Allergies and sensitivities...

[fajrdrako]

This morning I went to the Farmer's Market which has been operating since spring at Lansdowne Park. I've been wanting to go since they opened, but the broken ankle made it difficult and I didn't get around to it until today. Even today, I was made aware that a short walk on a beautiful Sunday morning, which would have been simple a year ago, was problematic now. I was also a little surprised how shivery-cold it was: and there was frost on the ground.

But I enjoyed it immensely. I expected something like the Byward Market, only smaller. But it isn't. It's more interesting than that; there was a man playing a hurdy-gurdy for a charity, and people selling handmade wooden things, and people selling elegant pastries and baked goods, and people selling maple syrup, and a food court in a tent, where I had squash and pear soup for breakfast. There are lots of organic food and unusual meats like elk and bison and ostrich. I bought elk burgers and mushroom burgers and lamb (free range, local, organic) for stew. And piles of vegetables, including multicoloured carrots - why did that charm me so much? I'm making lamb stew for supper.

As I've probably said, I'm experimenting with a rotation diet to try to get more energy by keeping allergies (and candidiasis symptoms) at bay. So this sort of thing has been on my mind lately.

And New Zealand spinach, which is new to me.

I'm experimenting with a rotation diet in an attempt to fight allergies (and encroaching candidiasis) and to get more energy. I know allergies are everwhere, but I was somewhat saddened to see a booth at the Farmer's Market selling "epi-pals", a colourful pouch for kinds to wear to keep their epi-pen to hand. Used to be that you could only find that kind of thing a specialist stores.

About an hour after seeing this, I overhead a conversation on Bank street, between a little girl aged maybe six, and her mother.

Kid: He can't eat cheese.
Mother: He can't eat ice cream, either.
Kid: Why not?
Mother: Because he has allergies.

I guess it's the way of the world. I wonder what proportion of the world has to worry about reactions to what they eat.

Comments

[duncanmac.livejournal.com]

I once had problems with caffeine, though I suspect I had bigger problems with coffee (it triggered nausea in me, and can still do that sometimes). Nowadays, I can tolerate both much more than formerly (though I still detest the dreck they call "Starbucks coffee" at work).

What bothers me are the new allergies I have discovered in myself, such as reactions to creamed anything (including soups, mayonnaise, mozzarella cheese, ...).

The relationship between milk (lactose) and lettuce is a well-known issue for singers -- I remember being warned to avoid both before a performance due to the phlegm they cause.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Coffee does unsettle my stomach sometimes, especially when it's acidic - I don't think that's a caffeine problem. I don't remember much about Starbuck's coffee except for a fondness for their 'caramel macchiato' which is more of a fancy dessert than a drink; for a while I avoided Starbuck's because of the temptation. Now I go to Bridgehead instead, because I like their coffee and their style, and because I find Starbuck's expensive.

I should perhaps cut out milk entirely, but I'd rather not, so I'll see if this diet helps my congestion problem. Or maybe try a week with no milk of any sort - well, maybe soy milk - and no wheat and see if the combination does it.

I'm not fond of lettuce on the whole but I do rather like romaine.