Wheat-free in Europe

[Redhead65]

@HungryinTN
In my case it then probably was a combination of stress and the last meal being too long ago. Yesterday I handled it differently. After work I was hungry, and I bought a hand full of walnuts and ate them slowly as I was driving home. I will try to be less strict with me. Maybe it was unrealistic to assume that once the cravings stopped they would be gone for good. After all I am a human being and not a robot.

I sometimes give in to cravings but never to wheat, right!

[Redhead65]

On Saturday I went downtown. The city was illuminated with many special effects and the stores were open till midnight. I visited my favorite pharmacy, and the owner's wife, who also does nutritional counseling, asked me how I was doing: I told her I felt fantastic, and she said "I can see that". When I wanted to know what exactly she sees (I was curious to see the environment's perception versus my self-perception), she said "you look very very energetic, and I can see that you feel well". On Saturday I ran around from 3 pm. till nerly 10 pm, and when I came home I still had energy.

Next Saturday a nutritional counselor will come to an organic store downtown. She will talk about gluten-free nutrition. She has an office downtown, so I guess she is trying to find customers. Since I will be in town anyhow, I will check out what she says. In case she recommends commercial products, I can make some critical remarks.  If not, maybe it will be an interesting experience.,

I finally ordered two cookbooks. I allowed myself to take a long time, because I did not want to order book A while wondering whether book B would have been the better choice. Finally I came to the conclusion that I want WELLFED (the first book) and the second book by Danielle Walker. Maybe one day I get the respective other book of both authors as well. I decided to start with Danielle's second book, because I had read that it contains a lot of planning lists and grocery lists in addition to the recipes, and that appeals to me. I am interested in how other people organize themselves and then decide whether that could work for me as well.

I have some shirts which I once bought committing an offence to good taste, and now I am using those as pyjamas. Am I the only one who is doing this? I mean both. I mean buying things where you wonder "what the heck made me buy this" and hiding the things at night. ;-)
Today I remebered that when a while ago I was wearing this shirt (which I bought in 3 colors, because one offence was not enough), the cloth around the upper arms was sitting tightly, and the shirt sort of glued to my hips. Now the shirt does not touch my hips, and there is air between the cloth and my upper arms.

[Redhead65]

I have a situation regarding food where I do not know how to behave. I do not want to impose on my environment, but I want to look after myself well. Before I went wheat-free, I had suggested that we have a potluck dinner in the office. Now someone remembered it, and I was asked to fix a date for this and to send an outlook invitation to my colleagues. German nutrition is very much loaded with wheat. I know that the idea of a potluck is that you do not plan and I do not expect everybody to prepare some wheat-free food, but chances are that all the meals will contain wheat, and then I am there with my own food (which I technically should share with the others), and it is the only food I can eat.
I have been putting off sending the invitation because I keep thinking "what if in the end I cannot eat anything". It may sound childish. Still I would appreciate some advice.

[Barbara from New Jersey]

Redhead,


You DO ask good questions!  I am sure everyone has purchased things that later had us wondering if we were afflicted with some weird lapse of consciousness or loss of our minds.  When i come across things like that, my favorite question is:  What could I have possibly been thinking???   


The longer you stay grain and sugar free you will see your weight loss and how your body gets thinner until it reaches an equilibrium according to how and what you are eating. 

[Redhead65]

Thanks, Barbara. BTW - I know I still owe you an email but lately I have been so "obsessed" with reading about nutrition and learning things, and after my vacation I had to fill in for a colleague in addition to having to do my own work. I still intend to reply.

I know what my intention was when I bought these clothes. I wanted to try out new things and new colors, and the concept of the store is very profit-oriented. At that time I needed positive affirmation, and OF COURSE they kept telling me that I look great, etc. It all fitted in. It comforts me a bit that several women fell into the same trap. Still, I could hit myself on the head for having bought 2 items threefold EACH.

