Good health, Gluten free diet and food journals

Sometimes I feel just plain silly. For twenty five years I have kept a food journal, recording every food, quantity and even the seasoning I have consumed. I started the record of intake on the advice of a doctor following a blood test that indicated I had certain food sensitivities. No allergies mind you, simply sensitivities. Gluten was one of them so for many years I avoided anything even remotely related to wheat or barley. Because most gluten free substitutes used sugar to compensate for the lack of gluten, I switched to diet soda and other sugar free items on the shelves to help keep  my weight down. About five years ago I began slowly re-introducing gluten back into my menu. I dearly love a good sandwich, hot dog or burger for lunch and toast on a Sunday morning after church. Seemed OK to me but I kept up with the diet soda and other stuff. Mmmm! Cake, cookies, French bread, short cake, all the good things in life were back. I enjoyed eating so much I ignored the danger completely even though I was recording the food and my health situation. That's the silly part. Here's what I mean:
Slowly, ever so slowly, I started to be plagued by heart burn, then came some headaches, in my entire life headaches are so uncommon I could probably count them on one hand. Bad headaches too. Still I ate that delicious bread and cake. My legs began to hurt so bad I could barely walk by the end of the day. They cramped up all night long too, keeping me awake and in pure misery. My energy level dropped precipitously, I am a man full of energy and anticipation, waking early each day looking forward to whatever comes along. A happy guy I've said so many times. Unhappiness slowly crept into my daily life. I was almost crippled, miserable, confused and in constant pain. The doctor suggested some pain medication but tests were not showing anything more than the difficulties resulting from getting older, I was simply wearing out. I have an aversion to pain meds other than aspirin so I just put up with the pain and inconvenience for five years.
A bit over a month ago I woke up in the early morning, about 12:30am. In pain, heartburn burning my throat, legs twitching uncontrollably and a pounding headache. I decided to stay up and do whatever I could to get my mind off the misery until it was time to go to church. I began reading my food journal. After an hour or so a light went on in my head and I laughed at myself for my own stupidity. "Gluten" was a glaring connection to me problems. before returning to eating gluten I had felt terrific, after introducing gluten back into my diet I became miserable. Duh!
I have eaten no gluten since that moment. I began feeling better by that very evening, I have not suffered heartburn or a headache since. The legs on the other hand continued to be a problem. What to do, what to do? Back to the food journal. What else could the problem possibly be? I didn't like the idea of simply getting old but if that's what it was I would accept it with grace. Right? Well, there was just enough evidence in that journal to indicate that the leg problem began to increase at the same time I started to drink diet soda and eat foods with sugar substitutes. What the heck! I had nothing to lose so I eliminated diet, sugar free and sugar substitutes of every kind from my diet. I am happy to report that the leg problems are reduced greatly to where I can walk reasonably well, climb and descend stairs rather easily and even ride a bicycle again without pain of any consequence.
So there you have it. The happy is returning to my life once again. It's a wonderful feeling to wake up after a full night's sleep filled with anticipation for the coming day. Yeah, it's a areal treat. I offer you this suggestion: Start a food journal, be faithful, record your food and liquid intake every day. Also record how you feel and any health issues you may have, if the worsen or get better within three days of any particular food or liquid consumption. I'm certainly glad I did. even if it took me five years to get it through my thick scull.

Join me in my exultation, it's a very happy place.

