Eating That Elephant

I’m not here to preach the evils of MSG and it’s relatives. I’m not out to change the world right now, just help my family and others like us feel better.  Whether you believe these substances are harmful to everyone, or you just want to see this as similar to “an allergy”, doesn’t really matter to me.  But if you suspect MSG is a problem, perhaps I can help you find where it is hiding.  (hint: the answer is very close to “everywhere”, I’m sorry to say).  (If you want to read a little bit about our story, see the previous post,  http://stroyan.net/lisasblog/2011/eating-that-elephant-one-bite-at-a-time/)

First, I thought I should start with a quick primer on terms.  One overall bucket term I’ll use is “excitotoxins”. According to Wikipedia, “Excitotoxicity is the pathological process by which nerve cells are damaged and killed by excessive stimulation by neurotransmitters such as glutamate and similar substances. This occurs when receptors for the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate (glutamate receptors) such as the NMDA receptor and AMPA receptor are overactivated.”  The book to read if you are interested in understanding more is Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills by respected neurosurgeon Russell Blaylock, MD. (You can also see videos on YouTube with the same name as the book).

The most prevalent excitotoxins are glutamate and artificial sweeteners (I’ll have to post separately on these, but suffice to say that I’ve found evidence that all are excitotoxins to different degrees, though not everyone agrees).

Glutamate, a.k.a Glutamic Acid, is a widespread amino acid. In neuroscience, glutamate is an important neurotransmitter that plays a key role in long-term potentiation and is important for learning and memory. Glutamate is found naturally in all living cells, primarily in the bound form as part of proteins.

So, if it is so important, why do we avoid “glutamates”?  There are a few theories on this.  The biggest functional difference is whether the glutamate is bound or not. Only a fraction of the glutamate in foods is in its “free” form, and only free glutamate, free glutamic acid (FGA), can enhance the flavor of foods.  My experience is that we only see reactions to the free form.

Jack Samuels, a leading advocate against MSG and excitotoxins being added to our food, speculates that people are reacting to a different form of glutamic acid, a stereoisomer D-glutamic acid,  that is created by high heat and acid processing (which is true of most food additives, “natural” or not):  http://www.truthinlabeling.org/manufac.html This does hold true with my experience. Our son has never had a reaction to an unprocessed food that I know of. However, he is very sensitive but still not as sensitive as some people, so as with all of this, YMMV — “your mileage may vary”.

What about MSG itself? MSG is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, or free glutamic acid attached to a sodium.  The main reason MSG is so toxic is that it is extremely concentrated, though some argue that the form is different. I’ve not needed to research this much as we just avoid it.

So the upshot of this is that we need to worry not just about MSG, but a whole variety of foods that have been processed and concentrated to the point where they have significant amounts of FGA.  Here is my favorite list, though not in the order that I would put them in (I’ll write about that separately): http://truthinlabeling.org/hiddensources.html

That’s enough information for one post.  Stayed tuned for more!  And remember, one bite at a time.

Lisa

“The only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time” — this has become one of my favorite sayings, not just because it is so applicable to parenting a child (now a teen!) with health issues, but because the absurdity reminds me to lighten up a little.

For those that don’t know me, I’m the mom of a teenage son that has health issues. He has struggled with his health and mental health for years, and we have slowly been peeling layers of the onion off to figure out exactly what is underneath and build up strategies to help him. First the diagnosis was anxiety and mood disorder; then extreme fatigue and adrenal insufficiency; then we discovered extreme glutamate sensitivity and were able to alleviate many symptoms with strict dietary changes, but wanted to know why.

Finally chronic fatigue syndrome with possible cardiac issues down the road were added into the mix. That pointed us in a direction of genetic malfunctions. We “bit the bullet” and did the Yasko genetic panel (http://www.holisticheal.com/media/downloads/guide-to-nutrigenomic-testing.pdf), and think we have finally found the “core” (the doctors helped, and my husband is a great support but if I can toot my own horn for a moment…I have worked daily on this for years). Everything fits in the puzzle. Finally, it’s all explained.

