My turning point

So, I decided to get serious and get checked out. It was getting progressively worse and this last event was serious enough for me to pass out. Since I hadn't set up a Primary Care Doctor for myself yet, my mom set me up with an appointment with the family doctor so I went to see him. He did what doctors do and took down information after I told him what happened each time. He checked my blood pressure and it was still lower than normal even the day after the last episode. He referred me to an allergist so I set up an appointment with her.

After my first appointment at the allergist, she gave me a script to get an IgE blood test. A few days later, after the results were in, I came back in to see her. She told me that, on the scale from Class 0 to Class 5, I rated 5 with Oak, Ragweed, all nuts, and some others. For the most part, she said to stay away from all nuts (including peanuts), to be careful what I ate around the spring time when Oak trees bloom, wheat, soy, and some other things that I didn't know I was allergic to.

She then told me that I should go get another, more in depth, blood test called an ImmunoCAP (specific to Quest Diagnostics). Again, after the results came in, I went in to see her to get the results. My mom took me this time and I found out more. No nuts, no grains (including rice, barley, rye and potatoes), no soy, and no corn. I'm part Italian and I love my pasta and bread. I cried the whole way home! Mom said "but look at the bright side. You can eat more healthy and get fit. With all the processed foods you've been eating, now you can redo your intake of food." I said, "Mom, just let me be upset about it. I'll get over it, but I just want to cry right now." I know....silly, huh?

So needless to say, I did get over it. The effects of not being able to eat corn, soy, grains, nuts have been good to my body. My skin is clearer, I've lost about 20-25 pounds since our wedding in October, 2010. Life is good.

I still miss my pasta and bread though! Desperately! Oh, and when we get sushi (which I love), I have to get just the fish. No soy sauce, and no rice. Not even the salad and soup they give you at the restaurants. I have to check the ingredients on things. I do cheat sometimes though. Like the Apple Chips I love?...they have some corn syrup in them, but it's at least halfway down the list of ingredients. I figured it would be ok. No effects from them yet. Oh and Chocolate too....there's a little bit of soy (soy lecithin, to be exact) as an emulsifier in Chocolate. Again, It's at least halfway down the list of ingredients. I'm not giving up pasta and bread AND Chocolate too. I just can't do it! I NEED CHOCOLATE!!!

So recently I watched the movie "Julie and Julia", a movie about a woman (roughly my age) and she wanted to learn to cook. So she decided she would create a blog and re-create the meals in each page of one of Julia Child's cookbooks. I think Meryl Streep is in it and I can't remember the other actors/actresses. Anyways, it gave me the idea to start a blog and post recipes that are "Liz proof" (so I say). So since you know my history with foods now within the last year and a half, I'll start posting the recipes.

Good eating!!!

P.S. - I encourage you to comment on my recipes, if you feel you'd like to. Try them out!