Why I'm Happy to Have Food Allergies

I've had breathing issues my entire life.  I was born with pneumonia.  I was told I was weak and fragile and had bad lungs.  I never participated in sports (although I could somehow play the oboe).  I had childhood allergies (never defined, but treated with prescription medications) and exercise-induced asthma.  And then, as an adult, I smoked cigarettes for nearly a decade.  Not the makings of a cyclist, but somehow, I found myself on the bike.

When I got serious about cycling, I visited the pulmonologist, who confirmed that I'm allergic to just about everything in the world, that I have temperature- and exercise-induced asthma, and early signs of COPD.  But, I wanted to race my bike, so I endured years of allergy shots (treating environmental allergies but not food allergies), allergy medications to counter the symptoms, and an inhaler to clear my lungs.  But never did this doctor recommend that I eliminate allergens from my environment.

A few years ago, I started working with a different allergist, who recommended I remove all allergens from my environment.  This included eliminating certain foods, my dog (I couldn't do it), carpet, and covering my bed and pillows in anti-allergen cases.  I do the best I can.

The foods were the easiest to eliminate (although this takes very conscious decision-making, especially if eating in a restaurant).  My home is as allergen-free as I can make it.  I struggle when traveling (motel rooms are filled with allergens like dust, dust mites, and mold) and mountain biking can aggravate my allergies to grasses and trees.  But all in all, I've been able to relieve my symptoms by making some lifestyle changes.

Interestingly enough, when I removed my food allergens from my diet, amazing things changed in my health.  My immune system seemed to improve, maybe because it wasn't constantly being stressed by my diet.  My lungs were stronger (proven through breathing tests).  I no longer needed to use an inhaler for cycling, except in very cold temperatures.  My weight stabilized.  My energy increased as did my sleep quality and my mood.  I no longer suffered headaches and a stuffy head.  My skin cleared up and the hives that had plagued me for many years disappeared.  And my recovery time on the bike improved dramatically.

So, why am I happy to have food allergies?

• I learned to cook.  My most significant food allergy is wheat.  Wheat is in everything, not only obvious foods like bread and pasta, but also hidden in things like salad dressings and sauces.  To eliminate wheat, I needed to learn how to prepare foods from scratch.

• I learned about great foods I had never tried before.  When I first started eating wheat-free, the gluten-free trend wasn't popular and GF foods were not readily available.  So rather than substituting GF bread or pasta for regular bread or pasta, I substituted other foods.  I discovered corn (tortillas, polenta, chips) and I embraced the humble potato.  

• I became acutely aware of what I'm putting into my body.  I rarely ate pre-packaged foods, but when I did, I learned to read labels and evaluate the ingredients.  I also started to pay attention to how I felt after eating certain foods.  Did my energy level spike or drop after eating?  Did I feel full?  How did I feel the next day?

Because I'm also sensitive to oats (and many times oats are contaminated by wheat), I had to find a substitute for my favorite breakfast food -- oatmeal.  After some research, I decided to experiment with quinoa.  While many consider quinoa a grain, it's actually a seed, very high in micro-nutrients and is a complete protein.  Quinoa is high in calcium, magnesium, and iron, and is a valuable source of fiber.  It can be cooked in much the same way you would cook rice and can be prepared as a cereal, a pasta, or added to other foods (like salad) to give nutritional value and texture.  All hail the super-food quinoa!

I thought I'd share my favorite breakfast.  It's pretty easy and very filling.  It keeps my energy levels super-high and it's really yummy.

Caveat, I like texture foods (and this is no exception).  I like crunchy peanut butter; not creamy.  I prefer a smoothie to juicing.  I like chunky soups.  I like Almond Joy (not Mounds) and peanut M&Ms (not plain).  I'd rather eat food with a crunch than those that are smooth.  And my breakfast is no exception.

I prepare this in the rice cooker but it can also be prepared on the stove.  It takes 20-30 minutes to cook so you can set it and shower or pump up your tires or walk your dog.

Lorri's Happy Morning Crunchy Breakfast Quinoa (approximately 600 calories):

Prep Time:  10 minutes

Cook Time:  20-30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 tsp coconut oil (optional)
1/4 cup quinoa
half an apple (cubed, skin on)
handful of raisins
cinnamon to taste
1 1/2 cup water
coconut milk
raw coconut flakes
chia seed
sunflower seeds

Coat your rice cooker with coconut oil.  Add quinoa, apple, raisins, cinnamon, and water and cook.

When cooked, add coconut milk, coconut flakes, chia seed, and sunflower seeds to taste.

