Suddenly Gluten Free Vegan?

Last year I eliminated all dairy from my diet in an effort to lower my cholesterol. My only motivation was not wanting to go on tablets. I'm taking thyroid tablets everyday as it is and I reckon once you start taking meds, then you just increase them until you end up taking a dozen or so with every meal.

I'm still tired/exhaused all the time so after half dozen B12 injections and dozen visits to the GP, he has finally referred to me a specialist. (I did ask him a few times if I should see a specialist and he said that it wasn't necessary)

Two weeks ago, I finally got into see the specialist and he did another round of xrays and blood tests. He is looking at things as varied as lupus, coeliac disease and hepetitis. One of the questions he asked me was if my toilet habits had changed. I said no because I wasn't expecting that question. I thought about it all the drive home and it struck me that since I cut out dairy I no longer suffer from stomach cramps and chronic diarrhoea. When I was y0ung I had tests to find out why I had chronic diarrhoea and there was no results (as far as I knew) so I thought it was just the way my body was working. I spoke to DO and he said that he never thought about it either but now I mention it, he has noticed that I haven't had to stop at almost every public toilet whenever we go out.

I'm still waiting on the results from the specialist but after doing a bit of research, I wondered if I might have an intolerance for gluten, even if it isn't coeliacs. I was going to wait until I saw the doctor for my results but I thought about putting myself on a gluten free diet for a few weeks to see if that makes me feel better.

The thing that made me decide to take the leap of faith was after visiting the dentist this week. Dental problems are another symptom of coeliac disease. I made an appointment with my dentist after getting a small chip in one of my teeth. I couldn't get in for five weeks but it didn't worry me until it started hurting badly. When I finally saw the dentist, he checked my teeth and couldn't find the chip at first. I pointed it out and then he started drilling, thinking it would be a small filling/repair job. To both our surprise, he said the nerve was badly damaged and he had to remove my tooth...there was nothing else to do.

So, now I will be gluten free for a few weeks and see if that makes a difference to my energy levels. I'm not eating much at the moment because my mouth is still sore but DO and I went shopping last night and bought some gluten free pasta and some gluten free bread (from the freezer section) and we will see how I go.

By the way DO, who is only on a vegan diet reluctantly, had to cook his own dinner last night. I didn't nag or say a word as we headed toward the frozen food section of the supermarket. I assumed he would choose fish fingers or frozen meat pie but instead he chose vegie patties and potato wedges. He then came home and proceeded to make himself a vegie burger (without cheese) for dinner and really enjoyed it.

Of course, I couldn't eat either because sore mouth. But I gave him a kiss and hug and told him that I was proud of him for his food choices. And I am so very very proud of him!

I nuked a potato, then squashed it on my plate, topped it with a spoonful of leftover salsa and a little vegan cream cheese thatI had previously mixed with lemon juice. It was soft but tasty.

Salvation Army Promoted Vegetarian Diet

GENERAL BRAMWELL BOOTH OF THE SALVATION ARMY ON VEGETARIAN DIET:

(General Booth is the son of the founder William Booth)
(General Booth used vegetarian diet in his London alcohol cure clinics because he believed that meat and alcohol crave each other. His successin this regard was one factor in the Salvation Army's rapid growth. He believed that meat is highly concentrated and alcohol highly expansive.)These passages are taken from a pamphlet written by General Bramwell Booth, former director General of the Salvation Army, and a son of founder General William Booth.

