Apple Crisp Poisoning

Nearly a year ago right at Christmas I discovered several dessert recipes almost compliant with the Paleo Diet with a Hashimoto's Twist. One of them was a glorious apple crisp recipe that maybe found under "apple crisp" in the index to the right.  It was healthy yet deliciously spiced with cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Around the same time I read that cinnamon lowers blood sugar. Well! As any proud American will tell you, if a little is good for you then a lot must be spectacular! This mindset is part of our capitalistic worldview. I began overindulging on this delectable and piling on the spices in lieu of sugar. What's not perfect about a sugar-free dessert filled with goodness as well as medicinal spices?  I thought I died and went to heaven.

Apple Crisp with Spices

A month later I began experiencing a sharp pain in my upper left abdominal area. The one stab pain every two weeks or so was tolerable...until a few months later when it didn't go away. For two hours the pain remained accompanied by a burning sensation through my chest area and excruciating back pain. I panicked.

Subsequently, I spent too much money on doctors who wanted me to spend more money on labs. Fear always makes one stupid. The stool test showed microscopic bleeding and my pancreas was not digesting fats. The blood labs showed kidney failure. The gastroenterologist ordered $3,000 worth of more tests. Not one doctor asked about my diet. Were these lab results connected to the abdominal pain and were they indicative of something serious?

The pain accompanied by burning and slight nausea became more frequent. I tried to track it with the foods I was eating, but few foods produced immediate side effects. The more frequent the symptoms, the more apparent it might be the apple crisp. Was something in the apple crisp causing the pain?  I decided to stop eating it to see if it would make a difference and after a few days all pain went away leaving a slight pressure reminding me it wasn't totally gone yet.

At the same time I started searching the internet for clues. Pancreatic insufficiency creating a lack of digestive enzymes can be caused by lifestyle habits such as junk food, sugar, alcohol, coffee or smoking. Hmmm...I don't do any of those. It can also be caused by gallstones blocking the bile ducts. I've never had a gallstone in my life, but I wouldn't rule it out. It can also be caused by pancreatic cancer. I hope not, but my blood labs aren't indicative of cancer. Pancreatic support involves taking pancreatic enzymes, or drugs, something I cannot do. Food sources for lipase, the enzyme I need, is avocados. I eat avocados daily so this didn't make sense.

It took me too long to connect the possible health issues with the spices. How can these simple, everyday cooking ingredients cause health problems? I guess that's like asking how can everyday products with fragrances cause health problems. I came across several articles warning readers of the side effects of common spices.

For instance, cardamom can create gallstones because our bodies do not absorb cardamom so easily. Whoa! Cinnamon does lower blood sugar which is the medicinal benefit, but too much cinnamon can cause LIVER and KIDNEY DAMAGE! One particular article stated one should never eat more than one teaspoon of cinnamon a day. As I said before, I was piling on the cinnamon, at least a tablespoon per recipe! Overdoses of nutmeg can not only cause sluggishness and miscarriages, but hallucinations! There are lots of documented cases of nutmeg overdoses and as a inexpensive high, drug-experimenting teenagers often end up in hospital emergency rooms. Allspice can cause not only allergic reactions, but gastrointestinal conditions like acid reflux, ulcers, and diverticulitis. It also poses a risk for promoting cancer!

Who would have thought these innocent, everyday dessert spices could reek so much havoc on your digestive system?? But you see, they are not just food flavorings. They are drugs. Since I am the one in a million who does not detox drugs due to weird-ass genetic mutations, I concluded aside from the known toxic side effects, they must be storing in my body rather than flushing out.

After a few days of no apple crisp and improved health, I thoughtlessly made a recipe which is also loaded with cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. I must have been in denial. Immediately the pain, nausea and burning returned. Hmmm...

I decided to do a liver-gallbladder-pancreas cleansing remedy. This involved drinking beet-apple-lemon juice mixed with olive oil every morning for several days. It sounds worse than it is (hold your breath and drink it down fast!!), but as a high-fructose concentrate, it can create some fatigue. After a few days, this seem to help.

Then I did the kidney/gallbladder stone remedy drinking 2 ounces of olive oil mixed with 2 ounces of lemon juice (double eeeewww). I have read all that oil enables the stones to just slide right out of the ducts and into the colon and I have heard if one is in the middle of a painful kidney stone or gallstone attack, this remedy will save you from an unnecessary surgery on the butcher's table. I didn't see any evidence this helped, but it couldn't have hurt.

A friend of mine said, "You know, you don't have to add spices to apple crisp." At first I thought, But then what would be the point? That would be like making chocolate cake without the chocolate. Who needs chocolate? Who needs spices? So I tried it. Apple crisp with no spices actually tastes better! I'm trying not to over do it on the new-and-improved Spiceless Crisp.

Spiceless Crisp - looks the same

Spiceless Crisp - yum!

My spice days are over and I'm learning too much of a good thing is never good. My diet is becoming more boring with each passing day, but...

NOTHING TASTES AS GOOD AS FEELING GOOD DOES!