Making the right food choices when living with Alpha-Gal can be pretty challenging when traveling to livestock shows like I do. Shopping is not quite as challenging when you have an App to scan items with, BUT it definitely narrows your window of things you can eat. Stuff you think that would be safe, turns out it is not always the case.
I have found several things that I can always pack to take in my snack bag that the kids are not fond of, but they still try to get into my turkey jerky! Boiled and peeled eggs have been a good choice and are easy to grab and eat when you are leading calf but the kids think it is weird to just be randomly eating a boiled egg.
Fritos chips have always been a favorite of mine and they are safe for me to eat. One of the things that is kind of ok-ish is Oreos. I have found that the mint Oreos are ones that I like the best and the kids are not overly fond of them, so they are pretty safe from grubby kid hands when we are hanging around the stall. I still want to eat some of the kids snacks because we always take gummy bears and I LOVE a good soft fruity bear!
I still eat like crap on occasion and those bad decisions usually end up happening because we are out of MY snacks, I don’t want to make a Walmart run, OR I am tired and we are driving. Some of those choices end up being in the form of beverages such as anything sugar-free Red Bull (except the new nasty cherry one!), my new favorite Alani Strawberry Sunset, which by the way are OK on my Alpha Gal food App, and then anything Reese’s!
When we stop on the road to eat, the kids always want Taco Bell (my favorite) or McDonalds, and I have found I can eat Chick-Fil-A. Most of those places are not easy to get in with a truck and trailer, so I am usually stopping at the first one I can find to get pulled in and out of. That usually leads to me eating something I am not supposed to have and I pay for it later in the form of really sore joints and allergy like symptoms. I am not nearly as reactive as some people are, so I am thankful for that.
I am not a “fins and feathers” kind of gal, mainly because I hate anything fins, but I am trying to do better and try new things. My daughter convinced me to try her favorite sushi place recently and the thought of raw fish was definitely not appealing to me in any way! In my mind all I can think of is this raw fish laying on a plate looking up at me with one eye and I have to figure out how to eat it and not gag.
I actually enjoyed the rice, salmon and seaweed wrap thing I had and it didn’t taste fishy. I am not sure if it was because I drowned it in soy sauce or if it was because it was really good. I am not going to make a special trip to eat at this place and I am not going to buy any truck stop sushi when we are traveling with cattle, BUT I will say I will eat it again, but only at this one place!
In the midst of all the cattle shows we have begun calving and it is fun to see the calves running around enjoying the nice weather. I am not thrilled to see all the bull calves and I am hoping the 2 we have left will be having heifers. In addition to all the bulls, we have gotten some interesting colors. We have never had colored calves before and we do not prefer them. The bull we used last summer, which was one we raised to sell, carries what is called a ‘wild gene’ in the Beefmaster breed and you never know what you will get for color even out of solid cows.
We have one I have named Bob Ross due to the fact that he is ‘all painted up’ and my niece is already asking if we are showing him. The only heifer we have had is solid colored and I would take a painted-up heifer to show over a bull any day. We have had a solid black bull calf out of a first calf heifer who is not the smartest guy so almost daily I have to go on a walk to find him. I have started calling him ‘where’s waldo’ and my husband has told me I can’t be naming all these bulls such goofy names. I am not sure if we are going to spend the money to register these bull calves if the market stays the way it is, but if I have to put something down on paper, you can bet I am going to name that one Bob Ross!
One thing I would like to bring up that has unfortunately become a common occurrence in rural areas, are the number of livestock that are being shot from the roadside. Whether by accident or on purpose, these incidents are occurring across SW Missouri and NE Oklahoma. A quick google search or a scroll through the Facebook, you will come across the things that are happening. Living in rural areas, we must be aware of things around us and be vigilant when encountering unfamiliar people or vehicles in the area. Being a good neighbor and watching out and reporting suspicious activity especially when it occurs around livestock.
The losses of livestock are not only financial, but they are also personal. If you raise any kind of livestock or pets, they become a part of your family and it can be emotionally devastating to have a loss of an animal that appears to be intentional. Unfortunately, in today’s world there are a lot of people who do not understand or appreciate the rural lifestyle. It is important to educate the public about what we do but it is also important to stand up and report anything suspicious you may see or hear.
Debbie Elder is a native of Ottawa County, Okla. and lives on her farm in Webster County, Mo. To contact Debbie, call 1-866-532-1960 or by email at [email protected].
