Monday, December 17, 2007

Great Italian Food

Back in the 80’s, I was one of those people who scoffed at the claims of some people regarding environmental sensitivities. At that time the focus was on dyes, inks, fragrances and environmental pollutants. Many of the people featured in news articles and documentaries were reduced to living in tents or “bubbles”. I thought they were all a little bit “nuts”. Then I became one. It sure taught me a thing or two famous italian wines.

The list of things that I must avoid is daunting: milk in all its forms; wheat in all its forms; corn, which includes corn oil, corn starch and corn sugars; bananas, all citrus fruit; strawberries; chocolate; caffeine; nuts; peanuts; yeast; mushrooms and environmental fungi; artificial sweeteners; artificial colors; artificial flavors; preservatives; alcohol, whether taken internally or inhaled as in a hairspray; and all artificial fragrances and quite a few natural ones. All of the above items give me migraine headaches.

I had the migraines every day for about four years before I figured it all out. I have to severely limit my salt intake due to having Meniere’s Syndrome, which is too much fluid pressure in the inner ear. It causes extreme dizziness, ringing in the ears and gradual loss of hearing.

Because of all of these limitations, I have had to find alternatives to the things that most people take for granted. I have spent a lot of years researching food allergies and sensitivities and the alternatives. I would like to present you with some of the recipes I have developed for some of my favorite foods.

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