I sent through my guidelines for caterers for an event I'm attending next week. Today the caterer rings me up.
"I've made inquiries," she says, "and I can't find out anything about this allergy. What can you eat?"
I stress the answer is plain food, maybe cheese sandwiches. We're doing a finger buffet and there will be cheese and onion somethings, she says. No, finger buffet is disastrous, I say. Plain cheese sandwich will be fine. After all, all I need is something to keep me going.
In fact I amended the instructions a little before sending them through. The trouble is I don't know what to say about cheese. Plain cheese is okay - but I've been eating plain, salicylate free food for a few days now and The Ring is back. As I write, it's even itching - so I need to take a pill.
I'll take another look at the revised instructions and post them again.
RAS
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
The little things
A couple of weeks' silence here means a couple of weeks struggling with the little things. For instance I put some cashew nuts and a couple of bars of cheap Tesco chocolate into the pantry.
Although cashew nuts are meant to be near zero salicylate they are of course rich in omega-6 - which means they should only be eaten as part of a salicylate free diet. I don't believe chocolate is zero salicylate as it can be quite rich in caffeine - however my lists say cocoa is low salicylate. But a bar of chocolate is far too nice, especially when working. So a couple of squares soon becomes the whole bar - and that is too much chocolate and too much caffeine. I need to revert to not buying chocolate, even if the supermarket brands are incredibly cheap.
It all means flurries of disturbance and the occasional rush for a montelukast to calm down some itching or irritation.
Then there are the snacks that people provide. I dipped into a bowl of cashew nuts the other day - the trouble is they were coated in spice. So that was salicylate in the spice and omega 6 in the nuts. I took a montelukast when I got home. Then there was the beef sandwich. It looked plain but tasted far too nice. Was that mustard?
After one of these episodes I sat down in the evening and got up. My left knee was weak, the finger and thumb of my left hand ached and the old left eye felt sore. I took a montelukast and the problem faded away.
What about Jack Daniels? My illusions that it might be any better than Scotch whisky have been shaken. Somebody told me it's matured in hickory wood. I looked into this a little further and discovered that whisky's golden colour is acquired from the wood in which it matures. All I can say is that Jack Daniels never causes too much harm - but maybe I should keep it to the occasional tipple.
It's all little things that can suddenly build up into a big problem if they are not taken care of.
RAS
Although cashew nuts are meant to be near zero salicylate they are of course rich in omega-6 - which means they should only be eaten as part of a salicylate free diet. I don't believe chocolate is zero salicylate as it can be quite rich in caffeine - however my lists say cocoa is low salicylate. But a bar of chocolate is far too nice, especially when working. So a couple of squares soon becomes the whole bar - and that is too much chocolate and too much caffeine. I need to revert to not buying chocolate, even if the supermarket brands are incredibly cheap.
It all means flurries of disturbance and the occasional rush for a montelukast to calm down some itching or irritation.
Then there are the snacks that people provide. I dipped into a bowl of cashew nuts the other day - the trouble is they were coated in spice. So that was salicylate in the spice and omega 6 in the nuts. I took a montelukast when I got home. Then there was the beef sandwich. It looked plain but tasted far too nice. Was that mustard?
After one of these episodes I sat down in the evening and got up. My left knee was weak, the finger and thumb of my left hand ached and the old left eye felt sore. I took a montelukast and the problem faded away.
What about Jack Daniels? My illusions that it might be any better than Scotch whisky have been shaken. Somebody told me it's matured in hickory wood. I looked into this a little further and discovered that whisky's golden colour is acquired from the wood in which it matures. All I can say is that Jack Daniels never causes too much harm - but maybe I should keep it to the occasional tipple.
It's all little things that can suddenly build up into a big problem if they are not taken care of.
RAS
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Fish and rheumatism
I'm intrigued and encouraged by this recent analysis of allergy prevention, suggesting that eating fish is one of the best ways of dealing with problems.
There doesn't seem to be an explanation for this. In the case of salicylate hypersensitivity, there appears to be a very clear explanation as I discovered a couple of years ago. This is that the condition is caused by a reaction between omega -6, found in meat, and salicylate. So substituting fish, which has omega-3 fats, for meats can help prevent these reactions.
This is not necessarily what happens in classical IGe allergy (in truth, I don't know.) So are the benefits of fish thrown up because studies of diets include a number of people with salicylate problems? Or does it provide other benefits for allergy sufferers, eg in reducing inflammation?
