I got my blood test results back! And surprisingly, nothing's amiss! No abnormalities whatsoever. The swelling subsided after a few days. My doctor still has no clue as to what caused my body to swell. He ruled out sodium induced water retention as a possibility because I've been eating at home for the past few weeks.
So can I go back to being a normal 20 year old, university student now? Not quite. I still have to avoid gluten, wheat, soy, dairy, nuts, food additives and raw vegetables/fruit in order to keep my allergies/eczema at bay. Food additives are permissible on the days that I eat out (given that it's pretty much unavoidable.) But no SOY! You know what that means? No more soy sauce!! My allergies are stripping me of my asian-ness...
Well, it's technically already a "thing," but it's not mainstream yet. I've been eating this organic, rice-based, gluten free ramen on the days that I crave "the real thing." http://www.lotusfoods.com/index.php/products/rice-ramen/organic-millet-brown-rice-ramen/ (This link isn't sponsored.) It's available at most health-food/organic grocery stores! It's a good alternative when I don't feel like filling up on rice (which isn't often, I LOVE rice.)
Adhering to a gluten free diet doesn't mean I won't blog about gluten containing foods anymore (I still have a ton of posts left!) And from now on, I'm bringing my mom along on all my food adventures....so she'll be the one eating all the gluten (whilst I have my face buried in a bowl of rice.)
Read my first review of Hida Takayama Ramen here:
http://www.vancitynoms.com/2014/07/hida-takayama-ramen-robson-st.html
This visit is from a few weeks back...hence the soy and gluten containing ramen/gyozas!
Pork Gyozas $4.50
4/5 stars
The gyozas were delish! I was quite tempted to order a second plate. The filling was flavourful and moist tasting! The skin was nice and delicate. The charring was even, and I liked how it came with two dipping sauces!
Large Shio Ramen $8.25
+ Extra Chasu
3.5/5 stars
Probably the cheapest ramen in all of Van!! And the most generously portioned. I added 50 cents for the large size, and it was well worth it! I got a ton of noodles! The noodles were nice; al dente and bouncy. The broth wasn't overly greasy but it needed some work (depth-wise.) The cha su, while not quite melt in your mouth, was tender and generously sized.
How can you say no to large, thick, slabs of chasu?!
A refreshing change from the stuffy atmosphere that is Santouka, Kintaro, etc. I'll always adore food courts!
Thumbs up to you for being a food blogger even though you are allergic to so many things!! When you mentioned you are allergic to soy I totally didn't think about soy sauce. I can't imagine being Chinese and not being able to eat soy sauce! everything Chinese has some level of soy sauce in it.
ReplyDeleteI still look forward to reading your gluten, soy, veggie free etc eats! Keep it up!!
Awee you're too sweet Alice!! Thank you so so much!! Will do, I'll definitely keep it up! *hugs* :D
Deletehaha soy sauce is a big one isn't it? Like you said, it's in virtually everything! Going for chinese food (or asian food in general) is going to be quite the challenge now...I guess I'll just have to stick to rice based dishes, and ask them to omit the soy sauce! :)
they'll probably give you a weird look lol like if she doesnt like soy sauce why is she eating chinese food haha. I think the hardest part is dumplings and xiao long baos or anything like that will have soy sauce in the filling already. and also BBQ stuff where the soy sauce is already in the marinate.
DeleteGlad to hear that the case of the mysterious swelling is gone!
ReplyDeleteIs there a chance that you would be able to eat gluten in the future? I can't imagine life without gluten (not consuming soy sauce would be my ultimate horror), yet there are so many people who only eat gluten-free food.
Thanks Raymond!! :D That's a toughie. Celiac disease is a lifelong illness (and there's no cure.) I could "theoretically" consume gluten if I wanted to, but it wouldn't be very good for my health haha!
DeleteWell, sadly a gluten-free + soy free diet is reality for me now LMAO!! Just be thankful you're not like me, dip that sushi while you can!! ;)
There is gluten free soy sauce :)
ReplyDeleteHi Sally!! :)
DeleteYup, tamari right? Unfortunately I can't eat soy either! But I found a great alternative, made with coconut amino acids!
https://www.amazon.com/Coconut-Secret-Organic-Soy-Free-Seasoning/dp/B00P9I8U0U