Cookies for Breakfast?

Cookies for breakfast?

The most important meal of the day?

The first day of school is quickly approaching.  This year will be like years past - first period I will face a room full of tired teens who would rather be snoozing in their soft, cushy beds rather than trying not to snooze in rigid, unyielding classroom chairs. During our first unit, students will assess how often they engage in an array of healthy behaviors, including eating breakfast.  Many of my students will admit they don’t eat anything in the morning because they simply aren’t hungry, but by the time lunch rolls around, they are famished. So, I will, of course, make a pitch for breakfast.

A simplified history of this thing we call breakfast

Breakfast.

Break.

Fast.

Break the fast.

Historians believe our modern pattern of eating three meals a day originated in the middle ages as the Monks fasted after their evening meal until morning mass concluded. Denise Winterman from the BBC News Magazine writes, “It's thought the word breakfast entered the English language during this time and literally meant "break the night's fast".  This pattern spread to most social classes during the 17th and 18th Centuries.  Breakfast became a necessity to fuel workers during the 19th century and by the 1930s the government was promoting breakfast as the most important meal of the day.  During the “...1950s, things like American toasters, sliced bread, instant coffee and pre-sugared cereals invaded the home. Breakfast as we now know it” writes Winterman.

Is breakfast the most important meal of the day?

The American 2015 Dietary Guidelines assert breakfast remains important in terms of healthy eating patterns. During the overnight fast, our metabolic rate (the way we process calories and combine them with oxygen to release energy into our system) slows down due to the lack of energy we expend while sleeping. Metabolism is boosted when we consume calories after waking which provides us with the energy we need to start the day. The 2015 Dietary Guidelines also note that adolescents and young adults are the age group most likely to skip this metabolism-boosting meal, thus keeping their bodies from burning calories as the fuel needed for energy, activity, and attention.

Is it the most important meal of the day?  I believe a nutrient-rich breakfast to be an important meal in healthy eating patterns. The 2015 Dietary Guidelines state, “Breakfast eating is associated with more favorable nutrient intakes compared to nutrient intakes from other meals or snacks.” However, typical breakfast fare is not always healthy.

In search of a healthy breakfast

You may be visualizing the cereal aisle and wondering how these brightly colored, character covered cereal boxes and their later 20th and 21st Century spin-offs of toaster pastries and breakfast bars qualify as having “more favorable nutrient intakes” than other snacks.  Keep in mind, the keywords are  more and than.  Much of what fills the shelves in the grocery is deceiving.  Yes, it may be “whole grain”, but it may also be full of sugar and have a long list of ingredients the average person hasn’t heard of, can’t pronounce and therefore, chooses not to read.

Well, I have spent the summer doing just that, reading ingredient labels. Recently diagnosed with a gazillion food allergies and sensitivities, and most recently diagnosed with candida and SIBO -  it’s a challenge to avoid the 96 foods/ingredients causing havoc in my system, which makes grabbing a quick breakfast even more challenging.  

Until recently, I really lost the knack of, and the love of, cooking and actually rolled my eyes at my Aunt when she talked about cooking as being cathartic thinking about the popular meme, “ain’t nobody got time for that.” So, I searched the grocery store shelves for just one breakfast bar which satisfied my dietary restrictions.  No luck.  Convinced I could find something to eat that I wouldn’t have to cook, I took my search online.  My Amazon search showed 4,365 hits for breakfast bars.  Well, “ain’t nobody got time for that” either.  So, I have also spent the summer cooking.

I tried cooking oatmeal.  I am a total oatmeal-wanna-be girl.  I would love to fill up my Mason jar with oatmeal, take it to work, add hot water and enjoy.  But, gag.  Tried it, still can’t do it.

So, turn those oats into breakfast cookies!

I scrolled through many gluten-free, dairy-free and other “-free” recipes online and flipped through the pages of my new cookbooks - I did not (and still have not) found a vAllergy-free breakfast cookie, scone or breakfast bar recipe.  I decided to just try creating my own recipe by making substitutions thinking, What is the worst thing that can happen? Toss them in the trash, feed them to the dog, or actually invent something new and edible?  Someone has to invent everything.

