We live in an age of food sensitivity. With so much variety of foods available to us, so much modification and so many artificial ingredients, we don’t have to look far for something that makes our tummies rumble in a bad way. Unless you are Andrew Zimmern and have guts of steel, there is some type of food that makes you sick.
Growing up, I had a very poor diet. The food we ate at home was relatively healthy but we went out often for fast food. Because I lived in the deep suburbs, the food establishments available to me were mostly chains. McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, Papa Gino’s, Dominos, D’Angelos, Dairy Queen, Friendlys, I ate from them all and on a regular basis. And although I was a very active child, I gained weight quickly as a teenager because of my poor diet. In my late teens, I suffered from daily bouts of nausea and I developed hypoglycemia. During my college years, my hypoglycemia was at it's worst due to poor eating habits and I regularly had really bad drops in my glucose levels. My hands would get sweaty, I’d feel faint and I’d get so sugar hungry that I would have stolen a lollipop from a toddler just to get a sugar fix. I drank coffee to wake me up in the mornings and then would chase it with a bottle of orange juice to offset the insulin spike the caffeine caused and to balance it out with more glucose. But it didn’t work. Both my insulin and blood sugar crash when they are spiked too high, so I would eventually need another sugar fix later on.
It wasn’t until into my late twenties that I figured out how to deal with my hypoglycemia. Three decent meals, healthy snacks in between meals to keep my insulin and glucose levels steady and very limited amount of caffeine. I gave up coffee and switched to tea. I didn't give up caffeine entirely because it helps a lot with speeding up my lazy digestive system. Although I had control over my hypoglycemia, it wasn’t the end of my food problems. I started to develop sensitivities to a whole bunch of different foods. I’ve been tested for hypoglycemia (I have the reactive kind) and for Celiac Disease (I don’t have it) but have not been tested for anything else. I know I have a lactose sensitivity but a lactose intolerance test would hurt me financially (my health insurance can’t confirm that they would pay for it) and physically (fasting would trigger my hypoglycemia). So finding out what foods make me sick has really been from trial and error.
What foods make you ill?
Coffee – The broth of Satan. I drank enough coffee during my college years that it ripped a nice whole in my esophagus in the form of an ulcer. When I stopped drinking coffee and the ulcer closed up. Also, the caffeine in coffee is so strong that even the weakest coffee would spike my insulin enough for me to have a low blood sugar crash. While I love the taste of coffee, I had to give it up permanently and develop a love of tea instead.
Cheese – My belly swells up like a balloon making me look 4 months pregnant and then I release so much gas it’s a wonder Carlos still wants to marry me! I’ve had to cut down cheese quite a bit. Younger cheese like fresh mozzarella and cottage cheese don’t affect me as much as aged cheeses. The deadliest and most delicious cheese bomb is an Asiago Cheese Bagel with Cream Cheese and Broccoli and Cheese Soup. This was a regular meal I would have when I used to work at a Barnes & Noble with a Cafe. If I eat that now, I know I would be in a world of hurt.
Milk & Yogurt – Same as cheese, I’m very sensitive to anything with lactose. I just get too gassy, I bloat and I’m often in pain. I’ve switched from Milk to Almond Milk and my stomach has thanked me for it. I’m grateful to Green Valley Organics, a company that produces lactose free Yogurt, Cottage Cheese and Kefir. Because of them I can eat Yogurt again.
Sweetened Condensed Milk – I recently discovered that my favorite indulgence gives me gas, bloat and migraines. A big wallop! While it's so delicious, a 24 hour migraine makes it not worth it at all. I think it's fine mixed into something else but eating it straight is a big no-no.
Muffins – I know this is strange right? Muffins seem so innocent but they are really evil. But they sit in my stomach like a brick and the density of carbohydrates from the flour and sugar gives me a headache.
Desserts with too much sugar – I can handle cookies, cakes, tarts, pastries, etc. but if the baker who made them added to much sugar, they’ve packed my bags and put me on a train to headache city.
Big Meals – If I dare to eat past the point of satiation, I will be plagued with stomach discomfort and nausea for hours.
