Dragonfly News

The Official Monthly Newsletter of Song of Health
JANUARY, 2008

Dec 07 Newsletter
Feb 08 Newsletter

Welcome Subscribers, to Dragonfly News. We are excited about the opportunity to share interesting and helpful information with you in our monthly newsletter, which is available to subscribers only, on the website and automatically sent to you by email. If you did not receive this issue at your email address, please notify us immediately. We may need you to update your current email address with us.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

UPDATES TO THE FOOD RESOURCE LIST WILL BE AVAILABLE
VERY SOON. WE WILL EMAIL THEM TO YOU DIRECTLY
AND POST THEM ON THE WEBSITE.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: We are working on having available on CD, sometime this month, all the issues of Dragonfly News from 2007. Last month we posted the cost for the CDs incorrectly. Our apologies for this error. Subscribers’ cost is only $14.95, non-subscribers, $49.95. This CD is a valuable compilation of articles by our renowned doctors, whose work in their field is highly regarded among their colleagues, patients and professionals in other circles. Along with all the other information offered, this collection is a great opportunity for students and others seeking reliable research resources in our field.

A SUBSCRIPTION to Song of Health is a wonderful, thoughtful and unique way to show someone how much you care.

WHAT INFORMATION WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER?
Our goal is to serve you. Please help us by sharing what you would like to see in the Dragonfly News. We also invite you to share your favorite recipes with us.

You may contact us at: newsletter@songofhealth.com

SHARE YOUR STORY WITH OTHERS

We now have a section called Subscriber’s Testimonials. Its purpose is to help those who still suffer but are not confident that our dietary lifestyle will work for them. By hearing and reading about how our lives were dramatically changed we can help them to step through the door toward wellness. WE WOULD BE HONORED TO INCLUDE YOUR STORY about how you came to follow the Dr. Carroll Food Intolerance way of life. We reserve the right to edit for grammar and spelling correctness, however we will not change your story content. Please email your contribution to webmaster@songofhealth.com. Thank you for helping us to achieve our goal of reaching out to as many people as possible in order to offer them hope.

SHARING EXPERIENCES
By Sandra Strom, CEO

Claryifying Our Purpose

Happy New Year, Subscribers and loved ones. May this be a great year for us all, blessed with unbelievably good health and happiness.

The New Year, New Beginnings, is a good time to review what we are trying to accomplish and to look back on how well we have done and where want to go from here. We went on line as a test only on March 28th, and wouldn’t you know, we had a couple of new subscribers get caught in the mystic cosmos of the web during the test. We were in as big a hurry as they were for us to get up and running, and so we scrambled to figure out how to retrieve our subscribers-to-be from the infinite loop and to get on line for real. We accomplished both and were doing ok for a couple of weeks when our subscription software crashed and we were down for over a week. How embarrassing! We were grateful for your patience and understanding during our trials and tribulations. Thanks to the tenacious work of our webmaster, Shawn Murphy, we have been able to bring you consistent communication since.

A new subscriber recently emailed us, inquiring as to why obvious ingredients in some foods are not listed as food intolerances in the Food Resource List. She explained, for example, that the entry for Little Bear Cheese Puffs, which is found in the Chips and Crackers section, does not list dairy as one of the food intolerance ingredients. Also, some of the margarines listed contain soy, yet it’s not listed. She expressed confusion as to why such ingredients are not mentioned if the food intolerance test is “supposed to pick up everything in the food.” My response to her was:

“Thank you for your inquiry and joining us at Song of Health.

The foods listed in the Food Resource List have been specifically tested for a patient or subscriber, according to their personal intolerance.  When publishing the list I try to research and list the more obvious ingredients, especially when listed on the ingredient list of the product. We are not able to catch everything. This is why we suggest you submit a food for testing if you are concerned about a particular ingredient that may not be listed. Please refer to the Carroll Food Lab Test page on the website.

Does this help? If you have any further questions we will be happy to answer them, and if necessary, we will forward the question to our doctors (Dr. Watrous and Dr. Zeff).

I forwarded her letter to our staff doctors, Watrous and Zeff, for any further clarification. Dr. Watrous replied:

“We assume you will know that obvious items listed in the ingredients list on the product will be there. By testing, what we are trying to do is to find the hidden things that are not obvious.”  

We appreciate when you bring something to our attention that we have overlooked and we will do our best to update the information so vital to your health. We are glad when you ask questions, such as the one above, so we know if we are reaching you in an effective manner, if it’s an inquiry that requires only a personal response or if it merits being brought to the attention of all of our subscribers. If it is the latter, we will either publish the information in The Forum or in the next newsletter. (By the way, we will add “D” to the ingredients of Little Bear Cheese Puffs.)

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A STUPID QUESTION.

Please, Subscribers, do not be shy about asking us anything regarding the field of food intolerance or that which you find questionable. Our goal is to help you to find the answers related to your food intolerances. We are an informational and communicative center, utilized by doctors and patients alike. Subscribers, you are members of this team, us all working together to help and support each other. We will do our best to help you with relative topics.

