Ginger Galore and So Much More

     Nausea and I don't really get along. Kind of like a tenant who won't pay rent on time, or a dog who always chews your favorite shoes, or maybe rain at an outdoor wedding. Yeah, it's on that level. I wish there was one thing that always worked for me when that dreaded feeling creeps in, but so far it's pretty hit or miss. I do take Zofran (the dissolvable kind) on a daily basis although sometimes the nausea still sweeps in and ruins the day. Sometimes adding one of my many "remedies" can at least take the edge off, so I figured I'd share a few. These are all tips I've picked up over the last couple years from various websites and people, so I can't take credit but just hope to share and help my fellow GPer's or anyone else dealing with nausea.

1) Ginger. I'm sure this is common knowledge to most people, but starting out on this journey I had no idea how many forms of ginger are available so here are a few of my favorites.

-Ginger People: This is a company that makes a large variety of ginger items such as Ginger Chews and GinGins which are ginger CANDIES (so don't go over board!) that are easy to toss in your bag and always have a few on hand since they come individually wrapped. I prefer the Original Ginger Chews but you can buy many different flavors and quantities in bulk here. They also make ginger syrups and minced ginger that can be used to easily add the power of ginger to any of your daily meals.

-Candied Ginger/ Ginger Syrup: This is ginger that has been cooked and comes crystallized (coated in sugar, just really messy in my opinion) or uncrystallized. I usually buy mine from Trader Joe's because they have really great prices. I've also made my own candied ginger before that was really tasty and cooked the remaining liquid down into a syrup. You just cut up your ginger (thin slices or diced) and cook in a simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar, I used one cup of each) until tender. Remove the ginger and lay it out in a single layer to air dry and continue to cook remaining liquid until it's a syrup consistency. I stored mine in the refrigerator and it should be good for a few days at least.

- Ginger Mints: These are like Altoids mints, but ginger flavored and so tasty! I've only tried the Trader Joe's brand and love them. They're pretty strong so I only need a few at a time since too much ginger at once can give me heart burn.

-Ginger Tea: My favorite is Ginger Aid by Traditional Medicinals. I usually add a fennel tea bag also because it helps with bloating and I like the flavors together. Add a little honey and it's perfect!

2) Sea Bands: These are little bands that go on your wrist and have a plastic ball which presses on a pressure point known to help settle nausea. It's great for motion sickness and can help take the edge off during mild nausea flares.

3) Quease Ease: Some smells can help alleviate nausea and the Quease Ease is an aromatherapy inhaler that really does help take the edge off. You just remove the cap and take nice slow breaths in through your nose until the feeling passes. I especially love to use this in cars, but it's useful whenever. It also helps my sister with her migraines and the nausea she gets as a side effect.

4) Ricola Original Cough Drops: Not sure what exactly in these helps me, but sometimes it really helps settle my tummy.

5) Deep Breathing/ Visualization: When I can feel the nausea coming on and I start to panic, it makes it so much worse. Taking the time to close my eyes, breathe deep, and visualize something that makes me happy and calm can really help me get through the worst of it and helps it to pass faster.

That's all for now but if you have any additional suggestions please feel free to share them below. =)

It's All In Your Perspective

    

      Almost everyone who looks at this picture will see it for what it is on the outside, baby food. It's understandable considering it's marketed for babies and is sold in the baby aisle. The old saying goes "If it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck, then it must be a duck." Buuuut, if you pop this bad boy in the freezer for 30-60 minutes you know what I see? A quick, delicious, and GP friendly snack or dessert! Having Gastroparesis makes it very difficult for the body to digest fruits and vegetables in their natural state so it's often suggested to try certain fruits and vegetables (low-fat and low-fiber varieties) very well cooked, canned, or pureed (aka baby food). When this was first suggested to me, I was pretty turned off because honestly who want's to go from eating normal food and a mainly paleo diet to baby food? Not this girl, but as much as I love the idea of mind over matter I had to admit that my tummy is in control of my food choices for the time being. That doesn't mean what I eat can't be enjoyable though, so I went on the hunt for things that I could eat.

