The Diva Diet - Part I: Dining In

With another off-site at work coming up, a friend at work asked me whether I still needed to bring my lunch. Our department usually provides our lunches and snacks during off-site meetings, but it is served buffet style. It is great for most people, but it does not really work for someone who had a transplant.

I explained to her that I probably will need to bring my lunch to off-sites forever, or at the very least, arrange for or order my own food. I explained that I need to have my meals made for me; it’s like a “Diva Diet.” It’s got to be made for me, because I am special (wink).

 

I have written about my diet in bits and pieces in previous blog posts. However, with the holidays coming up, the parties and various gatherings may prove to be challenging. I would like to socialize, but sometimes it is fairly difficult to explain my situation, especially around happy occasions like the holidays. I think writing this post will help me figure out how to deal with my situation in social gatherings and also will be a great reminder for me.

Guidelines for the “Diva Diet”: Cooking at Home and Dining In

Dining in is now fun because I have a bit more variety on what I can cook. I would call this the “Iron Chef” or the “Chopped Kitchen” diet, but I think “Diva Diet” is a little bit catchier.

Make sure that everything is cooked thoroughly. This means no more runny eggs, medium rare meats, ceviches, or sushi with raw fish. With a big turkey, make sure that it is thoroughly cooked (I bought a meat thermometer for this purpose).

Everything should be well done. With my immune system lowered, cooking must kill any lingering germs since this could be detrimental to my new kidney. As an example, the nutritionist at UC Davis said that certain salmonella can considerably damage my new kidney. Better avoid and live another day.

Important note: eggnog could be problematic because it does contain raw egg yolk. Also, I should avoid of aiolis since they traditionally contain raw eggs (Although I have seen cheater ones, but why take a chance).

Keep things clean

Maintain food safety. Just as important as keeping a healthy diet is maintaining excellent food safety.  Bad bacteria in foods can make you sick, and with my new kidney, I am more susceptible to illness. Maintaining good food preparation habits when cooking is very important. Wash your hands well with soap and warm water. When in doubt, wash your hands... again and again and again.

Make sure everything is clean, and I mean everything: your kitchen, surfaces, utensils, plates, and the food. 

Wash your food thoroughly. If needed, use a vinegar and water mixture to wash your veggies. Cut your fruit before eating it to see if there is any spoilage or unexpected crawling visitors (e.g. worms).

Potlucks. Potlucks are probably the biggest challenge for me since most of our family gatherings are potlucks. I do hope that my family has safe food practices. Make sure that everyone uses a serving spoon. For this year, I have been sticking to the hot foods and zapping it in the microwave first before eating. If you don't know where the microwave is, have a back-up. At the very least, have a granola bar in your purse.

Desserts may be iffy. I always look at the tempting pies or cakes and wonder if they are safe. I generally just not have it. If it is single-serve or wrapped, it is possible to enjoy it, but if it has been hanging out for a while, I avoid it. General rule of thumb: when in doubt, avoid it. It's really not worth it.

Also, since these are your family or friends, maybe you can go first. This avoids the germ issue. This is the Diva Diet after all. Also, avoid going for seconds. The food is not as safe at that point, but if you must, nuke it.

Enjoying the bounty of the season

Most importantly, have fun. Although I have restrictions, it is not like when I was on dialysis when I had to take binders every time I eat something with high phosphorus or be wary of the potassium content of my food. Given that, sometimes it does feel that it is more restrictive. I do miss my salmon sushi, oysters, and ahi poke (a Hawaiian raw salad with ahi tuna), but I think I already had my share of this.

Feel free to experiment. I love trying out new ingredients. As an example, recently, I just tried Delicata squash and molasses. Although I still have to watch for potassium and cholesterol due to my immunosuppresants, I feel I can be more adventurous as long as I maintain a balanced diet.

 

Next installment: Dining Out

What a week!