"Here are some of my reasons for doing so (becoming vegetarian):
1. Because I have myself tried a vegetarian diet with the greatest benefit having been for more than 10 years at l time a strict vegetarian.
2. Because according to the Bible God originally intended the food forhumans to be vegetarian. (here he quotes Genesis 1:29)
3. Because a vegetarian diet is favourable to purity, to chastity,and to perfect control of the appetites and passions which are often a source of great temptation, especially to the young.
4. Because a vegetarian diet is favourable to robust health and strength.With very few exceptions, and these only confirmed invalids, I believe the people would be stronger....
5. Because tens of thousands of our poor people (could save money)...
6. Because a vegetarian diet of wheat, oatmeal and other grains, lentils, peas, beans, nuts and similr food is more than ten times as economical as a flesh diet. Meat contains half its weight in water which has to be paid for as though it were meat. A vegetarian diet, even if we allow cheese, butter and milk will only cost about a quarter as much as a mixed diet of flesh and vegetables.
7. Because a vegetarian diet would stop the enormous waste of all kinds of animal food.
8. Because a vegetarian diet is a great protection against our drinking (this belief of General Booth has been upheld by modern biochemistry research about the relationship of meat and alcohol)....
9. Because a vegetarian diet is favorable to industry and hard work...
10. Because it is proved that life, health, and happiness are all favoured by a vegetarian diet.
11. I favour a vegetarian diet because the digestive organs of humans are not well adapted to the use of flesh....
12. Because it is very difficult.. especially in hot weather and warm climates to keep flesh food sweet long enough to cool and eat it and a great deal of meat is eaten after it has begun to decay...(We have temporarily mislaid the sheet which lists reasons
13, 14,and 15.. http://groups.msn.com/christianveg has a link to the complete text)
16. Because of the awful cruelty and terror to which tens of thousands(now billions) of animals killed for human food are subjected in traveling long distance by ship and rail and road to the slaughterhouses of the world. God disapproves of all cruelty.. whether to man or beast.
17. Because of the terrible cruelties practised for killing animals in many slaughter houses. The whole business of killing is cruel.. even when it is done with care, and we know that in the case of millions of creatures it is done with very little care. Ten thousand pigs are killed for food every hour in Europe alone. (Now Oscar Mayer kills1100 pigs an hour at their Madison Wisconsin plant.)
18. Because the occupation of slaughtering animals is brutalising to those who are required to do the work. "The highest sentiments ofhumanemen" says a certain writer, and I agree with him, "revolt at the cruelty,the degrading sights, the distressing cries, the perpetual blood shed,and all the attendant horrors which must surround the transit and slaughter of suffering creatures."
19. Because a flesh diet is not necessary to hard work. A great part of the work of the world is done by animals which subsist on vegetable food..namely, horses, mules, camels, oxen, etc.I believe this matter is well worthy the serious consideration of Christian leaders. It has an important bearing not only on their own health and happiness but upon their influence among the people, as men and women who are free from the bondage of that selfish gratification which so often afflicts the professed servants of Christ. Let remember the Apostle's direction: 'Whether ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do,do all to the glory of God.' "(published by the LVS 53 Marloes Rd. Kensington London UK W8)

Booth text reprinted from the London Vegetarian Soc.

My first big failure

Well, I reckon this was my first big failure but DO kindly said it was edible. I tried to make Lemony Veggies (like lemon chicken minus the chicken) I worried that it wasn't going to be lemony enough but in the end, the lemon overpowered the flavours of the veggies. We ate our servings but then DO joked and said that if he had a lump of chicken in it, he would be happy. I was going to throw the leftovers out but DO said to save them and he would eat it tomorrow night. Hmmm...next time I make this, I think I will use the grated rind and juice of one lemon instead of the grated rind of two lemons. In my opinion the oils from the lemon rind was the overpowering factor in this sauce.

This was the ingredient list of the sauce for future reference:
1 cup veggie chicken stock
2 tablespoons white wine
2 tablespoons cornflour
3 teaspoons sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
rind of two lemons
juice of one large lemon

Vegan Blog Tracker

This is a site that has links to hundreds of vegan blogs. Some are health related, others non food centric while others are food centric. It is too cool for school and one I think I will add to my sidebar of fave websites.

http://www.vegblogs.com/

Who'da thunk it a month ago?

DO has been encouragement with my decision to be vegan and has not once complained about any of the vegan meals that I have been cooking. In fact, he has raved over the Lentil patties with Spicy Peanut Sauce as well at my Tomato Curry in a Hurry.

He doesn't like grain bread all that much and prefers white but he has been eating mostly grain bread on his lunch and says he feels fuller afterwards, which is a good thing. I don't stop him eating meat or cheese or having milk in his coffee if he really wants it but so far he has only had a handful of breakouts. He hasn't even been snacking that much of an evening.

Do and I were talking last night and I idly wondered if he might lose weight because he has cut down on the cheese and meat. I really would be surprised if I lost weight because of my thyroid problem but if I don't stack the weight on, I will be happy. Then without prompting, he mentioned how much energy he had at the end of his last game of golf. He has been playing more fortnightly and walking the 18 holes and last week he took a bottle of Gatorade with him because it has been so hot. DO has also been on an almost-vegan diet for the last five weeks and reckons it is a combination of all three things that has given him the extra energy.

He is happy to keep eating the meals I cook that are 100% vegan but occasionally break out and eat meat or cheese or have dairy milk in his coffee. He is being really supportive and I couldn't be prouder of him.

It's working!!!

It was time for my blood test to determine how my thyroid meds were working and to see if my cholesterol had changed.

According to the doctor, my thyroid hormone levels are good and it was my antibodies attacking my thyroid gland. He said something else about the area being attacked was the hormones affecting my brain. I didn't quite understand him. But then the most interesting thing of all, my cholesterol levels, especially the bad cholesterol had dropped from 9.7 to 5.2 in only 5 weeks! He went so far as to say it is a remarkable change without the use of medication!!

I rang DO at work and told him and he was really pleased. He is quite happy to continue with me cooking vegan foods as long as he gets meat and cheese and dairy milk occasionally.

We had a salad for dinner, which is the first salad since I have been officially vegan. It was too hot to cook too much but I still served lentil patties with my spicy peanut sauce along with the potato salad, lettuce, tomatoes and coleslaw. I made extra sauce as it is DO's favourite and he was looking forward to eating it again.