Good afternoon!
I am chuggin along in the bakery! Today is another very busy day as I prepare for the launch of the new gluten-free and raw Glo bar tonight at 9pm. It is going to be fun! This bar has been a very long time in the making (I tested over 23 trials!), and I am so excited to share it with you. Because the bars are so time intensive, there will be a limited amount available for pre-order tonight. At 9pm EST I will be linking to the bars from OSG.
Last night I heard back from the race director of the Toronto Women’s Half Marathon + 5k! I was surprised at how quickly she got back to me as well as how serious she took the matter. She said that they will be investigating this with the Toronto Police with whom they work closely on all safety and security issues. She is going to get back to me in the near future. I hope that next year’s race will be improved upon regarding the safety of all female runners! No one should have to feel scared or violated during a race.
After several hours of work this morning, it was 2pm before I knew it and I still hadn’t had lunch yet! I threw together the quickest lunch I could with the ingredients I had on hand.
I took some leftover Navy Beans and mix 2 tablespoons of sweet BBQ sauce for a mock ‘baked bean’ effect.
Then I defrosted about 2 cups of mixed veggies…
And I threw together a super quick dried cherry and sunflower seed spinach salad topped with my better than bottled balsamic vinaigrette. We are all out of veggies so it was all I had, but it was quite fun!
I am currently suffering from food baby syndrome. Beans + high-fibre veggies = :ermm:
I discovered that Navy Beans are probably one of my least favourite beans. They just don’t have the flavour that other beans do like black beans or kidney beans! That is why I have been eating them with BBQ sauce.
The Dairy Question
I am always asked what prompted me to go off dairy and decide to become a vegan. While there are many factors that went into the decision (see here for the latest segment in my road to health), one of the reasons that I experimented without dairy was because I have sensitivity to dairy (this is different from an actual allergy to dairy, which I don’t have).
Ever since I was a baby I could not have dairy. It would upset my stomach so much and I would cry and cry and cry when I had milk. As a child and teenager I suffered from really bad stomach pains whenever I ate dairy- especially ice cream, that one was the worst for me!- I would be doubled over in pain when I ate ice cream. I finally decided to see how I fared without dairy. Lactose free dairy products did not seem to help much. Lo and behold, my stomach problems were greatly reduced when I stopped eating dairy.
My stomach is also sensitive to other things like soy (which is why you don’t see me eating tofu much), beans (although I still eat them because I love them!), and high-fibre foods.
What about you, do you have problems digesting certain foods or certain combinations of food? Any intolerances or allergies? How did you adapt to it?
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{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
I am definitely sensitive to dairy. My dad, when I was about 11 or 12, decided that our family wasn’t drinking milk anymore, because it isn’t good for us, he said. I was outraged, but I got used to it and since then I feel sick when I drink milk.
I have had stomach cramps and skin issues for a long time now, and only recently did I discover that it probably has something to do with the amount of milk I drink (up to 1 L a day sometimes! :S). I’ve been lucky and found a new love for almond milk which definitely makes my life easier. I’m slowly but surely switching over to a vegetarian eating style to see if that helps also.
One glass of red will quite often help tummy problems:)
I too, have struggled with stomach issues all of my life. I chalked it up to stress & anxiety. But now I’m in a different place. My stress and anxiety is very low, so I figured it had to be some sort of food intolerance.
A few months ago I started a food journal to try to figure out what triggered my stomachaches. I discovered so far, I have issues with onions, beans, cucumbers, and anything that’s high in fiber.
I find that greasy fried foods give me indigestion… then again: I’m not a teenager anymore! lol
I’m glad the race director got back to you about that! I would have been so weirded out by that!
Hi Angela! I’m Kelsey; I’m new to your blog but I am absolutely in love with it! Is that weird? I don’t know, but seriously, it’s so awesome. Everything you make looks incredible. I’ve been experimenting with veganism for these past few months (I eat vegan 98% of the time and only have dairy occasionally. It upsets my stomach.) and your blog always gives me great ideas, so thank you. :)
I can’t wait to read more!
Kelsey
Nice to meet you! :) I am glad you enjoy the blog, thank you.
I’m a bit sensitive to fats – anything greasy really upsets my stomach, and even nuts make me slightly gurgly! That’s the only intolerance I can really think of. Oh, and dairy makes me uncomfortable sometimes :S I think dairy is a problem (of varying degrees) for a lot of people! Is it because of the lactose? I wonder why…
Wei-Wei
I’m lucky not to have any allergies, but now I have to watch my cholesterol levels a bit :S
I have a really annoying wheat intolerance – it doesn’t really affect my stomach too much but it does make my muscles so so SO painful and makes me really tired (I have a thing called Fibromyalgia and wheat makes it a gazillion times worse). I find it really frustrating because wheat is in so many things especially eating out so I have to choose between vegetarian and wheat free or vegan but with wheat… I’d love to go back to full veganess but I end up feeling so miserable and restricted without wheat that I can never manage to go the whole way.
are you sure you don’t have IBS? I found out I do and switching to a Vegan diet has helped tremendously. The hard part is the protein question for vegans (which most point to beans) and they are terribly hard on an IBS stomach… just a thought to maybe look into in the future :)
Yes my doc did mention that I could have IBS. Is there a test for it?
