This is my most free-looking photo, because I need to feel as free as possible.
I think I may be officially vegan by the end of the year.
My food sensitivity results came in on Tuesday, and I am officially sensitive to:
- Almonds
- Barley
- Cashews
- Casein (which is in many vegetable-based meat substitutes)
- Celery
- Corn
- Dairy
- Dried Fruit
- Kidney Beans
- Miso
- Peanuts
- Peas
- Plums
- Potatoes
- Pistachios
- Tamari (soy sauce)
- Yeast: Includes beer, cider, wine
I gotta admit, my heart sank a bit at the thought of giving up almond milk, cashew-based cheese, miso soup, peanut butter (and all the great sauces you can make with peanuts), potatoes, soy sauce, and alcohol. But knowledge is power, right?
The next step is a four-month cleanse, including the foods on my Vata-pacifying diet. And that includes soy (tofu) and wheat.
The first thing Leo said when I told him all of these things were out in the next couple of months, he wondered why I just didn’t get off the pill (which we suspect is the root cause of my digestive pain). After all, when I was younger I had almost none of the symptoms I have today. However it’s not his body that has to go through all of the side effects of going off and then dealing with another method of birth control. Plus, the test shows I am sensitive to these foods, pill or not — so I may as well avoid them if I want to feel good.
And instead of “I can’t have that” I can deliberately flip my intentions to mean freedom. Free of sugar, animal products, gluten, soy, unhealthy foods, and most importantly, pain.
Bring on the test
Four years ago following my first Biofeedback test, I was able to successfully cleanse for 3 months. Sugar was the hardest. This time around, I know I can do it, but cutting out wheat and tofu will be the most difficult. And switching to coconut or rice milk instead of almond or cashew.
It’s all great timing that I found out about all of this after an indulgent birthday weekend. In the last 24 hours or so I’ve conceived my daily plan and have polled the trusty Plant-based Vancouver Facebook Group for ideas on gluten-free food brands I can cook with. That’s another thing — I’m going to be cooking and baking a lot more than going out, because with all of these sensitivities, even a potluck can’t be trusted. I can only trust myself and what I make with my own two hands. I was telling a colleague at an event that I may not even go to Veg Expo this year, as it’s going to be mostly processed foods, and who knows what I will even be able to find.
One of the things I did yesterday was create 4 graphics to keep on my phone, to help me with meal planning, and foods to look out for when dining out. (Visit my Instagram account for the screenshots.)
I’d appreciate if you have any amazing vegan + gluten-free recipes to pass on, or restaurants that have great GF vegan, soy-free dishes.
This weekend, I’ll be filling up my flour jar with gluten-free flour and baking a huge batch of peanut-butter cookies to share. (Hit me up tomorrow if you want some!) The rest of my 2kg PB jar and regular AP flour will be going to my family.
In August, I’ll report back on the results of the cleanse. I’m bound to be pain-free after that long of a period!
To our health!