Social Meals – This is very odd but if I talk a lot during a meal, I will most likely experience a couple hours of nausea afterwards. Something about talking, chewing, eating and swallowing doesn’t do my stomach any good. Possibly because my diaphragm is working overtime keeping the food down so it doesn't come up while I'm talking and laughing. But if I want to hang out with friends, it’s inevitable we’ll go out to eat. I try to eat slowly, talk less and try not to eat past the point of satiation so that I don’t get the nausea.
Red Meat & Chicken – This is new. Lately any type of red meat has been sitting in my stomach like lead and it takes my system hours upon hours to digest. I get very grossed out by chicken so I think I may have to go Pescatarian full-time starting soon.
Pizza and Sandwiches – Too much bread and sometimes too much cheese. Again, they sit in my stomach like lead and sometimes they make me want to go to sleep. Talk about a non-energizing meal! If I really want either of them, one slice of pizza or a half sandwich paired with a salad will be just enough not to tip the scale into stomach discomfort.
Take Out Asian Food – Unfortunately, a lot of take-out food from Chinese and Thai restaurants are loaded with sodium and MSG. Sodium results in bloat. All the sodium makes me super thirsty and I have to drink a few glasses of water with makes my already full stomach very uncomfortable. I’m trying to make my own versions of take-out Asian food at home. I try to stick to things like Sushi or Steamed dishes when I do go to Asian restaurants.
Soup - For the same reasons as Take Out Asian food, most canned soups or soups you get at restaurants are loaded with sodium. I make my own at home or I get them at restaurants I know to not be heavy handed with the salt shaker. I've had to give up the delicious Panera soups because they are all salt bombs.
I’m grateful that I have some food sensitivities because it does help prevent me from overindulging.
Fully Loaded Pancakes
These pancakes are amazing! Inspired by a recipe I saw on Utilisima, these fully loaded pancakes pack a nutritional whallop! They are whole wheat banana, blueberry and walnut pancakes topped with my homemade Simple Strawberry Sauce. I'm always trying to find ways to incorporate blueberries and walnuts into my diet as they are super foods after all. So this was a really great way to add both to my Sunday brunch. These pancakes are delicious. They have great flavor with the banana and blueberries and the walnuts give them a nice texture. Add these to your Sunday Brunch repertoire and you won't be disappointed.
Ingredients:
1 banana
2 cups of whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
2 eggs
2 cups of almond milk (or regular milk, not whole)
2 tablespoons of sugar
chopped walnuts
fresh blueberries
plain or honey sweetened yogurt (optional)
butter for greasing the griddle
Makes about 10 medium pancakes
Cut up a banana into chunks and add to a large mixing bowl. With your handheld blender, blend the banana until it's the consistency of baby food. Add the flour and baking powder and stir. Then add the eggs, milk and sugar and blend only until smooth and all the ingredients are incorporated. Do not over mix.
Heat up your griddle and grease with some butter. Add your desired amount of batter for the size of pancake you want and sprinkle fresh blueberries and walnuts over the top. Once the pancakes have popped bubbles over the surface flip and cook for a couple minutes.
Serve topped with Simple Strawberry Sauce, Maple Syrup, Yogurt and/or Flax Seed.
To make denser pancakes, you can use 1-1/2 cups of milk and 1/2 cup of yogurt in the batter instead of the 2 cups of milk. Alternately, you can grind up the walnuts and add them to the batter for a different texture.
Valentine's Day at Beacon Grille
Carlos and I broke our Valentine's Day tradition of having dinner at Machu Picchu restaurant in Somerville, MA by making a reservation at one of our favorite spots for fine dining, Beacon Grille. I was particularly excited about their exclusive Valentine's Day menu especially their Aztec Hot Chocolate drink.
Joyce who handles the social media for Beacon Grille took our reservation request through Twitter @BeaconGrille . We even got to ask for Michael our favorite server! Awesome people, food and service keeps us coming back to this place.
We pored over the menus, wanting to chose everything but noting that we were on a budget too.
We were starving by the time we got there so we quickly devoured the complimentary basket of warm bread rolls, crackers and whipped butter.
