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Dining Out on a Low-FODMAP Diet

May 13, 2013
Dining Out on a Low-FODMAP Diet

Hands-down, eating at home is the safest way to ensure compliance on any sort of restricted diet. But it’s not always the most fun, and sometimes you just plain want to go out and have someone else do the work. Is that even possible on a Low-FODMAP diet? Absolutely. Once you’ve finished the elimination and challenge phases (the diagnostic portion) of the diet, the only limitations are your personal trigger-foods, and everyone is going to be a little different in that respect, and there’s nothing that says you cannot have something that might cause you some upset, if you’re willing to accept the intestinal consequences. The more numerous your intolerances, the tougher it might be to find suitable items on the menu, but it’s far from impossible. Plan Ahead Whenever Possible If you know you’re meeting up with friends for a celebratory dinner on Friday night, check out the restaurants menu online (if possible), or give them a call a day or two ahead of time (in the late afternoon, before the dinner crowd comes in) and ask about any substitutions that might be available. There are plenty of websites and apps that keep track of allergy-friendly restaurants with star-ratings, [...]

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Under Pressure

May 6, 2013
Roast Chicken in less than 30 minutes.

(Sorry if you now have that song stuck in your head.) Growing up I’d always heard dire stories about pressure cooker malfunctions–blowouts, dinner ending up on the ceiling, and even injuries in the more severe cases. These stories pretty much insured that it was one kitchen appliance that I wouldn’t be bothering with, despite some of the so-called benefits. Or so I thought. Recently I received a book to review that had me rethinking my stance on pressure cookers and other things. While that review is for a future post, it did get me researching and eventually buying a pressure cooker of my own. I think this is one of the most researched pots in my kitchen (or any other appliance or vessel, for that matter). At first I figured (since I wasn’t 100% sure I’d be using it a lot outside of the projects for the aforementioned book review)…

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Review: Domino’s Gluten Free Pizza Crust

April 29, 2013
Review: Domino’s Gluten Free Pizza Crust

Special diets can wreak havoc on those nights you just can’t bear to cook and are looking for a simple solution for dinner. These nights don’t happen often for us, but when they do it’s lovely to be able to click over to the food of your choice, place an order online, and have it at your door on demand. Which is why I was happy to hear that Domino’s is now carrying a gluten-free pizza crust. Of course, Domino’s is quick to point out that they cannot guarantee a gluten-free crust free of cross-contamination risk, so it’s not appropriate for those with celiac or severe wheat allergies but generally safe for those of us who just have to avoid ingesting the wheat to avoid problems. The only size it comes in is small, too, but about there is where the caveats stop. For folks on a low-FODMAP diet the…

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Strategies for Public Grazing on a Low-FODMAP Diet

April 22, 2013
Publix brought out these tasty buckwheat blinis topped with limoncello-marinated salmon, pickled onions and cream fraiche--I skipped the blini and onions but the salmon was divine!

Last night was the 2013 Chef’s Sampler fundraiser for the local Children’s Home Society. We’ve enjoyed the offerings in previous years (over-enjoyed, to be truthful) but this was the first such event after adopting the Low-FODMAP diet as a preventative for IBS. I was really curious how much there would be for me to try considering my restrictions included fresh dairy, onions, garlic, wheat, corn, beans, and several other things. While I didn’t feel incredibly deprived after we made our rounds, I certainly didn’t leave feeling stuffed full to the gills like usual (Todd more than made up for me, however, judging by him post-Sampler tummy ache).  While at least 3 of the 42 listed restaurants were no-shows (or at least so late we missed them entirely) the only one I truly missed was Barnacle Bills–their margaritas and oysters on the half-shell have been a mainstay for ages. At any…

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Low FODMAP Living: Bye-Bye Onions and Garlic

April 15, 2013
Low FODMAP Living: Bye-Bye Onions and Garlic

Onions are one of the favorite foods of picky eaters to pick on, maligned for their pungent scent and taste. Of course, many a cook knows that once an onion is cooked it changes to a wonderfully sweet and savory flavoring agent and would never dream of cooking without it. And let’s not even get started about how many dishes would just not be the same without a healthy dose of garlic! Unfortunately, though, in testing for trigger foods during the FODMAP challenge phase, I found that garlic and onions are no longer my friends. Well, to be honest, they weren’t being friendly for the last good while, I just didn’t realize it. They were one of the first foods we chose to challenge because of how important they were in our cooking, and it was a sad realization that they would no longer be welcome in our kitchen (at…

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Review | The Newlywed Cookbook by Robin Miller

April 8, 2013
Review | The Newlywed Cookbook by Robin Miller

Getting couples cooking together certainly gets the Nibbles seal of approval, and as a soon-to-be newlywed myself I was happy to tuck into The Newlywed Cookbook by Robin Miller. Written with those just setting up house in mind, Miller designed these recipes to make use of some of the most common staples of gift registries and makes it easy for the new cook to plan by listing not only the ingredients, but the equipment needed as well. She’s also included glossaries of Herbs & Spices, Cooking Terms, and Equipment in the back of the book to demystify all this new information for the beginning cook. (And since I did much of the same in my own book, I’m totally on board with all of the above–kindred cooking spirits are a good thing!) She also includes 10 menus for special occasional cooking from holidays to the in-laws coming to dinner–an old idea but I…

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Resources for Low-FODMAP Living

April 1, 2013
Resources for Low-FODMAP Living

April is IBS Awareness Month and, as such, I though it would helpful to share the books and websites that have helped me so very much over the last few months. My default reaction to a new idea or problem to solve is research. This used to mean hitting the library when I was in school and heading to the bookstore once I was a gainfully employed adult. Of course, the Internet is a fabulous resource, but you have to be able to weed out the truth from the fiction, tested theory from mere supposition. Respected authorities are still respected authorities, right? Monash University, Dept of Gastroenterology These folks literally wrote the book on FODMAPs and are continuing to test and evaluate more ingredients as time goes on to determine just what effects they have on our delicate digestive engines. They recently released an iPhone app that, from all accounts, is…

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