When I turned 60, I decided to get braces on my teeth to correct some issues that had developed as I’d gotten older. I had them on for two years and stopped eating things like pizza, bread, salads, most vegetables in anything that wasn’t cooked to softness and anything that required my upper and lower molars to make good contact. Especially, hamburgers were impossible to eat!
Two years later, when the braces came off, and my teeth were looking good, I went with a friend to order that hamburger! And I started eating salads with delicious dressings made with all kinds of special vinegar and mustard. I bought my favorite crunchy cereal and thought I was back in business.
To my disappointment and bewilderment, I started experiencing unfortunate reactions to my food!!! I got violent stomach aches, my throat sometimes closed up making it difficult to swallow, and I would cough when I ate certain things. Sometimes, part of my lip would swell up on one side or the other. I couldn’t make sounds when I spoke at other times. I would get what felt like a lump in my throat, although I don’t think there was actually a lump.
My doctor sent me for a scope to make sure there was nothing serious. The gastroenterologist found nothing wrong. He ran some tests for specific allergies but found nothing. He recommended that I go to an allergist.
I tried keeping a list of foods that seemed to cause a reaction, but my meals were complicated enough that I couldn’t always identify a culprit. Or I would eat something (corn on the cob) one day and be fine, but the next time I would start to cough after the first bite. The last thing I ate that made me cough before seeking medical advice was a nice, beautiful orange.
Finally, I went to an allergist. After an initial examination (including the skin prick test) and looking at my list, she recommended I try a yeast and mold free diet. She also said “no added sugar!”
My heart sank. I had to invent a whole new way of eating, which did not happen overnight. I started noticing things – like, vinegar (especially balsamic vinegar) would make me cough no matter how small the quantities. Margaritas were relegated to the past, as were any sugary drinks. Again, even small quantities would make me cough. I was lucky enough that my lovely wines didn’t affect me in this way, although I have to be careful because all wines are not created equal.
When I retired, I had time to make everything from ingredients that I selected, including all stocks and broths and salad dressings. I started looking at food carefully and experimenting with organic for the fruits and vegetables that showed up as retaining pesticides even after being washed. I started washing everything, even organic food.
And generally I started eating intentionally. I discovered good resources for assisting me in this process, and here are some of them.
EWG (Environmental Working Group http://www.ewg.org/ ) has published its 2019 list of fruits and vegetables in order of amount of pesticides they contained after being washed.
Here’s the whole list for 2019: https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/full-list.php
So, what does this mean in real life? I tend to go to pretty extensive lengths to get organic when an item hits the top 12. If a fruit or vegetable is low on the list, I will buy non-organic because the price difference can be significant.
Although you may choose to go organic for some or most of your produce, wash everything before you start to prepare the food. Even in nature there’s some stuff you don’t want to eat!
After years of following the list, I’ve noticed that bugs don’t like eggplant(#41 out of 47) any more than your average 5 year old, but we happen to love it, so I buy the cheapest eggplant I can find.
I use fresh fruits and vegetables when possible. I try to use organic fruits and vegetables if they have appeared on the dirty dozen list produced annually by the Environmental Working Group. https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/full-list.php
And I wash everything. https://www.rd.com/food/things-you-never-knew-about-grocery-store-produce/
All my recipes are free of gluten, yeast, vinegar, soy, peanuts, mushrooms, and sugar. I use limited milk products, including yogurt without additives and aged cheeses, and I avoid sweeter fruits, such as pineapple.
I usually travel with equipment for preparing food so I will be ready to cook when visiting friends and relatives. We gather in the kitchen while I cook, often with their help to prepare. What an amazing way to share time. And now I have a way of sharing the recipes that are often requested!
I’ve added some of my favorite recipes, including several eggplant dishes that we’ve enjoyed. Take a look under the recipes heading.