Our meal began with a kiss! In the form of a drink. First Kiss cocktail consisted of Prosecco, St. Germain and raspberry puree. It wasn't too sweet and they strained the seeds from the raspberries which I very much appreciated. The drink went down very easily and we had three before we realized what was going on!
For an appetizer, we chose the Valentine's Day special Chicken Ginger Pot Stickers. The flavors going on in this appetizer were strong. If you are not used to strong Asian flavors, you might be taken aback. The pot stickers were nice and hot and crispy and you could definitely taste the sesame oil they were fried in. The sauce was a delicious jalapeno-cilantro dip but I could taste the soy sauce and cilantro more than I could the jalapeno. It definitely wasn't spicy and while it wasn't all that great too look at, the sauce was deeeelicious.
I convinced Carlos to get one of the Weekly Specials which was a Terikyaki Glazed Sirloin steak which came with Jasmine rice and he swapped out the broccoli rabe for sauteed green beans. Oh man. He gave me a couple of pieces of his steak and it was so incredibly delicious. They butterfly the steak so the sauce covers more of the meat. When you chew the steak it it melts in your mouth! I really wish I had ordered that for myself.
I got the Roasted Vegetable Ratatouille, a regular item on the Beacon Grille menu which I've had before and enjoyed. It comes with penne, eggplant, yellow squash, zucchini, red pepper, onion and a delicious sauce and is served with grated parmesan over the top. I picked this plate for several reasons. I really wanted to enjoy the appetizers and desserts so I didn't want to go overboard on calories or price, I needed something that I could reheat as leftovers for lunch the next day and also this was a dish I had tried before and really enjoyed. I ate half of my dish and asked for the rest to be boxed up for me.
Our server Michael, whom we've raved about before, folded Carlos' napkin for him when Carlos had left the table for a moment. Michael is a great server because of his attention to detail, his years of experience, his attentiveness to his customers, his knowledge of the menu and his friendly demeanor.
For dessert, we tried the Valentine's Day special Chocolate Pecan Tart which came with a bourbon creme anglaise, chantilly cream and powdered sugar. It was delicious but we really needed a knife to cut into it and we didn't have one on hand. It would have been better as a slice of a larger tart, mini tarts or a pre-sliced small tart. Some of the chunks of tart went flying off our plate when we tried to break off pieces with our fork. While it tasted just fine, we wished we had gone with Michael's recommendation of the White Chocolate Crepe. (Note: I went off my "no baked goods" rule just for this one special night).
Finally, it was time for the Aztec Hot Chocolate. I reluctantly had to share one with Carlos who gave me much grief about how strong it was alcoholic-wise. I'm a weakling when it comes to alcohol and I was already buzzing from all those First Kisses. The Aztec Hot Chocolate was served warm in a glass mug (which is my favorite way to drink hot beverages). Michael was nice enough to get us two straws. The drink consisted of dark Taza chocolate, aged dark rum and three spices: cardamom, cinnamon, and Ancho chili. It had a thick cream on top which was slightly salted. That extra touch made the drink all that more special. It was worth it but I kind of wish I had gotten my own. Carlos' bad attitude soured my enjoyment.
That's Michael on the right. Shhh. Don't tell him that he ended up in one of my pictures.
At the end of the meal, patrons at Beacon Grille were handed a single long-stem rose which I thought was a nice touch.
Here I am with the rose, giving Carlos the evil-eye for ruining my Hot Chocolate experience. Overall, we had another amazing night at Beacon Grille. Thanks to Michael, Joyce and everyone at Beacon Grille who made our Valentine's Day dinner a special event.
I'm still here!
I've been MIA from this blog for the entire month of January! But that doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about food. In fact, lots of stuff has been going on since I've been on my blogging hiatus. Here are a few things:
Wedding Diet - My wedding is 5 months away and I'm trying to lose the 30 pounds I gained during first couple of years of my relationship with Carlos. I doubt I'm going to lose all that weight but I'm working on going to the gym, eating healthy snacks, reducing my portion sizes and eating healthy in general as much as I can. Reading Twitter and health magazines has been helping to motivate me and Carlos was willing to take on the role of being my personal trainer.