My purpose in contributing “Sharing Experiences” in Dragonfly News each month is to help others to feel more comfortable settling in to this lifestyle of avoiding our food intolerances, that each of us knows we are not alone. We are each other’s support. My goal is to have Song of Health be the unique conduit of continuing information and shared experiences.

In Health,
Sandra

NEW!

SUBSCRIBERS SPOTLIGHT

From our subscribers…

December 24, 2007

Dear Sandra,
This site has been so helpful to my 14-year-old daughter and myself - words cannot explain. Hope your holidays are healthy.

Thanks,
Kathy A.
Falmouth, Nova Scotia Canada.

REMINDER: Have you checked out THE FORUM yet? It is a great place to share your ideas, ask questions, obtain information from questions already asked and communicate with other subscribers.

MAKE YOURSELVES HEARD!
EXAMPLE OF RECENT ADDITIONS TO THE FORUM:

Posted by Debbie, 3rd December, 2007:
Is egg and grain an uncommon combination? I have 3
children with this combination.

Response:
Dear Debbie,
Egg and grain is an uncommon combination. I see it occasionally, but it would occur about 2-3% of the time, if that often.
Jared Zeff, N.D.

Posted by Shannon, 21st December, 2007:
My daughter is intolerant to potato and fruit/grain within 4 hours. Can anyone help me come up with some breakfast ideas? I'm having a hard time because typically for us breakfast is based on a fruit/grain combo. (cereal with fruit, toast with fruit, homemade waffles or pancakes with fruit, etc.) We are vegetarian so I'm looking for ideas that are not meat based. Thanks so much!!

Response:
I have heard the theory that it is best to eat only fruit from the hours of 4 am to 12 noon. obviously, that won't work for everyone! Dr. Watrous and I both enjoy Lara Bars, which have tested for only fruit and nuts, i.e. cashews, pecans (which is also considered in the fruit category). One of the bars contains chocolate and another contains cinnamon. they do not cause a problem with fruit/grain intolerance or fruit/sugar.
I also love "fruit salad" for breakfast. I cut up fruit that is in season along with grapefruit. I prefer a little honey on it too ( a real sweet tooth). If you live where avocados can grow, then they are delicious included.
Are you ovo/lacto vegetarian? if not, you could eat eggs with yucca root - boiled, fried, hashed, even mashed. you can create healthy sauces or gravies to serve over. yucca is cactus - delicious and healthy too.
You might want to have your favorite cereals tested by one of our doctors to determine if they are free of fruit and potato. Then you know you're safe.
We will keep in mind recipes for our newsletter and recipe section that includes breakfast ideas.
In health
Sandra, CEO Song of Health .

Posted by Lisa R., 31st December, 2007:
How are the foods tested to determine if they contain fruit, sugar, etc? In other words, what is the method? Is it very reliable?

Response:
If you will click on the link "History of Dr. Carroll" at the left of the page you will find a basic description of the testing method.
Sandra, CEO Song of Health .
Dr. Zeff further replies:
I have a paper on my web site: www.jaredzeff.com that describes the testing. Go to my web site and click on the dietary information link. You will see "Carroll method" and click on that. We call this method the Carroll method, because it was developed and passed down by Dr. Otis G. Carroll, one of the great naturopathic doctors of the past century.
We use it because of its reliability in terms of clinical outcome. There are many ways to evaluate diet and dietary elements for suitability for individuals. There are a variety of allergy tests and various food sensitivity tests, from gut biopsy to blood testing to electro dermal testing, skin prick testing, and others. Each kind of testing evaluates different kinds of response. One chooses the test that will generate the kinds of information one is seeking. In terms of ranking, I have found this method to be the most fundamental for determining a foundational diet for my patients. First, I need to know if there is a food that they genetically do not digest well. If they eat such a food, it will not digest well, will disturb the digestion of other foods, and increase the amount of toxic stuff created in the digestion, which will increase the amount of toxins in the blood. These toxins create irritation and inflammation in the tissues of the body, and become the basis of much chronic and acute disease. In order to clear the disease, I need to reduce the level of inflammation and toxicity. The best way I have found to do this is through the Carroll method. Combined with hydrotherapy, I have found this a most powerful tool for advancing healing. If I knew of a more reliable method I would use it.
Jared Zeff, N.D.

Please post your replies to our other subscribers at THE FORUM.
Thank you.

NOTE: In the Forum I stated cashews and pecans are considered in the Fruit category. Cashews are considered a fruit while some nuts, such as peanuts, pecans and walnuts are on the Fruit page because they may be shelled chemically with citric acid and therefore contaminated with fruit.

WHAT EXACTLY IS A NATURAL FLAVOR?
By Dr. Caryn Potenza, N.D.

Today our foods are littered with lists of ingredients that most of us don’t understand. Do you truly know what a natural flavor is? Natural flavors sound like they are good for you, but can be derived from a number of different ingredients, including your intolerance. This is one factor that can cause your foods to test incompatible for your particular intolerance. I would like to explore and expand on the definition of the term natural flavor.

