Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Salvation



A health advocate refraining from whole wheat may sound like an oxymoron. And other than whole wheat, the list of forbidden foods include nuts, dairy, soy and eggs. Other than fruits and vegetables, I think I've blocked out every item a nutritionist would include in a healthy diet aye?

Guesses aside, welcome to my world. Sad but true, my overly reactive immune system triggers allergic reactions which manifests itself in the form of an itch [one damn irritating bugger] whenever I consume these foods. Never underestimate the power of a simple itch though, for anyone who has been through a bout of itch-scratch cycle can testify to the unforgiving cycles of inflammation and scratching.

My poison? Eczema. A common skin ailment which a good majority of people suffer from in some way or another. Sadly, doctors and researchers have yet to find a cure for it and one of the most widely used solution is still the usage of steroid creams and anti-histamines, both of which suppresses your immune system.

One alternative way to cure this problem, as I found out, is to cut out any or all allergens which my body will react to and though its hard, let's just say that an itch-free lifestyle is a better way to go. Every time an offending food item sneaks into my thoughts, it's met by a firm wall of determination or if that wall breaks, it's more than often met with a firm "NO!" from Qin [sigh, so now a man can't even have his cake and eat it]. So imagine my delight when I stumbled upon this huge shelf of organic, allergen-free foodstuff at Marketplace yesterday. I was like a kid who stumbled into Toyland!



Aah, I can finally feel the joy of grocery shopping again. Wheat free, gluten free, dairy free, nut free, they've really got every allergen free item under their belt. In a matter of minutes, I snapped up three [not less than fantastic] items; muesli, chocolate spread and a banana-flavoured snack bar. Dude, can you imagine dairy and nut free chocolate spread?! It's like finding calorie-free cakes man!

The muesli comprises of "corn" flakes which are made with maize and rice flour, rice puff, rice bran, coconut, and dried fruits. It's really awesome and has that full bodied taste from the coconut. I had a bowl of it with rice milk (sorry, can't take real milk remember?) today morning and it was gooooood. Plus, I was getting sick of only eating fruits every morning. ps: It really keeps me full. I lasted for 4 hours without feeling hungry.



The chocolate spread is almost like Nutella but with a much subtler shade of hazelnut. Man, it's so good I lick it off the spoon every morning. Having 60% lesser sugar definitely helps too [on the guilt part].



I haven't gotten down to prying the banana bar open and chomping on it like a chimpanzee yet. But judging from the looks of it, you bet I'm gonna enjoy it.

Why did I write this post? I have no idea. To share my joy, perhaps. Or to share this information with people who needs it as much as me. Rejoice!

13 comments:

lol said...

hey, how do ya eat mjk if ur allegic to wheat and nuts?

Sammy said...

Well, some things are worth itching for :)

Anonymous said...

Hmmmms does the chocolate spread contain artificial sweetener? That won't be very healthy either...

Anonymous said...

I didn't know soy was an allergen. I was told that if you turned vegetarian, you can be free of ezcema. Is that true?

Sammy said...

Nope it doesn't contain artificial sweeteners. They use raw cane sugar.

Hi anon, nope its not true. The reason (I can think of based on personal experiences) why you seem to be free from eczema is because all allergens are not present. Be very careful though, as vegetarian meals contain gluten and soy products, which are also potential allergens. Of coz, being eczema-free for a period of time will make it go into remission.

The way to go is to eat a healthy, balanced diet with enough proteins and cut out the allergens. Do u suffer from eczema?

lol said...

haha, some things are indeed worth itching for :P

btw, there's this brand of organic foods that sells buckwheat pancake mix! Maybe ya cld try it for your own MJK :D tt way, ya get to enjoy it without the itch :) It retails at most cold storage outlets!

Anonymous said...

Hey, I just recovered from a bout of ezcema recently (still recurring at times). It was terrible, so I can totally relate to your predicament.

Sammy said...

Yeap, seen it on the shelfs before, may try it soon!

Hey nanjara, so is it under control now? sometimes it may be certain food you eat that may be the trigger and sometimes it could be the environment, dust etc.

Anonymous said...

yeah. I stop getting those sudden bouts of itchiness and rashes. hope it won't recur again. fingers crossed.

Sammy said...

Good to hear abt tht! :)
naranja u hv a blog of ur own¿

Anonymous said...

not yet, but i have been toying with the idea of setting up a food blog of my own. ;)

Unknown said...

Hey.. juz got introduced to yr blog! it's fun reading it! anyway.. juz wanna share with ya.. I've got eczema too.. and i've been having it since i was 8! Did a food allergy test abt 5yrs ago.. I wasn't even allowed to touch bread.. =( Couldnt eat anything with preservatives including hawker food which has pepper!! Bet i'm worst off than you are.. so I totally understand.. but tell me if u do get sick of what u have to stick to becoz it's really argh!! words cant describe it! When i go for family functions, I get SPECIAL food.. super plain.. and everyone at the table goes like.. wooo.. so healthy.. -.-" soon i looked anorexic thx to eating super healthy food so i said heck it.. coz every1 complained that i was too skinny n looking like a druggie.. it was really quite bad.. =( so i started eating ang ku kueh.. guess wat?! I put on so much weight.. also with help of steriods (to suppress the eczema- juz 3 jabs in total).. thn my family started asking me to lose wt! Irony isnt it? -A.

Camemberu said...

Hiya YummyDummy, sorry to hear that you are allergic to so many food items! Must be terrible having to inspect and ponder every food for possible allergens before consuming it.

By the way, thanks for dropping by my food blog too!