subtitle: What Was I Thinking? Well, I Wasn't.
I was sitting in a restaurant today eating tofu, rice, and veggies. Then--as if from a blackout--I realized I'd been absent-mindedly scratching my ears, face, and thumb knuckles for several minutes--and that I, a person with a bit of an allergy to peanuts (see "Nuts--Who Knew?"), was eating a meal based on a peanut-laced sauce. Eating peanuts for the first time in four months, and having the same allergy symptoms as before.
I remember feeling my throat phlegming up, and asking the server if (wheat) flour was in the sauce (you know, the peanut-tomato sauce the menu stated was an element of the African Nut Bowl? Hello!). Oh no, she said. "It's gluten-free."
Now, I haven't had any alcohol since 1984. If I see alcohol as part of a food item, even as flavoring, I automatically reject it. Why I didn't do this with this, I don't know.
Well, it gets worse (or more interesting, depending on your view). A craving for bakery goods/cookies swept over me half an hour later. I stopped at a grocery store on my way home.
I didn't even look for gluten-free baked goods. It was all about the wheat (not consumed for 4 months) and sugar. I was propulsed through the aisles like a heat-seeking missile to my ultimate target: a blueberry muffin and a glazed cake donut.
I did eat a very healthy dinner a couple of hours later. Then I addressed the baked goods: which one should I eat first? Should I eat them both? Now?
I bit into the donut, and immediately regretted it. It was greasy, chemically, with that flat, acrid taste of excessive sugar. I then broke the muffin in half, taking a bite from the bottom. It was just a small step up in quality from the donut. I bit into the top--with most of the blueberries and the crunching topping. It was tastier, so I ate it all. I threw the rest (left) away.
The wheat/sugar hit my system, and bad: my stomach bloated almost immediately, the itching increased and spread to other body parts. It's 90 minutes later and I am still scratching--a lot.
Takeaway? (1) My food intolerances might trigger one another. I clearly need to stay away from them all; and (2) I need to be more conscious of my food choices, even when I think I am (and especially so when eating out).
I remember feeling my throat phlegming up, and asking the server if (wheat) flour was in the sauce (you know, the peanut-tomato sauce the menu stated was an element of the African Nut Bowl? Hello!). Oh no, she said. "It's gluten-free."
Now, I haven't had any alcohol since 1984. If I see alcohol as part of a food item, even as flavoring, I automatically reject it. Why I didn't do this with this, I don't know.
Well, it gets worse (or more interesting, depending on your view). A craving for bakery goods/cookies swept over me half an hour later. I stopped at a grocery store on my way home.
I didn't even look for gluten-free baked goods. It was all about the wheat (not consumed for 4 months) and sugar. I was propulsed through the aisles like a heat-seeking missile to my ultimate target: a blueberry muffin and a glazed cake donut.
I did eat a very healthy dinner a couple of hours later. Then I addressed the baked goods: which one should I eat first? Should I eat them both? Now?
The wheat/sugar hit my system, and bad: my stomach bloated almost immediately, the itching increased and spread to other body parts. It's 90 minutes later and I am still scratching--a lot.
Takeaway? (1) My food intolerances might trigger one another. I clearly need to stay away from them all; and (2) I need to be more conscious of my food choices, even when I think I am (and especially so when eating out).
