My Bare Bones Pantry

I'm finding more and more products I use occasionally, triggering hives, that will not be replaced with commercially produced items.  After ripping my pantry and fridge apart looking for the culprits, I've noticed the words 'natural flavorings' on just about every thing getting tossed out.  It's even in plain old yellow mustard.  How can that be?  Why does our society insist ... or put up with being fed ... laboratory flavors in almost every product?  My trash list today includes:  organic ketchup, basic prepared yellow mustard, season salts, canned tuna, and mayo.  Natural or not ... if it's not found in the product in a natural God given state ... so long.  Today's hives were triggered by Johnny's Seasoning Salt ... it has quite a few triggers such as soy, malto-dextrin, and cellulose gel (I actually knew better but slipped by using this product).  My word ... I should have been wearing my bi-focals years ago!

Natural Flavorings

Mustard Recipes

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There's No Place Like Home ...

... said while clicking my ruby red heels three times.

It's very difficult to be away from home and keep any semblance of a good diet routine.  The past week I've had to decide whether to go a little hungry ... or limit my food choices to the least offensive health wise .. and all the while wanting to get back home to the comfort of my kitchen, freezer .. and pantry.  There really are few places to eat that serve nutritious foods when in a strange city.  I tried to stick with fresh fruits, eggs, veggies, whole grain crackers, hummus, water and coffee.  And not wanting to be anti-family-food have shared some meals with family members.  Two days ago it was necessary to take  a Claritin allergy tablet .. this after being free from them for a month or two.  This trip has only confirmed and OPENED our eyes to how the entire food system has been monkeyed into one big-fat-fake-food society.

Photo:  Daughter, Elizabeth & 'friend' at the Storybook Cafe, Disneyland's Grand Californian Hotel

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Food Allergies

... are on the rise!  There are so many different allergies ... food restrictions ... diets ... a person has to walk through a toxic mine field some days to eat.  Hubby celebrated his birthday at his family's home today.  There were lots of relatives ... many semi-homemade foods .. cakes, brownies, ice cream, chicken, tri-tip steaks, ham sandwiches ... a smorgasbord.  I was realtively hive free until I had two bites of b/d cake ;(  And my grandson picked up a peanut butter cookie off a platter ... he's allergic to p/b ... luckily his mom caught him before it was swallowed!  I stuck with the tri-tip, spinach salad, carrot sticks and hummus.  The good Lord surely didn't intend for us to eat this way.   As a survival strategy ... I ran to Trader Joe's to stock up on edible .. non processed food stuff.

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