I Was Scared of Food, Now I Love to Cook!
I HATED cooking when I was growing up. Maybe I was spoiled because my mom would cook every single meal for me and my brothers.
Maybe I was just a lazy kid that never learned the right way to cook. I could point fingers, but that’s not what this is about. The fact is that I LOVE to cook now!
I know, I know. Super cliche, douchy looking muscle head just wants to cook chicken breast, rice, and steam veggies.
Well, it is much more than that!
I think I can pinpoint this transition to a few years ago when I first started to listen to what my body was trying to tell me all these years.
You see, ever since I can remember (and sorry if this gets too graphic) I would eat my meal and go to the bathroom immediately after.
No, it was not to pee. All my friends knew that was my “routine” and didn’t think much of it.
Truth be told, neither did I.
I just thought I had a fast metabolism as my mom did. She too would do the same. She is a fit person and I was a skinny kid so it made sense in my mind.
Well, a few girlfriends later, a few degrees later, and constant self-reflecting finally helped me realize what everyone was saying back then. I promise I am not normally this thick-skulled! They all kept saying that wasn’t right and I pooped way too much!
NATURE Vs. NURTURE
Maybe they were on to something- here is when I get into nature versus nature. In my home, it was a normal occurrence, based on my mom’s presentation, that this is normal. I assumed the same thing until I was exposed to more individuals and learned more as I grew in my profession.
Soon, pooping 3–4 times a day turned into 10–15 times! This is when I threw in the towel.
I couldn’t anymore.
I was certain I had some medical condition that required some sort of intervention, being medication or surgery.
It left me so depleted; mentally, physically, and emotionally.
I was drained, felt weak as a pussy cat, and couldn’t think straight. Being the stubborn, thick-skulled individual I am, I decided I needed to search for answers.
I wasn’t happy with my current situation and something had to give.
I also am not the first person to jump up and down with joy having to be placed on medication. My philosophy is that my body is trying to tell me something, so I need to listen and allow it to work in the way it was made to do.
THE JOURNEY STARTS
So I did some digging and came across lots of “possibilities” but nothing that I could really pinpoint. I am not too big to feel that I can’t seek the help of professionals when I cannot figure it out on my own, so I did just that.
My first experience brought me to a registered dietician that was an expert in digestive abnormalities like IBS (the umbrella term for literally anything that could go wrong in your stomach).
She was pleasant and explained to me that I needed my blood work done to look for food sensitivities as this is the reason why my stomach was acting the way it did.
I thought it was a bit odd, but I rode the train for a while to see what it would say and humor the “treatment plan” created.
Not going to lie. I felt pretty darn good eliminating all the foods that I had a “sensitivity” too!
No more bloating, diarrhea, fogginess, fatigue, gassiness, or uncomfortableness after eating….for the first 6 months or so.
Breaking that down, any dietary change can elicit a positive occurrence in your system until your body adjusts.
For example, take someone who eats bonbons all day and doesn’t go to the gym. You replace bonbons with apples and you have an individual who has lost weight and improved how they feel.
Until that just isn’t enough anymore. Most people don’t give the body enough credit for how adaptive and proficient a machine it really is.
Let me also preface this by saying that I was not eating badly by any means. So adjusting what I am eating seemed like a walk in the park and not a big deal for me as I was used to eating strictly.
Well, I was feeling great, so great in fact, I told my mom to go see this dietician. Because if she fixed me, then she can fix her too!
I was on cloud 9! I thought I was cured!
Until 6 months later when a majority of my symptoms came back and I was almost admitted to the hospital for such dehydration from diarrhea.
Back to the drawing boards and to the confusion as to what the heck is going on?!?!
BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARDS
I then tried counting my macros to limit my food intake and get the absolute least amount consumed for the most bang to see if I was just eating too large of meals. Fail.
Then I went to the Keto craze to see if increasing my dietary fats would help slow down the rate of my digestion and bulk up my stool.
You have to understand that I was desperate and trying to rationalize anything I could to find a fix before medications.
Still, fail.
At this point I was beyond exhausted, frustrated, ready to cry, and just give up.
I was for sure convinced that I had Crohn’s based on my symptoms- plus I asked Dr. Google.
I caved and finally had a sit down with a GI specialist and made the appointment to get a colonoscopy. 31 years old and I get a colonoscopy….fantastic.
THERE IS HOPE
One night I was out with my buddy smoking a cigar and discussing my woes.
Side note- I grew up with my buddy since the 6th grade, he has witnessed my behaviors after eating and has known the struggle I have been going through lately. He said two words that have forever changed my life and given hope back to me and my mom!
Monash University.
This is a university in Sydney, Australia that has specialized and developed a dietary guideline for people that fall into that IBS category.
They created a LowFodMap diet that specifically looks at the sugars that are broken down in the gut and then fermented by the guts high acidic environment. That fermentation process from the sugars is where a lot of negative side effects occur like bloating, diarrhea, gas, etc.
I thought to myself- why the hell not?
I have tried everything else under the sun and I already have a colonoscopy scheduled.
Sure, screw it. Let’s go balls to the wall with yet another diet.
Turns out to be one of the greatest dietary decisions I have made in my life so far and it could do the same for you!