[Redhead65]

Lately I have cut down my milk consumption and have overall been more selective about what kind of milk I buy. I did not know until recently that the horns of many milk cow are removed so that more cows can be put into a stable or on the pasture without risking power fights. Even "organic" does not guarantee that his is not done. Only two organic companies in Germany (Demeter, which has the highest standard, and Neuland) promise to not tolerate this practice.
On calves the horns are removed by the farmer without any vet's help. That is so disgusting.
I am still not over it.

[Bob Niland (Boundless)]

> On calves the horns are removed by the farmer without any vet's help.

This is commonly done by a process called disbudding, with a cauterizing tool, usually by the farmer. It needs to be done quite young (too young for anesthesia I suspect). Calling in a vet would not alter the brief discomfort, but would add expense. There is a chemical method also, but it has its benefits and hazards.

If the horns aren't prevented, or start growing again due to inadequate disbudding, you have a problem animal that must be isolated, at considerable social distress to this [herd] animal, and some expense to you.

Cattle, sheep and goats with horns are dangerous to each other (esp. males) and possibly people, as well as being very destructive to fences and equipment.

It is risky to remove the horns once they start growing, due usually to blood vessel and sinus connections, as well as creating an open wound, that even with dressing, is apt to be re-opened and infected before it heals.

[Redhead65]

It is only necessary to remove the horns when the animals are kept inadequately (too many in too little space). I am glad that I can still buy milk from cows with horns. I have seen pictures of milk from a cow with horns and milk from a cow without horns, and the latter had a very sick structure.

[Redhead65]

I just started checking my skin care treatment products. Luckily they all list the ingredients in an understandable way (natural ingredients). At the beauty shop they had told me that his line uses wheat on some products but only on very few. I only use 3 products, and they are free from any grains.
BUT my heat protections spray for the hair contains hydrolized wheat protein. :-(
I do not spray it on my scalp but still I think I can be affected, right? SIGH - it is hard enough to find a heat protector without silicone. I googled "heat protection without wheat", and the result was all suggestions with wheat and without something else.

Yesterday I duscivered a box of rhy flour and some lasagna noodles in my kitchen. I threw both out.

[Linda R]

Lately I have cut down my milk consumption and have overall been more selective about what kind of milk I buy. I did not know until recently that the horns of many milk cow are removed so that more cows can be put into a stable or on the pasture without risking power fights. Even "organic" does not guarantee that his is not done. Only two organic companies in Germany (Demeter, which has the highest standard, and Neuland) promise to not tolerate this practice.
On calves the horns are removed by the farmer without any vet's help. That is so disgusting.
I am still not over it.

Life on a farm is NOT the happy "puppies and rainbows" picture that many advertisers like to indicate in ads and other propaganda in order to sell their products.
Living on a small farm in Nebraska for 15 years or so, where we raised corn, hogs, cattle and other livestock, there were certain days in the yearly cycle that I just hated and the dehorning was one of them.
I also hated the days when the young pigs were castrated.
Animals suffer far more pain than most people realize, all for us humans to enjoy another burger or plate of BBQ ribs or wings.


On the other side of the coin, my late husband often spoke of the time previous to our marriage when he owned and operated another farm in the area, alone, and during the winters he sometimes had to function outside, feeding and watering livestock in -40 degree wind chills. It is a very difficult way of life unless you are a wealthy producer with all the up-to-date amenities.


The average shopper in the grocery store, looking down at that carton of eggs, sirloin steak, pork chop or chicken breast, never thinks about all of this, nor do they care.

[Barbara from New Jersey]

Linda,

Between our government and Big Food, consumers are absolutely removed from the natural rhythms of life.  Daylight savings time is now 8 months of the year.  Nearly all readily available food is processed in some manner and packaged.  The only animals we ever see are in a zoo.  We have no idea about the health of the animals we eat or the pesticides on our produce and fruits which we can't easily wash off.  Big Food likes it that way.