Chicken wings and marketing

It wasn't all that long ago that if we visited a KFC and asked for chicken wings the person at the counter would have to hustle to make sure all of them hadn't been thrown into the trash. Nobody wanted chicken wings. (Except for me of course) I could often talk the store into selling me a box full for a nickle or dime each. At the time, when people ordered a Family Meal box of chicken they inevitably asked to have a mix of parts but "leave out the wings." Wings were considered in the same category as the tail. A good party host wouldn't be caught offering chicken wings on an hordouvres tray. Nope! Not it just wasn't proper. That was great for me. I could always count on eating great chicken on the cheap. Just the right combination of skin, seasoning, breading and meat. "Finger lickin' good!" Then some enterprising chicken cooking chef decides to add extra words to an otherwise dish reserved for the vulgar crowd who didn't otherwise have a choice. Suddenly, literally overnight wings became something special. Now I had to compete for my beloved chicken wings and also step to the window price wise too. Same chicken wings, it was only a couple macho type words  that brought them into the mainstream. "Buffalo", "Ding", "Fire", "Wild", just four simple words and wings were an epicurean delicacy. Not only that but still another entrepreneur decided to split those magnificent wings in half and call them some sort of finger food. And that same guy found some way to make people want to pay the same price for half a wing and double his income. I was becoming perturbed at anyone involved in the marketing of chicken wings. Actually, I still am. I dearly miss my nickle or dime chicken wings when they would even throw in a few extra free of charge because they were happy to be rid of them. Marketing people have really changed our cultural landscape when it comes to what we eat. I guess I like some of it but other stuff I'm not so taken with.

The woman that invented spinach dip was actually a genius. Her'e this mom of about 11 kids and she couldn't get them to eat the best vegetable in the world that didn't taste quite so "best" and made them gag. Wanting to be a good mom she kept offering her brood the spinach but alas, those kids kept gagging. All the while her husband was getting a little tired of being the one to eat all that left over spinach. They, being of modest means could not afford to let any food go to waste. One day Mr. husband, almost gagging himself from way too much spinach, decided to put some into an almost empty jar of Cheese Whiz to add a little flavor. He made it through and finished the spinach. Mom, seeing husbands method of survival made a mental note. She was one smart cookie. The next week, on the day the family usually tried to eat spinach, while the kids were still away at school, mom put her plan into action. Taking a couple cans of spinach, a jar of cheese whiz and some cream cheese, she blended it into a sort of gooey stuff. (Kids like gooey stuff, she thought) Then she fried up some corn meal and flour cup shaped chips and place that stuff on the table. When the kids all got home and settled and ready to start gagging when mom said they had to eat spinach and husband prepared to suck it up and eat the spinach, mom said to everyone that "tonight is a special night. No supper, we are all going to eat homemade chips and dip and watch a movie!" The kids were delighted, dad and husband was delighted, the movie went on, the chips and (spinach) dip were placed in the middle of the room, everyone watched the movie, ate the (spinach dip) and chips, laughed, didn't gag and asked when they could do it again and have some more of that wonderful dip and chips. That's what good marketing does. That's how chicken wings turned mainstream and my cheap food disappeared. Marketing can end the recession and bring us all to financial independence. But I sure miss my cheap, just plain wings.

A real eye opener and food

I was determined to work off the discomfort of last week's little escapade of showing off to a couple young guys. I figured that riding around 10 miles a day or so would eventually release the cramps and muscle aches. "Work it off!" Is what I heard in my head. Watching professional sports figures do that is implanted in my Psyche. Every time an athlete gets smacked or develops a cramp or s into a pole, they go to the sideline for a few minutes, walk around grunting and flexing and snorting and then come back for the next play. If they can do it, I can do it. So, I worked at the shop during the day, worked in the garden in the evening and rode my bicycle in between. You know what? By Thursday about noon I could barely stand up. I am not a professional athlete I guess. Back to the drawing board and a new plan was formulated: Until further notice and the pain and cramping subside I am hereby on Light duty and only a mile or two occasionally on the stationary bike just to stay loose. No ride from Manistee to parts North this weekend. No practice run on Kent Trails or any other trail for that matter. Just some time in the garden to assure a proper and prolific Tomato and cucumber harvest for canning. I'm going to attempt to make catsup this year, I heard it could be done. And I enjoy bread and butter sandwich pickles far beyond normal. I could put them on anything and there is only one small pint left from last year. Wait, wait, I was talking about riding a bike wasn't I? Yeah, I guess so but suddenly the thought of fresh eggs fried in butter, bacon, fried potatoes, toast and a glass of tomato juice crossed my mind for some odd reason. I am in a weakened state and cannot resist. I'm gone, I'm outa here, the butter is already melting. I'm continuing my recuperation with proper nutrition. Later..............