No test unfortunately (except to rule out other nonrelated allergies and diseases). There’s actually much skepticism about IBS, but I find that the more I understand how the ordering of foods, types of nutrients, and quality of whole foods effect my stomach, the better I am able to handle it and keep it under control. (Although I do think that doctors can abuse the diagnosis and overlook other problems– symptoms vary from digestive problems to upset stomach irritation.)
But hey, I can’t really argue with a syndrome which advocates: moderate consumption of food (aka not bingeing– especially for me in overcoming my ED), no fried and overly fatty foods, no fake sugars, etc…. I take it for the best! My body guiding me towards better nutrition and health!
Thank you for the great info! I think there is a lot of skepticism about IBS because part of the claims are that it is psychosomatic and I think a lot of people have a hard time wrapping their head about the mind body connection. Funny that you mentioned fake sugars- those gave me horrible stomach cramps. When I cut them out I was doing much better. High fat foods also do it for me. I think my doc may have been right with his assumption.
I’m intolerant to chemical preservatives, dyes, and artificial sweeteners. Although I cant pinpoint which exact ones, whenever I eat a food product that has been chemically altered my stomach blows up like a balloon – very uncomfortable.
I saw a nutritionist who said that this is becoming more common in the general population. Wether it is a result of a personal threshold for these chemicals or something genetic, she isnt certain, however people seem to be developing these over time. Maybe my college years filled with preservative-filled junk food and crystal lite did me in.
It took a few weeks of adding and subtracting foods from my diet and keeping a food/symptom journal (at the suggestion of a nutritionist) to realize that my body just likes me so much more when I eat real foods (surprise surprise). At first it was a challenge, especially when eating out. I have to be very cautious about sauces and dressings. People also dont understand and they think I’m being a food snob, but, I feel so much better on my new eating plan. If anything my diet is healthier and I’ve forced myself to be more creative in preparing my meals – fruity balsamic vinegars anyone?
Uhh, I am allergic to dairy, soy and gluten and I’m vegetarian!! It’s definitely a challenge!! Nearly impossible to eat out anywhere… oh well. Also, I’m very sensitive to sugar- even from fruits. I eat really healthy at least!!
Wow, I’ve got some catching up to do and deliveries to make! I have been so swamped with work, birthday, etc.
Your food presentation is so amazing to me. I love the pics you take of your foods because it makes them look so good!!!
OMG, do I have an intolerance to dairy and Thank God to Almond Breeze and Temp Hemp products! Lactaid doesn’t even do the trick for me. I still can’t get to the point where I can completely stop eating cheeses and yogurts and every now and then ice cream, however, cheese and yogurt don’t affect me as much as ice cream and whole milk. I become almost deathly ill, stomach cramps and the whole nine yds! I did purchase coconut milk yogurt and soy yogurt on Mon. to see how I do with those and if I like them. Haven’t tried them yet but will soon. Another intolerance or allergy I have are legumes and certain veggies, but I can just overcome that because I love any type of beans except for lima and all veggies as well.
Yes! I have fibromyalgia, vasovagal syncope, possibly epilepsy, terrible migraines & a pretty bad case of Sensory Processing Disorder. I was raised on a very processed, sugar-infused diet without knowing any better. (I actually thought I didn’t like food, because I hadn’t had REAL FOOD! lol) I had a doctor take me off gluten, dairy, red meat, white potatoes/rice, refined sugar & a good many other things…
When I’m very good on my diet… especially if i can afford to go organic for a while, my symptoms are far more manageable & my life is way more normal! It is really important!
That’s why I’m soooooo grateful for blogs like yours that are teaching me how to cook wonderful-tasting nutrient-dense type meals that often don’t include extra ingredients I can’t have! So, thank you!!!!! =)
One HUGE tip that helps me is JUICING. I even have some really healthy foods that seem to cause me trouble… like lentils & quinoa…(I know, sad, right? =/) which I can’t resist because I really do need the protein sometimes… so when I do splurge or if I go on vacation with family & end up on a terrible diet… I try to juice as soon as possible… beet/carrot/apple… Enough juice seems to get the muck out & help me get back to my life again.
I definitely think it is critical to good health to stay on the diet that suits you… As someone who will probably never live a normal life or be independent due to some of these problems… I always hope people take care of their good health & listen to their body’s signals before it’s too late to do much about it!
i actually have a crazy aversion to meat. I was medicated for IBS for soooo long and then I stopped eating meat (for other reasons) and within the month my life long condition was gone. I also am insulin resistant so pasta, potatoes and soy don’t agree with me. Just within the last 6 months or so, after 13 years of feeling great, something’s not feeling right. This led me to your site. my doctor has me doing the ellimination diet. I have already found tree nuts are NOT OK for me to eat. Dairy and seitan seem to be causing some issues. It hasn’t just been my stomach, it’s also been monthly migraines. Hopefully this can all be figured out. It has before! :-) our bodies change as we age I guess.