Pumpkin Spice Bread

Happy Halloween Everyone!

I love Halloween, making the costumes (my brother and I always made our costumes instead of buying them), going trick or treating, the parties, the requisite watching of Nightmare Before Christmas, and this year is my first year handing out candy (I haven't been home before). I love it all! However if you have GERD the candy bit can get tricky, instead of treaty. All the literature I've read says you can have hard candy, or gummy candy, or pretty much non chocolate candy. What's the point in candy if it isn't chocolate?!

Well, I don't have a chocolate or a candy option for you yet, but I do have some mighty fine pumpkin bread.

Recipe very sightly adapted from Fat Free Baking. I'll be referring to this book a lot. Most fat free books consider something to be fat free if it has less than 10 G of fat, but this one hardly gets above 1 G. This recipe for example has 0.4 G of fat, that's comfortable of just about everyone!

1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup cooked mashed pumpkin (I used canned pumpkin pie filling and omitted the pumpkin pie spice)

1/2 cup apple or orange juice

1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional) (I used walnuts)

Preheat oven for 350° F.

In an electric mixer combine the flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and baking powder, and stir to mix well. Add the pumpkin and apple or orange juice, and stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in the nuts if desired.

Coat an 8-x-4 inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spread the mixture evenly in the pan, and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or just until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Remove the bread from the oven, and let sit for 10 minutes. Invert the loaf onto a wire rack, turn right side up, and cool before slicing and serving.

GERD Flair Up

Originally posted on September 20th, 2011

Valkyrie is a Guide Dogs for the Blind puppy in training whom I'm currently raising.

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When I got Valkyrie I was so busy with her that I didn't watch what I ate and I have been paying dearly for it this week. I've been trying to avoid gluten, cow dairy, white rice, white sugar (mostly), and as usual excess fat. This is as hard as it sounds, so I've decided I need a plan for the next time this happens. This will include a special folder with recipes that fit those requirements, freezing foods, and finding products that are useful. Two useful products I've found just recently are Gluteno pretzels, a great snack that is gluten and dairy free, and Newman's Own makes cookies that are also gluten and dairy free.

Yesterday and today I've been feeling better so I think I'm getting back to normal.

And as always I've had great support to get through the hard times.

Free cuddles from a sleeping puppy.

Free cuddles from two doggies; that's even better. :P

Lesson in eating that GERD is trying to teach me

Originally posted on June 21st, 2011

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I was eating breakfast this morning and reflecting on how I eat now compared with 6 months ago and was really surprised at what I found. Some of this is advise I picked up from what few website and books are dedicated to GERD and some of it I learned by doing.
The first is: Take your vitamins. I don't feel bad when I don't take them, but I feel better when I do.
#2: If there is something specific that you want, eat it because you won't stop eating until you find that flavor. This becomes more significant when your stomach has shrunk to the size of a runty grapefruit, but it's good advise for everyone.
#3: EAT SLOWLY. There's really not much more that needs to be said on this one.
#4: When you eat, just eat. I don't remember where I picked up this great piece of advise but I'm glad I did. The theory behind it is that you don't feel satisfied if you haven't taken to time to really look at, taste and consciously know your eating. Using myself as an example, I have a habit of eating while watching TV which is unsatisfying because I am not focused on what I'm eating or what I'm watching so I feel I haven't done either.
#5: It's okay to put things back. I'm a member of the clean your plate brigade, I don't know how that happened because my mother was too smart to resort to the old "eat everything on your plate or you don't get dessert" line. She knows dessert is important. But it happened, so now (with my stomach the size of a grapefruit) if my eyes are bigger than my stomach I'm learning, all be it slowly, that I don't have to stretch my stomach to fit my eyes.
I'm sure this list will get longer as time goes on.

Preparing for my EGD.

