So as I am venturing to test my tomato allergy, I am also trying out different medicines that may combat it. Now, for severe allergies that pop up when the Santa Ana winds blow through I usually take a pretty high dosage of Claritan and that helps tremendously. Benadryl does not help with the wind.
However, I could not help myself when my Mikey craved some Chris & Pitts BBQ to order a side of their oh so yummy spaghetti. I did not devour it all, as I usually do and really wished I could. But I did take a good 3 or 4 fork-twirls full. I had a medium to mild attack in the morning. (Trust me, it was worth it!) I saw the Benadryl Allergy pills in the bathroom shelf and thought I'd give it a shot. IT WORKED! Now, it may just be because it was only a mild attack, and may not work for severe reactipns, but wow. This could be a breakthrough for me. Here's hoping! Keep you posted...
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Birthdays
I turned 31 on the 15th of this month. Oh my goodness. Feels different to finally be in your 30s. But I hear that these are the years I should be well into knowing just who I am and loving it. Well, I've learned to deal with the little tummy pouch I've acquired over the years, and even made peace with the lines and age spots forming on my face, but I have yet to reconcile with my career and my diet. How am I to know who I am when I don't even know what I can eat?
Whoever came up with that idea obviously never developed a new food allergy later in their life. My birthday celebrating was low key, just the way I like it. Hair cut, pedicure, dinner, and a play. Lovely. But I chose to celebrate one night with my family at Medievel Times, a dinner and tournament show. First item on their menu: tomato bisque. What can I do? Its a set menu, not a restaurant. Good thing for my Mikey though, there were absolutely no dairy dishes, not even the dessert.
To make matters worse, L.A. has seen an entire week of horrendous storms and I have developed a pretty nasty cold and now must put my tomato experimenting on hold. Se la vie. The last few months have been difficult with my boyfriend injured and unable to walk. I guess its just one less thing I need to worry about...for now.
Whoever came up with that idea obviously never developed a new food allergy later in their life. My birthday celebrating was low key, just the way I like it. Hair cut, pedicure, dinner, and a play. Lovely. But I chose to celebrate one night with my family at Medievel Times, a dinner and tournament show. First item on their menu: tomato bisque. What can I do? Its a set menu, not a restaurant. Good thing for my Mikey though, there were absolutely no dairy dishes, not even the dessert.
To make matters worse, L.A. has seen an entire week of horrendous storms and I have developed a pretty nasty cold and now must put my tomato experimenting on hold. Se la vie. The last few months have been difficult with my boyfriend injured and unable to walk. I guess its just one less thing I need to worry about...for now.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Unpredictability
Last night I worked til 3AM and came home looking for a snack before bed. I know you're not supposed to eat before bedtime, but I was starving. I noticed Mike had gotten take out Mexican food. I ate probably about 2 ounces of rice and beans, basically whatever his leftovers were.
I woke up twice having to blow my nose for at least 30 min. I had no idea why. Now it hits me: Spanish rice. Having made Spanish rice myself in the past, I now remember that it is made with tomato sauce. It didn't even occur to me. This allergy is so new, and its so difficult to change the way I've eaten for the past 30 years. I'm not used to having to question everything I eat, what it's made of. And I am definitely more sympathetic to Mike for his milk/whey allergy he's had to deal with his whole life.
The hardest part is eating out. Mike and I are novice food critics and have enjoyed dining at gourmet restaurants on occasion. Imagine the horror the chefs go through when I explain that they cannot use any milk or dairy in their signature five-star, five course meal. And now I have to further explain they can't use tomatoes as well. I would hate to cook for a couple like us! God help us...
I woke up twice having to blow my nose for at least 30 min. I had no idea why. Now it hits me: Spanish rice. Having made Spanish rice myself in the past, I now remember that it is made with tomato sauce. It didn't even occur to me. This allergy is so new, and its so difficult to change the way I've eaten for the past 30 years. I'm not used to having to question everything I eat, what it's made of. And I am definitely more sympathetic to Mike for his milk/whey allergy he's had to deal with his whole life.
The hardest part is eating out. Mike and I are novice food critics and have enjoyed dining at gourmet restaurants on occasion. Imagine the horror the chefs go through when I explain that they cannot use any milk or dairy in their signature five-star, five course meal. And now I have to further explain they can't use tomatoes as well. I would hate to cook for a couple like us! God help us...
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Frustration
Though I do love the food of my heritage, sometimes you just get sick of the richness of most Filipino foods. Have you ever been so frustrated in not knowing what to eat that you just didn't eat?
I found that today, I was bombarded with things too do; laundry, oil change, cleaning, that I somewhat forgot to stop for a meal. Compound that with how difficult it is to prepare a meal within the criteria of both my tomato allergy and my boyfriend's milk allergy, I was just at a loss. I just didn't feel like eating at all. Can anyone commiserate?
