Hello! My name is Katherine Tuohy, and I am a first year theatre major in the School of
Communications, from Long Island, New York. I am thrilled to be writing for Northwestern Dining's Sustainability and Wellness Blog. Before I share my favorite recipes and wellness tips, I want to tell you my story of how a supposed ballet injury changed my life for the better. Additionally, I want to share the lessons I learned from this past experience that have helped me manage the uncertainty COVID has presented this year. Grab a snack, take a sip of water, and enjoy :).
The Ballet Injury -- or was it?
At the age of six, I told my mom that I wanted to dance the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy
one day. She signed me up for ballet classes immediately, and from then on, nothing could keep me from the ballet barre--or so I thought. I danced for 7 days a week and up to 6 hours a day. Then one day, during my sophomore year of High school, following a glorious Nutcracker performance en pointe as The Mouse Queen, I woke up one morning with completely numb feet. A week later, I would be lying under the dizzying fluorescent lights of the orthopedic surgeon's office. After a poke, push, and pinch, he determined that I had bilateral flexor hallucis longus tendonitis.
Hoping to avoid surgery, I opted to try a more conservative approach, physical therapy. I
followed the surgeon's instructions for rehabilitation as if they were a DIY IKEA desk assembly manual. The recovery process had to be perfect, I believed, or else everything would fall apart. The regimen included 5-hour round-trip car rides to physical therapy and then acupuncture three days a week. Existing in this unlivable state for two months, I felt worse than before. Not just my calves, but my feet, legs, hands, and back went numb. Everything hurt. The doctor finally declared that "cutting both of my feet open" was the only relief option.
The True Diagnosis -- that led into the kitchen
Unwilling to surrender, I sought out numerous options from all different types of doctors.
They quickly realized this was not a dance injury. There was something more profound
happening. Finally, after a year of a hopeless medical mystery and pain, my pediatrician
suggested that I might have an autoimmune disease.
One Fall day junior year, as I exited the school building and headed to catch the bus, my
phone rang. I knew what this call was. I let it buzz until I had no other choice but to answer it.
Then I stopped walking, inhaled as much autumn air as possible, and hit the green button.
My mom said, "You have Celiac Disease."
Celiac Disease -- the healing power of cooking
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease in which people can't eat gluten (wheat, barley and rye) because it will damage their small intestine. Interestingly, I never had any worrisome
stomach issues. However, the doctor informed me that there are a plethora of symptoms
unrelated to digestion like headaches and fatigue, nervous system injury, including numbness and tingling in the feet and hands, and joint pain (among others).
As a carb-loving girl who adores her Italian mom's homemade ravioli, a gluten-free
future was both daunting and heartbreaking. I didn't have ballet, and now I couldn't have pizza. My doctor warned me that Celiac isn’t a quick fix, either. It has to be taken seriously: zero “cross-contact” with gluten containing foods or ingredients: makeup, skin care, toothpaste, old cutting boards, cookware, the list goes on. But we finally knew what was wrong, and my mother insisted with spirit, "If anyone can cook gluten-free, it would be us!"
Each night following my diagnosis, I would navigate cookbooks like a conquistador,
probing this strange new gluten-free world. It was not smooth sailing at first, however. Even
though my calves and feet started healing, the rest of my body responded to a gluten-free diet with stomach pain, fatigue, and inflammation. Something was still wrong. I had to reroute my gluten-free expedition. Following an elimination diet, I pinpointed how certain foods affect me. However, it wasn't just what I was eating. My body reacted to how much I was sleeping, hydrating, stressing, exercising, socializing-- everything.
The healing process commenced once I recognized that well being is, in fact,
multifaceted.
Candidly speaking, my life collapsed without dance. Except, the enormous leaps, twists, and turns my family, doctors, and I took helped put it back together. Rather than surrendering to the seemingly insurmountable obstacles that my autoimmune presents, I have decided to dance with them.
That being said, COVID-19 has granted the world seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
At one point, my life felt out of control. However, something I slowly discovered from life's turbulence and unpredictability is our astounding ability to take back power and control through simple actions. For me, that's cooking: hand picking produces, chopping vegetables, marinating, sautéing, and serving delicious meals. I have distinct passions for theatre, singing, and dance. Due to COVID, however, it has been challenging, to say the least, to train sufficiently. Cooking during my injury, and quarantine, indulged my creative outlet by improvising new recipes and tasting foreign cuisines. During quarantine, I was able to reintroduce almost all of the foods that caused me problems (except gluten, obviously). Each new day meant a new, more complex meal. Focusing on cooking healthy meals and practicing self-care has kept me on track during 2020. I even created my own personal food blog, @officiallysimplyfree on Instagram!
I cannot wait to share my passion for living simply free, a healthy, balanced lifestyle,
with the Northwestern community. Whether you are at home or living in Evanston, this blog will cater to thriving for our virtual learning experience. From NU recipe shares, student features, and expert interviews, subscribe for more. Scroll down for one of my favorite healthy recipes! Xoxo
Katherine Tuohy
Sweet Potato Bread
Simply free of gluten, dairy, soy, and grains
Ingredients:
• 1/2 cup of almond flour
• 2 tbsp of coconut flour
• 1 tsp of baking soda
• 1 tbsp of cinnamon (or pumpkin spice!)
• 1 cup of sweet potato purée: 1 large sweet potato COOKED--steamed, baked, microwaved-- and *COOLED* (so you don’t cook your eggs).
• 1/2 cup of almond, cashew, sunflower or nut butter
• 3 room temp eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp of coconut sugar
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Step 2: Mix dry ingredients together in a small bowl: almond flour, coconut flour, coconut sugar, cinnamon, and baking soda.
Step 3: Whisk eggs, sugar and vanilla. Then, add in almond butter and mix again.
Step 4: Add the COOLED sweet potato puree.
Step 5: Add DRY to WET and mix all together (You can also add in some chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or raisins!).
Step 6: Grease pan (I spray mine with avocado oil, but coconut oil works fine) and pour in batter. Top with more coconut sugar (optional).
Step 7: Bake in the pan for 30-45 min. This all depends on the pan you use. If you are using a bread pan, it will take closer to 35-40. I use a shallow pan which took about 30 minutes. Test with a toothpick and if it comes out clean, the bread is ready!
Step 8: Cool for 5-10 min and enjoy with some toppings:
- Yogurt
- Honey
- Ice cream
- Granola
- Nut butter
- Melted chocolate
Here are some fun facts about me:
- I’m a coffee addict. My favorite way to make it is grinding the beans fresh and doing the pour over method.
- I work as a private chef and have cooked in some very cool, undisclosed places ;)
- I am a chocoholic-- give me all the 92% cacao you have.
- I’ve never been outside of the country, but when the pandemic is over I am hopping on a plane to Italy. Surprisingly, they have the best gluten free community in the world! I’ll order a personal gluten free pizza, please!
- I played Peter Pan in the school musical and crashed through the window, breaking the entire set (but the show must go on)!
- My favorite TV show is Big Little Lies, and my favorite movie is The Devil Wears Prada or Ferris Bueller’s Day Of