#anyway it's scrambled eggs and cheese with zucchini and a topping of cherry tomatoes in a butter sauce it's so good

[lastoneout]

I really don't mean to brag too much but I truly have figured out how to make the perfect wheat free breakfast.

[freelifegf-blog]

Systemic Nickel Allergy & Whole30

July 20, 2016

Mary Herrington

I haven't blogged about my Whole30 experience. Shocking, I know. But I have truly been a bit distracted with moving, unpacking, finding a new home, inspections, step-son visits, repacking and scheduling another move for the past 4 weeks. Blogging about my Whole30 experience while also having a nickel allergy just didn't top the list of things I needed to be doing.

But today, I have a few moments of quiet and thought I'd share with you my journey.  

It all began on the afternoon of June 30th. I was tired of having reactions to nickel in the foods I've been eating. I was eating a VERY low nickel diet but was still having reactions, but to what?! The rashes. The stomach pain. The bloating. The headaches. I was just...D.O.N.E. Done. Anyone else get like that? Where they are simply done with the way they are living and look for another alternative. Well, I am. And I did.

I bought the Whole30 book a few months back and had been playing with the concept but truly was scared because many of the foods mentioned are not things someone with a nickel allergy can eat: tons of green leafy vegetables, tuna from a can, nuts, seeds, anything from a can mind you even in whole form, shellfish, chocolate. True, Whole30 takes away the biggies like grains (with a nickel allergy, only rice and corn were safe) and legumes and soy. But it also took away dairy and I had just gotten dairy back a few months before and was enjoying my blue cheese burgers on GF buns bought from Aldi's.  I had just gotten corn back in my diet and was enjoying corn on the cob on a hot summer's night bathed in real butter and cream cheese with that blue cheese burger in the sentence above.  

Okay, truth is my MOUTH was enjoying them. My body? NOT so much. So, in desperation I decided to just do it. Yep, I just cut out everything not allowed on Whole30: grains, dairy, legumes, sugar, alcohol, etc. And was faced with: WHAT COULD I EAT with a nickel allergy?!

Not a lot at first. I ended up having several anaphylactic reactions to fruits, even organic ones, the first few weeks. Eating fruit was a touch and go - Epi Pen - exercise.  I got so sick of ground beef and chicken I actually dreamed up new animals that don't exist and in my dreams, they tasted of .... chicken.

By the end of week 2, my anaphylactic reactions were going down!! Maybe only 1 every 3-4 days. That was encouraging. My bloat was gone. My headaches were gone. I FELT AMAZING!!! Holy cow I wanted to take on the world!!! Sweet potatoes with bananas became my morning friend. Coffee without sugar and with some coconut milk isn't as yummy as with sugar, but flavored coffee without sugar and with coconut milk is passable for me. It is now Week 3 and NOT a SINGLE anaphylactic reaction in a WEEK!!!!!

Truthfully, I miss NOTHING. I don't miss the grains. I don't miss the gf pasta. I don't miss the legumes (I'd been off of them for about 6 months anyway). I don't miss the soy. I don't miss the dairy. Ok, maybe tonight I will when I make Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boats and instead of blue cheese on them I will put cucumbers. Yeah, not the same...but I also lived 6 years without dairy. I can do this. I don't miss the sugar. I truly don't. I thought I would. Nope.

So, today is day...21. I somehow thought it was closer to 30. As I said, time is getting away from me. Sometimes faster, sometimes slower. I feel really awesome. I look good. My eyes sparkle. My skin is clear. I think clearly. I feel rested. I feel healthy. I've lost weight. Not my ultimate goal but happy it happened. I was feel kinda tubby at 5'1 and 127 pounds. (Even hubby is doing it and he has definitely lost weight. He rarely loses weight on any diet! My sweet Honey Bunny started it also this week! She is looking great!)

What have I been eating? A pretty delicious array of foods.

Breakfast:

Fried eggs with fresh tomatoes and chilis

Sweet potato with banana is my favorite.

Scrambled eggs with chicken/apple sausage.

Egg Muffins with bacon and spinach

Fried eggs and avocado with bacon crumbles

Spaghetti squash with fried egg and chives Breakfast quiche pizza Zucchini latkes & applesauce Smoothies

Lunch:

Chicken salad with avocado dressing Roasted sweet potato boats with guacamole

Egg salad in lettuce wrap Egg roll in a bowl Carrot ginger soup Cucumber tomato salad - fresh from garden Waldorf salad Turkey BLT Taco Salad

Dinner:

Spaghetti squash bowls with BBQ meatballs and salad

Sweet potato fry nachos with grilled chicken thigh, lettuce, guacamole and tomato

Ribs, sweet potatoes and coleslaw Crockpot Chicken and salad

Creamy sundried tomato chicken

Garlic burgers with avocado and sweet potato fries

Stuffed peppers and salad

Tacos with cauliflower taco shell

Turkey meatballs in lettuce wrap with plum/cherry sauce and avocado

Whole roasted chicken and garden fresh kale

Meatloaf and sweet potato

Cobb salad

Pizza quiche with greens

Buffalo chicken zucchini boats

Dessert:

Cast iron glazed peaches with coconut milk

Cast iron glazed apples with coconut milk and pecans

Baked apples with coconut spread and cinnamon

Banana ice cream

Chocolate almond butter banana cookies

Plantain chips dusted with cocoa powder

Snacks:

Homemade kale chips

Fresh fruit

Fresh veggies

Fresh veggies dipped in guacamole

Plantain chips

Nuts of choice

Dried apple

Dried peaches

Dried pears

Hard boiled eggs

Doesn't sound too horrible does it? We certainly aren't hungry!

How did my nickel allergy do on Whole30? Well, I ate almonds last week. Had a nickel reaction. Ate cashews a few days after that cleared up. No reaction. Had pistachios yesterday, still no reaction. :)  I have also been able to incorporate carrots, green leafy veggies, beets, swiss chard, sweet potatoes, cocoa powder and almond butter back into my options. I don't know why the almond butter isn't an issue, but I'm not going to argue with it. Ever had a cookie made with just bananas, almond butter and cocoa? Me neither until now and DAMN are they good!!!

The real question is this:

At the end of the month, what, if anything, do I add back into my diet/lifestyle?

For me, a bit of honey in my coffee. That I miss. But everything else? Nah. I'm good.

So, I will leave you with this thought:

If you think your diet lifestyle isn't healthy for you. What are you going to do about it?

*Remember: always consult with your doctor if you have a pre-existing health condition!*

And when you decide what you are going to do about it, WHEN?