Did you know Corn Flakes were actually invented by accident? According to Kelloggs.com, “1898 - In a fortunately failed attempt at making granola, our company’s founder, W.K. Kellogg, and his brother, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, changed breakfast forever when they accidentally flaked wheat berry. W.K. kept experimenting until he flaked corn and created the delicious recipe for Kellogg’s Corn Flakes.”  (Of course, Kellogg.com didn’t include the other juicy details of Kellogg’s quest to create a vegetarian based cereal that would reduce  sexual desires… read more about The Strange History of Corn Flakes!)

I am not claiming to have invented a revolutionary breakfast cookie, but I have created something new and edible that fits within my dietary restrictions.  With school beginning, time for cooking will be more difficult to manage - but for now, there are 7 ½ dozen cookies packed two-to-a-snack-baggie in the freezer for easy grab and go access.

In the coming weeks, I’m sure my students will wonder, “Why are you eating cookies for breakfast?  Isn’t this health class?” and I may just have to answer,  “Cookies for breakfast?

Yes, of course, a nutrient-rich breakfast is an important meal every day.”

Substitute away, but these are two recipes worth sharing as a starting point for anyone with similar food allergies:

Coconut Sunflower Butter Cookies

1 c. unsweetened coconut flakes

*¼ c. coconut flour

¼ c. hazelnut flour

1 c. gluten free oats

½ c. organic sunflower butter (no sugar added)

¼ c. agave

½ unsweetened, organic applesauce

6 brazil nuts, chopped

Mix sunflower butter, agave, and applesauce together.  Add dry ingredients.  Knead into ¾ inch balls, place on a cookie sheet greased with coconut oil.  Press the balls to flatten.   Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes.  Makes 1 ½ dozen.

*SIBO friendly version:  omit coconut or reduce to 1/2 c., ¼ c. tapioca flour, ¼ c. hazelnut flour, 1 c. gluten free oats, ½ c. organic sunflower butter, ¼ c. xylitol, ½ cooked, mashed potato, 6 brazil nuts, chopped.

Quinoa Squash Cookies

1 ½ c. cooked or organic, canned squash

½ c. agave

2 T canola oil

1 ½ c. quinoa

½ c. amaranth

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 ½  c. white rice flour

Mix squash, agave, and canola oil together.  Add dry ingredients.  Knead into ¾ inch balls, place on a cookie sheet greased with coconut oil.  Press the balls to flatten.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes.  Makes 3 dozen.

*SIBO friendly version: use xylitol instead of agave.

Follow me on Twitter! @vallergyfree

Preparing the cupboards for take off

I met with a nutritionist to go over the results of my food allergy and sensitivity tests.  She patiently mapped out the things I can have and the 49 things I can’t have in addition to refined sugar, alcohol and artificial sweeteners.  She offered shopping tips, recommendations, and answers to my questions.  Although I felt hopeful and empowered to take steps to heal myself from the inside out, I had a two minute pity party in the parking lot.  Then, I dried my eyes and accepted this new way life. I mustered up some courage and started the long journey back to health.

Journeys take planning.  I had made my decision - I was determined to begin.  However, just like flight attendants prepare the cabin for take-off, I needed to prepare for my journey as well.  So, on my way home, I decided to make a quick run to the grocery store to pick up a few things on my can have list.  I swiftly grabbed some safe fruits, vegetables and meats.  But, knowing my eating habits, I knew that I also needed to find baking ingredients to whip up something that resembled bread.  90 quick minutes later, I emerged with more than just a few things. I didn’t necessarily know what I was going to whip up with these ingredients, or where I would  put them, but at least I had them.  I had supplies.  I was somewhat prepared.

I actually gathered an abundance of supplies in just 90 minutes.  I have one small cupboard for baking ingredients which is just large enough to hold my five pound bag of white flour, a five pound bag of sugar, a can of cocoa, a canister of breadcrumbs and... my ambition for baking.  I stuffed all I could into the baking cupboard using my perfected “cram and slam” method which is built upon the premise that if the door closes, it’s fine.  It wasn’t fine.  It was a mess.

Clean out my cupboard?  Really?  This recommendation appears in many blogs and books about the journey to become allergy-free.  Obviously cupboards, refrigerators and freezers filled with safe foods increase the probability of staying on course and limit temptations and detours.  I looked at the mess and thought,  “But, waste all that food?  But, it’s not all about me - other people live in this house who can eat these things.  But, I’m not really sure if I can have some of these things.”  But, what journey is free from obstacles?  