Gardening and life are personal

Leave my garden alone!! I don't want anyone messing with my garden, period! Stay out!

I've been gardening since I was a kid. My first ever produce, grown all by myself was a pumpkin. From then on I was hooked. Not having to rely on gardening to feed me allowed plenty of room for experimentation. My gardens have experienced varying degrees of success and failure. My worst failures have mostly resulted from crowding plants together during the planting stage. I have difficulty imagining the expansion of a plant as the growing season moves along. But, I always have hope that I did it right when each year begins. Gardening is a wonderful thing and my table has been blessed with mounds of vegetables and fruits fresh from those gardens. As a matter of fact, family, friends and neighbors have also enjoyed much of the healthy and flavorful benefits of my faithful gardening. Everyone benefits. But I want everyone to stay away from my garden.

The past couple of years some very well intended people have been offering advice and assistance to me in getting my garden in order. "Put this plant here, put that seed there, measure, fertilize, stake, weed and thin. Let me help you harvest it.You'll have a beautiful garden for once and we can all have better vegetables too." Jeez, Louise! Leave me alone, will ya? Truthfully, if I wanted a perfect garden I am totally capable of creating it. I really am! I totally appreciate the helpful folks that want to solve what they see as my problem. It's great to have people around that care about me and what I do. Wonderful as it is, I don't want their help. Let me alone when I'm in my garden. In my garden, I rule! I also accept all the consequences of my actions and decisions. My garden is my little slice of sanity in an otherwise confusing world. The government, as yet has not drawn up enough laws to mess up my gardening. I am still free to succeed or fail on my own. That's why I don't want anyone telling me what to do. It makes me feel too much like control. I don't want to be controlled or taken care of.

I enjoy the food from my garden. I grew it, for better or worse. When I have surplus, which is most of the time, I share it with everyone in sight. Many times, placing a bag of fresh goodies on someones porch anonymously so when they come home or wake up they have a tasty surprise. I like doing that. Sure, most of them know right away who put it there but usually they honor my desire to be an unknown benefactor. It's more fun that way. The people that wanted to help me out also expressed how they would help me distribute the harvest. I didn't like that either. When you give someone something from your surplus it's fun. When you are "told" to divide up the entire harvest the fun fades really fast.

That's my take on the gardening thing for today. I passed on the helpful hands offered me by caring and considerate people. I am in the midst of putting my garden together and planting shoots and seeds and fertilizing and all sorts of weeding and tilling and staking and stuffing seeds, plants and bulbs way too close together. I don't know what the harvest will be this year but I know it will be mine to do with what I want. There is a lot to be said for that feeling. As I said: "I love ya dearly but stay the heck out of my garden."

Triple Mocha, extra Espresso, whipped Cream

I shouldn't be drinking high caffeine drinks, right? Neither should I eat meat, put salt on my food, eat fruit, have more than two beers or even munch on a candy bar. From what we read, just about everything is dangerous at some point or another. Recently I was watching a program that dealt with unusual health threats. One of them was drinking too much water can cause some sort of drowning process. What was that again? I'm beginning to fear most any type of nourishment. This morning I decided to stop at the specialty coffee shop just around the corner and get a Triple Mocha with an extra shot of Espresso. It's been about three months since my last one and it sure sounded good on a cool crisp morning just to jump start the day don't ya know. A very nice, middle aged couple was about to enter the shop behind me so I opened the door for them and let them in first. They went right to the counter in front of me and proceeded to order. "Two single de-caf's, no sugar, no cream. One plain bagel, steamed, not toasted, sliced in half to share equally." Along with a few other comments, taking several minutes while they discussed the health benefits of their choices with each other while I waited as patiently as possible. This after I had allowed them in the door instead of being first in line. (They hadn't thanked me.) They were skinny and pale looking. I'd say somewhere in their late 40's or early 50's. He had sunken eyes and wrinkled skin while she was so bundled up she almost waddled. When they finally finished and moved on I ordered my high intensity Mocha with a little whipped cream on top. The waddling lady gasped in shock. After I paid and waited by the table for them to make it the wrinkled guy came up and quietly whispered in my ear that sugary, creamy, caffeinated Mocha could very well lead to heart disease. I was a little taken aback but responded that it was OK, I already had heart disease. I'm not exactly sure why I said it but it was spontaneous and not well thought out. However, the look on his face was priceless.

