Time to find new favorite foods....

I met with my naturopath on Monday afternoon to go over the results of my blood test and see just what was going on (at least as best we can).

I thought I was prepared and, in some ways, I wasn't too badly prepared. But in some ways, I was completely unprepared to see the results.

The good news was that most of my blood chemistry was fine. My cholestorol, sugar, enzymes, hormones, etc. I did have a very low vitamin D level (15 when the norm is between 33 and 100) so I need to take a lot of vitamin D supplements for a while.

The celiac evidenced itself in a very high level of IgG antibodies. Considering the fact that we already knew I had celiac, I had a weird moment when I saw the numbers on paper - a bit surreal and then I could feel myself try to immediately look for a way out. Maybe it was a mistake. Maybe it was really something else. I talked for a few minutes to my naturopath about it and it began to sink in.

I tell you, my heart was starting to feel a bit heavy there.

Then we got to the allergy panel. I didn't expect to see much of anything, certainly nothing in the high range, though I was thinking maybe I'd have some reaction to milk because many celiacs also have problems with milk.

Boy was I wrong.

My highest allergy (and all the way into the highest end of the scale of severity) was eggs. Both yolks and whites of chicken eggs show as extremely high. This knocked me for a loop and I almost couldn't think. My naturopath said there is some evidence that this is now showing up a lot due to immunizations we got in childhood that were grown in chicken eggs.

Either way, one of my favorite protein sources has to get off my menu. And it's in a TON of things, too. I've never noticed a reaction from them but they may be adding to other issues and inflammation.

The next things on the list in the high range are Casein and Whey. Milk-related. Again, I thought I was prepared for this but I wasn't. A swear visions of ice cream and deserts flashed before my eyes!

In the moderate range are most other cow's milk products, baker's yeast, Dungeness crab, Oyster, and garlic! OMG - GARLIC. That hit me like a slap. I'm a complete garlic addict and like it in just about everything.

I did notice I reacted to every single gluten-containing grain other than barley - which I never eat.

There are more in the low range but I'm trying to get the highest ones out of my diet now. This is pretty brutal on top of the gluten already.

On the good side, I can have duck eggs and goat milk (I inherited Yasmine's goat cheese after she got sensitive to it!) and I can have prettym much all fruts and veggies. Soy has a mild reaction so I need to stay away from it if I can.

All nuts are okay - so is cocoa, honey and coffee.

I think a true low-carb diet is not going to be an option for right this minute. First I need to get my mind and pantry wrapped around my celiac and all my allergies and intolerances. Then I might be able to lower the number of carbs I eat.

But, man, what a pill to swallow.