raw, presliced, frozen beef, lamb and chicken. These can be added to stews, and they cook in a few minutes only.

[nerd]

 

Doesn't sound very appetizing quite frankly.

 

 

Depends on the quality of the sauce. I have used this technique cooking for guests, and they were asking where I learned to cook, if I went to cooking school, etc. I have pre-prepared sauces in my fridge. Easy job to make a variety of different tasting dishes with different main ingredients from the same sauce.

 

It's what's used even in many restaurants, even top restaurants

 

http://www.greatcurryrecipes.net/2011/07/20/pre-cooking-meat-for-adding-to-restaurant-style-curries/

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100625042311AARKP8k

 

I was thinking more that the DH could drop the meat in himself, if the sauce was preheated, would be a simple 5 minute heat up job.

 

The big work would be in making the sauce. DH job is just to drop the pre-prepared meat in at the end.

[stripe]

Good!(?) I just felt like making a PSA because I don't remember seeing much discussion about this potential aspect that anyone undertaking a trial of avoidance, including OP, should be aware of going in.

 

Wapiti, I saw this article in Maclean's today and thought of you somehow regarding testing for food intolerances

http://www2.macleans.ca/2013/04/02/its-all-good-actually-gwyneth-paltrows-new-cookbook-borders-on-quack-science/

[justamouse]

As to what to feed the kids I do think you need to have a discussion about that and come up with some clear guidelines, instead of some vague idea. I don't think it is fair that your kids cannot pick their diet until they are deemed mature enough when you are the only arbritrar of that guideline. I've read of kids deciding at a very young age to become vegetarian so it seems reasonable to me that a child could make the opposite decision early as well. At any rate I'd make some kind of decision in regards to the age. I know I'd feel with that sort of guideline that really it was just a tactic to keep them vegetarian for as long as possible.

 

 

:iagree:

 

I am gluten free and dairy free. I do NOT make my family eat the same.

 

Your kids can make the decision when they are older--but to NOT let them eat it now is also making the decision for them-- which you are angry at your Dh for doing.

 

My kids all know where the meat comes from. They ask what animal it is.

[wapiti]

Wapiti, I saw this article in Maclean's today and thought of you somehow regarding testing for food intolerances

http://www2.macleans...-quack-science/

 

 

Thanks, Stripe! This is helpful to me and provided a nugget that I was not aware of. We had been considering the IgG testing but hadn't followed through (actually, ds's blood was drawn but something happened with the sample - not enough or something - and I hadn't decided whether it was worth the trauma of drawing it again :tongue_smilie: ). In particular, I thought this was interesting:

 

There’s no relationship between a real allergy and high IgG levels in a food-sensitivity test. “When studies are done that try to take people with an allergy to a food, like milk or peanuts, and make them tolerant to that food,†explained Dr. Lavine, “their IgG levels to that food actually go up, and that’s a finding seen in many studies. So that suggests that some particular kinds of IgG are associated with tolerance of food, or the absence of allergy.â€

...

What’s more: Many of the studies that proclaim food-sensitivity testing helps patients are flawed by design. “The thing that bothers me the most is the sale of these tests, easily $400 or more, to adults and even children, when there does not exist any consensus that they are valid and lots of evidence supporting that IgG is part of the normal physiological human response to food.†In other words, these tests medicalize normal reactions and encourage people to stay away from whole groups of food that aren’t even problematic for them.