I do not make fun of life threatening diseases. I really didn't then either. I was just making the best of a situation I wasn't accustomed to. I am enjoying this Mocha, guilt free. I espouse to the theory that moderation in all things ingested is the best policy: Savor the treat and move on. If I had one every day it would be a different story. I'm not particularly interested in paying for a bland de-caf or tasteless steamed bagel either. I appreciated the man's concern for my health but at the same time I didn't chastise either of them for their poor manners which I deem as important also. Meanwhile, I will trust in my good judgement as to the type of nourishment that passes my lips.

Interesting hunger perspective

Scanning over a list of top stories and articles I happened across statements from a woman in social services who says she has been released from her job because of a statement she made about alleviating hunger in school age children. At first I was reminded of how many people always blame someone else for their problems but she really wasn't doing that. She wasn't trying to get her job back or bad mouth anyone at all. She was simply being interviewed for her stand on childhood hunger in America.

Her stance: In schools across the country children are being fed, usually free of charge breakfast, lunch and, in some cases dinner. In her opinion all this free food is only encouraging people to use their, already quite generous resources for anything but food. She feels the school food programs are removing parental responsibility and weakening the family unit to the point of complete socialism or worse yet, communism. She pointed out that many people, children as well as adults that are supposed to be financially strapped are wearing designer clothes, using $200 cell phones and shoes, overweight almost to the point of obesity and sporting tattoos worth hundreds of dollars. Yet these same people are statistically among the underfed.

Her solution: When a child comes to school and uses the free breakfast, lunch or dinner program the parents should be contacted and interviewed to find out the reason they cannot feed their child those meals at home. If there is a rectifiable problem it should be dealt with. Otherwise, the use of food stamps, bridge cards and food pantry items should be strictly adhered to. If the parents are found to be using those gifts for other reasons and allowing their kids to go hungry, and don't change after repeated warnings: She feels the kids should be taken away from the neglectful parents as well as the accompanying government assistance and charitable gifts.

She said that apparently her views are not particularly welcome in an agency that thrives on the needs of those less fortunate as a means of control., encouraging, creating and maintaining a culture of "being needy". Agree or disagree she brings up food for thought doesn't she?

Ice Cream names

Some things just aren't funny when it comes to food! Ben an Jerry's makes ice cream. Ben and Jerry's is pretty successful. They are at the higher end of the price index and still sell enough to keep the ice cream machines moving in a relatively tough economy. I have tasted some of their flavors and found them to be quite acceptable. But, to be honest I enjoy our very own Hudsonville Ice Cream even better. It may have something to do with going to the Hudsonville factory many years ago when it was located in Burnips Michigan and getting the butter pecan flavor right out of the factory freezer and being able to taste it on the ride home. Hudsonville has expanded their flavors over the years and are now under new management but I can still taste the richness that set the standard. I do get a little queezy when I open a package of "Moose Tracks" or "Deer Tracks" with the little chocolate drops resembling, well you know, the stuff Moose and Deer leave behind. I guess maybe someday an ice cream manufacturer will come up with "Road Apple" ice cream too, but I'm not about to touch that, no way!

Back to Ben and Jerry's. The new flavor they came out with had an extremely disgusting name. And, apparently so disgusting that consumers avoided it enough to prevent stores from even stocking it on the shelves. The name is reputed to be derived from an old Saturday Night Live comedy skit. I never viewed it but from what I hear the thing was hilarious. Great for a comedy skit perhaps but as Ben and Jerry found out: Some things simply need to be left alone. I'm sure a lot of us had a great time with the newly named flavor although, I must admit I found it inappropriate in the ice cream case, particularly when you realize the young children that constantly look into the freezer. It's more an adult thing. I'll let you look it up. We have to maintain an element of mystery don't we?