This week was somewhat challenging for me. The devastation in the Philippines affected my Hubby and me emotionally. Seeing the extensive devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda as known in the Philippines) in Tacloban and other cities in the Visayas was horrific. We have been seeing in the news how the Filipinos are suffering and coping.  The situation is very sad, and it will take them many years to rebuild and economically recover. And too, the emotional damage to each and every survivor may take much longer. Can you imagine losing most of your family and friends? It is devastating.

I am somewhat fortunate. Although I have friends and family still in the Philippines; my family and some of my best friends are not in the affected areas. I contacted each of them to check how they are, and fortunately, they are all safe. For that, I am extremely grateful. According to my step-mom, they are far enough from the eye of the storm that they only had some fairly strong rain and wind.

I also checked how my family is, specifically my Dad. Last time I heard, he would not take his maintenance medication for hypertension. Sadly, We now found out that my Dad is not in good shape. He was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease – the same as my Grandmother. My step-mom did not tell us prior because she did not want to worry us, since she knew that I just had major surgery.

I had mixed feelings when I read the news. I was glad that they are safe, but obviously now very worried about my father. I was very close to my Dad when I was growing up. I hung out with him after school at his office and do homework. He would build all sorts of gadgets for me, which is probably why I got interested in technology: I remember he once tried to make a piano out of light switches. I would watch him while he is writing his TV or movie scripts; later on, I would use up half of his paper and write short stories or scripts of my own (which is why I fancy myself as a writer) or just draw on it (I also consider myself an artist). He taught me how to drive and opened my eyes to different cuisines (including my first encounter to sashimi, which I love because of him). It’s very sad to hear that he’s not in good shape, not the same old Dad that I remember. It is one of those times when I wish I am living close to him and not thousands of miles away.

I am not quite sure what to do you yet. To a certain extent, I am overwhelmed. What are my responsibilities to my countrymen? What are my responsibilities to my Dad? What about to my husband and my family here and, to myself?  I wanted to jump on the first plane to the Manila and be by Dad, but that is probably not the best option right now. It is a gut reaction of a daughter who just wants to take care of her parent.  

Do I jump on the plane to try to help the people devastated by the typhoon? Or will I be jeopardizing my own health if I do that? With my compromised immune system, I have been avoiding exposure to germs for months, and here I am considering flying off to help people in probably a germ-infested area, without regular access to clean water and nourishment to my new kidney. If I risk myself, how I continue to help? Who's going to take care of Meow and be a partner to my husband?

What a dilemma.

I am still figuring out how to balance it all out. There is no doubt though … the human spirit is resilient, and, one way or another, we will be able to make it through these most trying times.

To donate to the relief effort to the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda, check out the following sites:

• United Nations World Food Programme
• United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
• Catholic Relief Services
• Doctors Without Borders

And please pray and wish for my Dad some really good luck!

Rogue Kidney's Day-off

Cupcake stash - these are actually minis.

I decided to finally take a day off this week. My brain was full, and I felt that I really needed to work on some stuff around the house. Some things, needless to say, had gotten out of control and disorganized. I just need to do it.

I had a productive day planned: wake up early, put away the clean clothes, tidy up the kitchen counter, make pancakes for breakfast, have lunch out with Hubby, and make dinner at a relaxing pace, catch up with my email at work and home, and probably three or more other things.

Here’s how the day went:

Overslept

Had chai and my pre-made (homemade) muffins

Had lunch out with Hubby (Fish Sandwich for me and Fettuccine Carbonara for Hubby –Yum!)!

Bought cupcakes from Kara's Cupcakes (Yum again!)

Went to Trader Joe’s to get provisions

Napped

Tidied up the kitchen counter

Made Kale Salad for our dinner

Vegged-out on the couch and watched TV.

Slept.

It was not as productive a day as I had planned. I was a little disappointed that I was not more productive, but maybe that was the day that I needed; just unplug and recharge. I keep reminding myself that “I just had major surgery”  – I can’t run at 150% yet, let’s just try 100% with some breaks.

The next day, I was energized and more ready to work. I did get a chance to clean up my email… Funny thing though. More emails came and filled my inbox.

Sigh.