Monday, April 19, 2010

Exciting Food Experiences?

I recently read a post on an IE board by a new member. She stated that for lunch she "pops in a 'Lean Cuisine meal". She added that she "always steam some broccoli or a sweet potato, or both, to complement it, but it's rarely an exciting food experience". She continued to describe her evening meal of "grilled chicken with bbq sauce on it and a sweet potato" which she ate "out in the backyard and inhaled the smell of fresh cut grass, and closed (her) eyes and really tasted (her) food." Finally she stated that "The result (was) that (she) had about eight bites of (her) sweet potato and maybe four of (her) chicken...and (she) was SATISFIED!" Her insight from that experience was "perhaps I was bingeing/stuffing my face with cookies and candy right after my lean cuisines because I was NOT satisfied with my meal--and wanted to taste something I knew would taste good."

After reading that post, I recalled that many IE approaches encourage people to choose foods that really satisfy them and really enjoy every bite of food. However, 'satisfy' usually means taste good (in their mouths), rather than feel good in their bodies or keep them unhungry for awhile. 'Satisfy' can also mean 'fulfill cravings for' certain foods. People often crave foods after seeing, smelling or hearing about those foods, even though they aren't hungry. In my experience I can only crave foods I have eaten and enjoyed. If I haven't eaten a specific food, I won't crave it after seeing a tv commercial for that food. Perhaps my 7 food allergies make me less apt to want to try a food which I saw advertised on tv, because many 'tasty' foods include my allergens. Nevertheless, I notice that few IE newcomers consider how the foods feel in their bodies or whether the food keeps them unhungry for hours after they eat.

Then I began to realize that I no longer need an 'exciting eating experience' to satisfy my hunger. I eat foods I enjoy and focus on the tastes, textures and sensations in my stomach so I can recognize when I'm full and stop eating. However, I don't need my meals to be 'exciting'. I just need to feel unhungry and pain free after eating. Not experiencing any digestive pain is exciting enough for me. I prefer to feel excited about my current life, my activities, my plans for the future, rather than seek excitement or peak pleasure from every eating experience.

Many IE gurus teach their followers that choosing really satisfying (tasty?) foods and enjoying every bite of food will prevent overeating or even bingeing, because they don't need as much food when they enjoy the experience. I suspect slowing down to taste and experience the food allows our bodies to digest the food enough to tell us we've had enough. If we eat rapidly and mindlessly, we can miss those 'full signals' and overeat.

However, I recall that binge eating was very exciting for me. Just thinking about what I would let myself eat during the binge was exciting. So replacing binge eating with exciting mindful eating experiences may have taught me to me eat less and recognize full signals. Nevertheless, at some point I no longer needed exciting eating experiences. I was content to vary the same 2 breakfast menus, 3-4 different lunch menus, and maybe 5-6 different dinner menus. I preferred quick to prepare, allergy free and physically satisfying foods over exciting eating experiences. I like to forget about eating until I felt hungry. Then I want to quickly prepare or thaw a meal that I knew would satisfy my hunger without causing digestive pain. When I feel full, I feel excited about getting back to whatever activity was interrupted by hunger.

I used to overeat to procrastinate unpleasant or boring activities. Then I learned to choose activities at times when those seemed most interesting or appealing. For example, I have more energy in the morning. So I like to do more energy challenging tasks in the morning. I like to do gardening on sunny days, rather than cold, rainy days. I enjoy stand up activities when I'm energetic. I enjoy sit down activities when I'm tired. Of course, I have the freedom to choose when I do what I do.

Many women have schedules or activities dictated by jobs or children or even spouses. Or do they? Are they so disconnected from their own wants and desires that their entire days revolve around serving other people? So their only excitement comes from the food they eat or their 'exciting eating experiences', when they mindfully eat exactly what they want?

Do IE principles encourage women to substitute exciting eating experiences for exciting bingeing experiences? Rather than feeling excited about 'getting away with' a binge, they can feel excited about allowing themselves to eat exactly what they like all the time. Initially 'breaking out of diet jail' may seem exciting. However, if only their eating experiences promise excitement, IE followers may continue to lead a very boring or even miserable life between those peak eating experiences.