My small summer garden was a tremendous amount of work, but the veggies and melons made it worth while until we were invaded by deer and raccoons.  Add in the very hot and dry weather over the summer and it just wasn't worth the effort for the amount of food I got.  Even tomatoes didn't thrive.
I gave up, but always shopped at the local farm stores.  One by one, the local farmers sold their land to developers because they were offered more money for their property than they could earn in several lifetimes of farming. 

Farming isn't easy.  Never was.  My mother-in-law grew up in rural Minnesota living a life like Laura Ingalls, Little House on the Prairie.  She married a minister and lived all over the rural midwest, including an Indian Reservation.  Food was never a problem because many in the congregation would bring food from their farms instead of having to pay their minister's services in cash.  They were always one of the first families to have electricity and telephone service and cash payment for this was often forgiven or paid by the congregation.
When weather catastrophes ruined the crop or damaged a building, the entire community came out to help and share their food until that farmer could recoup.  There were some machines, but nothing like those used today.  Long hours, backbreaking work and good weather made for a successful crop and your farm thrived.

Here in northern NJ we have "blue laws" so that Sunday is a day of rest with only essential stores open.  There is a lot of pressure to allow stores to open on Thanksgiving Day now, as if we need more stuff! The message is now: be thankful for the deal you got on stuff you don't need and don't have room for and just runs up your credit card bill.

What a world we live in.

[BarbinNC]

Hallo - wie geht's?  Bei mir alles ok, nur viel Hektik!  Hoffe es geht Dir gut, und freu mich darauf, zu hören was es Neues gibt.


Viele liebe Grüße,
von Barbara

[Redhead65]

Hallo Barbara, mir geht es gut.


Meanwhile I received the nut flours I had ordered - 4 x almond flour and 1 x hazelnut flour. I have made bread out of almond flour and chia seeds. It turned  ouit okay. It was soft, and it survived the deep freezer without falling apart or changing otherwise.
This morning I cooked some almond flour in milk until it looked like puree, and then I added a hand full of blue berries, and that was my breakfast. I had not had any fruits in many days.

Yesterday I went shopping at a different branch of that supermarket where I usually buy my cleaning supplies theres days (everything else I buy at the organic store or at the farm). I know that in former times I used to think that this store in particular is great because it has much more variety. Yesterday I realized that this just means more of the "chamber of horrors".
But at least I found organic cream of tartar to replace my baking powder (which contains aluminum).

[Redhead65]

Two days ago I did not do a good thing. I had two Mozartkugeln (an Austrian candy consisting of chocolate, pistaccio marzipane and nougat)
http://www.mozartkugel.at/mozartkugel/page?siteid=mozartkugel-prd&locale=atde1&PagecRef=293
After that I got hungry and topped everything by eating a big mango. You all can figure what I did then: I got hungry again (small wonder with all that sugar), but then I did not eat anymore. I ate the candy at 19 hrs and the mango at 22 hrs.

Yesterday my boss invited us all to a Besenwirtschaft. That is something local here in South Germany. It means that someone can open a pub temporarily in autumn (often from September till December) in an underground basement or in an apartment. People sit very tightly - I mean there is not much room then. The food is fresh and with lots of fat.  .  I had Schlachtplatte, meaning a piece of pork belly and freshly cooked Blutwurst and Leberwurst sausages with sauerkraut.

 

[Redhead65]

Here is an explanation for this type of pub
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strausse
(I had not thought that I would find something in English)

And this is what Schlachtplatte looks like:
http://www.chefkoch.de/rezepte/2303751367500025/Schwaebische-Schlachtplatte.html

[Bob Niland (Boundless)]

> ... until we were invaded by deer and raccoons ...

Another word for these critters is: food

Well, you need to assess CWD risk before harvesting a deer.

How another nutrition blogger handled raccoon #2:
The Farm Report: Chicken-Killer Stew

[Redhead65]

What are you refering to? Are you maybe in the wrong topic? Sorry, I do not quite understand the reference to my posting. I had not written about deer.

[Barbara from New Jersey]

Redhead,

Boundless is referring to my post #61 dated 11/18/14, second paragraph where I'm bemoaning animals eating my garden. 