Other flavors that didn't succeed in the ice cream venue: Yellow Booger Delight, Puke Lime and Slime, Scabby Chip, Pimple Cream Dream and of course, Spit and Sweat Lemony Swirl. Yeah, some stuff is best not connected with any kind of food. Particularly our ice cream.

Asian Carp. How to cook them and make money

Countless numbers of Asian Carp have spoiled our rivers for sport fishing. They are as close as the nose on your face to invading the awesome Lake Michigan. Just an electric shock away. I can't, personally do much about that except continue to vote and write my elected politicians. However, I can contribute to a way of possibly using those fish for the nourishment of humanity in these trying times. It has always seemed to me that if you have an otherwise unsolvable problem, you make the best of what you have. Besides being ugly the Asian Carp is depicted to be difficult to prepare for eating. That's not entirely true in my opinion. I assure you, somebody is going to discover a financially rewarding method of preparation and build an Asian Carp empire. Feeding the hungry is a good way to start I think. Here's an idea:

Catch a bunch of Asian Carp
Clean them and scale them
Boil them in mild salt water until tender and flaky
Separate the bones from the edible meat
Add seasonings popular to the area or culture
Mix in onions, veggies flakes or peppers
Mix the meat with corn meal and flour
Roll into balls or flattened into patties
Deep fry, bake or broil
Eat immediately or freeze for later

I've used this recipe for numerous fish and it works well. Try it with Tuna, Sardines or Salmon. You'll be surprised. If some entrepreneur jumps on this idea and runs with it, an inexpensive protein food source will be available to the hungry of this country and others, buildings will be purchased to meet production, thousands of new jobs will be created, we can export millions of pounds to other countries, much needed money will enter the country, additional taxes will be collected, the deficit will go down and the authorities will eventually probably have to declare the Asian Carp as an endangered species. A win, win situation. But then again it may be too simple and easy.

Eating on the cheap

There is an interesting challenge going on around here concerning food costs. The idea is to eat for a week on a specified minimum amount of money without cheating. I think it's close to $35 covering 7 days. It includes every item consumed morning, noon and night. Cooked at home or in a restaurant. The other challenge is to come up with reasonably healthy choices too. It's supposed to resemble what an average person receives in food stamps. From my experiences in food and cost management it is definitely a doable situation. I lived for almost 6 weeks on proceeds from discarded beverage bottles due to a pair of robberies that took my wages for an entire month in a strange city, Detroit. I learned a lot about making due and stretching a dollar in order to eat. I feel it is an admirable endeavor for whoever participates, they may well learn what some people go through on a daily basis. There are a couple things they must remember if they fail though. The availability of other resources which they aren't allowed to use: Food banks, free school meals, local free community kitchens, surplus gleaning services and church food outreach programs. I believe the cost restrictions are definitely attainable but in this country there is so much food available through so many sources hunger may not be the issue but instead maybe management of one's resources. I wish everyone participating success.

Talking about food here, a recent commercial on dog food piqued my interest. Feeding your animal the proper diet of vegetables and other natural ingredients. In my entire life I have never, ever seen a dog or cat intentionally go to a garden and search out just the right vegetable. Dogs, being a canine garbage disposal, will eat darn near anything dead or alive, recognizable or not. And, if it isn't quite fit for consumption they will either pee on it or roll on it or both. Cats are a little more selective but still don't appear to me to be vegetarian. When someone has a pet that they love dearly it is a gift. But I wonder sometimes just what we are doing to them with all this diet management. Wouldn't they just be happier being an animal? I'm just wondering.

