Followup #1 to Doctor Drama!

So there was a part of the whole doctor drama story that I left out yesterday due to the fact that I needed to sleep.  In the Doctor Drama post, I said I emailed the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine to see what they say.  What I didn't say was that I also emailed Dr. Loren Cordain, professor, exercise scientist, and co-creator of the Paleo diet (which I'm a bit leary of still - cutting out all grains doesn't make sense to me), and asked him if he knew of any dermatologists in my state who would be open to working with me and my diet.  Unfortunately, he didn't know of anyone in my state (go figure), but he directed me to Dr. Valori Treloar - a certified dermatologist and nutritionist and co-author of The Clear Skin Diet (with naturopath and M.D. Dr. Alan C. Logan).  I'll email her and see what she recommends.  I've also requested her book (Hurray for Interlibrary Loan!) just to see what she and Dr. Logan say in the book and speed the process along(No redundancy!), but I must say that from what I can tell from the Amazon.com previews (Hurray for that too!), it'll be an interesting and potentially edifying read. 

Doctor Drama!

A brief summary of what has transpired since making the doctor's appointment.

I went to the health center to see one of their dermatologists yesterday morning.  I told her about what I did and that, when I stuck to it, it worked (and that my face shows that I've been needing to do better).  She was very supportive, and wrote me a referral to the local allergist to test for food allergies.  Sounds great!

After the appointment, I called the local allergist to make an appointment.  First, they wouldn't be able to get me in until November (well, okay . . .), and then, when I told the receptionists that I was testing because of acne issues, they insisted I go to the local independent dermatologist (also the allergist's wife!).  Thinking, "well okay, maybe they just don't trust the university doctors", I relented and made an appointment with the second dermatologist for today, in the process messing with my office hours and my research schedule, to convince the allergist that I, in fact, needed his services.

Every time I see a dermatologist, I mentally prepare for an argument.  My experience runs counter to the standard Western medicine explanation that diet has nothing to do with acne, and I know that, when people are presented with fundamental challenges like that, they get . . . funny.  I was ready with the first dermatologist, and I was ready for the second.  I went in with my stack of papers, was very polite (if my teeth were clenched a bit because of the redundancy of this dermatologist visit), presented my situation, and asked for help.  This second dermatologist recommended that I drop everything I was doing and try another antibiotic and another suite of washes/creams because the people who had prescribed my biomedical interventions in the past had prescribed the wrong stuff.  I would just have to give her regimen two months of perfect adherence - including dropping my way of doing things.  I said (as politely as I could, I might add) that I couldn't give her those two months and I wouldn't give up the diet.

And then she got defensive.  She said that because I couldn't trust her (a doctor from a branch of medicine that has failed me for 10 + years who I'd just met and implied that my diet/regimen was bunk), I needed professional mental help.  She said she would call the allergist (but I didn't see her do this because she walked away before I could insist that she do it in front of me) and that she wouldn't charge me (for what amounted to a mutual waste of time, I might add), but I have a feeling that all she did was rant to her husband about some [insert your derogatory term of choice for young women here] refusing to just do what she said without question - she's the one with the MD in dermatology, after all.  What is more mentally - even spiritually - unhealthy?  Doing something just because an expert in the arena says so - even if your experience AND some legit research suggests that what that expert recommends may not hold as much water as they would like to think?  Call me a heretic (which I am - especially in my field of expertise), but I'll go with someone calling me crazy and going with my gut than doing anything that doesn't make sense to me - especially when we're talking about my body!

Anyway, I wrote back to the first dermatologist this afternoon, explaining the situation, and she recommended I contact the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine - the institute Dr. Andrew Weil founded to do research in to doing medicine in a way that makes the patient a partner, rather than another body, and is open to dietary intervention and other more "natural" ways of healing.  I sent their resident allergist an email explaining the situation so far and asking his advice.  He redirected me to their senior director - who I just emailed a copy of what I wrote to the allergist.

We shall see what happens.  I'll keep you posted, dear readers.

