Dietary needs in hospital

Last week I unfortunately ended up in hospital for a few days.  For the first time ever I was admitted to a private hospital, and while there are some remarkable differences in Victoria between private and public hospitals (don't even get me started on my views on this!), there were some amazing similarities!

On admission, I put on my form that I was on the Low FODMAP diet, and spelt out that basically meant I was "wheat free".  I get that it's a little bit different, and so thought a quick explanation might be a helpful thing.  I figured if it came with all the other things that I am not supposed to be eating I could pick and choose, but wheat is the one thing I seriously need to watch.

That request took 2 days to filter through the system anyway, the first two days meals contained mostly wheat-based products, and when it finally did "click" on the system this is what was served up for dinner:

According to the catering slip that comes with your meal, this is gluten free vegetables!!

I know I should be thankful for being able to eat when some are nil-by-mouth, and actually being thankful that I am given food to eat when many others in the world are experiencing famine or starvation - and I truly am thankful!

I also don't blame people for finding it hard to sometimes get their head around it all these days - what free, gluten free, lactose free, etc.  BUT I'd like to think that perhaps they're willing to give it their best shot!

Perhaps my next "job" should be giving dietary advice for those that provide catering!  :-)

Spelt Flour Pizza

After an impromptu trip to Queen Victoria Market yesterday afternoon, and a few impromptu purchases (!!) we decided tonight was "gourmet" pizza night at our house!

Am now well and truly used to home-made spelt flour pizza bases, and tonight's was delicious - much thinner than normal (I am personally not a fan of thick bases) and much less 'filling'.

I even roasted beetroot and had some lovely buffalo mozzarella cheese to go on top - I think it's fair to say it a success, even with the other half who doesn't have to eat spelt flour!

If you're looking for a good wheat-free pizza base recipe, this one seems to work pretty well:

200ml water
1 tablespoon olive oil
375g spelt flour (either white or wholemeal)
1 3/4 teaspoons yeast
2 teaspoons full cream milk powder
1 teaspoon bread improver

I just throw it all (in that order) into the bread maker and run it on the 'dough' setting.  Has always turned out fantastic, and is enough base for 1 family size pizza and 1 large size!

Gluten Free Raspberry Coconut Slice

A bit more cooking this weekend, and another old family favourite which converts nicely to gluten free!

Base:
90g butter (at room temperature)
1/3 cup castor sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup gluten free self raising flour
2/3 cup gluten free plain four
1/2 cup raspberry jam (or any other jam really) - or more depending on taste!

Topping:
2 eggs
1/3 cup castor sugar
2 cups coconut


Method for Base:

1.  Cream butter, sugar ad egg until smooth and creamy

2.  Stir in sifted flours in two batches (I sift my GF flours twice, to give them the "lightest" possible texture - but it depends on what brand of flours you are using as to whether you need to do this or not).

3.  Spread mixture evenly over the base of a well-greased 28cmx18cm lamington tin (don't use a bigger tin unless using larger quantities of mixture, as the base will not be the required thickness, and the jam will make the base go soggy).

4.  Spread evenly with jam, then with topping.

5.  Bake in moderate oven (180c for gas) for around 40 minutes or until the topping is a nice golden brown colour.

6.  Cool in the tin.  Cut slice only when cold.


Method for Topping:
Beat eggs lightly with a fork, then beat in sugar.  Stir until well combined.  Add coconut and mix well.   Mixture should be a nice, yellow colour (the better quality of eggs, the more yellow it will be).

End product (forgot to take photos along the way for this one - oops!)

GF Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

It's a beautiful sunny, winters day in Melbourne today!  The washing is drying (hopefully) on the line, the house has been cleaned and I've been for my morning walk down and around the duck pond!  So I decided it was time to hit the kitchen and do some baking!

Am trying out a few recipes that I've always made, and adapted for my new wheat-free diet.  Mostly I'm using gluten-free flours because it's just easier this way, and because I'm having relatively good success with them!


Ingredients:

125g butter (at room temperature)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup castor sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 egg
1 1/2 cups gluten free self-raising flour
1/2 cup cocoa
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Method:

1.  Preheat oven to 160c.

2.  Cream softened butter and sugars until light and fluffy.

3.  Mix in the vanilla essence and egg.

4.  Stir the sifted flour and cocoa.  Mix well.

5.  Add chocolate chips and mix well.

6.  Place teaspoons of mixture on greased baking tray and bake for 10-15 minutes.

7.  Leave to cool for a few minutes before turning onto a wire rack.

I roll my raw mixture because I like the rounded cookie end product, but you can just "dollop" the mixture onto the tray too!

End products!  Makes between 20-30 cookies (depending on size)!

And some of the ones that were just "dolloped" on the tray!  (Still like the round ones better - hehe)

Gluten Free Corn & Bacon Muffins

It's a shocking day in Melbourne today - blowing a gale and on-and-off rain bursts, which isn't all that bad as it helps me to justify being able to spend the day inside baking!

I've adapted a muffin recipe to match the Low FODMAP requirements, and they turned out much better than I expected, so I thought I'd share the recipe and a few pics.  Of course you could leave out the bacon for those that are vegetarian!


Wet Mix:
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup oil
1 cup sharp cheese, grated
1.5 cups canned creamed corn
1 cup plain yoghurt
3 spring onions (green part)
2/3 cup diced, cooked bacon
1/2 cup chopped parsley

Dry Mix:
1.5 cups cornmeal (I used polenta)
1.5 cups gluten-free self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon bi carb soda
2 tablespoons sugar

Method:
Preheat the oven to 200c and grease the muffin pans.

Thoroughly combine the dry mix ingredients.

Mix the wet mix ingredients and combine with the dry mix.

Place in greased muffin pans and bake for 20-25 minutes (takes less time if making mini-muffins)

Makes 16 large muffins or 12 large muffins and 12 mini-muffins.

 Straight from the oven!

Close-up!

With a bit of Tassie Duck River butter!

Without the butter - just so you can see!

Food Intolerance Management Plan .. a "plug"

I thought (while I was on a roll with the blog) that I would also put in a 'plug' for a new book I've recently found and have enjoyed reading of late!

The info below is direct from Sue Shepherd's website http://shepherdworks.com.au/ (which itself is a great read), and I've seen the book at  Dymocks, Angus & Robertson and Myer (and I'm sure a handful of other places would stock it too!)

The Food Intolerance Management Plan is a scientifically developed program and comprehensive recipe book for those suffering from common digestive illness.

Based on the revolutionary Low-FODMAP Diet, it shows people with food intolerances how to enjoy their food while remaining free of the symptoms associated with irritable bowel syndrome and related conditions, such as gluten, fructose, lactose and wheat intolerances.

Sue Shepherd teams with Dr Peter Gibson – both recognised as expert world leaders in this area. Explaining the conditions that affect one in five Australians, and show readers how to:

• recognise symptoms and seek appropriate medical advice
• identify and avoid food likely to cause symptoms
• shop and plan menus for the whole family
• entertain, travel and eat out with peace of mind

With 80 delicious and easy-to-prepare recipes, including baked goods, desserts and spiced dishes, this is your one-stop guide to managing symptoms, feeling great and eating well.

Low FODMAP diet

Just over 2.5 years ago I had my gall bladder removed in a bit of a rush (understatement of the year!) and since then I have not been at all well.  Feeling sick most days, it's been a long and windy road of visits to various different medical practitioners in an attempt to get to the bottom of this.   Until recently, we still really had no idea what the underlying issue was.  On one hand it was very frustrating because no-one had any answers, but also a bit of relief in having had so many tests that at least some major "possible" causes had been ruled out.

A recent visit to a gastroenterologist gave me an idea that it could possibly be related to the food I was eating, and the possibility that I've developed some sort of intolerance post surgery.  After a few more appointments and discussions with nutritionists and dieticians, I've been placed on a low FODMAP diet for 8 weeks to see whether this has any impact.

I'm currently 6 weeks into it, and I cannot believe the difference it has made - totally for the better!  So, what is a low FODMAP diet?   Here's a little bit of background reading ...

Dr Sue Shepherd developed the low FODMAP diet in 2001. She has proven, through her pioneering PhD research, that limiting dietary FODMAPs is an effective treatment for people with symptoms of IBS. The low FODMAP diet has been published in international medical journals and is now accepted and recommended as one of the most effective dietary therapies for IBS.

FODMAPs are found in the foods we eat. FODMAPs is an acronym (abbreviation) referring to Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols*. These are complex names for a collection of molecules found in food, that can be poorly absorbed by some people. When the molecules are poorly absorbed in the small intestine of the digestive tract, these molecules then continue along their journey along the digestive tract, arriving at the large intestine, where they act as a food source to the bacteria that live there normally. The bacteria then digest/ferment these FODMAPs and can cause symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome include abdominal bloating and distension, excess wind (flatulence), abdominal pain, nausea, changes in bowel habits (diarrhoea, constipation, or a combination of both), and other gastro-intestinal symptoms.

What are the FODMAPs?

FODMAPs are found in the foods we eat. FODMAPs is an acronym for

Fermentable
Oligosaccharides (eg. Fructans and Galactans)
Disaccharides (eg. Lactose)Monosaccharides (eg. excess Fructose)
and
Polyols (eg. Sorbitol, Mannitol, Maltitol, Xylitol and Isomalt)

Where are FODMAPs found?

A few examples of food sources for each of the FODMAPs are listed below.

• Excess Fructose: Honey, Apples, Mango, Pear, Watermelon, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup Solids
• Fructans: Artichokes (Globe), Artichokes(Jerusalem), Asparagus, Beetroot, Chicory, Dandelion leaves, Garlic (in large amounts), Leek, Onion (brown, white, Spanish, onion powder), Raddicio lettuce, Spring Onion (white part), Wheat (in large amounts), Rye (in large amounts), Inulin, Fructo-oligosaccharides.
• Lactose: Milk, icecream, custard, dairy desserts, condensed and evaporated milk, milk powder, yoghurt, margarine, soft unripened cheeses (eg. ricotta, cottage, cream, marscarpone).
• Galacto-Oligosaccharides (GOS): Legume beans (eg. baked beans, kidney beans, bortolotti beans), Lentils, Chickpeas
• Polyols: Apples, Apricots, Avocado, Cherries, Longon, Lychee, Nectarines, Pears , Plums, Prunes, Mushrooms, Sorbitol (420), mannitol (421), xylitol (967), maltitol (965) and Isomalt (953).

A big part of me wanted this to be the answer to all the problems I've been having .. and I'm pleased to say that it pretty much has been!  Another part of me wanted this to fail, as I kind of like the idea of having onions, mushrooms and other now 'banned' items in my diet.

The reality is, I haven't felt this well for over 2.5 years now, and if a small change in my diet is what helps that stay this way, then I'll very willingly do it!

NOW the challenge before me is to adapt my old recipes to bring them 'in line' with the new dietary FODMAP requirements .. which isn't proving as hard as I first thought.

I've also found a few colleagues and friends who have similar dietary considerations, so am going to be posting a few posts with suitable recipes that we might all be able to share together.