Tara Prana

Mother. Teacher. Foodie. Friend.

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Friends and intolerances….or intolerant friends?

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IMG_1507I have a friend. A good friend, a lovely friend.

But I feel she doesn’t respect my way of eating.

Last night we went out for dinner with friends, to a pizza place. At the end of the evening I declared that the gluten free pizza was the worst I had had in a long time (It was truly like cardboard!).
Now to that comment, my friend, she could have said ‘that sucks’ or ‘that must be frustrating’ or ‘shame, our wheat one was was really nice’ or she could have just nodded and said …… nothing.

But my friend, she said this: ‘You should have eaten the other one then.’

I felt upset, like all the other times she says things like that.

But I smiled. I smiled and said ‘I couldn’t, it wouldn’t be worth it’ to which she asked directly, ‘Are you a coeliac?’.

I mumbled no, but that doesn’t mean I don’t suffer, and then trailed off because she wasn’t listening.

The truth is, I don’t know if I am a coeliac or not, because I have not had the full range of tests. Sure, I’ve had the blood test and a colonoscopy, but those do not actually detect coeliac disease. For that, I would need a laparoscopy, a camera from both ends.

My GP, who I respect, discouraged me from having this a while ago when I was still recovering. I understand why.

She said, ‘Tara, do we need a test to tell us you can’t eat gluten? We know how sick you get from eating gluten and grain. We saw it with our own eyes. Do you remember?’

Yes, I remember.

 

I remember that I went from 56kg to 48kg in a matter of months. I remember my ribs and hips stuck out and I felt too weak to walk normal places such as from the car. I remember that I would start to faint if I stood for too long. I remember that just taking my kids to the park was a huge struggle.

I remember that I could not keep any food in and needed to be within a few minutes of a toilet at all- I mean, AT ALL- times.
I remember that I was incredibly anxious if I needed to go to a new, unfamiliar place. For how would I know if there was a toilet, or where it even was? Would I get there in time?

I remember literally running to the toilet each morning, about five times, before I could even leave the house. This was tricky as I had a baby and a toddler at the time.

I remember that my iron levels got so low that I almost needed a blood transfusion. Instead I was subjected to fortnightly injections of iron and B vitamins in my behind, and had so many bruises that I could not sit back on the floor with my young children.

I feel like I lost a year of my life at that time. Not only a year of my own life but that precious year of my children’s life.
I was a shell of a person, a literal skeleton. I also lost my mind. All my marbles- gone.

So, to my friend: No actually, I do not know if I am a coeliac or not.

What I do know is that I now know my health. And my life. And my children’s lives.

A slice of ‘normal’ pizza cannot tempt me away from those precious, precious things that I have fought so hard to regain.

Don’t be confused- I send my friend love, not resentment. That is because we only know what we know. We only know our own experience, our own truth, our own lives. And that’s okay. I don’t need others to know my truths. The important thing is that I know them myself. After many years I now do, on many levels.

It would be nice though. 😉

How do you find other people’s approach to the way that you eat? Let me know in the comments.

Tara X

Clean, mean baked beans

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IMG_7794 ‘Clean’ baked beans?

No, I didn’t give them a good old scrub! These babies are clean because they are free from sugar, additives and preservatives.

Why bother?

Well, I used to go to a specific shop every few weeks to buy my kids a few cans of an organic brand of baked beans, which had me feeling like I was a ‘good mother’ and buying them quality food. I would go to that particular store because each can was $2.50 as opposed to the usual $4 + for organic versions. To me this was a good, cost-effective system that ensured my children had protein and variety in their breakfasts.

A few months ago though, I went to see ‘That Sugar Film‘ at the cinema. One of the foods that they spotlighted in the film as being high in sugar were baked beans. I watched the scene, smugly self-assured that my stockpile of ‘certified organic’ Australian baked beans were sitting at home in the pantry.

It was not until I got home later that night that I thought I would just check the label of the beans, using my freshly learned knowledge. I was gob-smacked- the can had per serving 12g sugar (3 teaspoons sugar). Well! Yes, yes it was Organic Cane Sugar but we all know that that is still: SUGAR. Organic or not, sugar is sugar and I had just learned that day that the WHO recommended sugar intake for children, PER DAY, was 4 teaspoons.

To be clear:

  • I am not anti-sugar. I am sugar-aware and definitely pro limiting it.
  • If you give your children canned baked beans, organic or not, that’s okay. I’m not judging.
  • This realisation was, for me, about easily replacing something with sugar with something without it.
  • This recipe is as cost-effective as the alternative.
  • For the record, I personally don’t like conventional Baked Beans however I really like these (I’m modest too;).
  • I used cannellini beans for a reason- for me personally they are the easiest beans to digest. If your gut is damaged you may not be as tolerant.
  • I think we all remember the following childhood rhyme. It’s very true- this easy meal packs a protein-filled breakfast or lunchbox hit to fuel their growing brains. Just don’t overdo it, for fear of the last line:

Baked Beans, Baked Beans, they make you smart

Baked Beans, Baked Beans, they make you fart!

If you want to give this recipe a try, do so and let me know how you go. The variations are endless. Start with something you or your child likes and experiment- be it bacon, smoky paprika, coriander, basil, cheese, anything. Or nothing, for those plain eaters! You could even be super-tricky and stretch it further by finely grating zucchini and carrot into this dish.

