30 Tastes of...

Someone once told me that if you taste a food 30 times, you will grow to accept it. Whilst there are some foods that I don't think I'll ever grow to like, nor do I want to (Marmite springs to mind - I'm definitely in the Hate camp), I am finding this fact to be true. As part of my allergy-free diet, I have to take 2 teaspoons of flaxseed oil a day. You can add it to certain foods, although I prefer to just down the spoonful. The important thing is that you consume it cold, as it helps to maintain the properties of the oil. Flaxseed oil, or linseed oil as it is also known, is a great natural source of omega 3, which is why I take it. The label on the bottle describes it as having a 'slight nutty taste', but as someone who generally likes nuts, I would not describe it as such. For the first few days, I had to force myself to swallow it, but the 30 tastes rule must work because, after two weeks, I find it much more bearable now. I wouldn't say I like it, but it's edible.

Anti-Allergy Regime

I've decided to go all-out with my anti-allergy diet. The nutritional therapist recommended that I avoid everything I'm allergic to for 5 weeks and also follow a course of vitamins and supplements that she has suggested, so that's what I'm going to do. As of today, I'm taking all my B vitamins as well as two teaspoonfuls of flaxseed oil everyday. I've also bought some spirulina powder, which I have to say is one of the wierdest things I've ever consumed. It's a blue-green algae, which I always thought was just something that grows on canals and kills all the wildlife. It comes in powder form and you dissolve it in water. It's a bit messy to prepare if you don't concentrate, it looks a bit like a deep green smoothie, but it doesn't taste that bad. I think I can handle one glass a day at any rate.
I've bought some plant-based shampoo and laundry detergent to help with my contact allergies, and I took my list of things that I can't eat shopping with me today. Surprisingly, there was actually still a lot at the market that I can eat.
My consultation with the therapist also gave me lots of tips that are useful for everyone. Like drinking 2 litres of filtered water daily (I must remember to go and buy a water filter tomorrow), and not drinking and eating at the same time. It's important to allow 30 minutes between eating and drinking, otherwise the water dilutes your stomach acid whilst it's trying to do it's job, which causes heartburn. The hardest part for me is going to be remembering to drink water at work, and specifically remembering to drink it 30 minutes before my lunch break. My lunch box and water bottle usually get buried underneath all the paper on my desk, so I'll have to set myself some kind of reminder to dig them out at the right time.