This gluten thing...

As I mentioned in my catch-up entry, I found out last summer that my body has some sort of issue with gluten. I haven't actually seen a doctor yet, so I don't know for sure what it is.

I first noticed that there was a problem when I went for a normal three mile run. I was almost near the end of the run when my palms and feet started getting really itchy. Then I started feeling nauseous and the itchiness spread. I made it home just in time--there was some major rumbling going on--to make it to the bathroom. And then I called my mom to find out what was going on. The itchiness so bad that I almost wanted to cry, there was nothing I could do to make it stop. She told me that I might have what my dad and aunt (his sister) have--an exercise-induced wheat allergy. I had had two sandwiches that day for lunch, so I decided that from now on, I'd make sure to avoid eating wheat for a few hours before a run.

Unfortunately, the symptoms accelerated and I started having problems earlier in my runs and even when I wasn't running. I started doing some research and found that the symptoms of celiac sounded familiar. While it's comforting to think that a lot of "issues" that I have could go away by avoiding certain foods, I'm trying hard to not self-diagnose. I went completely gluten-free from Thanksgiving to Christmas, mainly so that I'd actually feel good for the holidays.

After Christmas, I decided to go back to gluten. It wasn't that I was having these crazy cravings for it...by then, those cravings had gone. But I want to go to a doctor and get tested for celiac. And to do that, I need to be eating gluten. It certainly doesn't make me feel good, but I have reasons for wanting to get tested--1) I want to know whether having a beer every now and then will just upset my stomach, or damage my body, and 2) I want my family to know their true family history. My family isn't very good about talking about health issues, which has made it difficult in the past to talk to doctors about my digestive problems. If anyone in my family starts having these same symptoms, I want them to be able to say, "well, someone in my family has been diagnosed with this". I plan on seeing a doctor sometime next month and going from there...

The Farmer's Market Returns!

The Dane County Farmer's Market is starting it's outdoor season this weekend and I couldn't be more excited! The market is set up around the State Capitol building, which I think is one of the most beautiful spots in Madison.

Imagine walking around this building for an hour or two. And eating at the same time.

This farmer's market is the COUNTRY's largest producer-only farmer's market. That means that only items produced in Dane County can be sold at the market and the actual producer has to be there selling the products. It's amazing because then when I have a question about how to keep my newly-purchased herbs from dying in a week, the farmer is right there to explain it to me.

Granted, since it is still mid-April and I'm in Wisconsin, there won't be a ton of produce yet (that'll get going in a couple months), but there are usually a lot of vegetables and lettuce, flowers, fresh meat and eggs, and lots of bakery. My main focus for this weekend's trip will be some goat cheese. I don't know what really got me started on this kick, but I had a salad in Miami with goat cheese and I want more. Last summer I stopped at one booth to sample some and it was creamy deliciousness. Hopefully she'll be back for this first week.

Have a great weekend!

~eca.

Homemade Sports Drink

Another Friday food edition...

I read about this in Self magazine (maybe?). It's really easy--equal parts water and orange juice with just a bit of salt (for the electrolytes). I tried measuring how much I typically use and it's maybe a little more than 1/8 teaspoon.

I couldn't imagine drinking watered-down orange juice, so I've been using sparkling water. Yum--it's like orange soda. This is what I look forward to after each run. I don't take it with me, though--I like pulp in my orange juice, but I can't imagine trying to drink a pulpy drink while running.

I've got my weekend long run tomorrow. It might rain on Sunday, so I've decided to do it tomorrow. Once again, it'll be my longest run ever--6.5 miles. I'm excited for it!


~eca.

Friday Food Day

I've decided to make Friday posts about food.


Last week I made some soup. There's a blog that I subscribe to called 101 Cookbooks with tons of recipes, mainly using organic and natural foods. I don't have access to all of the ingredients used (and some I don't want), but this soup was too good to pass up.

Meet the Kabocha French Lentil Soup.

Okay, it might look a little gross in the picture, but it was delicious. I also made the croutons--the recipe for the soup includes how to make the croutons. They were super easy to make and totally made the soup.

This soup is perfect for a winter day. Rich and creamy, but still good for you. Best of both worlds.

~eca.