# Sticky  Healthy Eating Thread



## lover of birds

This thread is for those who eat healthy and want to share what they do to make dishes healthier than the normal way of preparation or ingredients.

Also for those who would like to eat healthy and are trying and need encouragement, or need ideas.

Healthy meaning whole food ingredients, not processed food or processed food ingredients. Organic or chemical free vegetables and fruit as much as possible. Animal products raised without added hormones, free range in their natural environment, or your own grown veggies or own farm raised animal products. 

Sometimes we need (or think we do) sweet treats too, and what you might do to make those less harmful, or just better choices.

Discussions on specific diets, fad diets, etc. are welcome too.

It's also fun to post pics of your dishes!


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## lover of birds

Spiralized carrots and meatballs, replacing spaghetti and meatballs.

This is something I made last year using my vegetable spiralizer. My husband and I eat organic as much as possible, but the carrots here are not organic because as you can see they have to be very large to spiralize correctly. We're trying to find a large variety of carrot to grow in our garden.

The marinara is from our garden grown heirloom tomatoes, garlic and herbs.

The meatballs are made from either grass fed beef, or grain fed non-gmo beef. More recently though, we've only been purchasing grass fed beef.

The carrots give a subtle sweetness, replacing the blandness of pasta. The whole dish is savory.


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## robin416

I knew I wanted to move away from processed foods. I just didn't know how. Then I kept seeing more and more about Mediterranean diets. Huh, maybe. 

Other than it being more work I really want to do for one it's been the ticket. I don't have to have imagination about what ingredients works with what. Because I have none when it comes to cooking. (hint hint, LOB  keep those tips coming)

I'm fortunate to be living somewhere that does have a store where the specialized ingredients are available, including organic fruits and veggies.


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## JediPat

Something that worked for me in the past was intermittent fasting, basically I could eat my full 2200 calorie allotment each day but only in a 8 hour window. Mix this with some HEAVY lifting or crossfit and the weight flies off. I plan to do my fasting again but replace the heavy weight with high intensity cardio. I am too old to be a muscle bound guy, I dont recover as quickly, lol.


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## robin416

JP, you're a man. Men can say weight fall off and it does. 

What I've found cooking this way is that I have less GI issues. Remember, I'm retired which translates to some of the foods we ate without ever a hitch now wants to kick our behinds.


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## lover of birds

I do the intermittent fasting every day. I don't keep track of calories, because it's not for weight loss. Sometimes the window varies, but find if I do two small meals four hours apart works best, or just eat once a day, which is still not a large meal.

Recently been making a green drink made with romaine lettuce and herbs, then cook 1/2 of the mixture. Add a raw beaten egg, and the the other half of the raw green mixture. I call it my greens soup. It gives the digestive system a break from solid food while still getting nutrition and is alkalinizing in the system.


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## lover of birds

The greens, herbs, fish, eggs, olives part of the Mediterranean diet works for me. Cannot tolerate whole grain, not even sprouted.

I love herbs in everything, especially sage, and have expanded that part of the garden, but still not enough. So dedicating more room for this coming season.


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## robin416

It still surprises how much the right spices can perk up even a bland food in this style of cooking. I never used much salt to start with so I'm certainly not missing it but I am thoroughly enjoying the flavor pallets available to me now.

That not tolerating whole grains can be a challenge when eating a Med diet. It is found in so many of the dishes.


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## lover of birds

I just started using a lot of herbs about 2 years ago, when I started eating a limited diet, and found out how savory they make food, and I don't miss eating a wider range.

The exception is sweets, but those can be denied with willpower!


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## robin416

I have several different chocolates in the house right now. It's not so much the sweet as the chocolate need.


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## lover of birds

Research on dark chocolate says it has anti-inflammatory properties.


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## nannypattyrn

I need a whole package of it then!


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## robin416

I'm not a fan of dark chocolate so my consumption of chocolate has everything to do with pure pleasure.


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## nannypattyrn

I can take it or leave it. I was was thinking anti inflammatory. It’s supposed to help with other things, too.


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## robin416

I have to have that guilty vice that doesn't have any other purpose. They can talk all they want about dark chocolate it won't change my opinion of it.

