As this is my first post for Plan to Eat, I feel it’s only polite to actually introduce myself. And seeing how this is a blog about food, I should probably tell you about the things I eat (and don’t eat). Consider it a sort of credentials list.
Most of me is pretty straightforward. I’m a stay-at-home mom. I have four precious babes and I homeschool our two oldest. I went to art school. I do a lot of sewing and knitting. So far so good, right? Well, if you stick around for dinner you’ll find out that, when it comes to food, I get a bit complicated.
You see, in the world of food allergies, people mean different things by the word “intolerance”. One person has anaphylactic reactions to peanuts, another person gets a mild tummy-ache when he eats gluten. One is life-threatening and the other is an inconvenience.
Likewise, people mean different things by the term “restricted diet”. A celiac must avoid gluten, but may still be able to enjoy ice cream. A person with multiple allergies may need to avoid all major allergens.
I’m here to tell you that I have been there–in ALL of those places.
Friends, I am there now.
Our second baby proved to be sensitive to dairy and soy in my breastmilk. Good-bye ice cream and tofu (yes, I really did enjoy eating tofu).
Our third baby was sensitive to dairy, soy AND eggs. See ‘ya next year omelets.
Over the past two years my diet has become increasingly restrictive as one thing and another gets tossed out in an effort to control symptoms for my own chronic illness, ulcerative colitis.
I have even been “ten minutes away from dying” (as the doctor so delicately put it) after an anaphylactic reaction to some still-unknown substance. May it never cross my lips again.
These diet restrictions are challenging to say the least. I love to cook. I love to feed people. I LOVE to eat good food. And I have a family to feed, too–a family that consists of four little ones who will not tolerate food that is “icky” or “weird”.
So how much can a girl really do with a piece of meat and a bowl of rice (and an occasional fried potato)? I hope you’ll join me to find out as I post about the world of joyfully cooking and eating with food sensitivities.
And I promise you nothing “icky” and nothing “weird”.
