You can also go to Dr. Bizzy’s website for more information about naturopathic care.  I recommend her to all my friends that are looking for a fantastic practitioner in the greater Seattle area.  It is refreshing to have a practitioner that takes time to know you and your family.  I am also a huge proponate of learning how to heal our bodies naturally not just mask the symptoms we may be having.  Naturopathic care is covered by most insurances and can set you on a course to a much healthier life. 

Food antibody testing is a great example of this.  With Logan’s symptoms (you can read about her reactions here), most western medicine practitioners would have suggested seeing an ENT.  This would have led to possible removal of tonsils and adnoids and probable placement of ear tubes.  We would have been just masking the real issue and continuing the damage to her gut. 

I just spoke with a friend that fought with stomach pain for years and was told it was just Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBS.  She refused to accept that diagnosis and after much research and years of pain she was tested for food intolerances.  Guess what she found.  She had problems with many of the same foods that Logan does plus a few more.  If she keeps those foods out of her diet, she is pain free.  Yet a traditional doctor never thought to check for this and just wanted to mask her symptoms with medication. 

Now before you jump on me, I know there are many good MD’s out there and we have gone to a few that we love.  They just have a difference in training and philosophy.  Was I glad there was an MD available when I needed an emergency surgery 6 years ago or when Than ruptured his achilles tendon two year age?  Absolutely.  I am extremely grateful for western medicine.  I just feel that we should start be learning how to heal ourselves naturally before adding or doing anything synthetic or invasive.   

All of that to say if you are having any sort of reaccuring health issues, they could be food related.  We have seen reactions that range from the usual stomach upset, to mucus issues and even anxiety and behavioral issues change dramatically with changes in diet.  It is just a simple blood test that could change the way you feel and/or act.  While I am definitely not a doctor, I think it would be worth it for everyone.   Who knows what you might learn!?!

And remember no matter what the results, you have support here from myself and others that read this blog.  Ask your questions or express your frustrations as you change your diet.  We want to listen and help in anyway we can.

While Logan still reacted to dairy, eggs, and gluten, her reactions were only about half as severe.  They went from extremely severe to moderate.  Her gut has done some healing over the last year and a half!!!  In her first test she reacted to like 85 of the 96 items that they tested for.  This time it was only about 20 things.  Along with the big three which account for about 15 individual items, she also reacted to peanuts, soy, sugar cane and grapes (weird).  Those were moderate reactions though just as they were before.  Yay!!!!

Here is the okay stuff.  Logan still reacted to gluten even though she wasn’t eating it at the time of the test.  That means she is reacting to the slight amounts that she is getting through cross-contamination.  I will be sending in the testing for celiac disease this week and will let you know what I find out. 

Teagan’s test looked very similar to Logan’s test but with only a little reaction to just a couple of the gluten grains.  That is a bummer but because the results were all moderate, it is doable.  He didn’t react to grapes but he did react to beef (again weird).  It seems that his gut has some healing to do as well but I kind of suspected as much.

Rowan reacted only to eggs.  The crazy thing is that all three of the oldest kids reacted to eggs.  Maybe a genetic thing?  Other then that, Rowan had just a slight reaction to soy.  The little dry spot on her arm must be from the dry winter weather or it could be a reaction to something that didn’t show.  The tests are only 85% accurate so we still have to watch for symptoms with food even if they don’t show up on the results.

Declan reacted only very little to dairy.  It was slight enough that unless we see symptoms from dairy then we don’t need to even think about it with him at this point.  Woo-Hoo.  I have one child with a normally functioning gut. 

I wish I could just scan in the result pages for you.  If you do want to see them though, let me know and I’ll keep them on me. 

So next, you  might be wondering how we are going to handle this news.  That will have to be another post as we are still weighing our options.  I’ll let you know what we decide in a couple days.  I think it is great to have a dialogue with others as we go through this process so leave me a comment if you have any questions or thoughts about the new results.

It has been a long ride and at times can be hard.  Being 19 weeks pregnant, I have found that keeping up on the girls bread and muffins has been more difficult.  We felt like it was time to retest Logan and test the other kids at the same time.  We also noticed that Rowan has a little bit of eczema under one of her arms.  Could this be a food intolerance that we don’t know about?  This all presented a few issues.  In order for the test to for an intolerance, the patient needs to be eating that food for at least two weeks.  There was a choice to make.  Is it worth it to reintroduce the food in order to get a new test?  Would we be compromising their health to do so? 