Red wine is supposed to be good for us. I can't drink it. Talk about the headache from h3ll drinking just a few ounces.


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## lover of birds

I too think that a vice can't be a vice unless it's just for that reason only.

I react to chocolate if I have more than just a little.

I also react to wine, because of the fermentation and alcohol. Can't even have a little.


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## nannypattyrn

I was talking about dark chocolate. Now, give me milk chocolate or mocha chocolate, that’s a whole different story! I work with a doc that anything aged like red wine or cheeses and it’s head ache time for him, too. However, there is a new red wine out now that some how is made that doesn’t cause migraines.


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## robin416

I had not heard about that but then I don't drink much so I don't keep up on it. I wonder if the thing that caused the headaches is also the one they say is supposed to be good for our hearts.


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## nannypattyrn

I think it’s the nitrates in the processing, not sure though. I don’t drink much either. Occasional wine, but not too dry. Beer, very cold with Mexican food. I really just don’t like the taste of either very much.


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## robin416

They don't know what it is in red wine that causes the headaches. There is speculation it's the sulfides but then they realized that white wines have even higher naturally occurring sulfides. They looked at tannin, nothing confirmed there. Now they're saying to drink red wines made from grapes with thin skins.


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## lover of birds

Wine, anything fermented like sauerkraut, kombucha, aged cheese, leftovers, food that's packaged or has been sitting around is all high in histamine, and other food too like chocolate.

Some people, like myself, react to high histamine foods. One of the side effects can be a headache. For me sometimes it's a headache, more though it's racing heart, facial flushing, and others. Long term elevated histamine causes other more advanced symptoms.

Any drink containing alcohol blocks the digestive system from being able produce the enzyme that degrades histamine, allowing the histamine then to pass into the system and causing symptoms. Since wine is high histamine already it's double trouble for those who are histamine intolerant.

Red wine also has salicylates, which some people are sensitive to. It's the resveratrol in the red wine that is said to be good for the heart.

Of course, milk chocolate contains less histamine and other allergic compounds, because of the high sugar and less cocoa ratio, but is too sweet for me.


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## robin416

Know what I did not find? Anyone wondering if resveratrol might be the cause for those that can't drink red wine without paying for it.


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## lover of birds

Resveratrol is anti-inflammatory and an antioxidant, and the amount in wine is much less than the amount that would be in a resveratrol supplement. If you're wondering you could google 'allergic reaction to resveratrol in wine'.


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## DuckRunner

dark chocolate is delicious... i recommend 70% cocoa. but i agree, 99% tastes disgusting


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## robin416

I'm going to be the opposite person on this thread, I don't like dark chocolate and probably never will. I can mess up and buy some chocolate for the house, realize it's dark chocolate and never touch it myself. That's how much I don't like dark chocolate.


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## DuckRunner

robin416 said:


> I'm going to be the opposite person on this thread, I don't like dark chocolate and probably never will. I can mess up and buy some chocolate for the house, realize it's dark chocolate and never touch it myself. That's how much I don't like dark chocolate.


lol ok, people have different opinions, it's fine


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## DuckRunner

@lover of birds do you like dark chocolate?


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## lover of birds

DuckRunner said:


> @lover of birds do you like dark chocolate?


I talked myself into liking it quite awhile ago, but now can't eat it because of the histamine it contains. If I wanted to eat sugar, milk chocolate would be a better option because it contains less histamine, because the cocoa is diluted with sugar and milk powder. In my opinion milk chocolate tastes better.


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## lover of birds

Currently not eating sugar in any form, including fruit. Trying to get my gut micro-biome balanced, and other issues are helped by not consuming sugar and anything that turns into sugar in the body once broken down, such as grain.


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## robin416

Wait until you become a grown up, things will switch up again. 

When it comes to gut health and what makes it work well, they've got a long ways to go. Although now they seem to be paying attention and trying to figure out what keeps our GI tracts happy beyond the constant fiber recommendations.


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## lover of birds

robin416 said:


> Wait until you become a grown up


?????


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## robin416

My description for becoming a senior citizen.


