“C-c-c-cinnamon lips and candy kisses on your tongue…yum.”
So sing OK Go in their song, “Cinnamon Lips,” on their first album.
Yum is right. Cinnamon is delicious. And it’s very seasonal, so it seemed like a good idea for me to challenge that as my first post-holiday challenge. Plus, I wanted to start with something I was confident about so that I’d be sure to get to work, as there’s too much going on for me to miss a day for anaphylaxis.
It was kind of nice to be back at the doctor’s office after my 7 week break. They were in full swing for Halloween, which was fun. And the doctor and I had some time to catch up while I ate my Cinnamon Toast Crunch – because if you’re going to try cinnamon, you may as well eat it in the best possible form. I’ve been replacing cinnamon with nutmeg for the past 6+ months) and it’s worked well, but somehow I don’t think Nutmeg Toast Crunch would be so great. Plus, eating a breakfast food at 7:30am is kind of nice after the whole tahine, chicken soup, beer challenges.
Anyway, it was DELICIOUS. Sweet as hell, overly processed, but still delicious.
The only thing is, it wasn’t great for my vision. The diplomas on the office wall started to blur and the doctor tried to keep my nerves calm so we’d be able to isolate any reaction. That worked some, but still I felt pretty bad. Not bad enough to call it a food I have to stay away from, but as the doctor put it, “It’s your choice. If you feel bad enough don’t eat it, but you can eat it without concern.” So another one of these half-passed tests. I’m not at risk of dying — YAY — but I probably won’t feel awesome if I eat too much. And I have to be very mindful of overdosing.
Anyone remember this cereal? Totally been craving it, which is weird because a) it’s gross and b) I hate French toast in general…
I can live with that. Like I said, nutmeg is a good replacement for cinnamon, and I can easily remove it from my cooking. But I can eat it in others’ cooking which makes dining out and shared meals just a smidgen easier. And the more I challenge, the more I realize that’s a large part of why I’m doing this. I believe I’ve gotten my list to a manageable size for me. I eat about the same variety as most other people do, only, mine isn’t a choice or a force of habit. It’s a force of body, and that’s fine. Except when it comes to social dining or dining on the go with packaged foods — there, I need some leeway, and I’m glad that cinnamon can be a part of that leeway.
I’m still deciding what to do next. It’ll likely depend on work, though, I can’t really predict what my reactions will be. I thought cinnamon would be a slam dunk — as I did pasta and olive oil — and I thought for sure I’d fail beer. So who knows? I’ve been craving peanuts, which happens almost never, so I think that might be a sign that that’s next. Gotta love some extra protein.
Whatever I choose next, I know the appointment will be fun. It’s on Halloween, and the whole doctor’s office is super pumped about the holiday. I kind of can’t wait to add to the absurdity of these food challenges with a costumed doctor. The only catch? I probably should wear a costume, too, and I have no ideas…So, I challenge you:
1. What to test next?
2. What do I dress up as?
Food Challenge Tally
Cindy – 6
Allergens – 2
Up Next: TBD
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