Originally published on May 21st, 2011

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     Next Thursday I finally have an appointment that will help make a definite diagnosis of GERD. The procedure is called an Endoscopy also called and EGD. They put a flexible tube with a camera on it down my throat and look at my esophagus and maybe stomach and duodenum. As far as I know they're looking for signs of damage in my esophagus from stomach acid refluxing. Sounds fun right? I'm glad that I'll be half way sedated. I have two problems with this procedure besides the obvious, the obvious being that there will be a tube down my throat. One; Half the time this test in inconclusive. Even if there are no signs of damage in the esophagus doesn't mean that the patient doesn't have GERD. Two; it's so counter intuitive that I have to damage my esophagus more to find out whether I'm damaging my esophagus.

GERD the Disease

Originally posted on April 24th, 2011. 

At this point I was pretty sure I had GERD, but I hadn't had any tests done to confirm it.

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I don't know about you, but when I first heard Gastric Reflux was a disease I almost laughed. How could it be a disease? It's only heartburn right? Maybe a chronic problem or disorder at worst. Well, I'm not laughing now. Welcome to the dark side, not that there is a light side, of GERD. 

The side where you start crying because the last 15 days you've been in pain whether you ate the things that are supposed to cause you problems or not. The side where you wake up wheezing in the middle of the night because you ate after 8 o' clock so your stomach wasn't completely empty when you laid down, and for some reason GERD exacerbates asthma. The side where you made some delicious cookies with out thinking and now they sit there on the counter starring at you, begging for you to eat them. And even though you know it's going to cause you problems you give in to their pleas, because you used to be able to do that before you had GERD. The side where yesterday you were able to eat something that is on the 'bad for you' list and felt fine and today your eating exclusively on the 'good for you' list and feel awful. The side where you haven't had a completely pain free day in the last 4 months.

There is also the public perception of GERD, at least the one I've seen. Where whenever you actually tell someone you have GERD the moment the word reflux comes out of your mouth you know their thinking "Oh that's just heartburn. Everyone has that, it's no bit deal" because that's what you would think. You also think that only older people get reflux so what am I doing with it when I'm not even 20 yet? There's also barely anything written about GERD and even less that is useful to an actual sufferer. I've only found one book so far that's dedicated the the subject and I was surprised even to find that. It would be nice to find a GERD support group or have a GERD awareness week.

On reflection of all that, GERD is truly a disease and not one to be brushed off. 

(not that I'm suggesting that any of you would do that)

Digestive Disease Humor

Originally posted on May 10th, 2011

I'm really proud of this post. I think it strikes the right balance between seriousness and humor.

The part about pregnant, nursing, or may become pregnant is just because it's attached to all pharmaceutical commercials (or it seems like it), and should not be taken as anything more.

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 I've had this idea floating around in my head for a while. A weight loss commercial for digestive diseases! What? Your not sold? Its in poor taste? Your probably right...but I'm going to do it anyway.

*In a classic announcers voice* Have all those other weight loss diets let you down? Ever thought "If only there was something more I could try"? Well now there is! Try Digestive Diseases they're guaranteed to work and keep working for a long time! No one knows how you get most digestive diseases or how to get rid of them, so be sure you want one before you order! Digestive Diseases may cause loss of appetite, pain, nausea or vomiting, but its ok because that the way their supposed to work!

*don't get a digestive disease of you are nursing, pregnant, may become pregnant, or want to live an easy life. Side effects may include: trouble sleeping, irritation, depression, lethargy, lack of patience, and shopping. It is advised that you get your recommended dose of hugs while having a digestive disease. 

So call for your free trial today!

My first visit to the Gastroenterologist

Originally posted on April 20th, 2011.

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 I went to the  stomach doctor  last week and she thinks that my pain has either been from a mis functioning gall bladder, not likely, or Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), very likely. The symptom's for GERD are pretty much the same a regular acid reflux only all the time, and it's caused by the muscle seal that closes off the stomach from the esophagus isn't closing all the way. I'm planning on doing more testing to rule out my gall bladder, and confirm the GERD. In the mean time I'm learning a new way to eat that seems to help me feel better. I am now not, or not supposed to, be eating fats, good and bad, citrus, caffeine, tomatoes, and mint. I did really well staying on the diet last week, than I was at the convention center all day over the weekend watching the fencing tournament and we ran out of Caroline friendly food so it slid for a few days, and now I'm finding it hard to get back in to it. Has anyone had that problem before? On the upside I've been losing a pound a day since Sunday, probably because I haven't been eating much. The down side of not eating much is that I have no energy.  Now that we have food in the house that I can eat again I'm sure my weight will slow down to a more healthy rate, but it was fun.