A brief guide to c-dfsf milks in coffee

As I said in today's review of Turtle Mountain's Coconut Milk Yogurt, I was in a hurry to get to church and I needed breakfast.  I also bought some of their Cultured Coconut Milk to use in my Starbucks coffee, which, in addition to prompting an interesting dialogue with the aspiring-vegan barista on-duty, made me realize that not all non-dairy milks go well with coffee.  While I like Turtle Moutain's Cultured Coconut Milk straight; as my green powder's reconstituting liquid; or in smoothies, this particular products almost-yogurt like consistency did not work with the coffee at all.  When I tried stirring up the coffee and the milk up to get the milk to dissolve, nothing happened.  Not only that, but the cultured coconut milk did nothing to cover up the bitterness of the coffee and added a yogurt-like aftertaste.  I ended up going home, opening a can of lite coconut milk, and pouring some in (along with some honey and vanilla extract) to get it right.  Thankfully, I wasn't late for church - I had plenty of time to warm up, practice the hymns, meet the guest speaker, and improvise variations - but it made me think that others (particularly those who don't live dairy-casein free AND soy-free) would find the variety of commercial dairy-casein-and-soy-free milks overwhelming, especially when doctoring up something as simple (and delicious) as coffee.

Rice Milk: the most common choice among coffee shops looking to accommodate dairy-casein-and-soy-free folk, rice milk isn't bad flavor-wise, but is the most watery of the options available.  Even so, I do not complain much when that's the only c-dfsf milk option available, since it's mostly the local coffee/breakfast places where I am that have started offering c-dfsf milk, and I'm just grateful to be able to say, "Let's grab some coffee at [insert 'me-friendly' restaurant here]".

Almond Milk:  a common alternative to rice milk in our local natural foods grocery and a growing alternative in more mainstream grocery stores, commercial almond milk generally has a pleasant, nutty flavor and does fairly well texture-wise in coffee. 

Hemp Milk:  another alternative to rice milk, though less common in mainstream grocery stores than almond milk.  Of the commercial nut/seed milks I've tried, I like this one the best in coffee because of the unusual, rich, nutty flavor and creamy texture.  

Coconut Milk:  this is my favorite overall for doctoring up coffee because of it's light, sweet flavor and naturally rich, creamy texture.  I also prefer it hands down because regular, untouched coconut milk from a can is rich and creamy without "food" additives like carrageenan.  Commercial almond, hemp, rice milks - as well as preprocessed coconut milk milks - all have similar "food" additives for similar purposes.  When I make nut/seed milks at home (which I do regularly) I put in some coconut milk in the mix because it adds some good, creamy texture.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Review: Turtle Mountain So Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt

I was in a hurry this morning to get to church and needed to grab breakfast on the go, so I took the opportunity to try Turtle Mountain's So Delicious Coconut Milk Vanilla Yogurt.  I'll go on record with the shortest review in existence:  yum.  The texture was right; the flavor was great; my only regret is that it's so expensive - $2 + for an 8 oz carton - and that it has carregeenan - a thickener I try to avoid.  Now that I know that it's possible, I'll just have to figure out how to make my own.  In the mean time, yum . . .

Common Ways of Eating

In spirit of promoting understanding of the ways that different people organize what they eat, I've put together a brief glossary with broad definitions of common ways of eating.  Enjoy!
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This list is by no means exhaustive, but provides broad definitions of common ways of eating.  If you are someone without dietary restrictions providing food for someone who is and you have doubts about whether or not they will eat a particular dish for any reason, ask. 

Those who avoid meat and/or animal-derived products:

• Vegetarian:  generally speaking, a person who does not eat meat or meat products (i.e. meat-based broth).  There are different sub-groups of vegetarians, however, who may consume dairy (lacto-), eggs (ovo-), fish (pescatarian), or some combination of the three (i.e. lacto-ovo-vegatarian).
• Vegan: a person who does not consume any animal products or products derived from animals (i.e. meat and meat products, dairy, eggs, etc.).

Those with suspected/confirmed food sensitivities/allergies or are following a biomedical intervention protocol for autism:

• GF:  short for "gluten-free", someone who avoids gluten, a protein found in wheat and wheat-related products.
• CF:  short for "casein-free", someone who avoids casein, a milk protein.  
• SF:  short for "soy-free", someone who avoids soy and soy products.
• Top 8:  refers to those foods responsible for most allergic reactions.  These include gluten, dairy, soy, tree nuts, peanuts, eggs, fish, and shellfish.

Those on special diets for other concerns:

• Raw Foodist: definitions vary, but generally speaking, a person who eats mostly or only foods that have not been cooked or have been dehydrated at very low temperatures.  Some raw foodists are vegetarians or vegans, some aren't.
• Paleolithic: a person who eats only what was readily available to paleolithic age humans.  Any food that became available only when humans began practicing agriculture is out (i.e. grains, dairy, sugar, etc.), leaving only foods readily available to hunter-gatherers (i.e. meat, berries, mushrooms, etc.).
• Whole Foodist: a person who eats only food prepared from scratch from fresh ingredients. 
• Locavore:  a person who eats mostly or only food produced near where they live.  Definitions vary as to how close the food needs to be sourced to be considered "local".