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## lover of birds

robin416 said:


> My description for becoming a senior citizen.


Oh, I see.


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## DuckRunner

yeah I'm not an adult just yet LOL


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## robin416

Not if you weren't born in 2002. You've got a long wait.


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## DuckRunner

robin416 said:


> Not if you weren't born in 2002. You've got a long wait.


don't be mean I know I'm a juvenile


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## DuckRunner

i turned 11 in January Lol


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## robin416

I should be telling you not to be mean. LOL 

A January baby! I too was born in January. We're special people. Now we just need to convince everyone else.


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## DuckRunner

robin416 said:


> I should be telling you not to be mean. LOL
> 
> A January baby! I too was born in January. We're special people. Now we just need to convince everyone else.


haha respect your elders
lol yup, and nice to know!


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## robin416

Or not. I'm one of those that will either tell you about it or simply walk away like that disrespectful person even exists. One of the advantages of being an adult is not much keeps us from saying what we're thinking. Poor impulse control.


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## DuckRunner

robin416 said:


> Or not. I'm one of those that will either tell you about it or simply walk away like that disrespectful person even exists. One of the advantages of being an adult is not much keeps us from saying what we're thinking. Poor impulse control.


huh. i thought it was like that with kids?


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## robin416

It is, but adults let the kids know that behavior is improper. No one tells adults.


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## DuckRunner

robin416 said:


> It is, but adults let the kids know that behavior is improper. No one tells adults.


wth lol


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## Hencackle

Another intermittent faster myself. Determined to lose some of this flab I accumulated over the winter. Also gave up Cokes on 1/21/19. I've had biochemistry years ago so I know why they aren't healthy, but I love the carbonation. I'm back to filtered flat water or Gerolsteiner sparkling mineral water. At least I have 2 choices now.

Any body doing the ketogenic diet? If so, would be willing to be my coach?

I like the spiralized veggies and marina sauce idea. I make zucchini noodles. I'm not willing to pay $4.99 for a little bag of spiralized veggies from the store.


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## robin416

I stopped drinking sodas on a regular basis but I did learn something about them and weight gain while still living in TN. I got to where I'd have one of those small ones every evening after working outside all day. And started packing on pounds doing that. Didn't matter that I was out there doing all this physical stuff, it wasn't enough to counteract the effect of the sodas. 

My weakness these days is roasted veggies of almost any kind. 

I'm not messing with the Keto thing. Our bodies require balance, leaving out carbs is not balanced. Think about the veggies not allowed because they contain carbs.

Remember what they said about whole milk being bad for us. Fast forward a few decades and they say, "oops, we were wrong. The fat in whole milk is actually beneficial."


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## Hencackle

I'm not afraid of healthy dietary fats. Love grass-fed butter, coconut oil, and lard. Cell membranes need saturated fats. Hormones made from cholesterol. Haven't had margarine or Crisco in our house since the early 80s. Sadly, restaurants still use vegetable oils.

I had done without Cokes for 3 years until I had a couple of those weather headaches that felt like those perimenopausal migraines I used to have. It's easy to give in once you've had that first one, at least for me. I prefer those Mexican cokes in glass bottles, lol.

IMO, roasted veggies is an excellent healthy weakness to have.

My chiropractor is Paleo, he told me this morning to stick with intermittent fasting. He wasn't too crazy about Keto either.


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## robin416

Yeah, I ignored them about the butter thing, the eggs thing, the remove all natural fats thing. 

All of these diets that leave out things that our bodies need are just a bridge too far for me. I agree we probably shouldn't make meat the largest part of our meals which isn't an issue for me since I'd rather have veggies.


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## Hencackle

robin416 said:


> I'm not messing with the Keto thing. Our bodies require balance, leaving out carbs is not balanced. Think about the veggies not allowed because they contain carbs.


I agree, that the acceptable veggie list is very restrictive. However, if a person is morbidly obese or their insulin & glucose levels are terrible, it could be a lifesaver. Fortunately, I'm not one of them.

I really don't want to give up my homegrown potatoes and sweet potatoes with butter. I can pass on corn-on-the-cob but love cornbread. Maybe I'll order that Mockmill attachment for stand mixers. I grow dent corn for my flock, so why not make my own cornmeal?


