Feed Me

Wednesday night I was subjected to one my worse dining experiences yet. Well, there was the time about 15 years ago at a Bennigan's when I saw a cockroach scurry past my table. My waitress killed it within a few feet of my plate of food. But back to Wed nite.

All week long I had been looking forward to my meal at Employee's Only. I had recently finished production on three commercials for Frontline Plus. The production company was taking out the entire ad agency team to celebrate a successful production.

Over the past years, I've consumed many ah-mazing cocktails at Employee's Only. I had never eaten one single bite. Who needs food when you have alcohol? After viewing the menu online, I saw some salads and veggie sides. Just to be safe I called the restaurant and asked if I could get a veggie plate for my main.

The response: "No."

Really? Isn't the guest always right? I was just doing the kind thing and giving them the heads up. They already serve veggies. How hard is it to place them all on one plate? I came to discover that this was the impossible mission.

Cut to Wednesday night. Trays of cheeses, patés, and charcuterie were being passed around as I patiently waited for my arugula salad. The waitress appeared midway through the appetizer course to take everyone's main course requests. I re-gave my order for an arugula salad and then the veggie plate as my main. Thirty minutes later plates of sirloin, salmon and pasta were placed in front of each guest.

However, not a single morsel for me. I asked the bus boy if he knew the whereabouts of my salad. Five minutes later it appeared. I dove in to the arugula, fennel and preserved lemon mix. Tasty and just what I needed. Having watched eight others enjoy rounds of apps and main dishes, I was famished and annoyed.

I kept expecting each time the waitress approached for her to place my veggie plate before me. Minutes ticked by. No plate or dish was presented to me. The bus boy appeared again. I asked about my veggie plate. Two minutes later I was brought a small dish of swiss chard. It was either steamed or sautéd. I was hungry and even more annoyed.

Finally, the waitress looked my way. I asked her why it took so long for me to get my appetizer salad and what happened to my veggie plate. She said she thought I wanted them together. Huh? I'm not sure what gave her this impression since I precisely asked for the salad first and the non existent veggie plate second. Needless to say she didn't care. The rest of the party didn't care that they were being happily fed while I wasted away in a state of starvation.

The good part of the meal was that it was free because it wasn't worth paying for.

What A Nut

It's so much easier to spot the villain in an empty room. Over the past week my sinuses have really cleared up. No more mucus draining 24/7, which means some of the inflammation has calmed down. My sinus cavities are like vacancies where fresh air is free to move in. All this clear breathing and good feeling makes it so much easier to tell when a specific food isn't agreeing with me. Before it was like EVERYTHING I ate caused a major upheaval throughout my body but especially my sinuses.

Yesterday morning I played with fire. I reached into the fridge for the jar of almond butter. I spooned a nice wallop into my smoothie. Hit the high button on the Vitamix. Then I sipped. I sipped a bit more and then– choke, cough, choke! Not a typical reaction to a smoothie. Something was bothering me. Since I had consumed the other ingredients without as much drama, I figured it was the almond butter.

Almond is one of my sensitivities. I was hoping I could now handle it. But that's not the case. No wonder I used to be so sick. I love almond. Almond cookies and chocolate covered marzipan used to my two of my favorite treats.

I spent the rest of the day with thick mucus handing out on the back of my throat. Annoying. Hoping to feel better in time for my production wrap dinner at Employee's Only tonight.

Next week I visited Dr. Firshein with the results of my ALCAT test. I'm wondering if he can make desensitizing drops for almond. Fingers crossed that almond and I can mend our broken relationship.

Split Pea Coma

I've been fighting sleep for several days. The weekend was really hard. I ended up giving in by taking a 30 minute nap Saturday and Sunday. I asked myself, "What's wrong with me?!" As I was waking from yesterday's nap I had a flashback to when I used to get the split pea soup from Hale and Hearty for lunch. This was at least five years ago. Whenever I ate the soup, I'd find myself fighting to keep my eyes open as I stared at my computer screen. 

All last week and through the weekend, I had been eating this split pea soup. It is delish. Afternoons can be hard enough to stay alert through. But last week was unusually tough. I'm not sure if I suffer from a food sensitivity to the peas or if they're just sleep-inducing. I found this post on natural sleep aids. Split peas make the list. 

As much as I loved the soup, I think I have to say no to it for awhile. This week it's spicy carrot soup. I hope the orange stuff keeps me amped-up all week long. 

Measuring Allergens & Tiny Buddha

This morning during my visit with Dr. Firshein I asked him about the ELISA allergy test. I had read about how this screening tests hundreds of foods on PURE2RAW. He said it's different from the skin scratch and IgE blood panel tests. First of all he explained exactly what each of these two tests does.

The skin scratch test actually reflects exactly what your body is allergic to at that moment in time. While the IgE test reflects the body's potential to have an allergy to a certain food or substance. If the potential is there, then it's only a matter of time until the allergy manifests itself.

The ELISA test also known as ALCAT measures the potential for your body to have a delayed reaction days or weeks after ingesting or coming into contact with an allergen. The great thing about the test is that it measures hundreds of foods at once. The not so great thing is the price and the fact that some health insurance companies do not cover the test. I'm hoping mine doesn't fall into that group.