The Chicken-Killer Stew video was funny.  I laughed at the way the the traps were reinforced and altered!  That could have been me!!! Yes, I was going to outsmart the critters!  After spending much time and thought, I consulted with everyone who might have an inkling over what to do and how to do it.  This became a "me vs. them" neurotic quest on my part.  I really was rather successful and eventually had 4 different sized HavaHeart traps which were cleverly altered so "they", my enemies, could not escape!  My husband used to tease me unmercifully about my quest.

I caught several skunks, groundhogs, raccoons, chipmunks, squirrels and a fox.   I covered the cages and brought them to a nearby preserved wooded area and let them go.  I could not kill them for food, even though they ate my food.  I guess I'm not hungry enough to do this.  I can barely deal with gutting freshly caught fish. 

Boundless, thank you for bringing back memories!  Chicken-killer stew isn't a recipe I will ever use.   

[Redhead65]

Barbara, thanks for the explanations. Now I got it.

Coming back to my things........today I went to a mall and at my favorite pesto store they also sell liquor. I used to like their Xmas liquor, but this time I tried one sip, but I was appalled by the sweetness.
When I left the mall I had to pass the fruit shop. I admit I was extremely tempted to buy a mango, but I did not buy one.

I went to the hair stylist today, and the hair salon owner had a hard time grasping that I wanted wheet-free shampoo. I did not know how to explain to him my issue, so I said "I live like a person with celiac ." He said "Celi....what?". Then I knew that this was not going to be easy.......but the hair stylist read all label contents to me before using anything and even the boss promised to call the manufacturer on Monday and find out whether he can get an overview of what is gluten free. (It is a hair stylist that sells only products form one line.)

Anyway, my hair looks spectacular now.

At the organic store I saw zucchinis from Morocco. This makes me mad. Here in Germany you can really find zucchinis at every corner. Why do I need f-word zucchinis from1500 miles away?? I did not buy them. I bought local ones at a regular grocery store that buys from local farmers.

[Redhead65]

Do you also get to hear weird responses when you announce that you only eat gluten-free?
Today a colleague had brought some cake. I thanked him for the group invitation and said I would  keep some distance to the cake so that I do not get tempted as I do not eat gluten-containing things anymore. He looked at me and said "Yes, but that gluten is NATURAL.". I just thanked him again and declined.
This colleague is very intelligent, and he was about the least out of all from whom I would have expected to be presented with a reply like that.

Tomorrow we have got our Xmas party at the office. Food is safe for me. We will have tons of meat and 5 types of salads. Maximum one salad with be with pasta - the rest only greens. Needless to say - I stay away from the pasta.

[HungryinTN]

Do you also get to hear weird responses when you announce that you only eat gluten-free?

All the time.  And of course lots of people have heard the mainstream media standard fare that gluten-free is bad because gluten-free products are still just junk.  When they catch me feeling especially soapboxy they get quite an earful at that point.  But usually I just explain all of the negative symptoms I was able to alleviate by going gluten-free and the reasons it isn't worth it to me to ever eat wheat again, after having a few re-exposure experiences.  When I explain that before I gave it up I could barely step up onto a curb because of knee pain at the age of 29 and that a week after I gave up gluten I had almost zero joint pain, that usually shuts them up fast enough that I don't have to go into the more TMI area of IBS symptoms or weight...

[Barbara from New Jersey]

I just don't say anything to anyone unless they ask.  I do get comments about my skin and how vibrant I look.  When I speak of grain and sugar free eating, I will get polite nods, people will run to the other side of the room or nasty comments about following a fad diet.  I don't bring this up unless some asks.
Lots of people don't understand even the reasons for eating organic items or not eating pasta.  I usually just say that wheat gives me indigestion or that I am allergic to wheat and let it go at that.  What other people eat is their business and I don't expect them to tell me how/what to eat.  I personally don't care what they think.

[HungryinTN]

I just don't say anything to anyone unless they ask.

