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June 30, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels April 13, 2004 The Kitchen Coach A process of elimination Rebecca Wood If you suffer from nagging, undiagnosed symptoms, you're not alone. Some physicians claim that food allergies and sensitivities are a leading cause of most undiagnosed symptoms. Adverse reactions to food, especially wheat and dairy, are now reported in about 25 percent of younger children. Here's a three-step process to determine sensitivities. (Note: if you have a severe food reaction, seek your doctor's help.) Food log Keep a food log for five days. Write down everything you eat and then highlight the foods that you habitually eat. Unfortunately, it's often the foods we crave the most that are problematic. Like a smoker craving a cigarette, "needing a piece of toast to start the day" may be more about biochemical cravings than nutrition. After wheat and dairy, other common food allergens are soy, corn, rice, chocolate, citrus, nuts, fish and eggs. If a specific food-like wheat-is problematic then avoid everything containing wheat or flour. You'll need to read labels like a sleuth because processed and packaged foods often contain wheat. It's even found in some hot dogs and ice cream. Cooking more from scratch becomes easier than asking for the ingredients in every restaurant food. Pulse test Use your pulse to test a suspect food and remain sedentary throughout this test. Take your resting pulse rate when you wake up in the morning by using a watch with a second hand and counting the number of beats in a 60-second period. (A normal pulse reading is 50 to 70 beats per minute). Now eat a mouthful of the food your testing. If that is wheat. Test with plain pasta or wheat grains rather than a bagel or breakfast cereal which contains secondary ingredients. Wait 15 minutes and then take your pulse again. If your pulse rate increases more than ten beats per minute, this indicates a wheat sensitivity. If your pulse doesn't increase by ten, then wheat is not the problem and you may test another suspect food. However, if it did increase then wait a day before repeating the test with a second food. E limination diet Remove from your diet all foods that cause your pulse to increase. Record any changes in your energy, emotions, sleep, bowels and allergic symptoms such as labored breathing, itching eyes, troubled sleep or skin problems. If after two weeks your allergic symptoms are relieved, then you've correctly identified the problematic foods. However, if your symptoms are not relieved, repeat these three steps to further identify any additional food irritants. Continue to abstain from all problematic foods. Resolution Once you've identified and eliminated problem foods, there's another important step. Investigate and remedy the cause of your digestive malfunction. Ideally, then you'll be free of dietary restrictions. We'll examine this topic in our next column. Some-but not all-people who are sensitive to common wheat can enjoy the heirloom wheat varieties Kamut and spelt, available in natural food products. However, if you're allergic to common wheat, then daily eating Kamut or spelt may create a new sensitivity to them. Therefore, enjoy Kamut or spelt at irregular intervals until your sensitivities are resolved. Kamut Pizza (makes 1 14-inch pizza) Kamut bread has a buttery flavor and a chewy texture making it ideal for pizza crusts, dinner rolls and stuffed breads. 2 teaspoons active dry yeast 1 /2 cups warm water (100 to 110 degrees) 4 1/4 cups kamut flour, plus extra for kneading Extra-virgin olive oil 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt 1 cup tomato pizza sauce 4 ounces fresh mozzarella, diced into small cubes 10 basil leaves, torn into small pieces Combine yeast and warm water in a mixing bowl. Let stand for about 10 minutes or until the yeast softens. Stir in the flour in 1-cup increments, beating vigorously with a wooden spoon until it is smooth. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, occasionally slamming the dough down to help develop its gluten. Place the kneaded dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in bulk. The dough will be more dense than if made from common wheat. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Grease a large pizza pan. Punch dough down, and then add 2 tablespoons oil and sea salt. Fold the dough over onto itself, and knead until the oil is absorbed. Allow the dough to rest for 5 minutes. Roll and stretch the dough into a circle to fill the pizza pan. Crimp the edge to form a slight lip. Spread the tomato sauce over the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edge. Lay the mozzarella over the sauce and drizzle a little oil over all. Bake until the pizza is bubbling, about 10 minutes, then remove, brush the exposed crust with a little oil and scatter the basil over the top. Local resident Rebecca Wood is a personal chef, food coach and author. Her book, The Splendid Grain, won both the James Beard and the Julia Child Cookbook Awards. She may be reached, or her articles and recipes may be accessed, at www.rwood.com DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams