Foods That May Cause Problems With Digestion

If you have digestive issues when you eat certain foods, what should you do? Should you cut them out of your diet completely?

Perhaps it may serve you better to embark on an elimination diet. This is done by removing all of the foods that you believe are the cause of your problems, then adding them back in a few weeks later, slowly and one at a time, to monitor your reaction to them.

The foods that I eliminated were nuts, seeds, corn, green peas, coconut, legumes, grains, and diary.

I found that I could tolerate some forms of these foods. Instead of eating the food unprocessed or whole, which can cause digestive issues in some people, I found that I could tolerate nut butter, seed butter, coconut milk, lactose free milk, tofu, and hummus. I also seemed able to tolerate a small amounts of gluten-free oats and white rice. However, I could not tolerate whole nuts, whole seeds, corn, green peas, shredded coconut, coconut flour, whole beans, whole lentils, whole grains, and regular milk.

Someone else may have some of the same issues as I do, but they may find that they are not able to tolerate one or more of these following foods as well: Soy, nightshades (a type of vegetable group including tomatoes and potatoes among others), eggs, beef, pork, lamb, fish, and shellfish.

No two people are alike in their ability to tolerate different kinds of foods, so talk to your health care provider to find out how best to proceed in your case. They may recommend certain medications to help with your symptoms, may want to perform diagnostic tests, etc. They may suggest keeping a food diary (what you eat and how you react to it) and may even suggest looking into elimination diets such as low FODMAP diet.

Advertisement

Paleo Focaccia

Sometimes you just want some bread. You can make the paleo Focaccia plain or add one of the herb seasonings to enhance the flavour.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup almond flour
2 eggs
1 tbsp melted coconut oil
1 tsp baking powder
dash of salt
Italian Seasoning or Herbs De Provence

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 8 X 8 inch pan with parchment paper.

In a small bowl mix together almond flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the coconut oil, and eggs. Mix all the ingredients together with a fork and spread the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with Italian Seasoning or Herbs De Provence.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Remove the flatbread from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool so the bottom does not become soggy.

Cut into 4 pieces – 145 calories per piece

Enjoy

An Animals Eyes

 

Gluten and Gluten-Free Sensitivity and/or Intolerance

Everywhere I look on the internet and in books, all I see is that all whole grains are good for you and that they are “super healthy.”

…But are they really good for everyone?

You may have an intolerance to gluten grains or you just may be sensitive to them, or you could have Celiacs Disease. In that case, it is best to steer clear of all gluten grains.

So what about Gluten-free grains?

If your reaction to gluten-free grains is the same as the reaction you get from gluten grains, do you remove them as well?

I would say yes. For how long though? 3 months? 6 months? 1 or 2 years? Forever? Only you can be the judge of the duration.

I have, in the past, removed all grains for 6 months then started to add them back in, only to have my symptoms come back with a vengeance. It seems that I can tolerate a small amount of gluten-free oats ground into flour. However, when I tried to add a small amount of whole brown rice back into my diet, I started having severe abdominal pain again. I waited a week and then tried a gluten-free bread with brown rice flour, gluten free oat flour, tapioca starch, and potato starch, only to have the pain come back. This time it has been a month since I have had any grains, and I am still getting abdominal pain. I have now removed them again, but this time I am not sure if I will ever add them back.

To me, I would rather not eat any grains at all. The “super healthy” potential benefits of these grains do not outweigh the risks for me. If grains cause me this much abdominal pain, they are clearly not “super healthy” for me.

Perhaps you can relate? How do different grains make you feel?

Roasted Vegetable Salad

Zucchini, mushrooms, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts are roasted and tossed with a tangy dressing.

Ingredients:
1 medium zucchini, trimmed , cut in half lengthwise and sliced
1 cup crimini mushrooms, quartered
2 cup cauliflower, cut into florets
2 cups Brussels sprouts, quartered
1/4 cup onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tbsp lemon zest
Dressing:
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp dried dill
1 tsp dried chives
1 tsp dried parsley flakes

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Place the vegetables in a large mixing bowl and toss with the olive oil, lemon zest, salt, and pepper, to evenly coat.

Spread the vegetables in one layer in a large roasting pan, and roast in the preheated oven for 35 minutes. Remove the roasting pan from the oven and allow the vegetables to cool for 15 minutes.

To make the dressing combine the lemon juice, oil, mustard, dill, chives, and parsley in a screw-top jar. Secure lid. Shake well to combine.

Place the vegetables in a large mixing bowl and pour over the dressing. Toss gently to combine and serve warm.

Mastering Change

“You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude
toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather
than allowing it to master you.”

~ Brian Tracy

How to Remove Pesticides from Fresh Produce

The use of chemicals on the fruit and vegetables we buy at the super market today can have an adverse effect on our health.

One common mistake is that by washing our fruits and vegetables with water we will help to remove most of the pesticides.

Washing can help remove surface dirt, but the pesticides still remain on the fruit and vegetables. To clean the pesticides from our fruit and vegetables requires us to go one step further by making up a fruit and vegetable washing solution.

Solutions for Citrus Fruit:
Vinegar Solution:
Mix 3 cups of water with 1 cup of vinegar. This mix will remove chemicals and wax from fruit. Soak the fruit for 15 to 20 minutes, then rinse under running water.

Lemon Juice Solution:
You can make a cleaner for fruits and vegetables by making a solution of
1 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp baking soda and 1 cup water. Or 1 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp white vinegar and 1 cup water. Or even a 10 % salt solution can be helpful to remove pesticide residue from fruits and vegetables.

To read more about removing chemicals from fruit and vegetables check out these articles.

http://www.naturalhealingmagazine.com/heres-how-to-easily-remove-pesticides-from-your-lemons-and-grapefruits/

https://foodrevolution.org/blog/how-to-wash-vegetables-fruits/

Cashew Parmesan Cheese

This vegan and dairy-free cheesy like alternative is delicious on veggie pasta and can be sprinkled on top of anything else you desire. Try it on The Minimalist Baker’s Vegan Zucchini Gratin. Adapted from Minimalist Baker http://minimalistbaker.com/vegan-zucchini-gratin/

Ingredients:
3/4 cup raw cashews
3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Directions:
Pulse all the ingredients together in a food processor until it approximately looks sort of like almond meal. Refrigerate until ready to use. Keeps for up to a month.

The Journey Begins

The choices that we make aren’t always perfect but it’s ok… It’s part of the journey.
Hayley Williams

Welcome to Beyond Food and Diet. If you’re looking for help on your healing journey, you can check out the recipe section for some inspiration.

I believe we make choices in life that can profoundly effect our health either positively or negatively by what we eat and the kind of life we live. As someone with more than one autoimmune disease I have become very motivated to take care of myself. The internet can be a wonderful source of information and a way to share our own experiences with healing.

I have learned in the process that results will vary from person to person, and nothing I write here is a replacement for medical advice, as I’m not a health care professional.

I will be bringing together articles from different sources on the internet that I found helpful for my long road back to health.

May we all find our way back to health and wellness.