I don't know exactly when I went from seeking peak eating experiences to physically satisfying and painfree eating experiences. However, I suspect that change occurred sometime after my 7 allergy diagnoses and struggles with 6 different gut bugs. I'm also unaware of exactly when I began to prefer satisfying life experiences over exciting eating experiences. However, this feels more 'normal' than interrupting boring or stressful days with 'exciting' albeit mindful eating experiences. "Is not life more important than food and the body more imporant than clothes?" (Mathew 6:25b) Admittedly, I'm still hung up on the clothes part. I love sewing garments. However, I also love expressing my creativity through gardening and cooking.

I suspect that my intuitive eating journey has taken me beyond seeking satisfaction ONLY from eating. IMO life IS more important than food or clothes, once we have successfully met those 2 basic needs. People who don't have enough foods or clothes may still obsess over meeting those needs. However, most overweight people who embrace IE do have enough food. They just need to allow themselves to eat when they are hungry, foods that satisfy hunger and stop eating before they cause physical pain. Then they can begin seeking satisfaction from the rest of their lives.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Pantene Requires Doctor's Letter!!!

In my search for an allergy free shampoo and conditioner for color treated hair I bought some Pantene shampoo and conditioner yesterday. The ingredients didn't appear to contain any of my allergies. However, after my experience with Loreal's soy laced shampoo, I wanted to verify the ingredients. So I called the company and asked whether that shampoo contained wheat, egg, soy, vanilla or nutmeg. I usually don't see dairy or cane sugar included in shampoo ingredients.

The customer service rep told me that one listed ingredient, 'fragrance', could contain either of my spice allergens. I asked her whether she knew for sure what that 'fragrance' contained. She told me that I would need to ask my doctor to write on his 'letterhead' to Pantene and confirm that I had my diagnosed allergies. Then he could request ingredient information about the 'fragrance' or any other ingredient listed on specific hair care products. I told the rep that my doctor might email them, but not snail mail that request. The rep said they would accept a fax on my doctor's letterhead.

Then I told the rep that requiring every celiac or person with food allergies to ask their doctor to write companies to verify product ingredients ingredients was outrageous to say the least. Most companies will gladly verify whether their product contains my allergens. I don't need my doctor to testify that I actually have my diagnosed allergens in order to get the information I need. So I told the Pantene rep that I would no longer consider any of their products. I also said that I would inform many people with food allergens that Pantene is very uncooperative.

Fortunately I found another shampoo and conditioner for color treated hair. The ShiKai customer service rep was very honest and helpful. She told me their regular products contain soy. However she suggested their 'natural hair care' line which includes a shampoo and conditioner for color treated hair. She verified that it contained none of my allergens. She also told me that Whole Foods or other health food stores would carry those products. I learned that both my local Whole Foods and PCC stores carry that.

Pantene may believe they can sell more products by protecting their 'trade secret' product ingredients. However, most people with food allergies dislike companies that won't readily verify whether products contain their food allergens. Pantene may not realize how many people in this country have food allergies.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Peppermint Tea for Gut Cramps

Now that I know what caused my intestinal cramps and how long I will endure that pain, I can use peppermint herbal tea to reduce the intensity of those cramps. I usually don't drink peppermint tea, because that can cause reflux. I can easily get reflux after consuming peppermint, caffeinated beverages or alcohol. So I can only drink peppermint tea before or several hours after meals. Nevertheless, peppermint tea relaxes my intestinal cramps, which also relieves constipation and bloating, caused by those cramps. So I drank a cup of strong peppermint tea soon after awakening this morning. I then experienced slightly less intestinal pain. I may also take Tylenol if the pain gets too intense during the next few days.