Dieting and losing my pants

When was the last time you were on a diet to lose weight? Exhillerating and frustrating at the same time isn't it? It's such a shame. Food brings us sustenance, energy, and that wonderful feeling when you've eaten and savored something special. On the other hand food, in excess fattens us up for hibernation. We, as human beings don't find a cave in the Fall and sleep for the next 6 months or so. Without proper exercise we just keep adding on the pounds and slowing down. So, we take a long hard look at ourselves once in a while, step on the scale and act surprised when it reads, "Overload!" That's usually the day we start our diet isn't it?

Reality TV shows us people that darn near kill themselves losing weight. In truth, much of what those people go through is extremely hazardous and I'm surprised more of the contestants haven't wound up in a hospital or worse. Also, most of us aren't willing or able to give up our lives for the time required to go through all that punishment to win the money, are we? We are left to find our own way of losing weight safely. Diets usually work for the short term but we often wind up gaining the lost weight back and adding on a few extra pounds for good measure. The, "Yo-Yo" affect, it's called. I've been there and done that many times. It was disheartening to say the least. A year ago I decided I'd set upon my last diet. I wasn't seriously overweight but way heavier than I wanted to be and I could feel how it slowed me down. I decided I'd change my lifestyle as much as the food I ate. "Portion control." It's called. The main exercise requirem,ent is pushing back from the dinner table with both hands after eating a reasonable portion. The key idea being, whether I was still hungry or not. Since last November when I started this life plan, "Once and for all" I'm almost halfway to my goal. As successful as I could have expected. Hurrah! The upside, more energy, I feel better and I don't sleep as much. The first down side, I had to get used to walking around hungry on a regular basis. The second downside, my pants keep falling down. I sometimes look just like a hip hop teenager wannabe. I can get used to the hunger thing all right but this pants falling down has got to go sometime real soon. I feel like an idiot. Here's hoping I reach that step before I get arrested or asked to join a gang..........................Joe

Feeding the poor

I wonder if someone needs another job?

I am the first to admit that I'm no Einstein, my writing shows that. The job I am inferring to right here would never be within my scope for consideration. But, I think someone else got the job for all the wrong reasons. I'm talking about the person in charge of how to feed the people in America, and more specifically the poor. With many of the statements I hear from these very smart and educated people, it makes me wonder what got them the job in the first place.

There are two situations that are being addressed by governmental and charity services:
The poor don't have enough food to eat.
And, a vast majority of the poor are overweight.
Are these two problems actually related? Ya think!
As I said, I'm not formally educated enough to be considered for a job overseeing such important stuff. I did, however grow up on the minimum staples of nourishment for sustaining life. Some might say we were poor. During that time two things were constant, somehow we had enough to eat and none of us were overweight. Although my parents made use of surplus food a couple times in an emergency the rest of the time it came from our own efforts. Meals were sometimes an adventure. So was the rest of life. In my home, the less governmental assistance, the better. School lunch wasn't as good as what my mom or dad packed in a paper bag. Usually if there was no sack lunch I went to the corner drugstore and bought a bit of candy. I didn't starve. Some of my friends came from large families of up to 9 kids. Although they were often in the same financial situation they didn't starve either. I learned at an early age that if I didn't eat what was on my plate I was hungry until the next meal. If I ate too much I felt bloated and lacked the energy to enjoy life. I learned that it was everyones responsibility to help those that couldn't help themselves. I wonder what the difference is between then and now?

In my uneducated but experienced life there are two things that usually caused excess weight: Eating too much and not enough exercise. (excluding specific health issues of course) When a family is receiving food supplementation from the government along with food cards and charitable food banks at home I see no reason to provide breakfast, lunch and dinner to their kids at school. I do see neglectful parents being prosecuted for not feeding and neglecting their own kids. That's not happening any time soon I'm afraid though.

To me, this begs the question, "Are we being groomed to be totally dependant upon the government for all means of sustenance in order to provide some egotistical elitist with a cushy, high paying, great benefit, powerful jobs? It's probably a simple matter of my lack of education in these matters. Maybe eating a lot and a lack of exercise doesn't cause obesity. I probably missed that part in school. The part where someone came into class and said, "Hi, I work for the government and I'm here to help feed you."