Today I went for another Chinese buffet. I forgot to take a montelukast before going. A few days ago I wrenched my arm. I had picked up one of those cheap plastic containers full of papers and one end broke. The container slumped down, twisting my arm. It seemed to recover with some minor aching, but tonight my left hand aches like Hades, just about on the index finger. I thought I had a pretty safe meal at the Chinese - but if you eat anything remotely processed you cannot be sure what's in it. My feast today included cauliflower cheese, plain chicken in batter and biscuit pudding - plenty of opportunity for odd chemicals and components to creep in.
I really do not want to get rheumatism in my hand so I have now taken a montelukast.
RAS
There doesn't seem to be an explanation for this. In the case of salicylate hypersensitivity, there appears to be a very clear explanation as I discovered a couple of years ago. This is that the condition is caused by a reaction between omega -6, found in meat, and salicylate. So substituting fish, which has omega-3 fats, for meats can help prevent these reactions.
This is not necessarily what happens in classical IGe allergy (in truth, I don't know.) So are the benefits of fish thrown up because studies of diets include a number of people with salicylate problems? Or does it provide other benefits for allergy sufferers, eg in reducing inflammation?
Today I went for another Chinese buffet. I forgot to take a montelukast before going. A few days ago I wrenched my arm. I had picked up one of those cheap plastic containers full of papers and one end broke. The container slumped down, twisting my arm. It seemed to recover with some minor aching, but tonight my left hand aches like Hades, just about on the index finger. I thought I had a pretty safe meal at the Chinese - but if you eat anything remotely processed you cannot be sure what's in it. My feast today included cauliflower cheese, plain chicken in batter and biscuit pudding - plenty of opportunity for odd chemicals and components to creep in.
I really do not want to get rheumatism in my hand so I have now taken a montelukast.
RAS
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Celery and beer
I threw some red cabbage, leek and celery into the steamer tonight. Nothing new about that. I was surprised when the delicious aroma of curry came from it.
It can't have been the pans - you don't cook curry in a steamer and I don't think anyone in the household has eaten anything that spicy for ages.
I savoured the smell, which continued to fill the air after I served up. It seemed to come from the celery. There was no taste of curry in the food - but the smell gave some added spice to the meal.Memo to me: I must do something about making that home-made curry.
In contrast, I was listening to a report on beer on the radio the other day. I was never a great beer drinker but there have been moments in life when beer has been delicious, mainly on the European continent. I enjoyed chilled lager in the Italian heat and exotic strawberry-flavoured beers they serve in Belgium. There seems no possibility of enjoying those tastes and those moments again.
RAS
It can't have been the pans - you don't cook curry in a steamer and I don't think anyone in the household has eaten anything that spicy for ages.
I savoured the smell, which continued to fill the air after I served up. It seemed to come from the celery. There was no taste of curry in the food - but the smell gave some added spice to the meal.Memo to me: I must do something about making that home-made curry.
In contrast, I was listening to a report on beer on the radio the other day. I was never a great beer drinker but there have been moments in life when beer has been delicious, mainly on the European continent. I enjoyed chilled lager in the Italian heat and exotic strawberry-flavoured beers they serve in Belgium. There seems no possibility of enjoying those tastes and those moments again.
RAS
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
A virus
I'm not even going to kid myself it's swine flu this time, although it probably is. Tiredness and fatigue, a sore throat, a stuffy nose, plunging gloom and blowing hot and cold all the time - all I've been missing is a consistent high fever.
The ring had all but gone today - a good sign the immune system is struggling. If this was swine flu, this was a nasty little virus as it played with my head and made sure I did not do anything apart from grabbing a couple of hours of extra sleep.
Today my throat is still sore and I could be fairly confident it was not an allergic reaction. So it was time for the miracle cure - redbush tea.
I made it weak - I have forgotten how to make it. But within a few minutes there was a satisfying itch all over as my immune system kicked in. My left arm has come out in red spots so I think I had better stop drinking it.
RAS
The ring had all but gone today - a good sign the immune system is struggling. If this was swine flu, this was a nasty little virus as it played with my head and made sure I did not do anything apart from grabbing a couple of hours of extra sleep.
Today my throat is still sore and I could be fairly confident it was not an allergic reaction. So it was time for the miracle cure - redbush tea.
I made it weak - I have forgotten how to make it. But within a few minutes there was a satisfying itch all over as my immune system kicked in. My left arm has come out in red spots so I think I had better stop drinking it.
