Sorbet

It's been almost 20 days since my last post and there's a reason. My thyroid was not slightly out of sync, it was really out of sync. So now I'm on medication, have a thyroid shaped swelling on my throat, keep shaking and generally feel like something the cat's dragged in. I am still certain soya has had something to do with this happening but not so sure it was the whole reason, Thyrotoxicosis can be stress related and I have certainly been stressed enough.

On the other hand I have had a few days off and now work from home for a further few days to give my body a chance to catch up. So I have had the opportunity to be a bit creative. With my throat swollen and a bit sore I have had a massive craving for something cold. Ideally icecream, which is the one milkderived food I really struggle to stay off. But, if the plan was to be good, and I always have to be so bloody good, I thought maybe sorbet is easy enough to make.

2 egg whites
300 ml frozen berries (I used strawnberries and blueberries)
100 ml agave nectar
Juice from 1 lemon

In a bowl, whisk the eggwhites to a hard foam.
I a foodprocessor, mix berries, agave nectar and lemon juice to a pure.
Try not to just scoff this mix with a spoon...
Fold the berry mix into the eggwhites, transfer to a suitable container and freeze for at least 4 hours, occassionally stirring the sorbet whilst it's freezing.
I was right, sorbet really is easy enough to make and it tastes divine!

You live and learn and think damn it...

It's unavoidable to learn new things whilst exploring this kind of intolerance diet that I am currently doing. Right now I am learning things about soy and I don't like what I'm learning.

I am surrounded by veritable hunks, which certainly has it's advantages. Several of these well trained men have told me they believe soy affects their strength and energy. As this is guys who spend several hours a week amongst the free weights down the gym, suddenly realise they haven't got the strength is rather upsetting.

We have all read about how healthy soy is, how the phyto-estrogens in soy can prevent breast cancer and menopause symptoms, how soy is deemed one of the healthiest foods in the world. Soya reduces the risk for osteoporosis, lowers the cholesterol levels and has high levels of omega 3 and 6. But more and more articles are cropping up saying it might not be as good for us as we think. The other side of the coin is that soy can reduce our uptake of important minerals such as zinc and magnesium. And soy has been known to cause food intolerances and allergies. However, what I discovered, firstly by my own symptoms and later by reading up on the subject is that soy can dampen the thryoid function in some people. The thyroid controls your metabolism and helps regulate your nervous system. This is the point when I think damn it...

You see, I cut soy out of my diet and at first I was really impressed as I had energy for the first time in years. What a feeling to be able to go to bed at half past eleven at night and still wake up, rested, early the next morning! I have missed this and been feeling abnormal as I've always been tired and fatigued. But then I started feeling a bit stressed, my weight dropped off and I started having palpitations. Unpleasantly much like the symptoms of hyperthyroidism, i.e. an overactive thyroid. I have had this before so I recognise what is going on. Now, I have just stopped taking any medications, with the thought that even though the amounts are tiny it doesn't help me to eat pills with sucrose and lactose in them, and I don't want to start taking any new medicines. So I started researching thyroid disorders and found this thing about soy. I have been eating soy on a daily basis, in my porridge, in my coffee, in miso soup, as soya cream in food and then I suddenly stopped. My poor thyroid must have had a shock. So perhaps I should re-introduce soya into my diet as fast as I can. But not as much as before. And more tofu, tempeh and miso than overly processed soya milk.

I haven't managed to find a medical article in the subject but have only read what I found through google. It is a firm belief of mine that a lot of what you find on the internet needs to be taken with a large pinch of salt. However, I am prepared to listen to my body and I am prepared to try anything that will keep me off medications. I would encourage everyone to do their own research and if you are interested these are some of the sources I used.

http://thyroid.about.com/cs/soyinfo/a/soy.htm

http://www.soya.be/soy-health.php   

But, I still don't feel well...

OK, maybe I shouldn't be in too much of a hurry. I know it takes time to sort out the body and the stomach but I am still rather convinced I have not identified all my intolerances. I have heard these can change over the years. About ten years ago I did a food intolerance test that tested 176 different types of food and was given a list of 34(!) foods I react to. Some were logical. Cow milk, goat milk, sheep milk and all products derived from these such as yoghurt and cheese. I can definitely see a correlation between wheat and barley as they both contain gluten. I can even see the correlation between sugar and beetroot, and the e-numbers don't surprise me at all; MSG, citric acid and the yellow food colours tartrazine and sunset yellow. It is known that many hyperactive children react badly to yellow colourants. But why did the test show I react to kiwis, grapes, almonds and cocoa?

When I had this test done I was really ill. Doubled over in cramps every time I ate anything, regardless what it was, and I had so much joint pain I barely mad eit out of bed. So I believe, or I hope, that some of the things I have reacted to in the past might be ok now. So I want to get myself to a point where I can start re-introducing things and see if I react to them. However, before I do that I have to remove everything I react to and I haven't managed that yet. I am still in pain, my stomach is still bad and my energy levels are still too low.

I have two main suspects, namely yeast and soy. I hardly ever eat yeast, only in stock cubes so that will be easy enough to avoid. [In hindsight this turns out to be easily said but not so easily done. Finding stock that is free of soy, gluten, yeast and sugar is a bit of a struggle. Marigold do a couple, certain well stocked health food stores stock them.] Avoiding soy will be really difficult. I have, throughout the years, learnt to like soyamilk, am very fond of tofu and I have soy sauce on just about everything. Besides, I think the other lactose free milk alternatives are quite icky. I have avoided soyamil for the last few days and right now the evidence is overwhelming. I wake up and want out of bed around half past six in the morning! This is me we're talking about, the woman who happily sleeps for 20 hours if she can get away with it. Besides, this was while I was on holiday and really could treat myself to a lie-in. Even today, when the holiday is over, it wasn't the least difficult to get out of bed when the alarm went off.

So from now on thingfs are going to change. Because now I am eliminating all suspects, and at the same time I want to gain a bit of weight. Because with the stricter diet I started loosing a few pounds and that is not good. If I am going really strict it may be a good idea to cook lots and freeze. Because I am not exactly going to be at home during May. Quite the opposite...