Totally Unleaded
It’s Tid bit Tuesday . By the title of this post surely you think I must be headed to the soap box to go on about gasoline prices. But, I’m not sharing gasoline prices today :-)
I am sugar free , dairy free and caffeine free. I have been sugar free and caffeine free since the early 1980’s. The no more dairy thing started in the early 2000’s when I developed an allergy..
I know you all no how much I love to cook. I make yummy things all of the time…… that I can’t eat!
I started saying I was unleaded a while back. It just seems to be a gentler way to say I can’t eat anything good, LOL. The choice to change my diet was presented to me by my physicians. Being the ever compliant patient that I am and having the desire to stick around as long as possible,l I have followed my restricted diet diligently Just like the treatments I endure for my Polycythemia Vera I also have to go without some of the fully leaded goodness out there, Think chocolate, ice cream, birthday cake and you know what I mean..
I didn’t have to much trouble giving up the sugar, or the caffeine but the dairy, that was tough, really tough!
Do you have any diet restrictions?
linking to- Cowgirl Up
“May the Lord bless you and keep you; may He let His grace shine upon you and be gracious to you; may the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-6:26 NIV
I was totally surprised to read this post since you are often writing about cookies and baked goodies. I don’t eat sweets because i feel sluggish and just not good after, and I also am diligent about keeping slim and trim, which is harder at 50 than when I was in my 30’s. Coffee is a struggle…. I just love sitting at my computer in the morning with a good strong cup of fully leaded Joe… I go off and on with coffee 🙂
Caffeine. Other than small amounts in chocolate, I have not had caffeine for like 14 years or more! I have been trying to cut out sugar and was successful for a small period of time, but it’s pretty hard 🙂 I luckily don’t have to cut it out all together, but it would probably be good for me if I could to some extent, as sometimes my blood sugar can get off. I went completely without dairy for about 5 months once (when I can’t even remember why my N.D. told me no dairy at that time) and I didn’t find it as hard as the sugar. The only really hard part was cheese. I got used to rice milk or other alternatives. I feel for you because I don’t think I could give up all 3 of those things!! Caffeine I don’t even miss , so that was easy. All 3 though..wow!
I feel you on how hard it is to give up what you love. I make a lot of stuff I can’t eat either and it stinks! Dairy was easy for me to give up, but raw veggies were hard. I can handle only small bits of sugar at a time, and that is also hard for me because I have such a sweet tooth!
No allergies over here, but I consume a few amount of caffeine and dairy…and we are really cutting down on sugar…even if I don’t think we’ll ever be completely off of it
No caffeine? That has got to be hard!
I am mostly gluten and dairy free. Oh how I wish I could give up sugar and caffeine! But my morning coffee is so hard to do without. 🙂 Have a wonderful Wednesday!
I’m proud of you that you are taking such good care of yourself. I have to find a way to ditch sugar. Dairy doesn’t bother me, and I only get the caffeine that is in chocolate(not that much). I have so many food allergies and so do my 3 of my 4 kids. Keep up the good work!:)
I don’t, but giving up dairy would be a bear!
Doesn’t sound too good to me Katie, making all those yummy things and then not being able to eat them! I will consume your share of all that is bad for you 🙂
Thanks for sharing your “unleaded” story, a very interesting read indeed.
I have to get back to something which really is not good for me; shoveling snow, we had another dump last night!
I find it so curious today that so many people have allergies. I don’t remember anyone having them when I was growing up. Perhaps it’s because so much of our food is processed. And our produce has been altered, sprayed, and grown with un-organic fertilizers. I don’t know. I have many friends who’ve gone dairy free or caffeine free or wheat free. So far, I take it all, but in moderation. Kudos to anyone who manages all those temptations. It’s better to do that than deal with the fallout from not paying attention.
I know it must be very difficult to give up chocolate, dairy ..and all things that taste good!
I try to cut back on chocolate ( for the calories..)
Keep up the good work!
Katie, I am not completely unleaded as I still drink caffeinated coffee, but I have several food allergies, all of which I discovered over the last year — gluten, dairy and soy, among several others. I am not sugar free but I do limit my sugar consumption quite a lot. It’s not always easy but I’m hoping all these changes will help me live better with FMS, CFS and chronic (daily) migraines!
My hats off to anybody who can stay away from sugar, dairy and caffeine, all at the same time, because I know how difficult it would be for me to give up just one of them. So far, my only ‘restrictions’, have been cutting back on some of these incredible edibles for a time, nothing that I stuck to for long. That’s right, that’s not even considered a restriction. Oh well….
My first thought on reading the title was decaf. I have not totally given up caffeine but my coffee is almost always decaf. That one is tough enough, can’t imagine no sugar or dairy, especially since I drink my decaf super sweet and creamy.
Yeah, like Janine said: God help me if I ever develop an allergy to ANY of these things, LOL. I don’t drink coffee, but I love green tea. I have such a sweet tooth, it’s rotten. And dairy? OMG, I can’t live without cheese. I tried being vegan once. I lasted 24 hours. Soy cheese hated me, LOL. My hat’s off to you and your healthful diet. I eat lots of veggies and organics, but…I still need my ice cream a couple times a week. Hehe.
just started this month on a low carb diet… Not sure what happened but my triglicerides jumped 50 points this year. The rest of my blood work was fine and normal…so the Dr said that I needed to lower my carbs, adding that my thyroid was slowing so we need to get that back on track too with diet and excerise I should be doing and feeling better in a few months
No dairy, no gluten/wheat and no suger/processed stuff or caffiene, the last two just because.
I’m diabetic too. Isn’t it amazing we write, talk, and photograph good, beautifl food we don’t eat? I think it is good therapy for me. My friends at work, at church and my neighbors help me out by eating and honestly commenting on what I cook.
Oh, well. God never gives us a burden too heavy to carry. Some days I wish He would have not chosen me for this one. But I think he presented food blogging as my coping mechanism.
Have a sweet day!
The Contessa (Linda)
With two parents with Type-2 diabetes, I know that sugar will become an issue – every year I check in with the doctor for a glucose reading expecting the worse, but have dodged that bullet so far. I have two younger siblings with this horrible disease already. So for now, I just limit my sugar intake (and do a bad job of it).
Good for you for taking these things out of your diet. I honestly don’t know how you do it – caffeine I could give up – but dairy – wow that’s a hard one!
No and god help me if I ever become diabetic, because I like sweets a bit too much, lol!! But seriously, good for you and give you huge props for changing your diet to become healthier 🙂 🙂