and down the tubes it goes

I just finished enjoying a piece of my daughter's birthday cake, a delightful creation out of The Vegan Table. I happen to agree with her that Red Velvet Cake tastes much better without the food colouring and with a little more cocoa. Of course, that makes the cake a chocolate one, and not so much with the velvety redness.

She used wheat flour in the cake. So much for my grand plan--wheat was next week's introduction.

So far, I have experienced a rumbling tummy and a whole lot of gas. We'll see what happens next, if anything.

Renee's Gourmet Poppy Seed Dressing

i enjoy poppy seed salad dressing, but i have had trouble finding a decent vegan version, let alone one that's wheat-free. this one fits the bill nicely. i also appreciate that this company believes in its ingredients enough to allow the dressing to stand without the support of artificial colour or flavour.

i paid 3.98$ CDN for the jar and i'd be willing to pay it again.

Day 4 of Soy

I've eaten soy all weekend, whether as milk or in stir-fry, as TVP or as an incidental ingredient in damn near everything else i've consumed (lecithin, soybean oil, etc)

My left eye is very tender and the surrounding tissues slightly swollen. My stomach feels okay for the last day or two, but my head has been sore, with a migraine hovering in the background.

I don't know what any of this means. I don't know if these symptoms relate to my diet in any way. I wish I had a doctor who was willing to follow this blog and give me feedback, but those I've seen seem happy to allow me to explore this on my own. I wish this stupid reaction happened more frequently and with direct relation to my eating habits.

I don't want to go back to feeling slightly sick all the time. I've felt very good these last two weeks--full of energy and far more engaged, like my brain has been switched back on.

I don't know what to do.

so much discomfort and a recipe review

i have a terrible rash on my chest, but that showed up before i drank the soy milk. pretty sure it's from the heat, as a matter of fact. my eyes have been terribly itchy all day, but i'm pretty sure that's due to environmental influences. i have a rash on my wrist that has developed out of nowhere and my stomach has ached since the soy milk and now more so after the tofu. for the last hour and a bit, my throat has become progressively more swollen and sore and so have my ears and the back of my nose, but Jacqui has a cold, so maybe i've caught one, too. mostly, i feel very uncomfortable in general and i have no idea if soy has attributed to any of it.

the good news? my face is a normal size and i can breathe, in a somewhat restricted manner, without wheezing. oh, and no diarrhea.

Orange Chicken Style Tofu

this was fantastic! so easy and so delicious. i actually found myself wondering how i've managed to miss an encounter with such a simple sauce before now. also, it kept well in the pan for the fifteen minutes the quinoa required to catch up with the rest of supper.

i rate this one 9/10 (only because i thought it needed a veggie; i tossed in some red peppers).

Day 12--What's a Day or Two Among Friends?

out of growing impatience, i've decided to challenge soy today instead of waiting until Monday. really, i doubt those two days will make much of a difference and this way i'll have plenty of time to react if i'm going. i did not relish the thought of missing any part of Folkfest to ballooning body parts. i suppose i could then sell this as a purely practical decision, but i'd be lying through my teeth.

so, this day, the... um... 29th! of July, i am drinking my first glass of soy milk in 12 days. i plan to stirfry tofu this evening with organic, wheat-free soy sauce (Bragg's--expect a review). tomorrow, i'll make a soy smoothie for breakfast. if this is a soy allergy, i should expect some kind of reaction shortly. if this is an intolerance, then, well, it could take a day or two to manifest.

an interesting side note that could be important--i have a chronically swollen gland under my right ear that has shrunk to a normal size for the first in several years over the course of this elimination.

Days 10&11--almost there

i can't wait to change things up a bit with this diet. although i haven't had any serious issues with the food i'm eating in terms of flavour, i miss some of my favourite meals like Ma Pa Tofu and sushi (i'm avoiding sushi because I can't imagine eating it without soy sauce). and the almond milk isn't bad, but i miss my soy milk.

as for my judgmental lapse, this next week includes both Heritage Fest and the Edmonton Folk Festival, both places of many interesting food choices. even reconciled to foregoing any experimentation, i face the possibility of a reaction in the middle of one of these events since this will be the first challenge week. soy will be my first challenger and i'm not too worried, but there's always the chance.

actually, i've been thinking about the order in which i should reintroduce these foods. i chose soy because i wanted to reintroduced my biggest source of protein and the least likely culprit first. if i go with wheat instead, then I get the most likely suspect out of the way immediately. hm. not sure what to do, but i should figure it out soon.

'course, then there's the possibility that the reaction comes from a combination of foods or that it's none of these things. i try very hard not think about that. i'll deal with whatever happens as it comes.

Some Interesting Side Effects

not sure what to make of this, but my other allergies are much much worse than usual after that first week of the diet. i can hardly touch the cats without my eyes itching and swelling and cutting the grass has transformed my nose into a tap.

possible causes:

1. i haven't taken any anti-histamines since setting off on this journey. i've gone for stretches without taking any and this hasn't happened that i've noticed. certainly not to this extent. still, something to consider.

2. perhaps i am definitely allergic/sensitive to one of the elimination foods and the constant ingestion of the substance has masked the effects of other allergens. not sure of the plausibility of this situation, but it sounds good.

shrug

bottom-line? i miss cuddling my schmurns.