Living in the South, people ALWAYS ask. If there is food somewhere in the room and you're not eating it, someone is bound to ask why not within minutes.  I attended a book signing event at the local historical society recently and I was hungry so I grabbed a couple of pieces of cheese, resulting in the inevitable "is that all you're having," followed by someone bringing me crackers, like I hadn't seen them, which resulted in explanation funtimes.  They were really very sweet about it and one woman even had a celiac granddaughter. But at the same time, she was about 70, obese, and suffering from type II diabetes and hypertension and complaining about being in physical pain.  I told her about the pain I had been in before I went grain free, but she dismissed it out of hand because at "her age" it was just "to be expected" and that she just wanted to "enjoy life" eating whatever she wanted.  I did not push the conversation further, of course.  But that's pretty standard.  That or, like one of my closest friends who is naturally quite thin but suffers from addiction issues, brain fog, and loads of GI problems, always says "Yeah...I should probably try it...but I just can't give up bread and beer!"  I think it must be harder to get motivated without the motivation of weight, sometimes, unless you are really suffering from devastating health issues, rather than just uncomfortable ones. 

[Barbara from New Jersey]

Most of these people place the responsibility for their health onto their doctor.  They would prefer to endure how much their body hurts rather than actually do something about it.  Whatever their excuse, a pill is easier in their way of thinking than not eating their sugary confections and wheat filled diets.  After all, they are just following doctors orders!

[HungryinTN]

Oh yes which reminds me of one of the other things she said, which was "I'm type II diabetic, so I really have to be careful and make sure to eat my healthy whole grains to keep my blood sugar in check - doctor's orders!"  Thankfully that was about the time the author approached our table to sign our books and the conversation subject was, blessedly, changed...

[Barbara from New Jersey]

Hungry,


And these people blindly accept that they aren't getting any better and in fact are getting worse.  However, this is their choice.  I cringe, but I respect that choice as long as I am not called upon to help them in any way.

Dr. Daniel Amen has a lot of information on how the brain reacts to diet.  All the aggressive people may not be eating grains and sugar, but they aren't getting the proper balanced nutrition either.  If they were, they would be calm and not aggressive or angry.  For example, when some people drink and become rather mean and abusive, lots of the new coverts to grain and sugar free eating need to clean out their body and build it back up with natural foods and supplements.  New allergies or sensitivities that previously were just covered up by larger problems start surfacing and need to be addressed, but these people often won't admit to having a problem since that would upset their perfect diet.

[Jan in Key West]

We have a group of my husband's tennis mates that we do lunch with on Thursdays (local's discount day) and while they are aware that we eat differently, I never make a big deal about it. Most, not all, are in good physical shape (not sure about internal shape!) but what I find most interesting is the increased number of questions we get regarding food quality, GMO's, farmed fish, gluten, wheat, sugar and on and on.....yesterday, our entire conversation centered around our food choices. One begins to wonder where they've been the last ten or twenty years!

[Redhead65]

Here in Germany if food is served and one person does not eat, automatically someone asks why. On Friday I attended a fairwell event of a director who left to manage a company my employer had newly bought up. He served loads of snacks, all full of wheat. I did not eat, and I had no problem with it. I had brought some food from home and had eaten that an hour before the event, so I just said politely "no thanks, I am not eating - I have no problem whatsoever watching other people eat.". They kept insisting "Well, but this looks so yummy and the snacks are tiny - do you not want to try a bit? Why not?". Then I said "I am not eating grains." Then I just walked over to someone else and got involved into a conversation with a different topic.

On Saturday I did not do good. I attended a seminary out of town, and I should have known that this means 2 meals. Lunch was okay. They had vegetables at the cafeteria, and I had brought some air-dryed organic sausages. But in the evening I was so damn hungry and on the countryside. All the stores were closed (6 p.m. - that is normal on a Saturday on the countryside). Then I had some cheap Leberkäse and a spelt sandwich. I still had a 1,5 hour ride home, and I was so hungry. After this dinnner of course later I was hungry again, and I was not particularly proud of myself.

