Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth. (Arthur Conan Doyle, through his character, “Sherlock Holmes.”)
Some things have been eliminated, so other things must be true. Right? (Yes, I know. I started last week’s post this way as well.)
Related to the issues that led to getting a colonoscopy as discussed in last week’s #winewellnesswednesday post, I followed up this week with food allergy testing.
Three things on the list of allergy results were not a surprise, although one of them now confirms that going gluten-free was a good plan. I already knew I am allergic to pecans and walnuts; I suspected I might be allergic to wheat.
The rest of the list of food allergies was a major surprise. Some items are a massive, horrendous disappointment. I found out today that I am also allergic to almonds, cashews, peanuts, sesame seeds, soy, codfish, and crab. Interestingly enough, an item that came up as an allergy 30 years ago did not this time, although it may be an intestinal irritant that’s bad enough to avoid eating, and that is corn. Codfish & crab aren’t a big deal; I didn’t eat them anyway. Seeing sesame seeds on the list is disappointing, as I like them very much. But the nuts – almonds and cashews – and the peanuts? And an outright allergy to soy? Those are a massive shock and a major disappointment. Peanuts are in many things that I like very much. And soy? Soy, possibly more so than wheat, is EVERYWHERE. One of my favorite gluten-free pastas has soy flour in it. A majority of chocolate bars include soy lecithin. Not to mention I cannot now safely eat edamame, and that makes me very, very sad.
I’m trying to look at the things that I can eat and think of the opportunities! The nightshades are safe, so I can happily still consume peppers, tomatoes, and potatoes. Rice, oats, milk, meat, strawberries, onions, garlic, and apples are all ok. It surprised me that celery is ok, as it makes my throat itch if I eat it raw. But while I have many things to watch out for, and losing almonds, cashews, and peanuts was a shock, I also have really good options for wholesome, nutritious foods that I can still enjoy. I am now even more encouraged to focus more on cooking real food, instead of relying on processed foods. And that is a good, good thing.