RAS
Friday, September 25, 2009
Punched in the face
I was working away from home for a few days this week. There were lots of finger buffets and this is when I get reminded just how problematic food can be.
I tend to assume I'm safe to sample foods if I'm not sure. That's not really true. And also if a nibble is tasty, it's hard to stop eating it, especially if I don't collapse on the spot. After a couple of days of this I felt as if I'd been punched in the face. My lip was sore, my tongue was swollen and my throat was going sore. And my insides were not too happy either. There was the beef sandwich that looked plain - but of course the caterers could not resist the temptation to add mustard. There was the prawn on a stick that again looked plain - but was in fact soaked in curry. And memo to me, chicken strips are always laced with pepper.
The upside was a visit to an Italian restaurant. They offered dish with pasta, spinach, tiger prawns, chilli and red onions. I asked them to serve it without the chilli and onions and they did. The prawns were plain and it was delicious.
RAS
I tend to assume I'm safe to sample foods if I'm not sure. That's not really true. And also if a nibble is tasty, it's hard to stop eating it, especially if I don't collapse on the spot. After a couple of days of this I felt as if I'd been punched in the face. My lip was sore, my tongue was swollen and my throat was going sore. And my insides were not too happy either. There was the beef sandwich that looked plain - but of course the caterers could not resist the temptation to add mustard. There was the prawn on a stick that again looked plain - but was in fact soaked in curry. And memo to me, chicken strips are always laced with pepper.
The upside was a visit to an Italian restaurant. They offered dish with pasta, spinach, tiger prawns, chilli and red onions. I asked them to serve it without the chilli and onions and they did. The prawns were plain and it was delicious.
RAS
Fried banana
I tried adding banana to the stir fry tonight. I mixed cabbage, banana and sardine, using the same techniques as with "tuna con chips" and ate it with fried potato. It was okay and the banana fleshed out the sardine nicely - but I could not taste it at all. I won't be adding this to my list of recipes yet.
Does anybody know how to fry banana to make a sweet and sour? I've eaten plenty of plantain in my life but feel that banana should be useable.
I had more success the other night. I did a stir fry to eat with pasta from bacon, cabbage, leek and soy sauce. It tasted very Chinese.
RAS
Does anybody know how to fry banana to make a sweet and sour? I've eaten plenty of plantain in my life but feel that banana should be useable.
I had more success the other night. I did a stir fry to eat with pasta from bacon, cabbage, leek and soy sauce. It tasted very Chinese.
RAS
Sunday, September 13, 2009
What is salicylate free?
While I was under hospital care I had three different lists of foods and substances with and without salicylate. The first was sent out by the consultant and had been compiled by the British Allergy Foundation. The later ones were compiled by the dietician.
There are some big differences. By the end of the period, the dietician had split foods into negligible, low, moderate, high and very high. The original British Allergy Foundation merely classified them as high and low.
Mostly I try to keep to a diet high in fish and some basic near-zero salicylate foods such as cabbage, leek and banana. Other foods have crept in however.
I eat grapes. The original list said they were "high" and to be avoided. The last list says low. I don't find a problem.
The first list said broccoli was low. The last one says high. I avoid it.
The first list said pineapple juice was high. The last list says low. When I tried it I was quite ill. I avoid it.
The first list said sweetcorn was high. The last list said it was moderate but that corn on the cob is low. What's the difference? I've been eating it but I did notice the other day, it left me with a burn a little like curry.
The first list said all tomato was high. The last list says fresh tomato is low and may be okay. I avoid it.
The first list said cherries were high. The last list says canned cherries are low. I've been avoiding them - maybe I could try cherry products such as Black Forest Gateau.
The last list says green beans are okay. The first list didn't mention them and I've been avoiding them - although I love them.
The first list says parsnips are low. The last list says moderate. I've given them up quite recently.
Both lists say onions, mango and lemons are low, yet I've always avoided them. Maybe I just don't like onion and found it a good excuse to get everyone cooking with leek. I don't know why I would choose to avoid mango and lemon. I must find the second list - because that's maybe when I gave up on these two.
Perhaps I should try to find an even more up to date list. Or perhaps there simply isn't enough research on the subject.
RAS
There are some big differences. By the end of the period, the dietician had split foods into negligible, low, moderate, high and very high. The original British Allergy Foundation merely classified them as high and low.