Enjoy your day!

the main ingredients

the toppings

ready to go in the rice cooker

the finished product!

things my mother taught me

Today is the 10th anniversary of my mother's death.  She survived my father by 5 years.  Although they're not here to guide me anymore, I'm forever indebted for the many life lessons they taught me.  I'm sure you can all remember the hints, tips, and warnings your parents gave you during childhood.  Here are a few from my mother.

Only wear white shoes between Memorial Day and Labor Day.  Sorry mom, my favorite cycling shoes are white and I wear them year-round.  In the winter, I wear white shoe covers for extra warmth.

You lose 80% of your heat through your head.  This piece of advice I follow.  I don't like hats -- they make my head feel itchy.  I was never that girl in the cute baseball cap.  But I do add a skullcap under my cycling helmet in winter months to help keep me warm.

Be prepared!  Growing up, I remember my school-bag with a sewing kit, extra pens and pencils, and everything but a swiss army knife.  Mom believed in being prepared for any situation, any emergency, any adventure.  I won't even tell you what's in my purse (or my bike bag) today!

Write it down.  My mom was a list-maker.  She had little notebooks organized for all the various tasks she was responsible for (grocery shopping, laundry, finance, honey-do lists).  In her later years, I found great humor in these lists (and the duplicates she created).  I'm clearly becoming my mother because I've been keeping lists (in notebooks) for years.  I somehow can't embrace electronic to-do lists and still keep my paper notebooks.

If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything.  I'm learning.  I've installed a filter.   I still slip sometimes but I've started thinking twice (or three times) before speaking or hitting "send" on email.

Always send hand-written thank you notes.  In our family, we wrote thank you notes for everything.  If someone did something nice for you, you wrote a thank you note.  If someone gave you a gift, you sent a thank you note.  If someone sent you a card, you sent a thank you note (which started a boomerang of thank you notes).  One of my personal goals for 2013 is to send timely thank you notes.  And other notes.  I'm going to do my best to keep the USPS in service by communicating in hand-written fashion.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  You know, basically be nice.  Treat others with respect.  Be generous.  Be kind.  Smile.  Listen intently.  Help others.  Let someone take your place in line.  Carry someone's bag.  Be giving.  Don't be self-centered.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  I hated breakfast as a kid.  Actually, I didn't really like to eat at all as a kid.  I was a picky eater and there wasn't much I actually liked.  I didn't like cereal and would only eat it without milk.  That's right, I ate dry breakfast cereal.  I've come a long way in my food preferences and now embrace the energy I get from my morning breakfast.  Here's my go-to for cycling days:


Lorri's Super-Yum Rice-Cooker Oats:

1/4 cup steel cut oats
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 apple chopped into hearty chunks
cinnamon to taste
1 1/4 cup water

Place it all in a rice cooker and let it work it's magic.  It takes about 20 minutes.  If you're all fancy, you can get a rice cooker with a timer and prepare it the night before.  I'm not fancy like that.

Once it's cooked I add:

vanilla almond milk (quantity depends on the consistency you prefer)
1 tablespoon shredded organic coconut
1 tablespoon chia seeds
a handful of nuts (walnuts and pecans are my favorite)


Enjoy!

 

My Super Power is Slow Cooking

Okay, just to get this elephant out of the room, my blog is staler than year-old sourdough.  I blame Facebook.  And those who blog know that the longer you wait, the harder it gets to write quality posts.  But I should and I WILL get back on track.  I've got event reports, product reviews, and training tips to share.  But first, here's a really easy, yummy fall recipe for you to enjoy.  

Little known fact, I love to garden.  My winter garden is pretty simple this year with two types of kale, red lettuce, and sugar snap peas.  

Another little known fact, my super power is slow cooking.  I discovered the slow cooker a few years ago and I have dozens of favorite recipes.  I'm actually a really good cook (amazing since my mother could burn boiling water).  I like to cook local, in-season, organic stuff.  Since it's fall and squash and cranberries are in abundance, here's today's yummy treat.  This low-calorie dish could be a breakfast (try it over some oats or quinoa), a side dish, or a yummy snack.  I've eaten it both warm and cold and it's equally as delicious.

Ingredients:

1 -- butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed

4 -- apples, cored and sliced (I leave the skin on)

1 -- big bag of cranberries (adjust quantity to taste).  I've used both fresh and dried and both work great, although if using fresh I suggest throwing them in for only the last hour or two.  

1/2 -- white onion, peeled and chopped

1 -- tbsp ground cinnamon (you could substitute cinnamon sticks)

1 1/2 -- tsp ground nutmeg

Dump it all in the slow cooler, stir it up, and set it to high for 3-4 hours (until the squash is cooked through).  I like the squash a little firm as it stores (and re-heats) better that way.  The only difficult thing about this recipe is waiting to eat it while your house fills with the aroma of fall deliciousness!

Okay, first post back out of the way.  Next post will be cycling-related, I promise!