Those who follow dietary restrictions for religious reasons:

• Note:  Many religious traditions do not lay down dietary restrictions per se (i.e. Christianity, Buddhism), but many practitioners have taken up certain dietary practices based on their interpretations of their religion (i.e. many Buddhists are vegetarians or vegans, some Christians do not eat meat on Fridays, etc.).  Also, not all people who practice a particular religion necessarily follow all dietary restrictions, for various reasons.  If in doubt, ask.
  
• Kosher (Judaism):  dietary restrictions laid out in the Torah.  Rules include prohibitions on kinds of meat (i.e. no pork) and the way the meat is slaughtered and prepared; not mixing meat and dairy in the same meal; and restrictions on mixing utinsels used for meat and dairy.  For more information on basic kosher rules, check out Judaism 101's entry on keeping kosher.
• Halal (Islam): dietary restrictions based on the Koran.  Rules are similar to Kosher rules in that they include prohibitions on kinds of meat (no pork) and the way the meat is slaughtered and prepared.  Other rules include prohibitions on alcohol and certain food additives.
• Hinduism:  many Hindu practitioners avoid meat and meat products to varying extents.
• For more detailed information on different religious traditions' dietary restrictions, check out Faith and Food

Housewarming Party! More recipes coming soon!

My roommate and I had a house-warming party to celebrate the end of the first stage of moving and to have some fun.  We did it potluck style with everyone bringing finger foods or drinks (we got lots of lemonade and a little wine).  I didn't expect anyone to try to cater to my issues - so I made a gfc-dfsf fruit and veggie platter with three dips - bean dip (a hijacked hummus recipe that I accidentally made very garlic-y - but people liked it still), my chocolate goo, and a vanilla coconut goo.  All of it came off really well - especially the vanilla coconut goo.  Unfortunately, I didn't measure out what I made - I was rushing to finish the dips before people started arriving - so I don't have an exact recipe yet.  I promised someone at church though that I would give her the recipe, so I have plenty of reason to re-create it (that and it's quite yummy).

Dining out? Some helpful hints

In a similar vein to my ranting about the CNN article on miserable dining-out company, I thought I would offer up my strategies for navigating the awkward, "I can't have that" conversation regarding restaurants.  These are only my personal strategies; they are not the only way to go about things; and they may not necessarily work in every situation.

1)  Respect the others' needs/preferences, whatever they may be.  Food isn't just about shoveling calories down your throat - it's a social experience.  "Normal" folks (for a lack of a better term, those who don't have special dietary restrictions) should respect the needs/preferences of the food sensitive/intolerant, the vegetarians, the vegans, the raw food-ists, etc. and vice versa.  Quoth the Rabbi Hillel, "What is hateful to thyself, do not do to another.  That is the whole Law, the rest is commentary."  In the words of Jesus, "Love thy neighbor as thyself."

2)  For those with special dietary needs, always have a plan ready.  For example:

• Have a mental (and/or physical) list of "okay" restaurants/dishes ready for those spur-of-the-moment, "Let's grab lunch" conversations.  
• Going to a restaurant with a menu that doesn't readily accommodate your needs?  Call the restaurant ASAP, explain your needs, and, if possible, negotiate a compromise.
• Cannot go to restaurants period?  Offer to cook something you can eat that is agreeable to your company.
• Someone wants to grab a bite and you have your food already?  Offer to meet them in a neutral place (i.e. their desk, their office, a picnic table outside, etc.).     
• Going to a party?  If at all possible, confer with the host/hostess about "okay" options in advance.  Offer to help them plan/prepare the food themselves or to bring an "okay" option to share.  If necessary, have "okay" options ready.  
• Hosting a party?  If possible (and there are situations when this is not possible), bring or cook something that you can't have, but others can.

The bottom line?  Be prepared to be part of the solution.

3)  For those without special dietary needs, be supportive and flexible.  For example:

• Going out?  Let those with special dietary needs lead.
• Cooking for someone with dietary restrictions?  Hosting a party?  Choose recipes that are naturally "okay" when possible.  Some ingredients are more easily substituted than others: i.e. substituting plant-based oils for animal based fats and one sweetener for another are pretty easy; good soy-sauce and cheese substitutes are hard to find, however.