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## robin416

I don't eat much in the white potato category but I do have sweet potatoes in one form or another on a regular basis. There are a bunch of things that I really really like but I don't eat them often because then I wouldn't really like them anymore. Like cornbread. 

Leaving out carbs the obese would be trading one imbalance for another. Staying the heck away from fast food, processed food and portion sizes is what most would recommend. They've actually figured out that diabetics can and should have carbs in moderation.


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## Hencackle

Dh isn't much of a sweet potato fan. He will split one with me. Crazy man leaves the skin on his plate. Shame on him, that's good stuff. Too bad we had a poor sweet potato harvest in 2018. Fingers crossed that everybody has a good garden this year. 

So far its been a very wet year for everybody I'm sure.


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## robin416

I'm not putting in a garden this year. Just too much going on to have the time and energy to mess with one. 

We are actually already an inch and a half low for this month. We haven't had any rain in ten days. We broke records the last half of last year and now we're doing a 180 and drying out too much.


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## lover of birds

I tried some self experimenting in the past two years with diet. At one time I ate mostly eggs and meat. Pretty much zero carbs. I had zero energy and was hungry all the time.

I like carbs, and still eat low carb, and eliminated grains, and limit root crops. I've found what works best is restricted calorie intake, or intermittent fasting, mostly low carb vegetables and eggs. Keep meat to a minimum.


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## lover of birds

Here's a casserole I made a few weeks ago. I wanted it to resemble stuffing without the bread. It has eggs, butter, coconut flour, carrots, celery, onion, sage, parsley, and some other spices.

It turned out really good, and satisfying! Couldn't tell it had coconut flour in it.


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## robin416

lover of birds said:


> Here's a casserole I made a few weeks ago. I wanted it to resemble stuffing without the bread. It has eggs, butter, coconut flour, carrots, celery, onion, sage, parsley, and some other spices.
> 
> It turned out really good, and satisfying! Couldn't tell it had coconut flour in it.
> View attachment 30764


It looks yummy!


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## Hencackle

lover of birds--that casserole does look delicious! I've used coconut flour a few times. Almond flour too. Pan-fried fish coated with almond meal even passed my dh's picky palate.
Do you ever use riced cauliflower? I found some interesting low carb cracker recipes using cauliflower. Dh overheard a youngish couple sitting next to us at an Italian restaurant talking about cauliflower crust pizza. I've seen recipes and YT videos for this. I had to interrupt them to ask how it was. They really enjoyed it. That gives me a push to try making one. Dh can either fix something else for himself or try it.

A super duper easy way to prepare cauliflower is to lacto-ferment it. Feel free to throw in some fresh peppers or carrots. All you need is a Mason jar and a coffee filter anchored in place with a rubber band for your basic equipment. There are glass weights to keep the veggies submerged in the brine and special lids for fermenting. Just look at MasonTops.com

Robin, I totally understand how time- and energy-consuming raising a garden is. So true.


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## robin416

With the heat down here it burns gardens up in a hurry if you don't stay on top of them.


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## Hencackle

That's way too hot. I don't know how you handle it. 
Do you like sprouts? Easy to grow and cheaper that store-bought. No weeding, no scorching heat.


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## robin416

I do but I don't use them enough to warrant growing them. I can't even remember the last time I bought them at the store.

I've figured out that a garden probably shouldn't be planted until August here. The heat will give the young plants the boost they need but by the time they begin to mature the temps are beginning to go down a tad.

NannyPattyRN made the cauliflower pizza crust. She's tried to talk me into making it. That's too much like work so I probably won't.


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## lover of birds

robin416 said:


> It looks yummy!


Thank you.


