Earthly Eating

It’s all you hear these days. Everyone’s talking food; pure, unadulterated organic, farm-raised, free-range, genetically unaltered food. Where to buy the best bean curd. Why the fish at the local market is unsafe. Why you should ask for soy milk in your morning latte. But obsessing over small issues with your food can become a serious problem overall. Mainly toward your health and well-being. The obsession even has its own name; Orthorexia Nervosa.

An orthorexic’s diet is often too restrictive and might be low in protein, vitmains, minerals, and fat. An orthorexic may suffer the same limitations as an anorexic-a fear of living life fully.

Though not classified as an official psychological disorder, orthorexia showcase the dangers of taking anything to the extreme, even concern about your health.

Even though it is wise to watch what we eat it is also unwise to ponder on whether the last bag of chips we ate are safe. There are concerns that are normal concerns such as food allergies. Food allergies are happening to some if not most people and they don’t even know it. If you have a food allergy, such as peanuts, most likely you are aware. But, what do we really know about food alleriges? Below is a quizz to see if you know the common food allergies and why those effected tend to react they way they do. (The answers are at the very bottom of this article.)

Personally I am allergic to radishes and green, and only the green varity of bell pepper. Here’s some pictures of my reaction to eating some radishes last Christmas eve in a dish that I didn’t know had them in there. I eventually had to head on over the the emergency room, yes on Christmas eve, to get an Epi-pen® shot to cool the reaction and hives down. As you can see from the photos, I was quite swollen in the face and I had hives all over my body. Such a terrible Christmas eve I had. But, Christmas morning I woke up with just minor pain and the symptoms had gone down quite a lot. Now I pick through anything, and any dish I am not familiar with. That has seem to be my obsession as far as my health is concerned.

TEST YOURSELF
What do you really know about food allergies?

-Fact: Food allergies can cause itchy or even anaphylactic shock. How potent can a peanut really be?

1. If you’re allergic to soy, it is safe to eat food cooked in soybean oil.

True or False

2. Artifical flavors cause the majority of food allergies.

True or False

3. Which of these can cause an allergic reaction?

a) “Natural” cosmetics
b) Enering a fish restaurant
c) Eating egg whites
d) Any of the above

4. Kissing someone who has eaten peanuts can provoke an allergic reaction?

True or False

**See any bumper stickers lately that have caught your attention? Over at About Tulsa, OK, Candy Hollowell has seen some pretty interesting ones through out the month of October. Read all of them here.**
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Earthly Eating Recipe:

Spinach Cheese Dip
Serves: Makes 3 cups of dip

Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Sprinkle with remaining onions just before serving.

Happy Eating!

Answers to the TEST YOURSELF questions:
1. True. Your body reacts to certain proteins in soybeans, peanuts, and sunflower seeds, and most of the oils sold in the United States are highly refined (as opposed to cold-pressed), so they contain no trace of them.

2. False. Ninety precent are linked to milk, eggs, wheat, peanuts, soy, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish.

3. D. Any of the above. Some beauty products contain enough milk or nut extract to bring on hives. Believe it or not the tiny proteins released into the air by frying and steaming seafood can also trigger allergic reactions. And most people with egg allergies actually respond to the whites, not the yolks.

4. True. If you are sensitive to goobers, as little as one-eightieth of a peanut can cause an allergic reaction.
(Source: Natural Healing )