The bottom line?  Don't be afraid to get creative or try something new.

Picky Dinner Pals - by necessity

I've been enjoying CNN's Eatocracy for a while, but I'm a bit perturbed about the comments to an entry about adults who are picky about what they eat when going to restaurants.  Now there are reasons to be perturbed at someone who is just downright rude (I really dislike those too), but in the case of trying to avoid certain foods because of potential food intolerances by asking the waiter to hold the cheese on a burger - it's already trying to be food intolerant (or, in my case, potentially), but folks who don't make an effort to understand or accommodate folks with food intolerances are just as miserable dinner company as picky eaters or rude folks.

Forgive me for ranting, but respecting each others' dietary differences has become a priority for me.  I live with a kosher vegetarian; am happily in a relationship with a guy who loves his meat and cheese; am friends with those who eat versions of the Standard American Diet, as well as vegans, gluten-free, and dairy-free folks, and would never think to impose my dietary restrictions on any of them.  In fact, the struggle is finding places where we can all sit down and break bread so that they can eat freely, and I don't have to compromise (unless I feel like owing a confession).

New Address!

The Acne-Free Foodie has changed its name and moved!  It's now The GFCFSF Acne-Free Foodie, and the new address is http://thegfcfsfacnefreefoodie.blogspot.com.  More updates coming soon!

Happy August! More re-branding thoughts

We're going into the 4th month of The Acne-Free Foodie, and I'm still looking for more ways to make this little neck of the web a bit less academic and a bit more . . . fun? Food and cooking is my anti-work. When I get frustrated with my professors, or my work, or my colleagues, or "the system" (which can and does happen), I go home and cook - even before starting this thing. Cooking is not (and has never been) work and neither should The Acne-Free Foodie be. Pictures and video would help, and I'm working on that, but I'm not much of a picture/video taker - it's not a habit . . . yet.

Furthermore, I wonder if this could be less about sane food advocacy. That's happening a lot on the web and it's important - trust me - but it doesn't help my family or my friends trying to navigate this change with me. I don't know how many times I've had to explain what I can and can't eat; where I can and can't eat; how to adapt recipes so I can eat them; finding good substitutions so I don't stick out like a sore thumb; and how awkward those conversations can be. I wonder if it wouldn't more helpful to help non-gfcfsf, sane-meat-and-poultry-only, no-artificial/processed-sweeteners folk (i.e. most people I know) navigate the gfcfsf, sane-meat-and-poultry-only, no-artificial/processed-sweeteners world from a female 20-something's perspective. It's a little different from the mom's cookbook-with-pictures-of-good-food-and-healthier-kids approach, but I'm an unmarried, 23-year-old grad student with no children. That approach isn't going to work for me.

Any thoughts?

A Tactical Shift

One of my favorite ways to kill time is to go on ted.com and watch one of the talks. I've been trying to unwind after the GRE experience (studying and stressing up to yesterday) and I found this one by Lewis Pugh on how he tackled a cold water swim on Mt. Everest.

Regardless of what you think about climate change, the idea of revamping a tactic when your current strategy isn't working is useful. I've been looking at this lifestyle shift as a restrictive, temporary thing, but it's clear that I'm going to have to keep doing it in order to continue to have a semi-clear/clear complexion. Continuing to consider this thing as a restrictive thing is not going to help me stay on it.

A realization or two (or three)

So I've been trying to figure out what exactly to do with The Acne-Free Foodie to make it better (and bring more people to the site), and I'm thinking that a major restructuring of the blog is in order. Here's what I'm thinking:

1) The original purpose - to be an advocacy/food-news/cookbook blog that challenges the conventional wisdom about food-health relationships - was a bit too ambitious. I need to par this thing down to make it manageable for a music theory graduate student. The original intent may have been a good idea for someone in a food/health-related field, but maybe not for music theorist.

2) The recipes I've posted (except for the basic buckwheat) are woefully inexact. The reason for that - that's how I cook. Cooking, for me, is something creative and (in comparison to composing music) instantly gratifying. I don't have a professor "murdering my baby" when I cook - it's just me and the food. I don't have a problem taking liberties with recipes or experimenting without them because, in my other creative pursuits, I'm supposed to create my own recipes. For someone else though, that's downright intimidating.