I was going to write that our son has been doing really well recently, but it seems that every time I do that, I jinx it and we have a really rough time for a while, so I won’t It’s up and down, but he can function so much better than a few years ago, and for that we are very grateful. The bad news is that it’s genetic, he has it for life, and we might already be doing a good bit of what we can to manage it. It’s unclear how much it will impact his life on a daily basis as time goes on. But in some ways the fact that it’s genetic is good news…because we can completely let go of all the blame that subtly comes with any “out of the norm” situation…the cause is not poor parenting, or poor moral character (which I knew, but it’s nice to *know*, you know?

He’s on a combination of about a couple dozen supplements and one medication (I have added/removed things almost weekly for the past three years and kept notes as to what the effects were for him since that’s all I had to go on). He still can’t eat most ingredients with even trace amounts of glutamate without his mood and energy plummeting, which is hard for a teen. But as I didn’t say earlier, overall he’s doing very well considering our road.

So, why am I telling you all that? I’ve decided to rename this blog and post more about what I’ve been learning. I hope this can be an accessible resource for any parents struggling with children with chronic health issues, and particularly to anyone that wants to eliminate glutamates/MSG/excitotoxins from their diet, which is and continues to be our lifesaving tool. Also, I’d like to hear what you are learning also, and use this blog to spur discussion.

So I hope you will come along on the journey with me!  Let me know if this is useful for you, what questions you have, what areas you suggest I look into more. I’m an extreme extrovert, so the more thoughtful conversation we get going, the more I’ll be inspired to write .

Magic The Gathering Cake

I made this cake for my son’s 14th birthday, held at Gryphon Games and Comics, our local game store. I thought I would post how I did it, in case anyone is interested in trying it out.

Main Cake Ingredients

Two of the guests couldn’t have gluten, and one couldn’t have dairy.  My son requested a lemon cake, so we followed the directions on Pamela’s GF cake mix, two packages, and made 2 9.5 x 11 cakes.  We needed to level the cakes to make a flat surface, so we sliced the “bump” off the top of each.

We started with a natural-style icing, but it was sticky and not very opaque, so we used it as a glaze. We  flavored it with lemon and spread it on one layer as “filling”.

Next we placed the un-iced layer upside down on top of the other, and iced the two. This “crumb layer” stops the cake from crumbling when the frosting is put on later:

IMPORTANT: Next the cake was frozen overnight, to set the crumb layer and give a hard surface to decorate on.

The next day when the cake was frozen solid, I mixed the frosting colors. I don’t have pictures, but each color was mixed in a small bowl and then each of the accent colors were put into a ziplock baggie.

I used the following colors: Olive brown, black, orange-brown, light blue, dark brown, purple, and white.

The background is frosted in olive green, with an orange-brown oval in the center (I cut out an oval from paper and then carved a thin line around it with a knife to mark it). Then after cutting off a small amount of one corner of the plastic bag, I piped on a purple outline around the oval.

The baggies could be put in either warm or ice water to get them at the right consistency:

I found a picture of the MTG logo and enlarged it to the right size for the cake, and printed out the portion that has the words “Magic The GatheringTM”.  Then I cut out the inside light blue color to make a template.  I gently laid the template on the cake, and filled in the spaces with light blue frosting, then carefully lifted it off. I did the same thing with the rectangle at the bottom.

“Deckmaster” was also piped in, referring to a printout of the logo for letter shapes.

Next I piped in the outline for the Magic, and added “The GatheringTM” underneath:

Finishing touches include frosting the edges in black, creating a rectangular indent with a knife, and adding min-m&ms (the white and black painted with frosting).

I’ve had this happen before. Dreams. Too many vibrant dreams. They come crowding in at 2 am, like annoying chattering children that are trying to make sense of long drawn out stories but never quite get it right. By dawn I’m waking up every half hour, trying to brush them away and regain my hold on reality, only to have new ones attack me just as I’m falling back asleep. The line between reality and dream gets blurrier and blurrier as my attempts to make the dreams go away become part of the dreams themselves.

I finally give up and pull myself out of bed, looking for the peace of a quiet mind, and my head is filled with alternate realities that don’t make sense. I almost never remember my dreams…all of my life most of my dreams have been wispy, fragmented, shadowed versions of stories that last only seconds. The occasional vivid dream would stay with me like a strange book I had read, but it was rare. But now, these pesky ones cloud my memory with truths that never happened.