What kind of snacks can I take with me for a whole day without them going bad?

Today I felt great. I had salmon and two types of veggies with coconot oil for lunch and a salad of lamb's lettuce, grated zucchinis, organic sausages and linseed oil for dinner. Besides that, I baked a chia bread (+ nut flours + coconut oil) and had  a slice of that with good Italian cheese.

[Bob Niland (Boundless)]

> What kind of snacks can I take with me for a whole day without them going bad?

Nuts, dry-roasted (no industrial grain oils), unflavored, salted or not.

I see that Quest bars are available from amazon.de. You might start with one of the mixed sample boxes.

[Redhead65]

That sounds like a good idea. Thank you. I could even keep the bars in the car (trunk). This way I do not get tempted when I am at home.
 Before I order them, I will check my local fitness supply store (how do you call those stores where you buy protein powder and the like?). It sells many bars from the States.

By the way, meanwhile my wheat-free and silicone-free heat protection spray arrived, and I tried it out. It smells really nice and works well.

[Redhead65]

Yesterday I found an organic high protein bar (gluten-free, non-GMO), which I am going to try out next time.

I went to the organic butcher and bought chorizo, lamb steak and a turkey steak. Besides, I bought brokkoli and cooked it. Together with some meat it will be my lunch today. Brokkoli of course has to go with butter. It tastes so much better.

At the office two people brought cake, but I just politely declined, and no discussion followed.

[Redhead65]

I am doing fine so far. For dinner I had organic trout. My lunch was a bit run of the mill. I had forgotten my fish at home in the fridge, and so I ate at the cafeteria for the first time in months. I took only vegetables and some green salad. The veggies were already falling apart.
After work I ate some nuts which I had stored in my car.

At work two people gave me small edible gifts which I would have loved in the past but not anymore. However, I can see the intention very well, and so of course I thanked them for the gifts and threw them out only at home. One was a packet of tea, so packed with artifical flavours that I thought I was inhaling the content of a chemistry lab. I cannot believe that I used to like that. The other was Lindt white chocolate - unbearably sweet.

[Barbara from New Jersey]

Redhead,


Most of us have experience the same.  Seems our tongues and taste buds become very aware of unnatural ingredients and overly sweet flavors the longer we eat this way.  Even high quality chocolates become much too sweet tasting and are no longer enjoyable.  We are also quite sensitive to "umami" flavors which are complimentary and enhance each other, like tomatoes and melted cheese (like pizza).  A Japanese scientist discovered the sensitivity and chemical reasons for these flavors which make food taste so good.  It has to do with naturally occurring  MSG.  You might be interested in googling "umami" to learn more about this phenomenon. 

[Redhead65]

Thanks. I googled it indeed.

On Friday a colleague visited our company from Italy. He brought me some panettone (wheat!!!) and a wheat-free candy. I thanked him for having thought of me and will eat the candy but have given away the panettone. I explained to him that I no longer eat grains.

One colleague of mine now bought the wheat belly cookbook and the wheat belly book. For starters she bans wheat. Another colleague introduced me to his wife on the phone. She wants to go gluten-free and has bought the cookbook and still needs to buy the regular book teaching all the details. We might meet next weekend.

Yesterday I was out  of the house all day and towards the end of the day I got really hungry. I had forgotten my bar at home, but I was all right with not eating anything. I told myself "look - this is all trash - you do not really want that".  At home I friend lamb Bratwurst with two types of vegetables and really enjoyed it.

Today I am planning to make meat balls from the well-fed cookbook.

[Redhead65]

I made a small gluten-free cake consisting of 3 eggs, pumpkin, 1.75 oz of sugar and 1.75 oz of xlit, ground hazel nuts and 3 table spoons of coconut flour + spices. The cake looked nice, smelled nice, it was easy to cut off slices (the cake was small, only 7.4 inches in diameter......gee, I hope I do the conversions correctly), but when I eat a small piece of this cake, I keep burping mildly for at least 2 hours. This made me so mad that I finally ditched the cake.
I never burp after food. It is enervating, embarrassing, and it shows that something is wrong.
I had replaced only part of the sugar by xylit, because I had at first planned to take the cake with me to the office, and I did not want that colleagues who are not used to xylit, have to run to the bathroom.