My husband, daughter and I started cleaning one cupboard at a time; we read the labels and kept the things we knew I could have.  We googled foods we were unsure about such as balsamic vinegars, which by the way, are not all created equally.  Balsamic vinegars made from pressed grape-must were kept, and those made with artificial colors or grain based (possibly glutenized) thickeners were not.  We kept a few items for my son and remaining items were divided up amongst piles designated for other family or friends.  The food we wasted was a victim of freezer burn, officially expired, or it had been lurking in the back of the crisper for a bit too long. We reorganized the cupboards into sections (to an extent), making it easier to see the can have and can’t have items.  

Even somewhat organized cupboards, the "cram and slam" method for the small baking cupboard still failed.  We couldn’t fit  the white rice, brown rice, tapioca, gluten free, coconut, buckwheat and garbanzo bean flours into the small space.  Remembering the penny candy jar filled with Saltine crackers that still sits on my mother’s kitchen counter and the cookie-mix jars I had made with my children for holiday gifts, I treated myself to some new canning jars to hold my dry goods.  I found some twine and cardboard that was in useable condition for labels, enlisted my daughter and… all items were safely stowed.  

The cupboards are ready for take-off. I stare at my jars, look through the cupboards, refrigerator and freezer. I scour cookbooks, read allergy free books and scroll through blogs.  I have yet to find a ready-made “just right for me” recipe that is dairy, egg, soy, wheat, gluten, yeast, corn, (to name a few) free. No journey is without it’s obstacles or turbulence. I am a pilot in training, but at least I’m in the air.  I'm close to whipping up something that resembles bread, but still I I dump, mix, shape, bake, taste, tweak and try again.  

This I believe...

Through my blog vAllergy-Free, I will share my journey back to health.  Alone is no where to be when searching for foods that are allergy-free. I depend upon bloggers with similar experiences to share their stories and to inspire me to just keep going, to stay positive, to try new things, and to share the highlights of their food journeys. Periodically, I hope to contribute to this allergy-free community by sharing my journey, recipes, shopping tips and to provide reviews of helpful apps and books.

Part 1:  This I believe…

Ok, Edward R. Murrow, your 1950’s radio show is the inspiration for my first blog post.  Here goes. Influenced by Lao Tzu, Jules Bass and Maury Laws, Robert Frost and Reinhold Niebuhr - these are rules I live by.

Roots ground us.

Life is a journey.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Take the first step, no one is going to take it for you.

Put one foot in front of the other.

Just keep going.

A journey is a series detours.  

Maps are made by people who have already been there.

Roads diverge; make the best choice.

Accept the things you cannot change.

If you don’t like where you’re going, have the courage to change your direction.

Be wise.

Everyone, and everything, has a season.

And for me, it’s always allergy season.

Part 2:  Roots

When facing the unknown, we often return to the known.  And so, in the light of my current medical situation, I find myself on a journey back to my roots.  Literally. Roots. I was raised on a farm.  Naturally, my primary roots were established in the garden while turning up my nose at the thought of eating the string beans we had spent hours planting, weeding, picking, snapping, blanching, freezing all summer and then eating the neverending supply all fall, all winter and all spring.  Of course there were other vegetables that had been -inged for hours before landing on my dinner plate, along with a hunk of a familiar slaughtered beast that I used to consider a pet.  (How could I not consider cows a pet when we named them in alphabetical order?)  Every fall, our freezers were full of meat and vegetables; my grandmother’s canning room was truly jampacked; potatoes, squash and onions filled Grampa’s cool, dark and dirt-floored root cellar.

I sprouted secondary roots during my adolescence. During the 1980s, America’s relationship with food and fitness changed. Fitness centers like Gold’s Gym had developed reputation by sponsoring and showcasing oily, posed bodybuilders. Juice bars weren’t just in California anymore, carrot juice and sprouts were en vogue across the country.   Arnold Schwarzenegger’s muscles filled the movie screen as we flocked to Conan the Barbarian and The Terminator.  Jane Fonda had us in leotards and leg warmers doing aerobics by “up, and squeeze, relax”-ing our tushes. Richard Simmons, in his patriotic red and white striped shorty-shorts and blue tank top, shouted from the rooftops about growing American waistlines while motivating people to “party off the pounds” by sweatin’ to the tunes of the 80s. Fitness became a business.

I often wonder what my grandfather and great uncles thought about fitness centers. They curled hay bales, squatted to do something useful (milk the cows) and did woodchoppers for real.  I wish I had asked.  