Comfort food

We each have or own opinion of exactly what to consider as a comfort food. Roast beef, pot roast, cookies, ice cream, chocolate, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, chitlins, or good old chicken soup, to each their own. When we feel down and out there is nothing quite like the taste of something familiar to cheer us up is there? Although I have a difficult time relating to the guy that absolutely loves to cut a lemon in half and suck out the juice. He says it makes him whole again. No, that's not my thing. I like sandwiches.

To be truthful about it, there are not that many times when I really need a comfort food. Life usually keeps rolling along for me, a few ups and downs from time to time but as long as I wake up in the morning I figure I've got another chance at the age old past time of pursuing happiness and that's truly a gift. There was an event about 4 months ago that sort of disrupted my ordinarily cheerful mood. A guy walked into my office and dropped a comment that literally knocked me off my feet. Something the two of us had set into motion almost 20 years ago for our mutual benefit had been squandered away and was no longer an option, period. Boy! Did I need a sandwich after that little meeting.

There are the store bought sandwiches that cover the spectrum from 200 to 4000 calories. From the cheap $1 burger to the 2 pound $15 variety or the chicken sandwich made completely without bread. Those weren't for me. I needed the genuine home made, calorie unknown, built from scratch, taste beyond belief sandwich for this moment in my life. After my trip to the store for proper ingredients, to the strains of comfortable and familiar music, I stood at the kitchen counter and slowly created my Dagwood style masterpiece. Whole wheat bread, corned beef, Swiss cheese, a half inch thick slice of onion, horseradish, a bit of real mayonnaise, paper thin slices of dill pickle and just a hint of mustard. It finished out at about 4 inches thick. Then I squashed it a little so as to fit in my mouth. (Hey! It's my sandwich, nobody is there to offend, so I'm allowed to do that) Took a bite and started to feel better. Now, that's what comfort food is all about. I say, "Go for it!"

No, it didn't solve my problem. No, I didn't finish it all in one sitting. In the scope of all things both real and imagined that sandwich had no lasting affect except one: Doing something for myself reaffirmed in my own mind that I was still important and worth the effort. I'm totally comfortable with that. Comfort food, there's nothing quite like it......................Joe

Food allergies,

Food allergies and sensitivities are a terrible health condition to deal with. If a person has an allergy to a specific food they can become deathly ill if they are exposed to it, accidentally or not the results are traumatic. Hundreds of thousands of young parents choose to raise their children on diets free of some of the most common allergy foods, peanuts, red meat, gluten and dairy products. Instead of finding out naturally if the children are sensitive or allergic they choose to simply avoid the possibility entirely. I wasn't raised that way. I think I was exposed to almost everything, including but not limited to dirt and a not so tasty bug or two. Limiting certain life experiences seems to be an ever increasing trend.

Listening to a program concerning health issues related to food allergies and sensitivities the other day I heard another side of the story. It seems a majority of those in the health care and research concerning these allergies have found that the upsurge in allergies is a result of growing up in such a sterile lifestyle. In other words: by not being exposed to a variety of food throughout our lives we put ourselves in jeopardy of not being able to tolerate those very foods. After thinking about that premise it sounded like simple common sense.

Many medicines and vaccines are made with small amounts of the offending germ or flu bug. We accept a tiny bit into our systems and our natural defences develop into a tolerance of sorts and we don't get sick from it. It's easy to transfer that same theory to our ability to process food.

According to much of this research, our desire to protect our kids and keep them safe from everything appears to be the cause of many of our most serious problems. They say we are protecting our kids into ill health, we are raising them to be weak and delicate instead of able to deal with life as it comes so they have to be protected all their lives. What an eye opener.

I've seen movies that portray the human experience as a form of evolution ending in a mindless, weak, sickly society that requires a caretaker for even the smallest need. I wonder how true those science fiction movies will become?..........I kinda like the dirt thing. I had a lot of fun doing it and my mom got some pretty funny pictures too.............................Joe