What have I done wrong?

Today I called the German celiac society because they sell a listing of products that contain wheat and where in many instances the wheat is not listed. Their listingss are a) by product type and b) also by commodity (--> two types of listings, in books). They found it really weird that I want to abstain from gluten voluntarily. And I found it weird that they found it weird.
I finally said "Well, I feel a lot better, and I just prefer it that way, irrespective of what others think.".

[Redhead65]

BTW, all ingrediets were fresh and organic.

[Barbara from New Jersey]

Redhead,


It probably was the xylitol which caused the gas/burping.  This sugar alcohol is known for this.  It can also cause diarrhea in some people.  You can probably use it in smaller amounts without difficulty.  There are lots of other sweeteners to try until you settle on what works best for you.

[Redhead65]

Thanks, Barbara. Since I can eat gummi bears with xylitol I had assumed that I can handle it in the cake as well. My mistake, because after all there is more in the cake than in the gummi bears.

By the way, when I refered to the celiac society, they of course list what is gluten-free and not what is wheat-free. My mistake. I keep thinking of the wheat belly book - so wheat was on my mind.

The burping is still going on.............grrrrrrrrr.

[Redhead65]

Hi, I have been kind of lazy journaling lately.  The time between Xmas and New Year is very boring for me. Most friends are busy with family, and all the doors are closed. After Christmas I was invited by my former neighbors once. They had prepared grilled goose, red cabbage and noodles. I skipped the noodles and had more of the other stuff.

Some time before the end of the year I once had a relaps with spelt bread. I bought three!!! buns and could not stop eating after the first. Of coure not - gluten makes addicted. I felt bad and my appetite was out of control. I did not eat anything until night, and then I had loads of veggies in cream sauce.

Ever since then I had not felt tempted by grains. I am busy trying out new recipes, and I have baked Dr. D's basic bread a few times in variations. Right now i am baking a bread with organic lemon zest and cinnamon.

My thyroid medication has been reduced by 30% due to weight loss. I used to get upset very easily when I was on the higher dosage.

[Redhead65]

I was afraid I would loose my text ;-) .

My neighbour, who had shown interest in living without grain but had given up before she started, aske me the other day "are you still doing this stuff without grains or whatever?". From the tone I could figure that she was hoping I would say "no, it is too much trouble - I bought two kgs of wheat pasta". 

My colleague, who bought the book in December and who before Xmas said to me "I leave out the wheat now but I do not think I can do this without grains. I am Italian, you know. We eat bread WITH pasta." - she is really doing goöd. I visited her yesterday, and she said "I am really feeling so great and do not need this gluten crap. My mind is clear, I have no desire to overeat, I do not care about candy anymore, and I do not even worry about what my son and my husband are doing. The only problem is that they keep insisting on wheat, but once they have eaten their food, they eat some mine, too. With wheat bread along the side!!!".

She said that often people say to her "but what do you eat when you eat neither bread nor pasta?" she tells them that there is still plenty of food left for her, and she smiles. A month ago she asked me the same question, and now she is giving the same reply to the others.

I am rally happy that I have a mission buddy now. 

[Redhead65]

You see - I am very talkative today.

Lately I have had problems. with my vestibular system on the right side. I suddenly felt dizzy and felt like I could fall down any minute. In fact this feeling accompanies me all day in various intensities and is only non-existent when I am sitting in the car. It is not to be mixed up with ordinary circulation problems.Those would be a piece of cake.

