NOW What Do I Eat??

Sooo this is really the post that I was wanting to write, but then I started writing some history of... my health issues (well THAT sounds greatly entertaining) and things got a little long. Therefore, this got its very own post!

Anyways, today I went into Dr. Engard's office to go over the results of my food test. We went over some other things before hand, any symptoms I have been having, etc. She explained about the little booklet I was getting and how it would help identify the various ingredients in ingredient lists. "Great! Let's get on with this!", was kind of what my mind was thinking. We already knew that I had some dairy issues, so I was prepared for that. She had also told me she thought there was one other thing, based off of my diet diary and symptoms, but couldn't pinpoint what it was.

She pulled out the test results and we looked at the first rectangle, dairy. She used some other paper to cover up the other rectangles so I couldn't see, taking each one one by one. However, I had seen another small rectangle with several bars over into the almost red (no bueno) portions before she got the paper in place. Hmmm.... what is that? What do those bars mean??

We looked at dairy, no surprise there. Milk and whey showed moderate/high reactions. Yogurt a low/moderate reaction. Cottage cheese, which includes the soft cheese like cream cheese, feta, and surprise! cottage cheese was low. Not the greatest news, but none of it devastating. I can still have cheddar in small amounts every few days, but not lots of cheddar all the time. That's doable. It was a little sad to think no ice cream, no frozen yogurt, no sitting in a small cafe on some small ancient Italian road eating gelato, *SIGH*, but there are lots of replacements! Coconut milk ice cream, dairy free options, it's all good! (Okay, maybe not GREAT, but definitely doable.)

Onto that next rectangle, that one with those two big bars on them. What would this be? I waited in anticipation for her to move that paper.

Eggs!! Really? Huh, I mean I had known it was a possibility, but since I don't necessarily LOVE eggs, it wasn't a huge deal. For some reason I was thinking that that second thing would be corn or sugar. I don't know why, but those were the two that I kept thinking would pop up. So, no more eggs for me! No big deal. Wait, don't you use eggs in baking? I like baking, a lot. I like to cook, I love making homemade cookies, and breads, and want to experiment with cakes and cupcakes. Dr. Engard to the rescue, she reminds me that oil is a great substitute for eggs in baking. Egg substitutes work well also. Okay, phew. Eggs, no big deal. 

So, I am sitting thinking, alright sweet, nothing else is really going to matter right? We go on to the next box, miscellaneous stuff. Nothing major there. 

See, she even says "OK"!

Phew, I can keep up my coffee and bear intake. ;) (I don't drink either in case you were wondering.)

Then on to the next box, I figure by this time that I'm home free, no more worries. She reveals the fruits box. There's a medium size line. "WHAT'S THAT???" is what my brain is wondering.

"Cranberries!" I laugh, "That's not a big deal, I don't eat cranberries." Phew. I can live with the no cranberry thing. Next box!

She moves the paper and I see no big lines, phew. Now what am I looking at? 

 Okay, no seafood allergies. That's nice. I like seafood, it's not a LOVE, not like cheese or bread, but it is yummy.

She picks up the packet, oh yes it is a packet, not a paper, and turns it over, and I can't see what she is looking at. "Oh, I forgot about this one." She tells me. I wonder what she is talking about. I jokingly ask, "It's not potatoes is it?" (Hey, I AM from Idaho, it's true I like potatoes). "No, it's not." She tells me. "Okay, then we are good." She gives me a look, and puts it back down so I can see. "OH. WOW." I don't really even process what I am looking at, just that there are lines. LOTS of lines. Big lines. 

Lots of big SAD lines. Have I mentioned yet how I love bread? And pasta? And bread? I like bread, a lot. Bread with cheese is wonderful stuff. I think I stared at this for awhile not really thinking. I think there was a teeny tiny part of me somewhere that also thought I might possible have a gluten intolerance, but I had not even addressed that part of it since finding out about the dairy issue a month and a half ago. I mean, really it isn't fair to be allergic/intolerant of dairy AND gluten. That is just not acceptable. Who does that? So the gluten thing had not even crossed my mind, I wasn't even thinking it might be an issue. Maybe I should have, because it is. Good news though, corn is okay! 

Oh and two more lines on the next box, that kind of got ignored for awhile.

WHAT??? GARLIC?? You take away a girl's cheese and bread and now GARLIC?? Seriously, that was my thought process. Did I say that I really like bread and cheese? Well if that bread and cheese has garlic on it, then I am one happy camper. And mushrooms, holy cow, what is the world coming to? Well, she tells me that garlic is something I can have in very small quantities, now and then. Well, that is a BIT better, but GEEZ!

So now I get to venture out into a mostly dairy free, egg free, and gluten free world. Wish me luck!