I have a list on my refrigerator of all my "bad foods". The foods that make me sick. Since I am often weak when it comes to food, I usually ignore that list and get stomachaches after my meals. Here are some of my "bad foods":
Fried foods
Spaghetti
Any pizza that is not thin crust
Foods cooked in oil (the ones I make myself)
Spicy foods
High-fat foods
Crackers (especially Triscuits and Cheez-its)
Popcorn (including Cracker Jacks and Crunch-n-Munch)
Any food containing flax
Kettle-cooked chips
Cheese Curls
High-fat chips (including those that contain trans-fats)
Croutons
Protein Bars
Anything I get at Taco Bell
Too much of anything (stuffing myself)
Isn't that a sad list? Sigh. I love everything on that list. Some foods I will chance - occasional Taco Bell or Cheez-Its or some fried foods like mozzarella sticks, but some I have had really bad experiences with and avoid like them plague - protein bars and popcorn. I try to look at this list and find a pattern and it really eludes me. Pizza and spaghetti both use tomatoes and a lot of wheat. Fried foods, foods cooked in oil, high-fat foods, popcorn, chips, croutons, and Taco Bell are all very fatty foods. Could I be sensitive to a certain type of oil? Hmmm. I don't think I am gluten intolerant because I never have a problem with cereal, cookies, or cake. So, what is different about pasta and pizza crust? Anyone?
Friday, February 1, 2013
Hello!
Hey everyone! Welcome to my blog! My name is Steph. I created this blog to chronicle my journey to becoming a healthier, happier person. Here is my story:
I have been a vegetarian since I was fourteen - more than half my life. It was an easy decision for me to make. I never liked to eat meat and I was always very sensitive about the treatment of animals. During high school, I didn't eat very much and stayed fairly thin. When I went to college and got my first full-time job, I started to put on weight. Seven years ago, I started a new job working in an office. I hated the job from the very beginning. I started eating a lot of junk food because I was so bored and dissatisfied witih life. I gained ten pounds in a few months, going from a large size 5 to a 7/8 and eventually to my current size 10. Size 10 isn't exactly large, but being a very skinny child to an average sized adult with a round waistline and full face was quite a change.
I decided to change my life. I went back to school to study teaching. Teaching sounded like a really awesome career. Being a really shy person who does not respond well to stress, it did not take me long to realize teaching was not for me. I woke up every day stressed. I was still working full-time, trying to take classes, doing classroom observations, and trying to make time to see my boyfriend. It was not working. It was then that my health issues started.
I had an infection that took three rounds of antibiotics and eight months to get rid of. Then, the real fun started. I started having digestive issues. My stomach bloated, irregular bowel movements, intestinal pain. I spent a lot of money going to the doctor for them to only say that I probably had Irritable Bowl Syndrome. WebMD said the same (or maybe a little diverticulitis).
Good to know what I had, but how do I get rid of it. Well, you can't, you just have to find a way to live with it. I was getting sick every day at lunch time, so I kept a food journal. Not only did I learn that I eat a lot of really bad sugary fatty foods, but that I had no idea what was making me sick. It wasn't until my mom was looking at the box of protein bars that I had every morning that we might have found a culprit - flax. I knew I was very sensitive to flax because I briefly tried to take a flax supplement a few years ago. I got horribly sick. Using the bathroom every half an hour sick. It was bad. So, yay, no more protein bars! That helped a lot, but my symptoms didn't disappear completely.
Even years later, I still get sick sometimes. Heck, I am not 100% at this very moment! My sister learned that she is sensitive to gluten and she swears that I am too. I do think that I am sensitive to some gluten, but also to certain fats. It is usually pretty easy to figure out the culprit because if I start to feel sick (it feels like my intestines are clenching up) then I know that it was whatever I ate about four hours ago (my last meal).
So, I am still learning to deal with my digestive issues. I really want this blog to my place to talk about food, digestive issues, and overall well-being. I will try to include recipes, articles, and talk about all the bad food I ate. It should be interesting. :)
I have been a vegetarian since I was fourteen - more than half my life. It was an easy decision for me to make. I never liked to eat meat and I was always very sensitive about the treatment of animals. During high school, I didn't eat very much and stayed fairly thin. When I went to college and got my first full-time job, I started to put on weight. Seven years ago, I started a new job working in an office. I hated the job from the very beginning. I started eating a lot of junk food because I was so bored and dissatisfied witih life. I gained ten pounds in a few months, going from a large size 5 to a 7/8 and eventually to my current size 10. Size 10 isn't exactly large, but being a very skinny child to an average sized adult with a round waistline and full face was quite a change.
I decided to change my life. I went back to school to study teaching. Teaching sounded like a really awesome career. Being a really shy person who does not respond well to stress, it did not take me long to realize teaching was not for me. I woke up every day stressed. I was still working full-time, trying to take classes, doing classroom observations, and trying to make time to see my boyfriend. It was not working. It was then that my health issues started.
I had an infection that took three rounds of antibiotics and eight months to get rid of. Then, the real fun started. I started having digestive issues. My stomach bloated, irregular bowel movements, intestinal pain. I spent a lot of money going to the doctor for them to only say that I probably had Irritable Bowl Syndrome. WebMD said the same (or maybe a little diverticulitis).
Good to know what I had, but how do I get rid of it. Well, you can't, you just have to find a way to live with it. I was getting sick every day at lunch time, so I kept a food journal. Not only did I learn that I eat a lot of really bad sugary fatty foods, but that I had no idea what was making me sick. It wasn't until my mom was looking at the box of protein bars that I had every morning that we might have found a culprit - flax. I knew I was very sensitive to flax because I briefly tried to take a flax supplement a few years ago. I got horribly sick. Using the bathroom every half an hour sick. It was bad. So, yay, no more protein bars! That helped a lot, but my symptoms didn't disappear completely.
Even years later, I still get sick sometimes. Heck, I am not 100% at this very moment! My sister learned that she is sensitive to gluten and she swears that I am too. I do think that I am sensitive to some gluten, but also to certain fats. It is usually pretty easy to figure out the culprit because if I start to feel sick (it feels like my intestines are clenching up) then I know that it was whatever I ate about four hours ago (my last meal).
So, I am still learning to deal with my digestive issues. I really want this blog to my place to talk about food, digestive issues, and overall well-being. I will try to include recipes, articles, and talk about all the bad food I ate. It should be interesting. :)
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