End of an era
Dec. 16th, 2017 04:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
soniaAlmost 10 years ago, a naturopath suggested that my ill health was caused by food sensitivities. I went to a little hole in the wall health food store (sadly no longer there) to get help for trying a week without gluten. The owner suggested Larabars, and I hesitantly tried them, even though I had been avoiding sugar for a while and they had 18 grams of sugar. All from dates, none added, but still, it seemed like a lot.
I felt much better during my trial, so I've been off gluten since then. Along the way, I've realized I'm sensitive to even trace amounts, so I don't eat anything "processed in a facility that processes wheat." If I did get glutened, I'd retreat to Larabars as a safe option to help me get my balance back.
The fruit ones make my mouth swell, so Chocolate Coconut Larabars became my staple. I bought them by the case, and stocked up when they were on sale. I had them for breakfast, as snacks during the day, and carried them with me for bike rides and emergency rations.
A few months ago, they discontinued the 1.8 oz Chocolate Coconut flavor and restarted it a month later at 1.6 oz, $.20 more expensive, and the deal-killer is, I think they're now made in a facility that processes wheat, because I get gluten contamination symptoms from eating them.
I've been experimenting with buying dates in bulk and making my own Larabars. Mostly I've been using this recipe although this one also looks worth trying, with the suggestion to soak the dates. It takes me a lot longer than 5 minutes, what with setup, cleanup, and pitting the dates. Still trying to get the process to work better.
I've also been making a lot of these muffins with varying ingredients. That's a wonderfully reliable flexible recipe. I even bought a silicone muffintin pan!
Anyway, the last stack of cases I bought on sale was just sitting in my cabinet taking up space. I passed along a couple boxes to a friend, and donated the rest to Sisters of the Road Cafe. For the first time in almost 10 years, there are no Larabars in the house. Unless I missed one stashed somewhere, that is.
It's interesting to be making everything I eat from scratch. It takes a lot of time and planning ahead. Fortunately, I'm enjoying it. There's a satisfaction in the rhythm of getting ingredients, cooking the food, and restoring order afterwards.
I'm gratefully aware that others are still doing a lot of work for me - growing, cleaning, and transporting ingredients. I don't have to grind cacao pods for cocoa, or pick dates off a tree, if those ingredients were even available locally. I buy my vegetables at farmer's markets, and it has been important to me to eat local food, but I've relaxed that for snacks.
I felt much better during my trial, so I've been off gluten since then. Along the way, I've realized I'm sensitive to even trace amounts, so I don't eat anything "processed in a facility that processes wheat." If I did get glutened, I'd retreat to Larabars as a safe option to help me get my balance back.
The fruit ones make my mouth swell, so Chocolate Coconut Larabars became my staple. I bought them by the case, and stocked up when they were on sale. I had them for breakfast, as snacks during the day, and carried them with me for bike rides and emergency rations.
A few months ago, they discontinued the 1.8 oz Chocolate Coconut flavor and restarted it a month later at 1.6 oz, $.20 more expensive, and the deal-killer is, I think they're now made in a facility that processes wheat, because I get gluten contamination symptoms from eating them.
I've been experimenting with buying dates in bulk and making my own Larabars. Mostly I've been using this recipe although this one also looks worth trying, with the suggestion to soak the dates. It takes me a lot longer than 5 minutes, what with setup, cleanup, and pitting the dates. Still trying to get the process to work better.
I've also been making a lot of these muffins with varying ingredients. That's a wonderfully reliable flexible recipe. I even bought a silicone muffin
Anyway, the last stack of cases I bought on sale was just sitting in my cabinet taking up space. I passed along a couple boxes to a friend, and donated the rest to Sisters of the Road Cafe. For the first time in almost 10 years, there are no Larabars in the house. Unless I missed one stashed somewhere, that is.
It's interesting to be making everything I eat from scratch. It takes a lot of time and planning ahead. Fortunately, I'm enjoying it. There's a satisfaction in the rhythm of getting ingredients, cooking the food, and restoring order afterwards.
I'm gratefully aware that others are still doing a lot of work for me - growing, cleaning, and transporting ingredients. I don't have to grind cacao pods for cocoa, or pick dates off a tree, if those ingredients were even available locally. I buy my vegetables at farmer's markets, and it has been important to me to eat local food, but I've relaxed that for snacks.