Meanwhile I'm relieved to know what caused the pain. I also know those symptoms will disappear after 3-5 more days. So I just need to distract myself, drink peppermint tea, exercise my stomach muscles as well as do any aerobic exercises (like rapid walking) to generate natural pain relieving endorphins. I ALWAYS feel better after I do any kind of exercise. I'm even more motivated when I'm in pain.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

100% 'Natural' Vitamin E

I found the allergy reaction culprit. Initially I suspected my shampoo, which contains 'tocopherol' in the ingredent list. Tocopherols can contain soy, one of my diagnosed allergens. However, I then found a more obvious source of soy in a new variety of the Vitamin E capsules, in a brand which I took without reaction for years. My husband unknowingly bought a bottle of '100% natural' vitamin E capsules which prominently listed 'soybean oil' in the ingredients on the bottle. I vaguely remember refilling my vitamin (6 section) container last week after I finished taking all the vitamin E from a previous (safe) bottle. I refilled my vitamin E section with that new (soy laced) product, which my husband recently purchased. I neglected to read the ingredients, because it was the same manufacturer. I didn't realize it was a new formula with soybean oil in the ingredients.

I began to experience obvious cramping pain Thursday afternoon, after feeling fine all morning. (My food allergies are delayed reaction allergies.) However, my soy reactions usually last 5-7 days. The symptoms increase in intensity and pain severity to a peak midway through that period. Yesterday I experienced the 'waves of cramping pain' similar to menstrual pain, which I always experience with dairy and soy reactions. Those waves of pain increased today to the point that I suspected I had consumed soy. Because I had other symptoms like localized cramping pain, I believed I reacted to soy, not dairy, which causes the 'waves of pain' and sinus conjestion. I just recovered from a cold during which I experienced NO sinus conjestion. So I knew I must have reacted to soy.

Little did I realize that I've taken my little soybean oil pill for at least the past 4 days. I took the last one this morning. So I anticipate (DREAD!!) 3-7 more days of painful reactions. Nevertheless, I feel confident that an allergy reaction, rather than an intestinal infection from a bacteria or parasite or candida, caused my symptoms. Now I just have to get through the remaining reaction days. SIGH

Gut Bug or Food Allergy Symptoms??

During the past week I experienced some lower right quadrant cramping pain and constipation. I initially attributed the constipation to having a cold and not drinking enough water. I didn't want to consider that I had another intestinal infection. However, as the cold improved, my gut pain intensified. Rather than localized sharp pain, I experienced widespread intestinal cramps, similar to menstrual cramps. This morning I also experienced left sided cramping pain.

So I now suspect a food allergy reaction. My dairy reaction usually includes constipation and menstrual like cramping pain. However, I don't often experience localized pain after consuming dairy. Also dairy reaction pain is very severe and lasts about 10 days with a intensity peak after 5 days. Similar to dairy, soy causes some widespread menstrual like cramping pain, but more localized pain that travels through my intestines and less constipation.

I didn't experience as much constipation during the past 2 days, but the cramping pain seems to have moved and increased in intensity. So I suspect I unknowingly consumed soy. If so, pain will slowly decrease.

I'm less inclined to believe I have another gut bug, because the pain moved through my intestines, came on rather suddenly and rapidly increased in intensity. However, I'm obsessively careful about avoiding my food allergens. So I wonder whether I have another gut bug. I never did a followup stool test after treating achromobacter. I still have that lingering cough, which may be related to achromobacter, which can also infect the respiratory system. I could even have a c-diff recurrence from spores which evaded vancomycin treatment.

Meanwhile I emailed my doc to request another DNA Microbial stool test for bacteria, parasites and yeast. I had believed that taking daily high dose probiotics would prevent bacterial dysbiosis (too many bad gut bacteria overwhelming my good bacteria). However, I also discontinued taking HCl supplements, which increased my stomach acid enough to kill food born bacteria. So for the past 2 months I had increased risk of developing an intestinal infection from food born bacteria.

I just need to wait and see how I'm doing tomorrow morning. If my symptoms intensify or decrease, I may decide I just have a food allergy reaction. However, if my cramping pain stays the same or I experience diarrhea, I will pick up another stool test at my doc's clinic and do the test the following morning. I hate not knowing, but I realize I know more about my own body that any docs could tell me. They do the same 'wait and see' guessing game, which I do.