After months of praying, we decided to add all foods back for Rowan since she has never been tested and doesn’t have much of a reaction.  The boys have never been tested either but both have little signs that there could be intolerances so we are going to have them tested as well.  Since they already eat everything, no issues with reintroduction. 

Logan on the other hand is the one I am most hesitant in adding foods to as she is the one we tested.  Her first test was so daunting and came with a “leaky gut” diagnosis.  In the end for her we decided to add back dairy and eggs but not gluten.  She has such an extreme reaction to gluten that we couldn’t bear adding it back.  In leui of that, we have decided to have her tested for celiac disease.  This can be done with a blood test without having the food reintroduced (I think…I better confirm that or we may be adding it back after all).  If the celiac test comes back positive, we have a whole new challenge to tackle.  I’m not sure if I am ready but I know that I will do whatever it takes to help my kids be as healthy  as possible.

It has been a week now and the girls seem to be doing well.  They are eating more dairy than imaginable.  I have to keep reminding them that when their tests come back that may change.  We will test in a little over a week.  I’ll let you know what I find out.  Will the announcement come with joy or tears?  This is a big one.  Please keep my babies in your prayers.

Happy eating!!!!

My solution is grinding my own grains.  I now buy all my grains in bulk and grind them as I need them.  The grains I use most, like brown rice flour, get ground in larger batches and stored in air tight locking containers.  (Note…tapioca is a frequently used flour in our house but should not be ground in most machines.) I grind brown rice, buckwheat, teff, amaranth, millet, quinoa, and much more.  Fresh flour contains many more nutrients than flours that have been on the shelf for who knows how long.  You also don’t have to worry about rancidity like you do with the pre-ground grains. 

 I want to tell you about a machine that I believe should be in every gluten free home.  The VitaMix is a grinder, blender, juicer, food processor, and much more.  (You can read more about my love for this machine and the things we use it for here.)  While this machine is not inexpensive, it will quickly pay for itself in many ways.  The first of which I mentioned earlier, the amount of money you will save on your flours.  Secondly, when you add up the cost of the machines it replaces and/or can substitute for, it is probably less.  Next, the VitaMix is industrial quality, has a full 7 year warrenty and lasts for upwards of 30 years.  As an example, we have burned through two full size blenders and one magic bullet in our 13 years of marriage.  We barely used these blenders because they never did what we wanted anyway.  Just the cost of those items was $200.  I could have saved that wasted money by purchasing a VitaMix in the beginning.  Now add that money to the two juicers and the grain mill and I would have come out way ahead.  (By the way, I found the VitaMix on Amazon for the same cost as Costco.  Just go to this page for all your options.) 

Back to grinding grains with the VitaMix.  My dear friend bought her VitaMix with a special dry container for grinding grains.  When I bought mine, they didn’t give me that option and I already had a grain mill anyway so I didn’t want to spend the extra money.  Next thing I knew, my grain mill wouldn’t turn on (I’m still unhappy about that and hope it is still under warrenty).  I figured I’d try putting rice in my standard VitaMix container and see what happened.  It worked and I haven’t looked back.  You may want to do your own research into the reasoning for the second container but I am happy with just using the one.  The flours are just as fine as those I purchase at the store and are much less expensive. 

Begin saving your quarters for your own VitaMix and before you know it you won’t know how you lived without it.  Then with all the money you’ll be saving on flours, you can treat yourself to a pedicure or maybe a trip to Hawaii.

Recipe: Basic Bread Flour

Ingredients

• 2 cups millet flour
• 1 cup sorghum flour
• 1 cup cornstach
• 1 cup potato stach
• 1 cup tapioca flour/starch

Diet (other): Gluten free

Microformatting by hRecipe.

 Often under the ingredient list is a statement about whether a product contains, wheat, dairy, and soy.  This is always a great place to start looking.  It gives you an obvious “no” answer quickly.  But remember that just because something say wheat-free doesn’t mean it is gluten free.  So always check the whole ingredient list before eating an item.