Mostly I try to keep to a diet high in fish and some basic near-zero salicylate foods such as cabbage, leek and banana. Other foods have crept in however.
I eat grapes. The original list said they were "high" and to be avoided. The last list says low. I don't find a problem.
The first list said broccoli was low. The last one says high. I avoid it.
The first list said pineapple juice was high. The last list says low. When I tried it I was quite ill. I avoid it.
The first list said sweetcorn was high. The last list said it was moderate but that corn on the cob is low. What's the difference? I've been eating it but I did notice the other day, it left me with a burn a little like curry.
The first list said all tomato was high. The last list says fresh tomato is low and may be okay. I avoid it.
The first list said cherries were high. The last list says canned cherries are low. I've been avoiding them - maybe I could try cherry products such as Black Forest Gateau.
The last list says green beans are okay. The first list didn't mention them and I've been avoiding them - although I love them.
The first list says parsnips are low. The last list says moderate. I've given them up quite recently.
Both lists say onions, mango and lemons are low, yet I've always avoided them. Maybe I just don't like onion and found it a good excuse to get everyone cooking with leek. I don't know why I would choose to avoid mango and lemon. I must find the second list - because that's maybe when I gave up on these two.
Perhaps I should try to find an even more up to date list. Or perhaps there simply isn't enough research on the subject.
RAS
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Salicylate free eating
A few months ago I promised to list here all the salicylate free meals I have devised and reported. Here they are, just half a dozen, so far, along with the guidance I have drawn up for caterers and friends.
Meals involving fish are also low in omega 6 and especially safe, both in theory and in my experience. So there's a lot of fish. Some of these "recipes" are more detailed than others.
I have kind people who attempt more ambitious meals for me, such as fish pies and pizzas. You always have to check they don't accidentally sprinkle pepper on the food.
I have promised myself to step out and attempt a low salicylate curry some time. My list says it would have to use tandoori spice. I'll add to this list as recipes come in.
Tuna con Chips - when you hanker for a chilli con carne
Apple and Tuna Sauce
Fish pasta sauce
Roast chicken and gravy
Salmon and spinach
Salicylate free pasta sauce with mince
Salads
Guidance for friends
Instructions for caterers
RAS
Meals involving fish are also low in omega 6 and especially safe, both in theory and in my experience. So there's a lot of fish. Some of these "recipes" are more detailed than others.
I have kind people who attempt more ambitious meals for me, such as fish pies and pizzas. You always have to check they don't accidentally sprinkle pepper on the food.
I have promised myself to step out and attempt a low salicylate curry some time. My list says it would have to use tandoori spice. I'll add to this list as recipes come in.
Tuna con Chips - when you hanker for a chilli con carne
Apple and Tuna Sauce
Fish pasta sauce
Roast chicken and gravy
Salmon and spinach
Salicylate free pasta sauce with mince
Salads
Guidance for friends
Instructions for caterers
RAS
Monday, September 07, 2009
Good news about cabbage!
I eat a lot of cabbage. It has no salicylate and it is easy to store fresh. I have found ways to use it as a base for sauces and all sorts of dishes.
And it's worried me because it seems such a bland vegetable. The signs in the supermarkets say to mix your colours, to eat red and yellow and orange and green fruits and vegetables. Well, cabbage comes as red or white or green so that's not too bad.
So I'm celebrating the latest news about cabbage. It says that cabbage contains a chemical sulforaphane that has special properties to protect against heart disease. There's not as much as broccoli, which I can't eat, but I eat a lot of cabbage.
It's also in brussels sprouts, which we also eat a lot of. We tend to buy them frozen. It's also in cauliflower, which I do eat but I'm not sure I should.
We usually mix cabbage with leek when we cook it. I'll be eating a lot more!
RAS
And it's worried me because it seems such a bland vegetable. The signs in the supermarkets say to mix your colours, to eat red and yellow and orange and green fruits and vegetables. Well, cabbage comes as red or white or green so that's not too bad.
So I'm celebrating the latest news about cabbage. It says that cabbage contains a chemical sulforaphane that has special properties to protect against heart disease. There's not as much as broccoli, which I can't eat, but I eat a lot of cabbage.
It's also in brussels sprouts, which we also eat a lot of. We tend to buy them frozen. It's also in cauliflower, which I do eat but I'm not sure I should.
We usually mix cabbage with leek when we cook it. I'll be eating a lot more!
RAS
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