10 foods I'm avoiding - As part of my wedding diet, I'm avoiding these 10 foods until after the wedding. They are 1) Baked Goods 2) Pizza 3) Hot Dogs 4) Burgers (except for B.Good's veggie burger!) 5) French Fries 6) Soda (I don't drink it anyways but always good to avoid) 7) Sour Cream 8) Ice Cream 9) Breakfast Bacon & Sausage 10) Anything from a fast food restaurant chain. I don't really indulge in most of these on a regular basis (except for baked goods and sour cream) but crossing them off my list is easier for me than to try to portion control. Who can eat a few french fries when the restaurant gives you a huge pile?! Best not to order them in the first place.
Wedding Diet - My wedding is 5 months away and I'm trying to lose the 30 pounds I gained during first couple of years of my relationship with Carlos. I doubt I'm going to lose all that weight but I'm working on going to the gym, eating healthy snacks, reducing my portion sizes and eating healthy in general as much as I can. Reading Twitter and health magazines has been helping to motivate me and Carlos was willing to take on the role of being my personal trainer.
10 foods I'm avoiding - As part of my wedding diet, I'm avoiding these 10 foods until after the wedding. They are 1) Baked Goods 2) Pizza 3) Hot Dogs 4) Burgers (except for B.Good's veggie burger!) 5) French Fries 6) Soda (I don't drink it anyways but always good to avoid) 7) Sour Cream 8) Ice Cream 9) Breakfast Bacon & Sausage 10) Anything from a fast food restaurant chain. I don't really indulge in most of these on a regular basis (except for baked goods and sour cream) but crossing them off my list is easier for me than to try to portion control. Who can eat a few french fries when the restaurant gives you a huge pile?! Best not to order them in the first place.
Have I mentioned how much I love b.good and their fabulous veggie burgers?!
Whole Foods - I have been spending a lot of time at Whole Foods, eating lunches from their salad bar, picking up organic herbal teas, dark chocolates and different health supplements. I've been learning a lot about food from the book What to Eat by Marion Nestle and all things organic are on my mind lately. Whole Foods is a certified organic grocer and I'm wondering if I can change my grocery shopping habits and meal planning enough to be able to buy all my groceries from Whole Foods. I'm definitely not going to become a Healthy Living Blogger but I do want to makeover my diet and be healthier overall.
I'm also in love with Allegro's Nilla Nut Dream tea. Whole Foods serves it at their coffee bar but they don't sell the tea by the box. It's a wonderful black tea with hints of vanilla and hazelnut and none of the acridness that black tea is known for. Delicious with a splash of soy milk and some raw agave nectar.
Utilisima - My favorite new television channel! Unfortunately, I don't have Comcast's digital cable with the Spanish language package but my parents do. Whenever I visit them, I try to watch the channel with my mom. Utilisima is a Spanish-language channel full of shows about cooking, decorating and home improvement. It's wonderful! The cooking shows are my favorite and I'm getting a lot of recipe ideas from them while practicing and improving my Spanish. I'm trying to cook one Receta/Recipe from the Utilisima site each week. If you love to cook and speak Spanish fluently, watch their free recipe videos!
Losing my Freelance Food Writing Gig - For all of 2011 and a few weeks of 2010, I was writing recipes and restaurant reviews for a local online newspaper. I lost the gig in the new year. The gig itself was quite a bit of work but it was also a lot of fun. I got to explore restaurants around the city and in the neighboring towns and write about it. I also pushed myself to come up with my own unique recipes, ones that were easy to make, didn't require a lot of fancy ingredients and would be of interest to locals. While it was really nice to have a freelance job, I'm glad for the extra free time I have now. It's also helping my waistline not baking so many desserts and also not visiting a new restaurant each week to review! The gig did help me pay for my wedding dress and for that I will be forever appreciative.
So what is there to expect from Thoughtful Eats from 2012? Fewer restaurant reviews but still some, absolutely no commissioned product reviews (I hated doing them anyways and big-time bloggers get the good stuff anyways), more healthy recipes, more about Latina cooking and more thoughts about cooking, eating and food in general. And perhaps I'll even write a blog post in Spanish! :: fingers crossed::
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