I found that today, I was bombarded with things too do; laundry, oil change, cleaning, that I somewhat forgot to stop for a meal. Compound that with how difficult it is to prepare a meal within the criteria of both my tomato allergy and my boyfriend's milk allergy, I was just at a loss. I just didn't feel like eating at all. Can anyone commiserate?
Chicken Adobo
My favorite authentic Filipino dish of all time! Again, blissfully free of both tomatoes and dairy! This is my family's recipe
Ingredients
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1 (2-3 pound) chicken, cut into pieces (I prefer legs small legs and wings)
* 1 onion, quartered and sliced
* 2 tablespoons minced garlic
* 1/3 cup white vinegar
* 2/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon garlic powder
* Few pieces of peppercorn (most use 2 bay leaves)
1. Marinate chicken in soy sauce and vinegar overnight, or for few hours prior to cooking.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken pieces until golden brown on both sides, then remove. Stir in the onion and garlic; cook until they soften and brown, about 6 minutes.
3. Pour in vinegar and soy sauce mixture, and season with garlic powder, peppercorns (Most use bay leaves and black pepper). Add the browned chicken, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the chicken is tender and cooked through, 35 to 40 minutes.
(Note: if the taste isn't to your liking, you can neutralize the intensity of vinegar,soy sauce using small amounts of white sugar)
4. Serve over white rice!
DELICIOUS!
Ingredients
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1 (2-3 pound) chicken, cut into pieces (I prefer legs small legs and wings)
* 1 onion, quartered and sliced
* 2 tablespoons minced garlic
* 1/3 cup white vinegar
* 2/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon garlic powder
* Few pieces of peppercorn (most use 2 bay leaves)
1. Marinate chicken in soy sauce and vinegar overnight, or for few hours prior to cooking.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken pieces until golden brown on both sides, then remove. Stir in the onion and garlic; cook until they soften and brown, about 6 minutes.
3. Pour in vinegar and soy sauce mixture, and season with garlic powder, peppercorns (Most use bay leaves and black pepper). Add the browned chicken, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the chicken is tender and cooked through, 35 to 40 minutes.
(Note: if the taste isn't to your liking, you can neutralize the intensity of vinegar,soy sauce using small amounts of white sugar)
4. Serve over white rice!
DELICIOUS!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Testing the Waters
Actually, testing the tomato ;) Since I had different reactions to eating cooked or raw tomatoes, I have started testing different tomato dishes to see if there's a compromise I can make with my diet. My results so far:
I do have an allergic reaction when consuming anything tomato, but the severity differs greatly.
Raw tomatoes: I ate a BLT last night, used to be one of my favorite sandwiches. I've had a pretty bad sinus build-up and did wake up once to blow my nose for a good 30 min. Bad, but not the worse. I had the same reaction when I accidentally ate a raw tomato underneath some cheese in a nacho plate.
Cooked or stewed tomatoes: This was the worse! That soup with the stewed tomatoes rendered the most horrible attack I've had in a long time. I couldn't even sleep; my sinuses were clogged, my head was pounding, and my nose was absolutely raw with the continuous blowing. Yikes!
Sauces containing tomatoes: oddly enough eating spaghetti, pizza, and dipping shrimp in cocktail sauce was not too bad. It gave me minimal symptoms, some sniffling and a few blows on the nose but that's about it. Maybe if the tomatoes are mixed in a sauce with other ingredients lessens the allergic agents in the tomato. Ketchup however, seems to put me into a severe allergic reaction.
Not rocket science, but good to know what things I can play with in my daily diet! Keep you all updated...
I do have an allergic reaction when consuming anything tomato, but the severity differs greatly.
Raw tomatoes: I ate a BLT last night, used to be one of my favorite sandwiches. I've had a pretty bad sinus build-up and did wake up once to blow my nose for a good 30 min. Bad, but not the worse. I had the same reaction when I accidentally ate a raw tomato underneath some cheese in a nacho plate.
Cooked or stewed tomatoes: This was the worse! That soup with the stewed tomatoes rendered the most horrible attack I've had in a long time. I couldn't even sleep; my sinuses were clogged, my head was pounding, and my nose was absolutely raw with the continuous blowing. Yikes!
Sauces containing tomatoes: oddly enough eating spaghetti, pizza, and dipping shrimp in cocktail sauce was not too bad. It gave me minimal symptoms, some sniffling and a few blows on the nose but that's about it. Maybe if the tomatoes are mixed in a sauce with other ingredients lessens the allergic agents in the tomato. Ketchup however, seems to put me into a severe allergic reaction.
Not rocket science, but good to know what things I can play with in my daily diet! Keep you all updated...
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