Green In San Antonio, TX

Fabulous!!

More LA Food

More places I liked, Bird Pick in Pasadena for the great iced teas, Eple at the LA farmer's Market for juices that I could have(kiwi) and Hugo's for some gluten and fructose free friendly meals.

Real Food Daily I think I love you

My absolute favorite restaurant (as of June 2010). Celebrity sightings abound so I have been told, but I was unaware - it was all about the food. From the appetizer, a sweet potato something, to my daughter's noodles, to my vegan blt wrap - couldnt eat the wrap-RFD PLEEZ get gluten free wraps - it was a delight. I LOVE tempeh bacon when it's done right, and this was so good I went back twice this trip to have more.

RawVolution - sadly my mecca no more

RawVolution in Santa Monica!! How I loved you from afar, ordered your food, and dreamt of the day I could visit. And when the day came, alas, with a fructose malabsorption, there was almost nothing I could have! All your treats contained the dreaded agave nectar or honey. I did indulge in an almond milk which was, sorry to say, a total disappointment. My own is much better.

Santa Monica - on the road to recovery

Looking at this photo and comparing it to a more recent one, it's like night and day as far as how healthy I look. This was at the beginning - my diagnosis, depression and fear of food. At the wonderful Urth Cafe in Santa Monica I had small dishes of beans(which don't bother me in moderation - but if you are fructose intolerant better check it out before eating in a restaurant), avocado, rice and cheese(took a lactaid) and had on lettuce as they didnt have corn tortillas. It was great! And was the beginning of thinking - yes, maybe I can do this. Drinking ice tea which is my staple in restaurants as well as sparkling water.

I lived on corn tortillas with rice and beans and happen to LOVE them. Hugo's Taco stand in LA is awesome and very very cheap - wish I had taken a photo - next time!!!!

I also indulged in sugar free frozen yogurt at Menchie's (read the labels and they use small amounts of dextrose which I CAN have) with nuts as topping. There were so many choices here that I cannot wait to return!

Fructose Free

I was ready to stop blogging after being diagnosed with a lactose and fructose intolerance, also known as fructose malabsorption, several months ago. The lactose isn't so bad, I wasn't eating much, if any, and there is a pill that will provide the enzyme. The fructose diagnosis was devastating. Most of the vegan foods I was eating contained fructose. My favorite foods - apples, pears. peaches, watermelon, actually most fruits, asparagus which I LOVE, onions,honey, agave were all on the no list.

A trip to LA to visit my very supportive daughter helped me to see that there were lots of things I could eat, and it could be an adventure finding foods, especially restaurant foods that were acceptable!

I had been super healthy with food for a long time, eating fresh fruits and vegetables, whole foods, and buying organic when available. I began having symptoms several years ago that seemed to be connected to food but I couldn't make the connection. I had digestive symptoms sometimes immediately after eating, sometimes not, everything from severe pain, gas, and the classic fructose malabsorption "bathroom urgency". I also had frequent headaches, fatigue and a discomfort in my eyes which caused me to use eyedrops regularly. I never felt as if I looked well. Thus started the journey from vegetarian to macrobiotic to vegan to raw vegan. All of my dietary changes seemed to work in the beginning but the symptoms always came back. I was diagnosed with irritable bowel and the regimen of adding fiber and imodium seemed to work at first, like everything else, but the symptoms returned. I became afraid to eat. Finally I had the lactose and fructose breath tests which were very high positive. The first week of low fructose was brutal, I felt weak, tired and sick. But the symptoms were gone, and have not returned unless I eat something I shouldn't. And that's the hard part.

Why did this develop over time? There are theories out there about our bodies being unable to handle the SAD diet of processed foods and modern sweeteners over time, there is a theory that our bodies lose enzymes over time, and then it is proven that sometimes after an episode of gastroenteritis, we get stripped of proper enzymes. The latter is what my dr thinks is my case. It doesnt really matter, though it does give me hope that this diet may just be temporary.

So basically there are some foods that are high in fructose that I just cannot have. Then there is another group of foods containing fructans that I may be sensitive to(I am), and they include wheat. There is another group called polyols, which contain sorbitol and many other -ols, and yes, I am sensitive to this group as well, meaning NO sugar free gum.

There is a lot of conflicting information out there, some hospitals list foods on the ok list that others list as nos. It's pretty much trial and error. Monash University in Australia is continuing to do research, and publishes a brochure that is pretty good. There is also a yahoo group out of Australia that has great resources, including Sue Shepherd's diet, which has a large following in Australia.

Fish Soup

The island of Ona, near the beautiful village of Aalesund, on the west coast of Norway, has one restaurant that serves what must be the best fish soup in the world. It is heaped with lobster, shrimp, crab, whitefish, carrots and more! I could not believe that this restaurant, on an island with only 40 year round residents had gluten free bread. With a lactaid pill in hand(certain it was a cream base) I was near heaven.