Bimbling with Dietary Requirements?

[Melonfish]

I've recently come down with a stomach ailment not sure what it is yet for sure but tests are under way as we speak.
in the meantime i'd still like to go out walking and camping but i'm stuck on the food issue, there's now an awful lot of things i can't eat so i'm asking for idea's on what i may be able to take.

first off the stuff i know i can eat at home.
Bread, Rice, Plain chicken, lean pork, rusks, oats, potatoes (boiled or baked) plain Cereals.

i can't have oils/fats, spices are right out and anything dairy is restricted to small amounts, for instance baked items as long as i use skimmed milk and perhaps just one egg and tonnes of flour i'm not to bad with -american pancakes ftw.
wild food wise i appear to be fine with dandelion, Gorse, Hawthorn and garlic mustard, Ramsons sadly no longer pass my lips.
oh and alcohol is right out.
fruit is pointless too, i appear to only be able to manage banana's atm (banana guard bought)
oh and no coffee or tea.

welcome to my boring culinary life, however i'm not going to let it get me down too much, i've been out and bought a drink-safe water bottle (no more chlorine) and i have plans for biscuits and rice i can have some oxo's with the rice, bannock is something that i should be able to do (bread really). spuds i can throw in the fire whole and just eat the lovely innards when done but i need further idea's. Any suggestions?

thanks
Pete

 

[decorum]

Any suggestions?

You haven't mentioned fish or veg.

How are you with fish oils? Plain white fish (like cod - google is your friend) is lower in oils.

Sweet potato and yam spring to mind ~ neither need to be protected from embers.
Corn on the cob is excellent grilled ~ with or without their husk/leaves.

 

[Everything Mac]

You haven't mentioned fish or veg.

How are you with fish oils? Plain white fish (like cod - google is your friend) is lower in oils.

Sweet potato and yam spring to mind ~ neither need to be protected from embers.
Corn on the cob is excellent grilled ~ with or without their husk/leaves.

I was about to suggest something similar.

If you can do veg then you are ok for a reasonable stew.

tomatoes?

Andy

 

[santaman2000]

If you can do chicken you might be able to expand to other fowl (wild or domestic) such as turkey, quail, pheasant, etc. as long as you avoid the higher fat waterfowl. What about pasta? Squirrel? Rabbit? Egg whites with the yolk seperated and discarded (these can make excellent omelates; just remember you need 2 or 3 to equal the nutrition of 1 whole egg) If I can think of more I'll add later.

You didn't mention any adverse reaction to spices or peppers. Could you liven up your choices that way?

 

[Melonfish]

oops yeah Veg i'm generally ok with, fish i don't know i haven't tried it since i've been ill.
peppers i dispise (except chilli peppers) but anything spicy is off my edible list..

sweet potato and maize do sound good actually, interesting i don't have to protect it from the embers (the potato) i am dying to try rabbit and squirrel as they are very lean, my problem is cooking them without them becoming dry husks but still fitting with what i can eat.
tomato's i haven't tried yet, i'm going to guess too acidic, also the reason most fruit is off my menu.
oh yeah pasta in small quantities too. it expands alot and i have a tiny stomach now.

 

[Everything Mac]

Hmm - tomatoes would have opened up a fair bit. Ach well.

Sweet potatoes are great - try with butter (if you can) and salt + pepper. - Very nice.

I think stews are a good bet.

Rabbit and squirrel stew very well and are very nice.

rabbit / meat of your choice
Swede
carrots
onion?
celery
Stock (any kind you can handle)
water

cube the veg and meat - boil. jobs a good'un.
- a recipe like that is filling and tastes good IMO.

I'm a big fan of butternut squash - I make a soup which is very good.

squash
red pepper (not for you obviously)
5 or more cloves of garlic (if you can)

- cube and roast the veg, then wizz up with some beef stock - or veg stock. - a variation with sweet potato would be rather yummy too

I make it rather thick, so you could throw in some chicken or some such and make a real meal of it.

How are you with beans and pulses?



All the best mate
Andy

 

[Melonfish]

not tried beans and pulses yet, but they're on my list of things to dabble with, i like the idea of a stew i can probably do one the first night i'm out (or on an overnighter) if i freeze the meat before leaving.
defo going to be trying sweet potato and corn mind, all cooked over a fire it sounds lovely it does occur to me that my pack weight is actually going to increase because of this lol.

however i like the idea's at least i'm not going to starve, garlic i'm not sure about yet, still to try, although ramsons were bad. i think it was the pepperyness.
again onion i'm yet to try properly, i think perhaps sweated off may be ok.

had a baked potato the other day first in a very long time, was utterly delicious, all that soft potatoness inside, no salt, no butter, nothing just potato.

