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| Meatless Bibimbap Rice Bowl on my chair because I'm still decluttering. |
It's taken me eleven years to figure out what my food issues are.
Years ago, in 2013, I went to a nutritionist who put me on a gluten free diet. She also advised I change some things up. At the time, I was eating fewer grains, organic meats, salmon (yuck unless it's sushi), and some vegetarian meals.
I felt better, but never fully. I still had discomfort in my abdomen, but it was better than pain throughout my entire body.
So I did a low FODMAP thing for a long time thinking that it was IBS. It must be the onions and garlic in my food, right? They're known for causing issues and they're in all the things I'm eating, so why wouldn't it be that? Cutting them out helped very minimally.
Somewhere along the way, I confirmed that I was having trouble with lactose. Not like most people do. I get itches in uncomfortable places and hives.
Lactose free milks and cheeses entered my life and I was happier, because who isn't with cheese in their life, but I still felt bloating and discomfort. It was like I could feel my inflamed intestines like a balloon.
I tried to get sent to a gastro focused doctor, but my family doctor left the country never to return and the other doctors at that clinic wouldn't take on any of his patients. This is probably needless to say, but I was feeling pretty hopeless on the food thing. I had tried so many things over the years and couldn't think of anything else to try.
Then I started to notice that when I had pho with beef, my guts were upset. When I had only vegetable pho, I had no issues. I could even have all the broth and only feel like I ate a bit too much rather than that my body was angry.
A breakthrough?!
Well, after all the times I thought it was something else, including corn, I wasn't in a hurry to declare it so.
At Christmas this year, I ate mainly vegetarian meals. I was still avoiding gluten and garlic, onions, and lactose. I felt pretty good.
When I got back to Ottawa though, I realized I had no idea what I was doing with a vegetarian diet. No one in my immediate family is vegetarian. Most friends I know do it for a little bit then go back to meat.
So I ordered a cookbook and tried a dish. I didn't love it. It didn't feel like it was an entree, but more of a side dish. I was feeling starved and tired because I was struggling with what to eat.
Seeing that I had learning ahead, I signed up for a different meal kit than I previously had. One that was more budget friendly and didn't think mayo should be in every sauce for everything. It would be a couple of days before the kit would come in.
While I waited for that day to come, I tried some things, including things with gluten, garlic, and onions in them. I even had seitan.
No issues.
While I will never again say that I am 100% sure that I've figured it out, I have an abdomen that feels like it should right now and I'm going to enjoy that.
I'm also enjoying that Beyond Meat smells like cake when I fry it. A healthy meal that smells like cake is weird, but good weird.
And I love good weird.
I didn't expect this plot twist, but I'm excited about the journey.
I'm also excited about fresh bakery bread and slightly better menu options at restaurants.