Now I’m exhausted. I don’t want to live two lives at once, especially when one never makes sense. I’m taking GABA and a combo with melatonin, valerian, and theanine; it makes no difference whether I take them or not. I’ve tried not having caffeine after my regular morning coffee, and I’ve tried not having any alcohol; neither made a difference. In the past I’ve had luck with tryptophan but it hasn’t seemed to do much this time, probably because I used to have trouble when going to sleep, and now it’s later in the night. Maybe I’ll try a ton of melatonin, working up slowly. I’d rather not take a sleeping pill; I’m so sensitive to things like that. Ideas are welcome, though.

Over two years ago, I asked a group of friends for movie suggestions to watch with my (then) 11 year old. I was about to ask the same question again, and realized that wouldn’t be very nice when I never compiled the original list as I had promised (though we did use some of the suggestions). Still, I would love any additions you have.

My new focus (what I would like to expand the list to include; this list was “just for fun”) is “Entertaining movies that a 13 year old ought to be exposed to for the sake of cultural knowledge”. (We’re only at PG-13 right now, but if they are R rated, I’ll just save them for a couple years). You know how someone makes a joke, and I never get it because I can’t remember the movie (or anything else for that matter…)? I don’t want him to suffer that fate, and this is one little way I can slip in a bit of “cultural education” into our homeschooling. (Shhh, don’t tell him that). But movies that are just great entertainment are good too.

So before you read the list, think about this – what movies have really made an impact for you? What movies do you think would be important for a liberal, independent-minded young man to see? Then add them in the comments and I’ll (eventually) add them to my list.

Akeelah and the Bee
Bring It On
Cave of the Yellow Dog
Charley Chan movies
Elf
ET
Flight of the Navigator
Groundhog’s Day
Flight of the Mimsy
Kids in the Hall (preview first)
Labrynth
Legally Blonde
Monty Python Flying Circus
Legend
Mask of Zorro, The
Master of Disguise
Men in Black
National Treasure and the sequel
Pink Panther (w/Peter Sellers), The
Pirates of the Carribean
Pixar films
Pursuit of Happiness
Raiders of the Lost Arc
Remember the Titans
Secret Garden, The
Secret of Roan Innish, The
Sinbad
Stick It
Strictly Ballroom
Touching Wild Horses
Whale Rider
Zoom

I wrote this post at the end of August. I think I can finally post it now…

I keep thinking I will write an email to some people, notably our doctor and a support group that I may have outgrown, saying that our son is doing great. But then another part of me says, “don’t jinx it! You know better than that!!!”  My son would say I’m being superstitious.

For those of you that don’t know us that well or follow my blog, which is probably most of you since Facebook has revolutionized the art of sharing blogs with your 300 best friends since I wrote most of the older stuff, suffice it to say this kid doesn’t have the easiest path in life.  It’s not the hardest, either – as I remind him frequently he is incredibly lucky in so many ways, not the least of which is to have us as parents.  (Yes, I get that, and am not ashamed to admit it –nor to occasionally bonk him over the head with that fact when needed).

The thing is, there is this strange dichotomy in my approach to thinking about his future.  First, I’ve become an expert at trusting that he will pick up the skills he needs, on his own schedule, or at least trusting that enough not to panic in the moment .  This trust had to be built over time (with a fair number of freak-outs along the way).   There were times I wondered if he would ever get dressed on his own, shower more than once a month (you think I’m joking, don’t you?), make his own food, or any number of things.  And, somehow, though perhaps later than everyone else and with lots of stress all around, he is doing those things.   So I diligently (and with lots of mistakes), apply this trust to knowing he will someday have a job he will enjoy, an education that will be sufficient in some way or another, and relationships that are at least semi-functional.

But on the other side of the coin, whenever there is progress, I’ve learned not to get attached to it, even as I continue to push forward and do everything in my power to help line up the stars for this kid. I don’t count on good days predicting more good days, because it’s so hard for both of us when it backslides, and as you know progress is never even and steady.   And sometimes, I try to avoid those inevitable dips with superstition.   I mean, if everything goes downhill for the next week who is to say if it was running out of B6 and phosphytidalcholine or adding extra hydroxy-B12?  Maybe what really was the cause was this blog post!  (Especially if changing those things back doesn’t bring an upswing, which is usually how it goes with us).