I thought I was better

Originally posted on February 4th, 2011

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Also a week or so ago I mentioned I felt awful, well that's pretty much gone now. The acid reducers seem to have worked after all, which means it probably was an ulcer in my duodenum or elsewhere in the upper GI tract (sorry about all the jargon, mums in nursing school now and she seems to be rubbing off). Anyway, I'm quite glad that ordeal is over.

Kefir Smoothies and Greek Quinoa Salad

Originally posted on January 25th, 2011 also before I knew I had GERD. (I found out in late May 2011).

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Mmm, Smoothie

Peach Kefir Smoothie: I call this a smoothie even though its really just peach kefir, because it's refreshing like a smoothie. The kefir has just enough tang to be refreshing while the peaches don't bombard you with sweetness. All my measurements are rough because I just eyeball it. If it tastes good then you've done it right.

About 8 ounces Helios Vanilla Kefir (low fat kefir will probably feel the best)

About 1 ounce Pureed tinned Peaches

Stir the two together and enjoy.

Heres the main event gastronomically speaking; Greek Quinoa Salad.

I can't take full credit for this as a friend introduced me to the recipe but I did tweak it a bit by adding tomatoes instead of red pepper and using sheep's milk feta. Once again all the measurements are approximate because I don't actually measure.

1 cup quinoa made with chicken broth instead of water

6 kalamata olives

2 cherry tomatos

2 tablespoons sheep's milk feta 

Discouraged

For the next week or so I'm going to be putting up old blog posts from my other blog that I think are relevant here.

This first post is from before I knew I had GERD.
Originally posted on January 24th, 2011

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I am throughly discouraged. I've been sick for about 2 months now, I've tried not eating milk or gluten, and I'm on a double dose of acid reducers, and I still feel awful! The only options I feel I have left is to go to a gastroenterologist and see what they have to say or go to a fellow called Paul Rosen that my friend recommended who will take my life apart. I don't like either of those options and more importantly I don't think either one will work. And even if they do it's going to be at least six weeks before I show any signs of improvement. I can't waste that much time!

   At first I though this would be annoying but we could figure it our fairly fast or it would resolve itself. It's two months later now with no end in sight and it's having an enormous impact on my life; I don't want to and see no point to going to school, A trip I was excited about taking to go see some of my friends in Seattle this weekend I'm canceling because it's more trouble than it's worth, and I'm breaking down in tears at least three times a week, which is throughly embarrassing and, more to the point, not like me.

   I'm just stuck, and I don't know what to do, and I don't see myself having any sort of future, certainly not one I like. And I'm really afraid, I don't want to be this uncomfortable forever and it feels awfully like the bad old days.

   I have two term projects to work on this weekend plus application stuff and I just don't know how I'm going to do it.

A trip to Starbucks

Picture this. Standing in line at a coffee shop (today it was Starbucks) trying to decide which drink is going to cause you the least problems, there aren't any. Then, in your perusal of the menu you see a section labeled customize your drink and it comes to you in a flash of hope. You can make your drink low fat! How marvelous, you can have your drink and drink it too! So exciting. So you go up to the counter and embarrassedly order your nonfat pumpkin spice latte and even more embarrassedly you refuse the whip cream. (Even though you love that stuff! Being a Gerdie is hard sometimes.)

Why was I embarrassed? Well, that's really the subject of this post. In my experience it always a glamourous and extremely fit woman, or a powerful business man that order nonfat stuff. Those people who you know would have no problem working off the calories, but they are just too good for them. In essence they are snubbing calories. I am embarrassed at the thought of being mistaken for a calorie snob.

So I declare it here and now, I only drink nonfat drinks for medicinal purposes!