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I've started to write something, repeatedly, and then delete what I've written.  There are so many things I want to write about but I'm having trouble putting my thoughts and feelings into written words.

I suppose I should start with my 15-year-old daughter.  Ever since she was little, she's had problems with constipation and stomach pain.  We've been to the ER at least 3-4 times, because we thought she was having an appendicitis attack.  On the last trip, nearly a year ago, the doctor looked at her x-rays and said, "You're full of shit."  Ha ha.  Funny doc.  She told me to give her Milk of Magnesia and warm apple juice.  I did and it seemed to work.

On Sunday, my daughter had some ice cream (she is lactose intolerant and I'm guessing she neglected to take any Lactaid, with it, and most ice cream has High Fructose Corn Syrup/HFCS in it) and she had a can of "retro" Mountain Dew, made with sugar, not HFCS.  I am 99.9% sure the sugar is made from beets, not sugar cane.  My daughter has told me, before, that sodas make her sick.  This one made her VERY sick. 

She has missed three days of school, because her plumbing is all backed up.  Then she told me she's actually had the opposite problem, in the past, and she thinks she has FM, like me.  I've been giving her Milk of Magnesia (MoM) but she's not getting any relief.  I've skipped juice, because if she truly has FM, that would make the problem WORSE, not better.  Oranges are supposed to be "safe", in small quantities, with 1/3 cup orange juice equalling one orange.  I gave her a little warm orange juice, last night, with the remainder of the MoM.  She was still miserable, this morning, but insisted she could not miss another day of school.  I'm sitting here, waiting for the phone to ring.  I hope she can make it through the day.

Yesterday, we were watching a TV show, when a commercial promoting High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) as healthy and natural came on!  Are you kidding me??  I was very angry.  The rise in obesity in the U.S. completely parallels with the introduction of HFCS into our foods, which became the norm in the 1980s. 

Some researchers believe that HFCS may be causing Fructose Malabsorption.  That commercial really ticks me off!  How do I get a PSA on TV, warning people about HFCS?  What kind of non-profit group can I form, to fight those folks and help my FM friends, out there?

Update on the Australian restaurant.... I found a restaurant in Melbourne that serves low-fructose meals.  They also sell fructose-free ketcup, steak sauce, and other products, with the claim that they look and taste like they have tomatoes in them.  I've emailed them TWICE, with no response.  This is really frustrating.  If they don't want to sell and ship to the U.S., that's fine, but they could at least respond. 

Until next time....

Yummy Dinner

I'm in the process of moving my blog to a new home but it's going to take some time.  I still want to update you on my day-to-day living with FM.

My sister picked up some "Spring Roll Skins" at an Asian market.  They appear to be Vietnamese and they are made of rice!  I was surprised to find that they look and feel like sheets of hard plastic.  So, I set up a pan with some simmering water and dipped the skins in for about 3-4 seconds and then took them out with tongs.  You have to lay them out flat, immediately!  They don't need to be perfectly flat.  You're just going to roll them up!

I filled the skins with some leftover beef from last night's stew, some bean sprouts, and some cabbage that I just tore into small pieces.  Then, I poured a little what-free soy sauce on the filling and folded them up like skinny little burritos.  The skins wrap up, beautifully, because they're sticky.  I fried them in a little oil, rolling them to brown them on all sides, for just a few minutes.  Too long, and they started to fall apart.  Yes, they'd be crispier if deep fried, but I didn't want to add those kinds of calories and heart-clogging techniques.

My entire dinner was done in about 15 minutes, start to finish!  It was delicious and such a nice change from my usual "safe" foods.  Everything I ate was "safe" and it was scrumptious!  Don't be afraid to experiment.  You can do this!  Being Fructose Free doesn't have to mean flavor-free.

A Family Adjustment

My family means well.  They went shopping while I was at work, last weekend, and they picked up a few things for me.  The gluten-free Glutino pretzels are excellent!  No one would know they were gluten-free.  They do have corn STARCH but not the flour, so they seem to be okay for me.  The organic vegetable stock is a huge no-no.  I think hubby saw "organic" and that it had no wheat in it and assumed I could have it.  Sadly, no.  "Keyword honey?  VEGETABLE."