Along with the fitness industry, our food industry made drastic changes in the 1980s as well. As a teenager, I watched my obese dad change his direction.  The nutritionist colored a diet, put him in the shrinky-dink oven with a plan, and out popped (or so it seemed to me) a new dad.  A dad who donned his running shorts after work to pound out 8 miles before supper.  Suddenly light bread, diet cheese, 1% milk, and reduced fat margarine appeared in our kitchen.  Diet products, my mom's new way of cooking, and exercise worked. My dad was proof. The nutritionist was right. Right?  Right or wrong, this experience became part of my root system that guided my nutritional choices along the road.

Part 3:  One road

I have a confession.

Two roads diverged, and I took the one with newest claim. For the majority of my adult life, my dinner plate was filled with meat from the grocer’s freezer, fruits and vegetables trucked across state and national borders, and cart-fulls of foods conveniently packaged in boxes, bags, jars and assorted plastic containers claiming to be light, reduced, low or have fewer of somethings. Of course I knew it was healthier to eat the way I was raised on the farm, but boxes, bags and assorted plastic containers were so easy, affordable and tasty. I’m educated. I read the labels to make the healthiest choice --  even if it was between two sub-stellar products.

Yes, two roads had diverged.  At the turn of the century, I sighed and knew I had taken the wrong one. I came to understand it was my Dad’s behavior, more so than the diet foods, that facilitated his physical transformation in the 80s.  But, it was not my season to change, or so I said for a plethora of reasons.  Ok, excuses.  I told myself: I haven’t got time... I am a busy woman!  I am a wife, a  mom of two, a daughter, a granddaughter, a niece and an aunt. I am a reader, a runner, a gardener, a homeowner, a camp owner, a teacher, a student, a mentor, and a volunteer in my spare time. I know, we all have 24 hours in a day, we spend those hours on what we value most.  I do value my health. Did I mention I teach health education?  Yeah, I took a temporary detour.  

Part 4:  Georgia and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Detour

Since I am a literacy specialist, former kindergarten teacher and early childhood education instructor as well as a health educator, I think books. I think Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst and illustrated by Ray Cruz sums up they way I feel about this detour along my journey.

This post is a long and sordid tale.  I wouldn’t blame you if skip ahead to Part 5 or if you scroll through quickly - I wish I could have!  I know some people will find this interesting as personal connections are made, while other people will not. Forge ahead if you choose as I paraphrase the highlights of my last five years in reader’s theater (scripted) format:

Urgent care doc:	“This cold has turned to pneumonia. And, by the way, you probably have asthma.”
Me:	“OK, whatever. Just give me something to stop this cough.”
	A few months later...tight chest.
Primary care doc:	“Asthma.”
Me:	“Really?”
Primary care doc:	“Yes.”
Me:	“Why?”
Primary care doc:	“Seasonal allergies. Take Zyrtec, a round of steroids and use this inhaler to relieve the symptoms.”
	Sinus infection, tight chest, steroids, sinus infection…
Primary care doc:	“Here’s a script for antibiotics and another type of inhaler, do it twice a day.”
	Sinus infection, antibiotics x 10!  Yes, ten rounds in nine months plus a few steroids!
Primary care doc:	“Go see an ENT.”  (Ear, Nose, Throat specialist)
ENT office:	“Sure, we can see you in 2 months.”
Me:	“Is that the soonest you can see me?”
ENT office:	“Yes.”
ENT doc:	“I need to put this scope down the nose... Your sinuses are a mess - surgery! Deviated septum, reduce the turbinates, balloon plasty…” blah blah blah.
	Surgery 8 days before being a bridesmaid doesn’t make for flattering wedding photos!
ENT doc:	“You are fixed!”
Me:	“Really?  I still feel terrible.  My nose hurts to touch, my sinuses burn and feel swollen inside, my whole face hurts and why does it hurt to smile?”
ENT:	“Scope down the nose! CT scan is fine just keep rinsing with saline.”
Me:	“Really?  I still feel terrible. My nose hurts to touch, my sinuses burn and feel swollen inside, my whole face hurts and it even hurts to smile.”
ENT:	“Really, I did my job! Are you rinsing with saline?”
Me:	“Yes.”
ENT:	“Go see an ID.” (Infectious Disease doctor)
ID doc:	“Go see a different ENT for cultures.”
ENT #2:	“Scope down the nose!”
ID doc:	“White blood cell scan!” (Imagine… my sinuses lit up like a lightbulb!)
ENT #2:	“Are you rinsing with saline? Are you using distilled water?”
Me:	“Yes and yes.”
	(Funny side note, by this time my son would holler down the grocery aisle, “Hey ma! You need more nose water?”)
ID doc and ENT #2 concurr:	“Bone infection, complication of surgery. IV antibiotic therapy 3 x day x 6 weeks.”
	Allergic reaction, full body rash, new antibiotic.
ID doc:	“Critters should be dead.”
Me:	“Really, I still feel terrible.  Well my nose still hurts to touch, my sinuses burn and feel swollen inside, my whole face hurts and it still hurts to smile.”
ID doc:	“Go see ENT for a scope down the nose and bone biopsy.”
	A bracelet inscribed with “just keep going” arrived in the mail from my aunt.  So, I do.
ENT #2:	“Stitches out, scope down the nose, looks good, but…”
ID doc and ENT #2 concurr:	“Another round of IV antibiotic therapy 3 x day x 6 weeks.”
	Another full body rash! Allergic to another antibiotic, switch to a new one.
IDdoc:	“Critters should be dead.”
Me:	“I still feel terrible although my nose doesn’t hurt to touch,my sinuses burn and feel swollen inside, my whole face hurts and it still hurts to smile.  I’m nauseous most of the time.”
IDdoc:	Really? I have done my job. Take probiotics for a month.
ENT #2:	“Really? Go see the allergist for testing.  Keep rinsing with saline.”
	So, I do.  I just keep going. Ok ENT #2 doc, you’re fired.
Allergist:	“Your allergic to trees, grass, insects, dust, mold…”
Me:	“Great, kind of hard to avoid these things in rural Maine.”
Allergist:	“Two shots a week for a few years will desensitize you and keep rinsing with saline. By the way, I am retiring, go find a new allergist.”
Allergist #2:	“The other guy didn’t test for food allergies?  You need tests.”
Allergist #2:	“Tests didn’t reveal any food allergies, just stick with the two shots a week for the next, oh probably 3-5 years and keep rinsing with saline.”
ENT #3:	“Scope down the nose. The other doctor left a stitch in here which is causing pain. Rip! Rinse your nose with saline but add this steroid to the mix, looks inflamed and raw; use this topical antibiotic ointment.”
ENT #3:	(Next appointment) “Looks better!”
Me:	“Really, I still feel terrible?  My sinuses burn and feel swollen inside, my whole face hurts and it even hurts to smile.  My headache never goes away, I’m tired, I’m depressed, I feel disconnected.”
ENT #3:	“Well, let’s give it more time.” More time passes. “Still looks good.”
Me:	“Really, I still feel terrible.  My sinuses burn and feel swollen inside, my whole face hurts and it even hurts to smile.  My headache never goes away, I’m tired, I’m depressed, I feel disconnected.”
ENT #3	“Could be a migraine disorder or nerve damage. Go see a neurologist.”
Neurologist:	“CT scan, injection in the face.  Take this medicine. Come back in 3 months.”
	Bottoms up to 12 daily meds and/or supplements!
Me:	(Next appointment) “The burning is better, but I still feel terrible.   My sinuses feel swollen inside, my whole face hurts and it even hurts to smile.  My headache never goes away, I’m tired, I’m depressed, I feel disconnected. I feel like I have a hangover and I don’t drink!”
Neurologist:	“Really? Double the medicine! More injections in the face! MRI.”
Me:	“I will take the MRI, I’m not putting more medicine into my body and I don’t want your needle in my face.”  (Neurologist #1 will soon be fired.)
	I sought out conventional medicine to feel better, why do I feel worse?  What is going to happen to me? A student and a friend each suggest an integrative practice, another friend refers me to one.
Integrative Nurse Practitioner:	(She actually listened to the saga you are reading about!) “We need to find the cause, not just treat the symptoms. Let’s do a blood test today to see what foods you may be allergic or sensitive to - these things often start in the gut and cause symptoms you describe. Let’s check for candida and other parasites. Think about what has changed in your life during the last few years, something is a tipping point.”
Me:	“I changed jobs and school buildings 8 years ago.”
Integrative Nurse Practitioner:	“It’s possible that chronic exposure to something in that environment was the tipping point.  For now, lets get some data.” (A large paper bag filled with boxes, vials, directions, gloves, sticks, stickers, return mailing labels, hazardous material envelopes… a regular ole bag ‘o data fun.  Saliva, urine and stool sample kits just for me!) “See you in a month, in the meantime - no dairy, no eggs, no soy, no peanuts, no sugar, no gluten and of course no artificial sweeteners or alcohol.”
Me:	“Ok.”  (Too overwhelmed to say anything else.)
	At home, I have a mini-meltdown on day 3 and call the practice.
Integrative practice office:	“Well, come talk to our nutritionist, she can help you through this.”
Nutritionist:	“Ok, dear… I called the testing lab to get your results so our meeting would be more meaningful. I’m sorry this list is so long...this is what is says...this is what it means...this is what I like to use...here are flyers, websites, and books that will be helpful too… try to eat a foods only once every four days... it takes a while, don’t get discouraged...just avoid artificial sweeteners, sugar, alcohol and… almonds banana barley green beans lima beans white beans red beans bran carrots cashews casein cashews cheddar cheese cottage cheese swiss cheese corn cranberry cucumber eggs white egg yolk flaxseed gluten horseradish malt honeydew melon cow’s milk goat’s milk millet mushrooms paprika parsley peanuts pecans red pepper pistachios poppy seeds radishes rye safflower sesame soybeans teff turnip walnuts wheat whey bakers’ yeast brewers’ yeast yogurt zucchini Again, I am sorry to lay this on you all at once. This is a long list.”
Me:	“Yes, it is a long list- but it gives me hope that I can feel better.”