     On Pinterest there are a lot of boards for GP friendly meal ideas that are very helpful and that is where I ran across the idea for the frozen baby foods. The original website actually suggested this as a low calorie alternative to ice cream and considering they are gluten free, dairy free, low-fat, and free of added sugars, they're a pretty good option (GPer do need to be aware of fiber content though as some can have as much as 3 grams!). Plus, they're usually packaged in 4-6 oz containers so they have built in portion control and the glass containers can be washed and reused for storing homemade purees, I'd definantly call that a win. It's probably best to stick with fruit mixes that use banana as a base as it creates a great creamy consistency that is a lot like regular ice cream or sorbet, but if you have success with over flavors feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comment section below. If you happen to leave it in the freezer to long (or do like I do and always have a couple in there for to cut out the wait time) and it's more icy than creamy, just let it sit on the counter for five to ten minutes and it should be perfect. I can only imagine that if this little tip is so enjoyable to me, that babies would love it too as a refreshing surprise on a nice hot day, so show your little ones some love and treat them also to this yummy way to add fruits and nutrients to any diet.=)

Get In My Belly!!!: Bob's Red Mill Potato Flakes

     Eating while on the go has been a recent struggle of mine. My diet is still very limited and some days I don't have time in the morning to fix a full days worth of meals to carry around with me. So one day as I was walking around Plum Market, I ended up in the boxed potato section. I had tried this route before while looking for a quick fix food, but it just never seemed to settle very well, I'm guessing because of all the chemicals and fillers that most brands have. I happened to notice that Bob's Red Mill had a line of potatoes flakes, and knowing that Bob's Red Mill products have a really good reputation, I decided to check out the ingredients for their potatoes and was completely shocked that there was only one ingredient. Yup, you guessed it, 100% dehydrated potatoes. The best part, it was only four dollars for a pretty big bag.

     The fact that these potato flakes are instant is what really drew me in. When I have some spare time, I portion off individual portions into snack size Ziplock bags or small Tupper wear containers to keep with me, and anywhere that I can get hot water I've got something hot, filling, and most importantly, GP friendly that I can eat. I use to just count of ordering a baked potato, but not every restaurant carries them (although Wendy's just about always has delicious tender baked potatoes when I'm really in a crunch), and some days the fiber in a regular baked potato is just to harsh on my tummy. If I feel like I can tolerate it, I add grilled or baked chicken or scallops for some protein to balance out all those carbs. Also egg whites are a protein that I generally tolerate pretty well. On days that none of those seem like a good idea, I settle for some nutritional yeast mixed in for a little protein and a big vitamin B boost. When it comes to the GP diet on-the-go, I have found the saying "Failure to prepare, is preparation to fail" to be all to true, so never leave the house without a few GP friendly snacks=)

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

     Having GP makes it very important to get as much nutrition into each bite as possible. Now with that being said, some days a girl just needs her chocolate fix! Being on a gluten and dairy free diet makes that pretty tough though, so I went on a hunt for a chocolate recipe and after a couple recipe trial and errors, found one that was just what I was looking for. The first recipe that I tried claimed the chocolate would be a nice sauce at room temperature and a spreadable consistency once refrigerated. No matter how long I refrigerated that chocolate it never thickened, very disappointing. It was also very bitter, and I am not a dark chocolate kind of person so that didn't sit very well for me.

     The idea of a chocolate sauce that could also be used as an icing was very appealing to me though, so I kept looking and ran across this recipe for a Allergen Free Chocolate Syrup from a website called Allergy Free Cooking Baby. Since the recipe was for a syrup, I decided to cut the liquid back by half hoping it'd thicken up in the refrigerator and it did not disappoint. Even my grandma, who is not a sweets person, loved it! So without further au due, I present all of you chocolate lovers with...

Allergen Free Chocolate Syrup

 From: Allergen Free Cooking Baby!

Ingredients

• • ¼ cup brown sugar
• • 1 cup granulated sugar
• • 1 cup Cacao powder or Cocoa powder
• • 1 cup water ( I used only a 1/2 cup of water to achieve a thicker consistency)
• • ¼ tsp salt
• • 2 tsp vanilla

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan combine the sugars, cacao powder, & salt, just until mixed.
2. Add in water and vanilla and stir over medium heat.
3. Bring to a boil and lower heat to a simmer.
4. The mixture will start to stick to the spoon.
5. Mixture will thicken a little more in the refrigerator.
6. Use for chocolate dairy free milk, or as a topping on your favorite dairy free ice cream.

*As a caution, be careful to mix everything well before heating as any dry ingredients stuck to the bottom will burn very easily!