 

[Everything Mac]

Fair enough mate.

If you are ok with the beans and pulses that opens up another avenue of possibilities (and variation)

Not the end of the world if you can't have garlic. I use a lot because I like it.

I assume herbs are on the whole ok? - they always add flavour.


Sounds like you have to avoid the deadly nightshade family to me. (my mother has intolerances of that family of foods) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanaceae

Andy

 

[santaman2000]

oops yeah Veg i'm generally ok with, fish i don't know i haven't tried it since i've been ill.
peppers i dispise (except chilli peppers) but anything spicy is off my edible list..

sweet potato and maize do sound good actually, interesting i don't have to protect it from the embers (the potato) i am dying to try rabbit and squirrel as they are very lean, my problem is cooking them without them becoming dry husks but still fitting with what i can eat.
tomato's i haven't tried yet, i'm going to guess too acidic, also the reason most fruit is off my menu.
oh yeah pasta in small quantities too. it expands alot and i have a tiny stomach now.

Chili peppers were what I meant. If you can tolerate some sort of stock as someone suggested then that opens up the possibility of making a nonfat based suedo-gravy to help cure that over dried taste you mentioned. Also some of the powdered instant stocks might lighten your pack some.

You said you can only tolerate small quanities of non-fat milk. Is that due to a lactose intolerance as well as the fat intolerance? If so you might be able to get around it by switching to goats' milk. It comes in non-fat as well and the lactose reacts differently (please don't ask me how; you Dr. or dietician can explain much better than I can) than cows milk and many people find it more suitable. I don't know how easily you can get it there. It's available here but you have to do some searching and it's a bit more expensive. If you don't fancy the taste drinking (and it does taste a bit different) it should still be useful in cooked or baked goods. The goat cheeses might also offer a way to keep up a dairy intake to keep your nutrition balanced (again finding a non-fat type).

You said you can tolerate lean pork. Perhaps if you slow roast a lean pork joint then shred it and soak it in a barbeque sauce. We serve it that way over here on burger buns and call it a "pulled pork sandwich" although it is also served just on a plate. Of course you'll need to find a recipe for the sauce without acid or fat and that might take some research.

I know some of these ideas may not work out but with a little experimentation I'm sure you're going to find enough that do work. My Daughter is Gluten intolerant and suffers from Crohn's Disease so I understand what it's like to try to maintain a diet that's both appealing and balanced while under severe restrictions. It can be done.

 

[Toddy]

I'm pretty much vegan these days and I'm gluten intolerant. If I can manage to enjoy food, you'll be fine

Depending on what you do to the food can greatly change the taste. e.g. if you boil oats you make porage, bland, filling but nutritious. If you toast those oats in a pan (just keep them moving) they not only smell a hundred times better but oh the taste is vastly improved The same goes for cornmeal, parched corn the native americans call it. Delicious.
Veggies boiled are fine as a stew in stock, but it you have a good non stick pan, you can stir fry without oil and they taste really good without any grease or seasoning added. Plain rice with that and it's a filling meal, especially since you can eat chicken and that can be cooked with the veggies too
What I'm getting at is think method as well as ingredients.

How are you with soya/tofu ? Huge varieties available and all protein rich and fat free If you can't have milk are you okay with the nut milks ? Ground almonds make great milk and the drained almond left overs toast beautifully, are great just as they are or greatly enhance a veggie stew

Best of luck with it all.

cheers,
M

 

[locum76]

Sounds like you have to avoid the deadly nightshade family to me. (my mother has intolerances of that family of foods) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanaceae

Andy

I've got a friend who risks death if he even kisses someone who has eaten tomatoes. Toddy is yer woman for nutritional advice.

EDIT: speak of the devil.

 

[decorum]

How do you fair with herbs? I'm assuming that the more spicey ones are out, but it's worth asking as a couple of different herbs means increased variety in menus.

>>> I'm a big fan of butternut squash <<<

Another good one .

 

[Melonfish]

herbs are on the to try list as well. atm i'm not sure what this is, i'm not lactose intolerant (i've been tested before) they think it may be a stomach ulcer but they're not sure as some of the symptoms aren't right and the pain isn't where it should be *shrug*
i've had some tomatoes tonight, i'll see how they sit, if i'm in agony in an hour i'll let you know

@santaman2k: Pulled pork, oh man i wish i could eat pulled pork. sadly bbq sauce is well out tbh its a big adjustment for me, i used to eat a large variety of foods and loved cooking them, now i get to cook them but not really eat them. cést la vie.

@locum: my mother in law is the same with Strawberries even strawberry flavourings.