The ear, nose and neck specialist found thru testing that the vestibular system is having issues. He also tested my hearing and said "you really hear the gras grow".  THe neurologist also did all kinds of tests on my and made an EEG. On Feb. 6th I get an ultrasound of my cortid artery, and they also want to do an MRT of my brain. My guess is that it is something mechanical....something is squeezed in, because ever since the physical therapist at my employer is working on my neck and shoulder for 5-10 min. a day, it got a bit better. Next Tuesday I am seeing a chiropratic. He is very old and has lots of experience. My colleague swears by him.
I did not take the pills that the doctor prescribed. I researched, and it turned out that often patients have to take this medicine for weeks before or if at all they help. Besides, they have side effects like problems with the kidney and headaches and so on.

[Barbara from New Jersey]

Redhead,


These problems you are having is probably an inner ear disorder.  A chiropractor is a good idea just in case there is a misalignment in your neck.  It can be very frightening.  This can come with age.  It is important to supplement magnesium to keep the little bones and ear drum from calcifying.  Sometimes herbal concoctions for vertigo helps.  Check your local pharmacy for these.

[Redhead65]

@Barbara,

okay, I will buy magnesium on Monday.

I will go to the chiropractic because my back needs this anyhow. If he can help my equilibrium also, that is fine. If not, it will still be useful. He is very old and not money-minded and likes to use natural things.

My pharmacy gave me something herbal. I have not been consistent in taking it regularly. Whenever I feel my problem less, I forget it. *sigh*

[Redhead65]

Today I had a look at my cookbooks. Those I had not looked at when I went thru my bookshelf the other day. I opened every book and asked myself critically whether what it contains fits my new life style, and another 12 books were sorted out. I was surprised that I can trade them in at Amazon. Of course I get less money than when I sell them privately, but it is okay. When I get that money, I can buy other books I have on my wish list. For example something about gutt health.

Tonight I am going to cook turkey medallions and mangold. I will cook enough so that half of it is my lunch for tomorrow.

[Barbara from New Jersey]

Redhead,


If your tongue is red and bumpy, you might have a B-12 deficiency according to Dr. Osborne.  The best B-12 is methylcobalamin and is widely available in a lozenge.  Grass-fed meats are good sources as well.  Many times this deficiency causes a wooziness and balance problem.  40+% of the population has a defect in the MTHFR gene which makes utilizing B vitamins difficult unless it is in the methylated form.  This is natural, not synthetic. 

[Lynda (Fl)]

Redhead, that's a great story about your friend!  I enjoyed it.  Hope your chiropractor can help you.

[deanna in AR]

Redhead, my chiropractor helped me. I was off my ReMag for awhile. Then I fell and landed directly in the middle of my upper hips and lower back. Ouch! Went to chiro about a week later (because I also had a bad bronchial thing going on and I didn't feel like getting out). Chiro found that I was "out" in 10 places and both iliums were twisted. He feels that my tailbone is sprained (not broken). He told me to get back on my magnesium. It's a week later. I have gone back twice and he said my body is now relaxed and to come back in about a month unless I need something sooner. It's gonna take awhile for my tailbone to heal. Meanwhile I'm sitting on a donut cushion. It helps greatly. But the magnesium made a huge difference.

[Loanne]

I, too, have cravings.  Especially lately.  I've decided d. mt. dew really IS bad for me, so it's gone now (I know...horrible that it's taken so long to let this go, and I think it made me hungry!)  But other times, I have to sit down and really try to feel if I'm hungry, which I'm usually not.  Emotional issues still rearing their heads, but now I recognize what it is...I guess that's growth, thanks to WB.  I'm thinking lots of things can stir up cravings...hunger may be the LAST issue it really happens to be.  Does that make sense?? 

[Jan in Key West]

Loann,
Ditching the Mountain Dew was probably the BEST gift you could give yourself.....congrats! I imagine you'll experience some health benefits from that act alone. It's a learning experience for all of us.

[Jan in Key West]

Redhead,
We were talking at the accupuncturist's office today and she made a comment about ear issues having direct links to the kidneys.....never heard that one before. She recommends, if it isn't severe, to use colloidal silver for 8 - 10 days to help cleanse/detoxify.