I discovered that my favorite wheat-free pancake mix has CORN FLOUR in it.  How did I not see that, before?  I was blaming my pure maple syrup on my reaction, when it could be the corn flour!  This was a forehead-smack moment.  Yes, the maple syrup could still be a factor but I need the right pancake mix to be able to test it.

I cooked up a batch of my favorite turkey burgers, last night.  I mix turkey with liquid smoke, salt, oregano, a little paprika, and I add sauteed mushrooms that I cook with butter and large chunks of onion and garlic.  This time, I added a little wine.  I remove the onion and garlic and chop up the mushrooms, before adding them to the turkey.  I made half with some provolone cheese in the middle (I would've used cheddar but we were out) and half without.  Yummy!  I usually eat them with some mayo mixed with a tiny bit of mustard.  I miss ketchup.

Yesterday, I had a good, reaction-free day.  This morning, the pancakes got me.  I want everyday to be reaction-free.  Will that ever happen?

Searching

I'm constantly searching for better wheat-free bread and new foods that are safe to eat.  If you've purchased gluten-free bread, you know it's expensive.  I found this site with great prices!  I have only tried one of their products - french bread rolls - and they were very good.  I found them at our local Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage.  I have emailed this company, to ask if they use cane or beet sugar in their products:

http://www.gilliansfoods.com/

I'm also trying to find an ice cream without corn syrup.  I thought this would be easy but it's not!  Cold Stone Creamery and Baskin Robbins both use corn syrup (and who knows which type of sugar).  Breyers All Natural Coffee ice cream seems promising but I emailed their parent company, Unilever, to ask about the sugar.

I found this site that lists products without HFCS.  It's very possible that many of these products have corn syrup in them, so you'll have to research individual products, before trying them:

http://www.stophfcs.com/list.html

I ran out of my homemade muffins and brought buttered/salted Quinoa to work, for breakfast.  I'm also out of turkey and beef patties.  I have a lot of cooking to do!  I hate cooking.  That's why having a disorder like this is so damn frustrating.

Quinoa!

I finally cooked up some Quinoa (pronounced, KEEN-wah) and what a nice surprise!  It cooks just like rice - double the water for the amount of Quinoa.  I replaced the water with Wolfgang Puck's Chicken Stock (it appears to be the safest of the broths available at the store) and I added about a half-a-cup of sliced mushrooms.  It was done in 20-25 minutes and had a nice, mild flavor.  I found it to be too bland, so I added about two teaspoons of "Move Over Butter" to my serving and a little salt.  Perfect!  Tomorrow, I may try it with some wheat-free soy sauce.  Beware of Quinoa pastas at the store.  They usually are made with wheat or corn flour, too!  Regular Quinoa, the grain, is fine.

Making dinner for my family proved to be quite a challenge, today.  I hadn't thawed any meat, so I grabbed a box of frozen Taquitos and a can of chili.  I smothered the Taquitos with the chili, a little cheddar, and some Mexican crumbling cheese, and baked it for an hour.  OH, it smelled so GOOD!  While serving up this poisonous dinner to my family, I took a small bite.  HEAVEN!  I took another small bite.  Would this have tasted this good, before my fructose-free diet?  Corn was my next challenge.  I took the smallest bite and I swear, it was the sweetest corn I've ever tasted in my entire life!  I hope I don't have to pay for those nibbles of naughty food, since I have to be at work by 6am.  At least I can sit here and enjoy my Quinoa.

Progress, not perfection....

The BBQ mixture my daughter created for me on a chicken dish was actually very good!  I still haven't attempted making a sauce with cauliflower but I will!

Dicyclomine has changed my life.  I no longer cramp up before, during, and especially after a trip to the bathroom!  I also make fewer trips to the bathroom, unless I've eaten something from the "Naughty List."

One of my staples is a muffin mix that I added some completely natural dried cranberries to.  My hubby picked up a different brand of wheat-free mix for me and it just isn't as good.  I added bluberries to it and I have to warm them, cut them in half, and add butter to them just to eat them.  When I find the mix I like, I'll share it, here. 

My attempt at making a wheat-free pizza dough was a complete disaster.  Someone in my Yahoo support group recommended a particular brand of mix that you can order online, so that's next on my list.