Food Sensitivities - My Experience
/Personal Experience: Madi Davis
Hi! My name is Madi Davis, I am a senior at Norwell High School, and one of Chef Abby’s interns this spring! Next year, I will be going to Clemson University to study Human Nutrition and Dietetics. Today, I will be writing about life with food sensitivities!
Personally, I have 13 food sensitivities that vary in their severities and the responses they cause in my body. Of the 13, there are some that I eliminate completely such as gluten, dairy, high fructose corn syrup, stevia, and coffee. These foods all cause immediate and severe effects ranging from gastrointestinal issues to an immune response. For other foods such as bell pepper and pineapple, I just limit my consumption of them.
My journey into the discovery of my food sensitivities has been one of a lifetime and not a clear cut path by any means. I learned early on in my life (around the age of 8) that high fructose corn syrup and my body do not get along. I remember having stomach issues after drinking juice boxes, eating ketchup, or having an occasional soda. I eventually discovered that the tie between all these foods was this one artificial sweetener. At the time, high fructose corn syrup was being used in everything from candy to condiments as it was a cheap alternative to sugar. Luckily, since then, many brands have moved away from the ingredient given its aftertaste and less than ideal health effects, but I still never trust the ketchup at a restaurant.
The rest of my food sensitivities did not become apparent in my life until the summer of 2020. With the rest of the world, I was home from school during quarantine, and started noticing more closely the intensity and frequency of my many health issues. I had constant stomach aches, pain, bloating, and frequent trips to the bathroom. I had excruciating pain in my feet, an ache in every joint, low energy, and an inescapable exhaustion. Needless to say, my health was very different from that of the average 14 year old.
At this point, I began to seek help. I started with my pediatrician, who sent me to an allergist, who sent me to an orthopedist, who gave me no answers. I did bloodwork for every food allergy available and it all came back negative. I was tested for celiac, and again tested negative. I was losing hope at this point, and was starting to believe that it really was all in my head as people had been telling me. Then, in an off-handed conversation with my chiropractor, she told me that her mother-in-law was gluten free in order to help her arthritis. I was really in denial that my symptoms had anything to do with food as I am a “live to eat” or “foody” type of person who loves to cook and try new things. At this point, my dad had been diagnosed with celiac disease and I had seen the sad excuse for bread that he now had to eat as part of a gluten free diet. Eventually, my mom convinced me to try an elimination diet, just to see if it helped.
For the next two weeks, I cut out gluten and dairy completely, and I started to see a difference. The pain in my feet had almost disappeared, my stomach was in a much better state, and had a feeling of energy and better overall health. Given the impact of cutting out just two categories of food on my health, I decided to take an at home food sensitivity test to reveal if I had any more. When I received the results, it revealed that I had numerous other “low severity” sensitivities as the company calls them. I did not have any extreme adverse reactions to any of these foods, but I began to notice that symptoms did appear if I ate any of these foods in excess (for example a stomach ache if I eat chicken four plus times in the same week). These are what I call my easy sensitivities as they don’t require much monitoring or take too much of my time.
It has now been about three years since that summer and I have adjusted to my new lifestyle. At first it seemed impossible, and rightfully so. My diet was completely changed in a matter of a few weeks and I was thrown into a world that I knew virtually nothing about. My number one piece of advice for people going through a dramatic diet change is to try everything. At first, I thought that every brand of gluten free bread would taste like cardboard, but thankfully that is not the truth. Although it seems daunting, the weird health food snack you found on a random isle may become your new favorite food. Some brands that I love are GreenLite bread, Schar for crackers, Trader Joes for pizza dough, dips, and many other items, and Over Easy for protein bars.
Another difficult part of going gluten and dairy free is going out to eat at restaurants. I have found the app “Find Me Gluten Free” is extremely helpful with reviews, safety ratings, and a dairy free filter for finding all types of restaurants. Nearby, 110 Grill is amazing as they have an entire gluten free menu, as does Burtons. Twist Cafe is a bit far but it is completely gluten free and mostly dairy free and has the best pancakes and baked goods by far!