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Clean, mean baked beans
 
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A cost-effective recipe for sugar-free baked beans
Author:
Recipe type: Breakfast, Lunchbox
Serves: 6-8 child serves
Ingredients
  • ½ onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • olive oil or ghee
  • 2 x 400g cans Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 x 400g cans crushed tomatoes
  • 1TBS tomato paste
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • salt to taste
  • Optional:
  • rosemary, parsley, basil, oregano, italian herb mix, coriander, smoked paprika, bacon, cheese
Instructions
  1. Fry onion and garlic in oil/ghee
  2. Add cannellini beans and fry for a minute
  3. Add canned tomatoes, tomato paste, paprika and herbs of choice
  4. Stir then simmer for 10-20 minutes.
Notes
Change the flavour depending on what your child likes- if they like tacos make them Mexican by adding coriander and cumin with the paprika. If they love cheese grate some parmesan in at the last step. If they like Bolognese use lots of Italian herbs. If they like smoky flavours use smoked paprika and ¼ cup of diced bacon at step one.
This recipe can be frozen in small portions ready for weekday breakfasts and lunchboxes.

 

 

 

Australian Gelatin, oi, oi, oi!

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Peptipro jellies

Peptipro jellies

I first discovered the healing benefits of Gelatin a year or so ago and began incorporating it into my regular diet. I googled recipes, experimented with different methods and blogged about it here and here. Most health-focussed sites were recommending the grass-fed, conscious product Great Lakes. I started purchasing this hard-to-get product through Primal Influence (here on the Sunshine Coast) and eventually attended an informative workshop with the lovely Aimee who runs the business with partner Clint.

The problem was, Great Lakes’ is a product of the USA and purchasing it in Australia is quite expensive. After a while I did start noticing it popping up in local health food stores , but it was at the same price or dearer. I then discovered an online store and started purchasing it there as it was cheaper. I felt a little guilty not purchasing it through a local company and ‘going online’, but with the amount I wanted to use the cost was really adding up. I wondered why, with our large cattle industry here in Australia and with so many organic and conscious beef farmers, there was no producer of Australian grass-fed, quality Gelatin.

Well folks, thank God for instagram. Many a discovery has been made on this little app and one sunny morning last month I logged on to discover a sweet little account called Gelatin Australia. ‘Ooh, Gelatin Australia‘, I wondered, ‘Could it be that they sell AUSTRALIAN grass-fed Gelatin?’.

And that’s the end of my ethical dilemma with purchasing Gelatin online and from overseas. I can now buy my:

→ Grass-fed (but grain-finished)

→ Australia-produced and regulated

→ Australian owned

→ A-grade

→ Sustainable

→ Affordable

beef gelatin from an Australian website and it is MUCH cheaper than the alternative brand.

Please note that I am not necessarily claiming Peptipro to be ‘better’ or ‘higher quality’ than Great Lakes. To me, they are both excellent products. My elation simply comes from being able to purchase an Australian product* as that means I can: save on unnecessary shipping, keep our economy going strong and support local producers in this small country of ours. As an Australian however I do automatically feel more confidence in purchasing products that are produced by our own (highly regulated) industry, and had noted recently that Great Lakes’ had removed the ‘grass-fed’ from their labels (this I find quite interesting). * Both brands produce their collagen formula in countries outside their own.

Please also note that www.gelatinaustralia.com.au does stock both of the mentioned brands.

Purchase it here.

 

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Triple C Frittatas- Coriander, Carrot and Cumin.

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Triple C mini-frittatas

Triple C mini-frittatas

Do you both love it and hate it when you go to quickly make one of your regular recipes and you find that you are missing some ingredients? I do.

It frustrates me as I am always rushing and short on time for most tasks. However, sometimes it forces creativity as I have to think outside the square and create something new with what I’ve got.

This happened last week when I went to make up a super-quick batch of my Mini-frittatas for the kid’s lunchboxes (you can find this recipe in my lunch-box eBook ‘Forget the Sandwich!’, available here). I needed to make up the batch as I was seriously running out of lunchbox foods and the cupboard was quite bare. Unfortunately when I opened the fridge it was pretty dire in the vegetable department- all I could find was some fresh coriander (cilantro) and a few carrots. Bing! Coriander, Carrot and Cumin mini frittatas were created.

The 3 year-old rejected them but the 7 year-old and we adults loved them. I hope you do too!

Triple C Frittatas- Coriander, Carrot and Cumin.
 
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An easy recipe to make for school and adult lunchboxes.
Author:
Recipe type: Lunchbox, snacks
Serves: 12-16
Ingredients
  • 6 large eggs
  • ½ tsp cumin powder
  • 2 tsp finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
  • 1 lge carrot, peeled and grated
  • salt to taste
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder (optional)
  • Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)
Instructions
  1. Turn oven onto 175C/160C Fan-forced
  2. Whisk eggs in a bowl
  3. Add other ingredients and mix
  4. Pour into mini-muffin trays, either silicon or lined with baking papers
  5. Sprinkle grated parmesan on top, if using
  6. Bake for 20-25 mins.
  7. Can be frozen once cooled.