Is this the end of the five year, terrible, horrible, no good, very bad detour? Let’s see what story the rest of the data tells. I certainly hope way leads on to way.  

Part 5:  The other road

After the nutritionist reviewed the results of my food allergy and sensitivity tests and apologized for the 49 foods I needed to avoid in addition to alcohol, artificial sweeteners and all sugars -- I left the office, slammed the car door and cried for a couple of minutes.  I repeated, “I can feel better.” I thought, I’ve got to accept this new life because I can’t change it. Be courageous and get on with it.  No one else is going to do this for me. This is a journey of at least a thousand miles!

Then, I took the first single step, I flipped the switch in my brain and decided to take the other road.  I think I actually hear Mickey Rooney singing the Bass and Laws lyrics from a scene in Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town:

“Put one foot in front of the other
And soon you'll be walking 'cross the floor
Put one foot in front of the other
And soon you'll be walking out the door

If you want to change your direction
If your time of life is at hand
Well don't be the rule, be the exception
A good way to start is to stand”

So, here I am - standing at another set of diverging roads, ready to change the direction of this journey called my life by doubling back and taking the other road this time.

My brother checked in with me a few days ago, “Hey, how’s the dirt and grass diet going?”  No milk, eggs, gluten, sugar, corn, nuts and soy (not to mention everything else) feels like 75% of my food supply is wiped out. Luckily, I am not relegated to the dirt and grass diet; I actually can eat quite a variety of foods.  When I share my list of “can’t haves” with people, the response is usually a joking, “Well, what can you eat?”

After the sympathetic laugh, family and friends really do care; with their help I am staying focused on what I can have, and my…

...friends assure me I will feel better.

...Mom bought a cookbook, Googles facts and recipes everyday, and recently accompanied me   

  on a shopping and label reading escapade.

...Aunts are suggesting recipes.

...Sister-in law is taste tasting my creations and making helpful suggestions to improve recipes.

...Daughter is whipping me up fruity deserts and her friend is teaching me to make breads and

  other staples with the ingredients I can have.

...Son actually listened to the list of things I can’t have.

...Mother-in-law shares her wisdom of being a plant-based diet veteran.

...Dad is raising hormone-free beef for the freezer and leaves gates to his garden open - but

  I won’t be picking, snapping, blanching, freezing or eating those damn green beans! I

   officially cannot eat them.

...Brother is helping me share my story.

...and my husband isn’t complaining about the inflated grocery bill.  In fact, he may be walking

  down the allergy-free road with me.

 

However, even with all of the support, in the end… it is me that has to take the first steps.  I often glance down at my bracelet.  Just keep going, it says. So I put one foot in front of the other and go.

A couple of months ago a dear friend gave me another bracelet inscribed “She believed she could, so she did.”  I couldn’t wear it back then because I was lost; I didn’t have enough hope to believe. I’m wearing it now, I can do it.  I’m on the right road.  This, I believe.

So, there it is in five parts...  a tribute to Edward R. Murrow and to myself.