Seafood and watermelon salad

Bailey, the cat, does a live photo frame session for Nika, the malamute.

Having an impaired gut changes everything with the most obvious being how one eats. What to eat to heal one's gut should be easy to figure out. Right? The problem is we humans are all about 99.9 percent similar. It's that one-tenth of one percent difference that makes prescribing a one-size-fits-all diet next to impossible.
I guess that explains why I have been on an extended journey trying to find the eating plan that works for me and my health issues. 

I believe the human body is waiting to be healed provided you give it the right tools. But finding the foods and/or supplements that will help can be challenging. When you do find something, don't be surprised if you have to tweak it a little bit as time goes on.

Seafood and watermelon salad

It was only two summers ago that I was trying a vegan diet. Next, there was the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD). Neither of these diets was a good fit for me and my symptoms roared back. After that, I was on the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol (AIP). This diet gave me hope for awhile. None of these diets worked for me because there was too much reliance on carbohydrates which it turns out are my problem.

Now, I have turned to the Fast Tract diet which limits carbohydrates that are prone to not being digested by individuals with impaired guts. It's a science-based diet that categorizes carbohydrates by how likely they are to be malabsorbed which results in foods staying in the gut too long and promoting the growth of bad bacteria.

The diet runs counter to what I have believed in the past. That is I need to eat low glycemic foods but those foods are the most likely to be malabsorbed because they are difficult to digest. Many of my favorite foods are low glycemic. Is it possible to eat them without experiencing problems?

Yes, it is. The trick is to eat small amounts and use a scale to weigh your portions and keep you honest. For instance, I always would like an occasional piece of chocolate but this treat is prone to cause fermentation problems. To deal with this, I just eat a one-by-one inch square of my own homemade chocolate. I mix 2 T. of coconut oil with 1 T. of almond butter or sunbutter and 1 T. cocoa powder and stevia, to taste. Once this mixture is set, it provides enough for about 8-10 little tastes. I would like more but the consequences aren't worth it. I wouldn't recommend making this very often unless you have lots of willpower.

I eat tons of salads. In the past, I piled on too many veggies, which normally people would say is healthy. But in my case, my sensitivity to carbohydrates even applies to something healthy, like veggies. Many are difficult to digest which means I must weigh my carbohydrates to avoid getting too much.

Yes, I feel like I'm on the Weight Watchers' diet but it works (isn't that what they say in the ads). Since weighing and controlling my carbs (of all kinds), I have lost all those stubborn pounds I couldn't get rid of with other diets that didn't restrict amount and types of carbs. My weight also doesn't vary at all each day. My digestion works so much better. I'm not saying there isn't still room for improvement but I am giving things more time.

Here's the directions for one of my favorite salads, Seafood and Watermelon Salad. Follow the recommended food amounts to make it easy on your digestion.

Here's what you need:

For the miso dressing:

2 T. miso paste
juice of 1 lemon
2 T. water
1 T. olive oil
1 drop liquid stevia

For the avocado dressing:

1/4 avocado
Juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper, to taste
water to thin to desired consistency

For the salad:

4-6 medium shrimp
2-4 medium scallops
1 stalk bok choy (weight should be 80 grams)
1 stalk celery (40 grams)
2 cups spring mix (80 grams)
1 radish, 1/4 cucumber,  1/8 Roma tomato diced (combined 80 grams)
watermelon chunks (60 grams or about 1/2 cup)
 


 

"I think I need a bigger helmet."

 Here's what you do:

Mix up the miso dressing by putting everything in your blender. You don't need to clean your blender to mix up the avocado dressing. Add water to reach your desired consistency. I wanted my thin like a regular dressing but you might prefer a guacamole-type consistency. I chose to make mine thin in order to limit my intake of avocado which is difficult to digest for me. Put both dressings in the fridge to chill.

Steam your seafood. Plunge into cold water if you want to serve it cold. To serve warm, saute the shrimp and scallops with your bok choy. Dice the radish, cucumber and tomato. Chop the watermelon chunks.

 To plate up, drizzle on a base of 1-2 T. miso dressing. Top with a sprinkling of salad greens. Layer on the seafood, bok choy and other diced veggies. Drizzle on 1-2 T. of the avocado dressing. Place the watermelon pieces around the base of the salad as well as the remaining salad greens. Drizzle on more of either dressing, if desired. Sprinkle on salt and pepper, to taste.

Recipe contributed to: http://www.tessadomesticdiva.com/2014/05/allergy-free-wednesday-119.html