As I wrote yesterday, I love food. Food, however, does not reciprocate this warm, squishy feeling. First, the song of the day is from a local New Wave group of the ’80s, the Suburbs. It is called Love is the Law, and if you’re not groovin’, you’re losing!
What do I love today? I love living alone (with my cats, of course). Being a control freak, I love having complete control of the remote control, pressing buttons to my content. I love eating while typing; I love the sound of complete silence; I love being able to do whatever I want pretty much whenever I want. If I want to eat pizza for breakfast, I will. If I want to not do laundry for three weeks, I don’t have to do laundry for three weeks. If I want to sing at the top of my lungs at three in the morning–I do. If I want to keep the heater set at 63°, I don’t have to argue with anyone about it.
I love sprawling out on the bed and not have to worry about where do arms and legs go. I don’t like to cuddle while falling asleep (indeed, I have a hard time sleeping with anyone next to me), and I don’t have to worry about waking anyone with my snoring when I live alone.
I love the expansiveness of having my own space all the time.
Ok. Back to food. I have discovered over time (with the help of a naturopathic physician) that I am allergic to wheat and dairy. I have known this for about five years now, but I haven’t been very good about sticking to the non-wheat, non-dairy program.
I shop at co-ops, so it’s not like there aren’t plenty of tasty alternative options for me. It’s just that…I loooooove cheese and skim milk (yes, skim), pizza with sausage and lots of cheese, real ice cream (Julie’s blackberry dipped in dark chocolate bars are the best), real chocolate cake, raspberry bread pudding, Cajun-style fettucini (and Cajun-style tortellini), my brother’s freshly-baked bread, and a zillion of other foods I shouldn’t eat. What is a grrl to do?
When aforementioned naturopath first told me that I should eschew (and not chew) dairy, wheat, and sugar, I was in the throes of the worst bronchitis I’ve ever had. Prior to that, I’d had bronchitis three or four times in my life, so I know my bronchitis. At that time, she didn’t think I had allergies to the aforementioned substances; she just knew that removing them would ameliorate the symptoms I was suffering. I was desperate, and I did what my naturopath recommended.
It worked. Bronchitis went away after a month or so, but I kept to the strict no-dairy, no-wheat, no-sugar diet for three more months. At the end of the four months, I was literally dreaming of lasagna. Since I didn’t know I was allergic at the time, I gradually re-introduced the foods to my diet.
I soon came to realize that I am definitely allergic to wheat and dairy. Little known fact: about 90% of Asian Americans are lactose intolerant to a certain extent. In fact, roughly 75% of non-Europeans are lactose intolerant, again, to varying degrees. It also becomes more common as you age. Therefore, I have the double-whammy of being Asian and of getting old to affect my tolerance of dairy products.
For the past few months, I have gotten more serious about not eating dairy and wheat. I eat spelt bread instead of whole wheat, and Purely Decadent ice cream instead of ice cream made from milk. I haven’t found a satisfying substitute for wheat noodles yet, but I am looking. I have decided that breathing is a good thing, and so is not having itchy eyes.
However, the last two weeks have been my undoing. I have been in the midst of raging PMS, and that usually drives me to chips and chocolate. Once I went down that road, I had pizza, fettucini, and lasagna, donuts, and whatever else my mouth and heart desired. I listened not to my stomach grumbling in protest, and oh, have I paid for it. The toilet is my new best friend, and what went in decided to make a lot of stink (literally) going out. I am bloated; my eyes are swollen; I am having difficulty breathing–in short, I am miserable. In addition, I have that all-too-familiar feeling of bronchitis nestling inside my chest and throat.
In other words, it’s time for me to decide. Is the momentary pleasure of eating my favorite foods worth getting sick in the long run? I will let you know what I decide.
P.S. Here is a bonus video for today, also by the Suburbs. It’s called Cows, and it made me laugh–which is exactly what I needed today.
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