The past few days I have been trying out different health food stores and slowly building up my stock of gluten free, casein free, sugar free, and trans/hydrogenated fats free foods which are required on the UltraMind Solution program. So far I have found almost everything I have been looking for with the exception of soy yogurt and stick casein free "margarine" (I have found a couple different brands of tub "margarine" though, which is good). I've even found some veggie burgers I can have, score! And according to the clerk at the store, their really good too. Thank heavens! Dairy free cheese was an issue at first, but I was able to find a couple different brands (though sadly not the brand that most on the groups suggest), supposedly they melt like real cheese, we shall see once I try them. Sprouted corn tortillas were also a bit tricky to find at first, but I found them the other day at one of the stores. I think I will probably have to go to a variety of stores to find everything I need each week or so, partially because some places have better prices than others, and partially because of selection. I think meats and nut items (flour, butter, etc) are going to be some of the most expensive things (at least food wise), but hopefully it will all be worth it.
Tips and Tricks
One of the biggest challenges has been finding vitamins and supplements that follow the guidelines given in the UltraMind Solution Book (pg.306-312). I personally would rather not pay $243 for two months worth of the basics that he suggests (not to mention all the additional supplements I will need to take because of my quiz scores). I just don't have that kind of money, especially if this works and I need to continue this for the rest of my life. So, with the help of a woman at one of the health stores and some diligent searching on the part of my dad and myself, I was finally able to come up with a few options that seem reasonable.
One of the hardest things to find is a vitamin with mixed carotenes, especially in the amount of 15,000-25,000IUs, so to get around this, we decided to take a mixed carotene supplement on top of the daily vitamin, so that we get the mixed carotenes but don't have to buy extremely expensive vitamins. We were able to find a good vitamin that has just about everything needed (it has D2 instead of D3, but you have to take additional D3 anyway, so I plan to supplement that) for about $40 for two months worth. The mixed carotene was around $20, but there are 250 tablets and you only need one a day, so that will last a nice long time. Now all we need are Calcium/Magnesium supplements, D3 supplements, Methylation supplements, Probiotics, and Omega-3 (which we already have a brand we like that runs for about $25 for two months worth). I really believe that we will manage to get all the vitamins and supplements for much cheaper than $243.
Trial and Error
I am very pleased to report that I tried another recipe today that fulfills all the requirements and it actually tasted pretty good! On top of that it was very simple and easy and didn't require any random ingredients that could be hard to find or rather expensive. The recipe was a suggestion from the book A Complete Idiot's Guide to Gluten Free Eating and consisted of cutting chicken and fish into strips, dipping them in egg whites, then in a sesame seed and cornmeal mixture, and then baking them. It ended up tasting quite good, especially the chicken. The fish seemed a little gritty, but was still very edible. We had the chicken and fish with homemade french fries (cut up potatoes baked in the oven) and some fresh fruit. Everyone enjoyed the meal, even my very skeptical younger siblings. Yes, the fact that we had contraband such as ketchup, honey, and barbecue sauce helped, but hopefully we'll be able to find substitutes or something (I know I've seen organic unsweetened ketchup). Even without the condiments though, it was all edible, though a bit plain (the recipe calls for chili powder, but I'm a wimp when it comes to anything spicy, so we passed on that part). The meal gave me more hope that this will really be possible and not miserable.
Well, it is after midnight and I have an exam tomorrow, so I'd best call it a night.
Namaste,
Mel G.
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