Mom used her imagination and curiosity to develop
interesting and satisfying ways of eating within her limitations ~Stacy V.

For most people, food choices are rather simple, even when special programs are being followed like the now popular “keto diet”, or its predecessors the Anabolic and Atkins diets, or even programs designed for folks with special food needs. In fact, nowadays, its growing easier to obtain one’s foods of choice, whether they are standard fair, vegan, organic, fast food, “health foods”, reduced calorie, or gluten-free items. In Mom’s case, choosing foods was not so simple; she was faced with enormous challenges due to a combination of allergies, food sensitivities, imbalances of her gut biome, and other factors. To cope with the fragile ecosystem that was her body, she followed strict eating habits for more than forty years. Those who seek resources for different kinds of food choices due to autoimmune, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), systemic candida, or a host of other conditions can find it difficult figuring out what to eat, what not to eat, and what to do about gaps in their food resources. Food is a foundational source of wellness, and what we put in our bodies makes a difference. The differences may not be immediately noticeable by those of us with robust health; excess consumption of sugar and carbs does not always manifest in diabetes for decades. Those with health issues like Mom’s are not so lucky. Mistaken consumption of an allergen (such as hidden sugars or dyes in packaged products) can result in immediate setbacks if not outright threats to quality of life.

Mom used her imagination and curiosity to develop interesting and satisfying ways of eating within her limitations. In 1997 a friend of hers published a cookbook with more than one hundred tasty recipes to satisfy hunger, fill nutritional needs, and please the senses. Many of the recipes were tested out on and with my mom for flavor, texture, satisfaction, and safety (within the context of food sensitivities), and all the recipes were made from non-dairy whole grains, without added sugar, artificial sweeteners, dyes, or other additives. The recipes remained a source of inspiration and satisfying meals throughout mom’s life. The book is no longer in print, but those who are interested in the recipes may reach out by email and I will see if her friend has copies available: hello@nancyssunshine.com.

As I began going through the pieces of Mom’s life, I found her Amazon order history where she obtained several food items that fit her special needs and provided satisfying nutrition. I hope by sharing this partial list of her safe foods, others will be inspired to try some new tasty things that you may not have thought of before. Wherever possible, Mom’s products were purchased and stored in glass rather than plastic, were certified organically grown, and had a single ingredient, rather than mixed items. She often blended single-item products to develop tasty combinations, but purchasing them in their most natural state added a layer of protection against inadvertent contamination. Of course this is not a comprehensive list of everything Mom ate or cooked with. She also ate organic proteins such as poultry, fish, some wild game meats, and eggs, as well as certain vegetables and whole grains, but no fruit.

image credit: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MeshuggahButtahs?ref=shop-header-name&listing_id=1443936258

The List (check back for updated product links)

Chickpea Products:

• Banza Chickpea Pasta
• Little Chickpea Chickpea Really? 100% Natural Chickpea Butter Spread

Nuts and Seeds:

• Walnuts
  • Crazy Go Nuts Organic Walnut Butter – Plain w/ Sea Salt
  • Living Tree Community Foods, Walnut Butter Organic No Added Sugar
  • Wellnut Farms Creamy Walnut Butter
  • Vör Foods Walnut Butter
• Hazelnuts (Filberts)
  • Fastachi® Roasted Hazelnut Butter
  • Georgia Grinders Hazlenut Butter
  • Hazelnut Butter (Oregon Grown)
  • Indus Organics Raw Hazelnuts, Sulfite Free, Salt Free
  • Laurel Foods Roasted Oregon Hazelnut Butter
  • Superior Nut Company Roasted Turkish Hazelnuts / Filberts (1 Pound Bag) (Unsalted”)
  • Sun and Seed – Organic Raw Hazelnut Butter
  • Fiskobirlik Turkish Hazelnut Butter
  • Vör Foods Pure Hazelnut Butter Spread: Only One Ingredient
• Macadamia Nuts
  • FBOMB Macadamia Nut Butter
  • Futter’s Macadamia Butter – Organic (Raw)
  • Wilderness Poets, Raw Macadamia Butter
• Pecans
  • Purely Pecans Sea Salt Y’all Pecan Butter
  • Purely Pecans Nuttin’ But Pecans Pecan Butter
• Other Nuts
  • Barùkas Barùkas Nuts and butters
  • Imlak’esh Organics organic Sacha Inchi nuts and seed butters
  • Cashew Butter
  • Paleo Tiger Original Tiger Nut Butter

Protein Supplements:

• Growing Naturals Organic Rice Protein Powder
• Growing Naturals Pea Protein Powder
• Nuzest Clean Lean Protein – Premium Pea Protein Powder, Plant-based, Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, GMO Free, Naturally Sweetened
• Organic 2-1 Acacia Fiber Powder (100% Acacia Senegal) & Sunfiber Prebiotic Fiber

Wheat-free, Gluten-free Cereals, Crackers, Pastas, and Breading Mixes:

• Lovebird Gluten Free Cereal Unsweetened – Organic Grain Free Cereals Paleo AIP Dairy Free Keto Friendly No Refined Sugar
• From The Ground Up Cauliflower Crackers – Sea Salt
• Holgrain Onion Ring Batter Mix,
• Holgrain Chicken Coating Mix Wheat Free
• Banza Chickpea Pasta
• DeBoles Gluten Free Multigrain Spaghetti Pasta
• Eden Foods – Buckwheat Soba Pasta 100% Buckwheat Wheat Free

Herbs and Spices:

• Frontier Co-op Orange Peel Granules
• Litehouse Freeze Dried Poultry Herb Blend

One of Mom’s ways to cope with multiple food- and chemical-sensitivities was to rotate items so not to develop allergies through overexposure to anything that was currently considered safe for her to eat. As such, she not only rotated on the macro level, by using certain nuts, proteins, and vegetables on a given day and changing to a different food group in the following days or weeks, but she also used a micro-rotational approach that included cycling of brands and growing locations as well. For example, she might eat hazelnut butter from a U.S. source on day one, but when day three came around and she was eating hazelnuts again, she ate whole nuts instead of butter and was sure that it was sourced from a Turkish supplier; by day six, she would switch back to a butter, but using a third brand with a unique location.

These extreme methods are not possible for everyone, or even necessary for most people. The point of writing about it is to demonstrate ways that folks who are living with exceptional health situations might find ways to cope with the difficult circumstances they’ve been dealt. Mom’s positive outlook and open-hearted approach to herself, her friends, and clients helped her create a host of helpful tools to cope with a seemingly impossible condition. This is just one of many that she used and shared. I hope it will help someone in need and wish everyone a happy, healthy, and fulfilling nutrition experience!

Image credit: https://roomtery.com/products/crystal-heart-suncatcher