Still in the research phase of planning an elimination diet. Quite frankly, it’s mostly because I am balking at actually doing it. I know I have to do it or rather, I should do it if I want something resembling a regular life. Although, I may have to give up my idea of what that is. I may never have the same amount of health I did before I started getting this array of illnesses/allergies/sensitivities/whatever the fuck it is. Part of it is probably age. Shit just slowly starts to deteriorate as you get older. I like to joke that I can still stay up all night; I’ll just pay for it for the next three days.
Today, at Cubs, I looked at almost everything I eat on a regular basis. Not the cookies because I need my chocolate. For now. Although I did also get dark chocolate almond milk. I looked up every ingredient, and most of the ones I checked were low FODMAP. However, almost everything I buy has either onion or garlic in it. I stopped buying hummus and almost all sauces. In fact, the only condiment I am currently using is mustard. Oh, and some salad dressing, but I have a hunch that isn’t a good option. I had already bought it, and I’m cheap AF. Also, maybe I’ll resent it less if I ease into it. The chicken I buy has dehydrated onion powder on it. I bought it anyway because I can’t give up everything at once. Or rather, I have to steel myself in order to do it.
One of the other issues is that I have comorbid health issues. I already know I have gluten and dairy issues. I also have migraines, so I have to deal with triggers for that as well. As I wrote about recently, I figured out that caffeine is probably a trigger. Which is ironic as it’s also what staves off a migraine. Now, I might have to deal with IBS or something similar. And that road is hard and arduous. And I’m still stuck in the ‘it’s fucking not fair’ phase.The thing is, I know while it’s not fair, it’s not terrible in the grand scheme of things. I mean, it’s tedious and annoying, and it’s making me grim at the moment. However, compared to a million other things, it’s really not so bad. I just need to get over the fact that I’m so annoyed by it and move on already.
One thing I’ve learned from my research is that it’s not just high FODMAP and low FODMAP. It’s about portion size, which is something I am not good at. Or rather, I hate watching portion sizes for many reasons. One, it makes eating more of a chore than it already is. Two, it’s a slippery slope for me into eating disorder. Three, it’s tedious. But, in an elimination diet, it’s important because a low FODMAP food can easily become a high FODMAP one. Let’s take blueberries for example. 20 blueberries is low FODMAP. Anything over that is tiptoeing into bad territory. So, yeah, portions are very important.
Side note: This seems to be a good time to talk about my eating disorders. I have slid into anorexia/bulimia twice, and both times were accompanied with a rabid obsessiveness with counting calories, time spent exercising, and everything else related to weight loss. I have stayed away from counting of any kind because it puts me back into that mentality. When I even start reading about watching portions, my brain starts freaking out. I know I have to do it, and I know in this case, it’s not a weight loss thing, but it doesn’t stop my ID from running around shrieking.
I’m eating the rest of the stuff that I’ve bought that has high FODMAP value. I can tell when something is upsetting my stomach, and I’m pretty sure that onion and garlic are a factor in it. Also, for me the reaction is nearly instantaneous, which is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because I usually know what has caused the issue. A curse because it means I have to find the closest bathroom in the shortest amount of time possible. There comes a point where I’m going to go whether I’m on the toilet or not, and it would be fucking embarrassing if I don’t make it. This has happened once or twice, but, fortunately, I can usually make it to the bathroom in time.
I just learned of a brand that makes FODMAP-friendly products. I actually saw their salsa at the co-op when I used to shop there, and I tried it once. It’s not great, but it’s passable. The brand is called Fody, and this is the salsa, I believe. It might have been the medium one, but I’m pretty sure it was the mild (this being Minnesota). It was pretty bland, which I suppose is the point. They seem to have a lot of different kinds of sauces, so I’m going to have to peruse their website to see if there is anything that catches my eye. They also have snack bars, so maybe I can find something that’s even better than Kind bars (my gold standard for protein bars).
So, Cubs has gotten better at having organic food, but it’s still not great for low FODMAP alternatives. Then again, that’s not really a thing for healthy food companies. I eat a bunch of Amy’s products, and they are natural, yes, but almost all of them have onion and/or garlic. In fact, I have their df/gf burritos, and they are delicious. I’ve been mostly ok eating them, but they have irritated my stomach from time to time. I have two or three left, and when I’m done, I’m not buying any more. I think I can find better options at a co-op, so my only decision is which one. There are two within twenty minutes of where I live, and I like them for different reasons. The one nearer to my old taiji studio is cheaper, has a friendlier staff, and a good array of snacks. The hot bar is decent, but it’s not that varied. They do have excellent gf/df baked goods, though. The other one has a better hot bar, better deli, and my favorite chips ever–Plant Snacks Beet with Vegan Goat Cheese Cassava Root Chips. Seriously. These are so damn addictive, but in researching, while cassava root is low FODMAP, there are other issues with cassava.
I will try to make it to one of the co-ops this week or next. I just have to push myself because I’m so tired these days (and dealing with all the health issues), and it’s difficult for me to do much of anything. But it’s a vicious cycle. If I were able to eat better foods, then maybe I would have more energy. It makes sense in my brain, but my body isn’t so willing.
And. Cooking. Yeah, still not ready to talk about it. I will start researching ‘easy’ FODMAP recipes–I put easy in quotes because what is easy for people who cook is not easy for people who don’t cook. As I mentioned in the last post, I don’t have a food processor, so ‘easy’ homemade mayo is not so easy. I’ll report back after I do more research, but I’m toying with the idea of doing a food cooking vlog called something like ‘Grumpy Old Asian Lady reluctantly cooking FODMAP’, but catchier.