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## lover of birds

Hencackle said:


> lover of birds--that casserole does look delicious! I've used coconut flour a few times. Almond flour too. Pan-fried fish coated with almond meal even passed my dh's picky palate.
> Do you ever use riced cauliflower? I found some interesting low carb cracker recipes using cauliflower. Dh overheard a youngish couple sitting next to us at an Italian restaurant talking about cauliflower crust pizza. I've seen recipes and YT videos for this. I had to interrupt them to ask how it was. They really enjoyed it. That gives me a push to try making one. Dh can either fix something else for himself or try it.
> 
> A super duper easy way to prepare cauliflower is to lacto-ferment it. Feel free to throw in some fresh peppers or carrots. All you need is a Mason jar and a coffee filter anchored in place with a rubber band for your basic equipment. There are glass weights to keep the veggies submerged in the brine and special lids for fermenting. Just look at MasonTops.com
> 
> Robin, I totally understand how time- and energy-consuming raising a garden is. So true.


I've tried to make a cauliflower crust pizza and it didn't turn out. It was difficult to get the cauliflower dry enough. I really don't care for the flavor of pizza crusts and crackers made from cauliflower though.

I've made a pizza crust using coconut flour, eggs, and parmesean cheese. I liked the flavor, but nothing is as good as gluten flour for pizza.

I used to ferment vegetables all the time from the garden, and it's a great way to preserve, but now I can't tolerate the histamine in anything fermented. I gave my jars of fermented beets away. They looked really good too! They were really good too according to feedback.

I still have some sauerkraut from 1&1/2 years ago, and it's still good. Not brown on top, and still crisp. Husband eats it. I didn't make sauerkraut last summer, but I'll make some this year.


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## lover of birds

robin416 said:


> I do but I don't use them enough to warrant growing them. I can't even remember the last time I bought them at the store.
> 
> I've figured out that a garden probably shouldn't be planted until August here. The heat will give the young plants the boost they need but by the time they begin to mature the temps are beginning to go down a tad.
> 
> NannyPattyRN made the cauliflower pizza crust. She's tried to talk me into making it. That's too much like work so I probably won't.


Trader Joe's and probably other stores have frozen cauliflower crusts. They have to be baked before adding the toppings. I didn't like the flavor though.


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## robin416

Ha, no Trader Joe's here. Although Publix might have it. And when I can't find it locally I turn to the internet. 

And that's my issue with it, I know I'll taste the cauliflower and it will be a giant waste of time and money.


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## lover of birds

Seems like the cauliflower has to be cooked so long to get it to the right texture that it tastes burnt.


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## robin416

I have issues with having eaten pizza for a lot of years, I expect the crust to take like this, not like that.

It's right along with when I pick up my glass of milk without looking and nearly spit it out because it's water, not milk. I'm expecting milk, not something with a different taste and texture.


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## Hencackle

EarthFare (similar to Trader Joes, Whole Foods) has the frozen crusts. There's a head in the refrigerator and I haven't riced it yet. Will dh eat that? Idk. He likes cauliflower cooked in cheese sauce like his mother makes, or fermented.

lover of birds--Bummer about the histamine intolerance. I'm sorry you have that. Does it give you migraines, hives, ... ? I can't drink wine because I break out in hives but I attributed it to the sulfites. No great loss as I didn't care much for the taste.

I used to make homemade pizza dough. I'm sure I would be mentally comparing the taste and texture of the cauliflower crust to that of a traditional gluten flour crust. Even worse, comparing it to the local wood-fired pizza place. 

However, almond flour parmesan cheese crackers are easy and delicious. Good idea--I should add some coconut flour. At the moment my dehydrator is packed away for the winter so I've been giving the leftover ground up coconut from homemade coconut milk to the chickens. They go wild for it. Guess I better get it out of storage upstairs....


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## robin416

I made a turkey roast tonight in the Instant Pot. Probably for the last time. I'm thinking, it's not red meat, it should be good for me. What I don't remember is all the salt. I've had them before, it's been a while but still. Good thing I didn't add any.


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## lover of birds

Hencackle said:


> lover of birds--Bummer about the histamine intolerance. I'm sorry you have that. Does it give you migraines, hives, ... ? I can't drink wine because I break out in hives but I attributed it to the sulfites.
> 
> ....


Rapid heart beat, facial flushes, burning ears, insomnia. Milder reactions are sniffing for about 10 minuets.


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## DuckRunner

Just saying I’m in England now that’s why I was offline for a while. Btw hives suck lol


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