These days I am doing dramatically better. I'm reacting less and less to the foods I eat. I've overhauled my diet. I've kicked most of the junk, all animal-based foods and coffee to the furthest reaches of the universe. However, I'm still having some congestion, wheezing and mucus. Obviously, something is continuing to stir up trouble. Since I want answers, I opted for the $595 ALCAT which tests 200 foods.

According to their website, the ALCAT test measures food intolerences. Symptoms of food intolerences can include migraines, chronic fatigue, IBS, Attention Deficit Disorder, Eczema, asthma, arthritis and fibromyalgia. I have asthma, a tiny bit of arthritis in my hands and left knee, a pinch of Exzema and in the past some delightful IBS. Geez...I'm a disaster. Definitely not dating material. Thank God I'm married.

Just how much of a disaster I am will be determined in two weeks when I get the results from my ALCAT.

While at the doctor's, I also had acupuncture applied to my sinuses, adrenals and knee. Once again my left knee is feeling a bit off. I think this past weekend's yoga class didn't help. The usual teacher was away. The substitute had the class do a move, that if one did it wrong, could aggravate knee issues. Thanks for that bit of helpfulness. Did I mention this was a Basics class? Is it really necessary to put basics students through advanced moves that could hurt them? I can't wait for the regular teacher to return.

During my chat with the doctor his office got very warm. He opened up the window. As he raised the blinds I caught sight of a tiny head that was holding the window open about two inches. He raised the window up, relieving the tiny head of its job. I commented that I liked the tiny head. The doctor laughed. Then he explained that it's supposed to keep all evil spirits away; not that he was superstitious or anything. The two inch security system looked kind of like this:

While I do enjoy watching Ghost Hunters, I'm not particularly fond of evil spirits. So, I'm thinking of adding a two-inch head to my wellness arsenal. Anyone else considering this?

Hallelujah!

Friday I received the results of my blood test. I had retaken the test since my results from Feb were scary awful. Also, I hadn't fasted before the Feb test. I had been at the doctor following up on allergy related stuff when he suggested I get a full blood panel. The nurse hadn't thought the fruit smoothie I drank before the test would affect things. Boy was she wrong.

For the past ten years my cholesterol has hovered in the 170 to 188 range. I've never had an awful reading. Since I've given up all animal-based foods I expected my cholesterol numbers to be sparkling. The results:

Total Cholesterol: 153
HDL Cholesterol:   82
LDL Cholesterol:    64
Triglycerides:          34

Wowsers! I've never seen such great numbahs in my life. If anyone is considering giving up meat, fowl, fish, and cheese for health reason or dramatically cutting back, I strongly encourage it.

Also, my sodium was in a normal range at 140. Back in Feb it was 153. My doctor asked if I had exercised before my test back in February. I had visited the gym that morning. She said exercise can cause an elevated sodium reading.

Another interesting number I found on my results is ph. Mine is 7.5, which means I'm alkaline. Many books I've read on wellness have stressed how a plant-based diet makes one more alkaline. And when you're more alkaline, you're less likely to get sick. Other than my allergy flare-ups, I haven't been hit with any week-long colds this year.

There has definitely been a learning curve with figuring out what to eat as a vegan. At this point, I feel like I've really hit my stride. I can easily figure out what dishes to make to have for multiple lunches and dinners. I know what items I need to keep stocked in the kitchen. And which chocolates are vegan.

Move Over Clearasil. Aloe Vera to the Rescue

Two weeks ago my partner at work got hit in the nose with a hockey stick. Big time ouch. I asked if he went home before going to the ER. I had a feeling about him. He said he went home, ate a sandwich (not sure what kind) and then went to the ER. He had a few stitches for about week and then a yucky scab.

I noticed that his nose seemed to be healing rather nicely. Was it the sandwich?

He attributed his beautiful recovery to the Aloe Vera plant. I immediately begged him to bring me a slice of his plant. When he forgot to do so the next day I began texting him 24/7 reminders.

For a little over a week I've been slicing off small filets of my aloe stem. Next I rub the clear inner meat over my Bermuda triangle of zits. I haven't really seen much change yet. Patiently waiting...

I have read about women having scars from breast surgery. Their scars healed beautifully by applying aloe vera topically to the scar over a series of weeks.

Fingers crossed my face transforms from flawed to flawless ASAP.

Bermuda Zit Triangle

It began with one hidden under my chin. Then a second sprouted within plain view. Now a third is growing just under my lower lip. The Bermuda Zit Triangle. The first two have run their acne course, leaving behind huge red round areas on my otherwise light skin.

Now my most disliked thing to do is to look in the mirror. Every time I go to the bathroom (which is often since my body doesn't absorb water.) I'm faced with the mirror. There I stare at the trio of red splotches.

I called the cosmetic derm who I've seen off and on for many years. Her next opening is May 4th. A girl can't wait. I called another doctor. The charge for the laser procedure to eliminate redness is $800. Choke.

I usually pay $250. Nothing to sneeze at. But $800 will cause me to sprout another zit. Also, it usually takes two visits to scare away the redness.

Should I buy some scratch offs? Or wait for a UFO to whisk me away from my world of acne?