@toddy: not tried soya/tofu yet but it was one of my faves especially in miso. the toasted oat porridge sounds great! i love oats though. i have been told to stay clear of nuts for now by the doc i'm inclined to obey, i don't want to risk a return to A&E with the sensation of being stabbed.
when i left work on the 25th of feb i weighed eighteen and a half stone. i now weigh sixteen and a half and none of my pants fit... there is a silver lining i guess but its a daily grind to see it.
the medication i'm on also gives me wicked indigestion the like of which i've never had, so small portions of stuff is the ticket for me i'm sure i'll balance this all in the end but what you guys are writing here is really helping! thank you.
pete

 

[santaman2000]

I'm pretty much vegan these days and I'm gluten intolerant. If I can manage to enjoy food, you'll be fine

Depending on what you do to the food can greatly change the taste. e.g. if you boil oats you make porage, bland, filling but nutritious. If you toast those oats in a pan (just keep them moving) they not only smell a hundred times better but oh the taste is vastly improved The same goes for cornmeal, parched corn the native americans call it...M

Can you expand on what you are referring to as cornmeal? What we refer to as "parched corn" is just corn on the cob soaked in water then roasted over open coals. Generally "parched is just a coloquial term for dry roasted when referring to things like corn, coffee beans, nuts, etc. Corn meal really is a meal used to make cornbread, tortillas and the bread around tamales. The native name was "Masa" At least in Mexico.

 

[Everything Mac]

really bad stomach cramps?

My mum had the exact same thing.

best of luck mate.

Andy

 

[Toddy]

Parched corn is the whole kernals dried and then broken, soaked in lime water overnight, drained and then dry roasted.....well, that's how I know it. I sometimes season it with a mix of seasalt, toasted sesame seeds and a little paprika.

I think the parched corn you mention is really just dried corn niblets roasted, no? Easier on the teeth than unpopped popcorn but still hard work and not as digestible as the stuff soaked in lime/lye water. This kind is more like the roasted soya 'nuts' that Indians (that's sub-continent for the curious )sell in among the assorted Bombay Mixes.

Whole coarse cornflour, it's nearly like pinhead meal, is the stuff I usually use tbh. Kind of lazy but easily available in Tesco If you get the stuff meant to make whole corn tortillas then it generally doesn't need soaking in the lime water.....in the UK we just use bicarbonate of soda It's just so that the alkali makes the minerals in the corn 'casing' more available for digestion. Just the same as soaking dried peas overnight before boiling them.

Had another thought; Scot's make Skirlie. This is pinhead meal added to any fried left overs, like the bacon grease in the frying pan. If it's being done 'clean' then usually onions are fried in butter or a little olive oil and the oats added, fried and then stirred until cooked. Very tasty, and it doesn't need to be greasy. That good non stick, or well seasoned cast iron, pan will let you stir roast the oats and add left over boiled potatoes and stir both until cooked and slightly toasted. Lovely

cheers,
Toddy

 

[spiritwalker]

i am lactose intolerant and once it was confirmed i had it i removed it from my diet (not very easy i might add the stuff gets everywhere) i find it a pain in the butt and not always easy to avoid but if you keep your wits about you ... you can find alternative foods to eat they even make a cheese now it isnt great but its a start. Best thing to do is try to make everything from scratch yourself learn what foods you can have and write them down so you have a reportoire of things you can handle..

what you have sounds quite bad

mine isnt so bad if i do have lactose products i suffer anything from just wind to chronic insomnia after all its an intolerance and not an allergy..

worthy of note though is cutting things out seems to make the overall problem worse before i was diagnosed i was eating allsorts but since i have been picky i find the slightest amount has a worse and faster response now...

chin up laaa and start writing lists then you can approach recipes with alternatives and move on
its eating out that causes the real pain when you cant be sure of whats in a dish

 

[santaman2000]

Parched corn is the whole kernals dried and then broken, soaked in lime water overnight, drained and then dry roasted.....well, that's how I know it. I sometimes season it with a mix of seasalt, toasted sesame seeds and a little paprika...Toddy

Sounds good but not really anything I've seen over here. The soaking in lime water is standard for almost any processing of corn. As you said it's neccessary to remove the pericarp to make it digestable. The Indians used ashes whereas modern Mexicans use Cal (calcium hydroxide)

 

[santaman2000]

...I think the parched corn you mention is really just dried corn niblets roasted, no?...Toddy

No, what I called "parched was/is corn on the cob soaked and roasted whole while still in the husk. I know when I mentioned nuts and coffee beans it probably gave the impression that the corn would be in niblets; sorry.

 

[comeonbabylightmyfire]

Omeprazole?