But the truth is, he is really, truly, doing well compared to a couple of years ago, even to last year. He is handling a rather full schedule of activities (though not half as grueling as school, undoubtedly); he is becoming more and more self-sufficient by the week; and he is growing up to be a well-spoken, almost (do I dare say it and tempt fate?) even-tempered young man.  We have made much progress and discoveries on the medical path, and I’m allowing a part of myself to hope that he will overcome this completely someday.

One of the things I’m also learning, at what seems like a horridly slow pace, is to trust myself. Trust that I can deal with whatever comes tomorrow, even if it’s not what I was expecting.  I’m learning to trust my gut when it gives me good information. And if superstition helps me with that, perhaps there is nothing wrong with that.  So I think perhaps, I’ll write this but not publish it quite yet.  Let’s see what the day brings, first.

(Since I wrote that, we did indeed have a few dips into difficulty – but we’ve pulled through each time. It’s all about trust, I think….)

Hitting “Publish” now.

For some reason, this summer I have been obsessed with clouds.  I think we are having one of the best cloud summers ever in Colorado. A best friend has started calling me “cloud girl”. I’m really not sure why this preoccupation came about, though I’ve always liked clouds, or at least since I painted them all over my son’s ceiling when he was 5. I remember then that suddenly, what was just background noise popped and became a constantly changing diorama of inspiration.

Painting makes you notice.  Suddenly you stop seeing just the big picture and you see the details of what you are trying to capture.  Recently I’ve found the same is true of writing. It’s impossible to try to capture what you aren’t paying attention to. Perhaps that is why I’m so entranced by clouds this summer.  Perhaps I’m finally paying attention – to life, to where I am, and not just to where I’m putting my feet. (Yeah, we’ll see how long it will last ).

The clouds are never the same.  I’m sitting outside on my deck, and there are new clouds compared to ten minutes ago when I sat down. They were light and fluffy, but the big gray one with little color differentiation has moved around from my peripheral vision into the front. I like change, in general.  I’m the proverbial butterfly as all my friends know.

Of course, what I like is movement, preferably aesthetic, not upheaval.   (I’m eying that dark cloud suspiciously, and wouldn’t be very happy it if started raining on me). I happen to be in a good point in my life right now that paying attention is easy.  Sometimes when the proverbial big gray cloud comes around, and there really isn’t any detail to see, it’s hard to keep paying attention.  I get that.

But looking down isn’t going to change what cloud is above you.  One of my favorite therapists (yes, I have more than one favorite therapist, and yes, I really do sometimes need more than one) used to say, when you don’t know what else to do, just look up.  Physically, look up. There is something about looking above the horizon that helps our outlook, both literally and metaphorically.

So whatever you would like to do, but aren’t actually doing, try paying attention and see what happens.  Pay attention to the clouds for a while.  Sit with a cup of coffee and see if you can just be with them for a while.  (I lasted 5 minutes. I’ll try for 6 tomorrow).

And if what you want to do is write (because it is, for so many of us), just start. Writing doesn’t always take us where we want to go.  I’ve had a big revelation lately – if I want to know how I feel about something, I just start writing.  Today, I noticed the clouds (for the several-hundredth time) and as I started self-justifying my obsession in my head, I thought, “Huh. What’s that about?”  All I started with was, “this summer I have been obsessed with clouds.”  That’s really all I had. (Oh, and a resolution to write a little something every morning, and a lack of inspiration about what I had planned to write about).  The rest was sitting there waiting for me to find it once I started writing.  A lot of things about life are like that, I think.

Pay attention, and then just start.  Let they journey take you where it will.

Oh, yeah, I guess then I have to just follow my own advice, and just hit Publish.  Hmmm, maybe I’ll watch the clouds a little more first….

I’ve decided to change the way I eat for a few weeks. After that, we’ll see. I write this with some trepidation, though; it’s seems every time I tell people I am embarking on a new way of eating, I quickly abandon it, as though the commitment itself gets in my way. I’ve not figured out why, but rather am just determined not to let it happen this time, and everyone’s support means a lot to me, so I’m going to risk it.