Here are your main gluten full ingredients.  The ones that are easy to spot with a quick glance at ingredients.  If you are new to eating gluten free, even some of these items may come as a surprise.   Wheat, rye, barley, oats (or oatmeal), and spelt are your main gluten grains.  You will find that these are sometimes billed as alternatives to wheat but are not gluten free.  Look for ingredients that contain any of these words.  Many cereals, even Rice Crispies, have barley malt which you will notice contains the word barley and thus has gluten.   There are also terms that refer to the specific kinds of wheat, like bulgar, durum, farina, macha, matzo or matza, kamut, graham, or semolina.   Always look for the word gluten as well.

There are some items that may be listed individually but are actually made from multiple ingredients.  Some products will have the broken down but some won’t.  Here are a few of the main culprits.  Malt, soy sauce, beer, germ, bran, and sometime bouillon or broth. 

 These can all be done with tofu.  The texture of silken tofu or crumbled regular tofu is surprisingly similar to boiled or cooked eggs when used in a similar recipe.   Adding a bit of mustard, turmeric or nutritional yeast will give your dish a yellow hue.  Your eyes will be tricked as well as your taste buds. 

 While I don’t have any recipes for these on my site yet, keep coming back.  Until then, go online and give a few a shot.  Report back to me and I’ll make sure to get them up quickly.

There are no real exact calculations for these replacements.  It is not chemistry as with leavening agents.  Just add enough until your recipe starts to stick together.  Start with an amount equivalant to an egg (approx. 2-3 Tbsp) and add until you see the results you want.

Some things to try are tomato paste, cornstarch, potato starch, whole wheat flour, bread crumbs, cornmeal, arrowroot, veganaise, rolled oats, whipped tofu, mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes.  These agents help to thicken and gel with the other ingredients. 

When choosing your substitute, just keep in mind the flavor profile of your recipe.

First, keep a box of Ener-G Egg Replacer on hand at all times.  This is probably the easiest and fastest replacement for eggs in your recipes.  You simply add 1-1/2tsp of Ener-G Egg Replacer to 2 Tbsp of water and whisk for one egg.  I find it to be the most flavor neutral (along with tofu) of all the options, however, I have heard some people notice a chalky taste (we don’t).  Certain recipes may seem a little denser than you desire (again we have had little problem with this).  But overall, this egg replacer works for most everything and we use it often.

Flaxseed is another great option.  Grind 1 Tbsp of flaxseed, or 2-1/2 Tbsp or preground, and then add it to 3 Tbsp of water.  Whisk well.  It will become gooey and thick, like an egg white.  Flax seeds have an nutty granola taste. This option works well in pancakes, and other whole grain items.  The texture works for cookies in general as well, although the taste may be too noticable for some.  We love the taste of flax.  Just think about that taste before choosing this option and you’ll know whether or not it will be a good pairing.

Tofu can be a great replacement for eggs as it takes on the flavor of the ingredients around it.  1/4 cup of whipped tofu, silken tofu is great, equals one egg.  Make sure you whip it up well before adding to your recipe to avoid having any chuncks.  Tofu makes items very fluffy so it may make your cookies into cakies.  Not that it is bad.  Try adding a teaspoon of cornstarch, potato starch, or arrowroot to your recipe to combat that.   Plain soy yogurt also works in the same proportion.  (Read here for more about soy)

Half of mashed banana equals one egg as well.  Just remember the flavor when choosing what recipes to use it in. 

Other fruits work well also.  You can use applesauce, pureed pumpkin, peach, pears, berries, you name it.  Remember that 1/4 cup equals an egg.  Fruit can make the baked item heavier, so add a little baking powder if this concerns you.  Again take the flavor of the item in to consideration when making your choices. 

Unflavored gelatin can be used in place of an egg as well.  1 tsp of unflavored gelatin in 2 Tbsp of water and whisked well equals one egg. 

Another egg replacement is 2 tbsp water mixed with 1 Tbsp of oil and 2 tsp of baking powder. Mix together well before adding.  You probably always have these items around the house so this is good in a pinch.

Lastly, when replacing just an egg white in a recipe, mix 1 tbsp plain agar powder with 1 tbsp water. Whip together, chill it and then whip it again.

Note that in flat baked products like pancakes can make do without any eggs at all.  Just add 2 Tbsp of water for each egg to replace the moisture.