3) This blog is all text! I'm not taking advantage of one of the things I most love about the Internet - the multimedia, hypertextual possibilities. I frequently rant about how academia has not taken advantage of all the web-based publishing's possibilities, yet I have yet to post so much as a picture on this blog. How hypocritical!

So, in summary:

1) More focused purpose
2) More detailed, exact recipes
3) More multimedia integration/hypertextuality throughout

What say you?

New Blender - and I didn't break the bank! (yet)

The failing blender issue has been temporarily resolved. We ended up getting a $100 KitchenAid 5-speed Custom Blender (KSB560) a brick and mortar Bed, Bath and Beyond for $80 with a 20%-off coupon. I've not tried it yet, but the reviews online are favorable. I do hope that this holds up better than by my poor Oster, which will be given as comfortable a retirement as a blender can receive. Goodwill will take blenders that work, and it'll probably serve the average user much better than it will serve me. It's the least I can do, especially after asking the Oster do things at a frequency it was never designed to handle.

Holy Bleep! (on Vitamixes)

I've been looking around at blenders to replace my poor Oster blender, which is starting to go. I've heard from multiple sources (the blogosphere, Consumer Reports) that Vitamix makes the best blender on the market and will last for a long time. I knew it would be pricey because it's institutional/professional chef quality - not to mention durable - but the base model, the Vitamix 5200, the time of this writing, is $449.00! That's enough to make any grad student gulp in terror. I guess I could just buy another Oster, but I don't want to have to buy another blender in 4 months (since I've been slacking) because I've been using it (abusing it?) the way I have. At the rate I'm going through blenders, I'll go through 2 $40 blenders a year. That's $80 on blenders a year. At that rate, it'll take me 5.625 years to get to $450. I feel great when I stick to the diet, and it helps tremendously, but I'm paying quite a bit for food as it is. That much on a blender - even a good blender - is a lot of money. Yes, spend it on food or spend it on the doctor, but sheesh - this better work!

Odds and Ends: Facemapping Acne

This is cool - face-mapping acne to see what's causing it. According to this, the rest of my acne, which is largely on my upper cheeks these days (though I have some on the lower cheeks and on my neck), could be due to lung issues, talking on the phone, or my pillows. I have had minor respiratory issues in the past during exceedingly bad allergy season, and I probably don't exercise enough. I've got time these days, so I don't have an excuse.

Odds and Ends: New Format! New Features Coming Soon!

Earlier today, I was experimenting with a new format for The Acne-Free Foodie and found this lovely template. With very little modification, I'm pleased to say that the new format and color scheme fits more with the my vision of what The Acne-Free Foodie is all about: easy access to good, clean, well-prepared food for a clear face, body, and mind. More features will be coming soon inspired by (or taken directly from) you, readers, as well some of my own ideas on how to make this more user friendly and attract more people to the site. Feel free to share more ideas in the comments below!

Odds and Ends: I am (more or less) done moving

I have been dealing with moving and reorganizing stuff for the past few weeks, and it has made writing (not to mention cooking) difficult, if not impossible. I'm getting back into the swing of things though and will be writing regularly again soon - I've yet to get used to my new, otherwise beautiful, but pantry-less, kitchen. Rather than rehash all of the confessions I actually owe you, dear readers, I'm going to ask that we skip ahead to a new chapter in this gfsfcf diet: how to get through extreme food boredom and make this diet a semi-permanent fixture. I get my home Internet installed on Monday, so you'll be hearing from me soon.

Odds and Ends: A Food Revolutionary - in my sleep!

As has probably become apparent, my "food philosophy" either resonates with or is influenced by Jamie Oliver and his Food Revolution. That said, I apparently eat, breath, and sleep the Food Revolution now (as opposed to the GRE and my research).

I had a dream that, among other things, I was touring an elementary school and I heard one of the teachers complaining about the fresh, home-made, nutritious, beautifully prepped and presented food. I let it go briefly because I was talking to someone else about something else, but I finally delivered a Jamie-Oliver-esque lecture about how the food on her plate would make her feel good and help her students behave better and achieve more in her class. I wasn't even thinking - the words just came - flawlessly.

I know where this came from. I've been struggling a bit with the social consequences of taking on the AFF diet. I'm not a social butterfly, but I prefer sitting down to a home-made meal to restaurant food any day of the week. It's so much cheaper, and I get to cook. Maybe it's the teacher in me, but I like showing people how easy, fast, and yummy home-cooked food can be. Professional cook I am not, but I can do simple, good, nutritious dishes on a dime with little effort. That's all a grad student needs to get by.