Food Failings

Don't know if I've written about this before, but I've been battling a few health issues since I've been in Sweden. Not life and death stuff, just annoying. Most of it centres around some recently developed food allergies or intolerance. As luck would have it, it's limited to all the foods that I've loved for the past 40+ years. I don't know why it's suddenly become such an acute issue. Part of me thinks that there must be something in the base food ingredients used in Sweden that weren't so strong in New Zealand. And I'm not talking about surströmming. My sister, who lives now in Australia, told me once that she can't eat cream buns in Australia without feeling ill. Every time she flies back to NZ, that's the first thing that she eats. And when we had a 10 day holiday on Crete last month, I feel fine pretty much the whole time. So there might be something to the theory. I've been to a few doctors who have poked me in the stomach (at their peril), sucked in their breath a few times, and then told me that they have no idea why I'm feeling ill all the time. Thanks for that, here's your 100kr.

So I've resorted to the tried and true method of self help. As I've already figured out which foods are the big ticket killers, I've started avoiding them where possible. Remove the source, remove the problem. That's the theory. And it's probably been about 50% successful. Certainly in terms of the severity of symptoms. Unfortunately, it's pretty much impossible to avoid the base materials that make up those foods as it's in pretty much everything. As much as I try to monitor what I'm eating. I've become a bit of a dab had at reading the packaging labels on food. Something I never knew existed before now. So I end up feeling a bit lousy after every meal. Enter stage two of the home remedy treatment plan. Which is extremely unfortunate, and was discovered completely by accident.

When I feel ill after eating, the only way I can fix it, is to exercise. A lot. Which means going for a one hour run or walk after every major meal. Not as much fun as it sounds. But, for some reason, forcing blood around my system seems to get rid of the discomfort. I feel like nothing has happened. Except for the minor fact that I've logged more than 1,000km since I started this treatment plan in the middle of April. I'm not convinced that I want to stick with this regime for the rest of my life, however. Although I accept that I'll more than likely always be locked into this enforced lifestyle.

I'm at the point now where I pretty much accept that things are the way that they are. If we go out to eat, then I'll eat anything. I know that I'm going to have to go out for an hour when we get home again, but I would have had to do that in any case. So I might as well eat some good tasty food while I'm here.

I guess it's not all doom and gloom. I had a recent physical the other week. My blood pressure was the lowest it had been since I was in my mid 20s. And I'm on my 3rd pair of running shoes. So I'm obviously in better shape than I was 6 months ago. I should feel happy about that. And I am, I just wish that there was an easier way of getting there.