The FDA defines a “natural flavor” as,

“essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional. Natural flavors include the natural essence or extractives obtained from plants”.

This is posted on the web at www.cfsan.fda.gov. Therefore, if something is labeled as a natural flavor, it can be derived from fruit, potato, egg, dairy, grain, meat, fish, etc. This can cause a food that at first glance doesn’t appear to have your intolerance to test positive for your intolerance.

The term natural flavor can also be misleading in the sense that people believe because the ingredient is “natural” that it is automatically better for them. Eric Schlosser, in his book Fast Food Nation, discusses the difference between natural and artificial almond flavoring. Schlosser writes the following,

“A natural flavor is not necessarily healthier or purer than an artificial one. When almond flavor (benzaldehyde) is derived from natural sources, such as peach and apricot pits, it contains traces of hydrogen cyanide, a deadly poison. Benzaldehyde, derived through a different process - by mixing oil of clove and banana flavor, amyl acetate - does not contain any cyanide” (page 126-127).

The point I want to make is that just because a label has the word “natural” on it, doesn’t mean that it is safe for you or that it doesn’t contain your intolerance. Natural and artificial flavors often contain the same chemical components, but they are derived differently. I encourage you to “Google” unknown ingredients on labels to find out what is in your food and to read Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. He not only talks about natural and artificial flavors in foods, but also gives a thorough history about fast food and processed food development in our country. It is vital to understand the history of the way our foods are now developed and to recognize the ingredients in the food you are eating.

In Health-
Dr. Caryn Potenza
Schlosser, Eric; Fast Food Nation, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2001

NEW RECIPES

IMPORTANT NOTE: In the Recipes section of the website there are recipes using Tofurky Kielbasa. We tested the Tofurky Kielbasa and Italian Sausage and they have tested positive for potato.

The following recipe is fruit, egg and potato free:

Cakes

CARROT CAKE
(Contributed by Kristal Watrous, modified from The Joy of Cooking 1975)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Grease and flour an 8 x 8 baking dish or cake pan.

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. sea salt
1 cup maple sugar
2 Tbsp. corn starch
2/3 cup canola oil
½ cup very finely chopped walnuts
1-1/2 Cups grated carrots
1 Tbsp. white distilled grain vinegar (reacts with the baking soda to add fluff, used as an alternative to baking powder which often contains aluminum salts)

All ingredients should be at room temperature. Mix the dry ingredients well. Add the oil and mix until an even consistency. Add the walnuts and carrots and blend well.  Add the vinegar and quickly mix and pour into a greased and floured baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool on a rack.

ICING:

3 oz. cream cheese
1-1/2 Tbsp. whole milk or cream
3/4 cup maple sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Blend the cream cheese, milk, vanilla and cinnamon until soft and fluffy. Gradually blend in the sugar until smooth.  Spread on a warm cake or eat with a spoon.

Note: The maple sugar is the hardest ingredient to get. It is available from Glory Bee Foods and can be substituted with white sugar or evaporated cane juice in the cake and confectioners/powdered sugar in the icing.

The following recipe is egg, dairy and potato-free:

Breads

HOMEMADE TORTILLAS
(Contributed by Julie D., Subscriber – from The Forum)

6 cups flour (I used Bob's Mill whole wheat pastry)
3/4 cup vegetable shortening
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1-1/2 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 + 1/8 tsp. baking soda
3/4 Tbsp. honey
just under 1 cup of warm water

Combine all ingredients (except water) in a large mixing bowl and either use a pastry cutter or fork to mix the shortening into small pieces. Once shortening is in pieces about the size of oatmeal flakes, slowly mix in the warm water until dough is moist without being too sticky. Knead on a floured surface for about 5 minutes and separate into balls about 2 inches wide. Cover and let rest 20 minutes.
Pre-heat a griddle or other flat pan over medium heat. Roll each ball into a 6 or 7 inch tortilla with a rolling pin and place on hot surface until medium golden on each side. Let cool entirely before freezing or storing.
Makes about 30 tortillas.
Extra tips:
If you let them cook a little too long they actually taste like crackers, so these could easily be oven baked to make portable snacks. They also make a fun and tasty desert topped with some honey and cinnamon.

CUSTARDS AND PUDDINGS

NOODLE PUDDING
(Contributed by Sandra Strom, CEO Song of Health)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1 lb. broad noodles
3 eggs
2 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
¼ cup shortening or butter
½ cup raisins
¼ cup almonds, chopped
2 Tbsp. bread or cracker crumbs (I use matzo meal)

In pot of boiling water cook noodles until just tender. Remove from heat and drain. Return to pot with 2 Tbsp. of the shortening or butter and lightly stir. Use the remainder of butter to grease a 9 x 13 glass baking dish. In a mixing bowl beat eggs, honey cinnamon and salt. Add the noodles, raisins and almonds. Pour into baking dish. Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until done.

REMEMBER TO CHECK OUT THE FORUM FOR GREAT RECIPES FROM YOUR FELLOW SUBSCRIBERS.

Together, we strive for. . .
GREAT HEALTH - GREAT LIFE!

Song of Health Webmaster