The main idea is that I’m cutting out certain foods from my diet completely for a while. I know this is counterintuitive. Deprivation, and all that…but I think that not having some strict structure really backfires for me, somehow, especially around sugar. I’m starting to think that for me, having a little sugar is feeding my addiction to it, screwing up my blood sugar, and messing up my willpower to stop at just a little. And, it’s not like I have been eating all kinds of junk. I’ve had a fairly healthy diet for a while, just with the more-than-occasional hit of sugar, sushi, pasta, or one leading to the other

I know from experience that going lowfat would help me lose weight…but I don’t think my hormones are up to that stress right now, so I’m going to try this first. Here’s the plan.

- Focus on grassfed, organic meats, eggs, vegetables, and high-quality dairy
- Eliminate sugar and processed grains
- Eliminate all hydrogenated oils and highly processed oils
- Eliminate additives and artificial sweeteners
- Avoid potatoes except sweet potatoes and those I get from my CSA
- Keep whole fruit, coconut flour, quinoa, and some other ancient grains (black rice perhaps, maybe soaked oats later)
- Allow small amounts of honey, dried fruit, nuts, and nut butters
- Use coconut oil, olive oil, and grass-fed butter, avoid all other (seed) oils

I welcome questions about foods I have not thought of and how they might fit in, especially if you are considering doing this yourself.   If you are curious why I’m going with an animal product based diet versus low fat or vegetarian, or you wonder why I would use butter and not canola oil for example, look at websites such as www.westonaprice.org, http://realmilk.com, or do a search for “paleo diet with dairy”.  Honestly, though, this is a divided issue and both sides can find research to support their case; right now, I’d rather not debate the various camps.

My belief is that everyone’s genetics, personality, and values are different so there is no one right way for everyone – I have no vested interest in this being the “right” way for anyone else. The same request applies to those that would question whether going on a strict “diet” is the right way to approach weight loss or whether weight loss should be the goal – it may not be your goal or your approach, but trust me, I’ve been around the block a few times.  I know the arguments, and I’m comfortable with my strategy at this point.  (And if you think this is dangerous for me, I’ll just mention my blood pressure is way too low already; I’m not planning to send my body into ketosis due to the fruits and healthy grains; and I’m only talking about 2-3 weeks here).

Recently, some books and resources have been recommended to me, plus I have a list I like and this is as good a place to collect them as any.  I’ve not read many of these.

- Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats by Sally Fallon
- Eat Fat, Lose Fat: The Healthy Alternative to Trans Fats by Mary Enig
- Potatoes not Prozac and The Sugar Addict’s Total Recovery Program by Kathleen DesMaisons
- The Mood Cure by Julia Ross

- Women Food And God by Geneen Roth
- Health at Every Size by Linda Bacon
- Suicide by Sugar by Nancy Appleton
- Sugar Blues by William F. Duffy
- http://www.squidoo.com/sugar-free-halloween

I welcome anyone that would like to to join me.  Thanks to all for your support (and trust that I am capable and smart enough to not hurt myself even if you think I’m a bit wacko .

Lisa

I’m sitting at my computer with the sun streaming through the frigid air outside and into my warm room, sipping coffee brought to me from across the ocean by a friend, it’s rich flavor blunted by local raw cream and a bit of honey. The dichotomies of life seem harsh and stark today.

The world seems off-kilter, tilted, like the deck of a boat in uncertain weather. The thoughtless routine of daily life goes on, and yet it seems ever more important to elude it’s pull. And to find meaning; if not outside of that routine, then somehow within it.

I’m eating my local organic eggs with a mango, which I see (after scrounging the label from the trash in curiosity) is from Peru. And I’m remembering a sustainable local dinner provided by a lovely vibrant woman, a woman who would embrace my mango from Peru and yet, also inspire me to notice, to appreciate, to live with awareness and conscious choice. A woman who is suddenly gone. Somehow I just can’t find the meaning in that, quite yet. But I can sip my coffee with awareness and appreciation, and I can give out unconditional love, and that will have to be enough for now.

Just wanted to share these cards that I completed last weekend, after stamping with my friend Charly and getting one of her paper packs.  I used extra basic ivory cardstock for some of the card bases, so I ended up with 4 extra patterned papers and 1 cardstock, and still got a nice set of cards that didn’t take very long.

Quick and Fun cards