Tummy rejuvenation

I am pondering the possibility of conducting an experiment with myself as the test subject.  This may essentially destroy any objectivity of the findings, but as the sole person who could potentially benefit from the results, I must say that I do not care.

To be delicate and ladylike, I am going to inform you that I sometimes (quite often) suffer from minor (major) indigestion.  I always love how they call it that in Pepto Bismol commercials when really it is just a cure for the runs.  Oops!  Did I break the etiquette barrier?  Sorry.  I guess it's too late to keep the feminine mystique going.

Back to the point, I have dealt with sporadic bouts of indigestion since I was in my mid-teens.  I am told this is not uncommon, especially in women.  And wouldn't you know, I am a woman.  So the odds were against me from the start, it seems. 

Up to now, my general stance towards this problem has been to be watchful and aware of my reactions.  I have been able to nail down a few different foods and beverages that seem to lead to more rapid and painful reactions, but it is never 100% correct.  Most medical advice has gone along the lines of using an elimination diet to see if that helps and then slowly add back in different offenders to see who are the most likely culprits.

But I have a strong suspicion that I already know the chief offenders:  dairy and eggs.  This explains why mayonnaise has been on the "no-fly" list for a while, but why am I able to sometimes eat ice cream? 

Whenever I think about this situation, my thoughts always return to a good friend of mine who actually is allergic to eggs and nuts.  At present, she is nursing a baby who has problems with dairy, so for the moment, she is off that too.  When you first hear this, you might think it doesn't sound that tricky.  But keep in mind that when I say egg allergy, that means anything made with egg as an ingredient and not just straight up eggs.

Still doubtful?  Take a look at the ingredient lists on some of your common foods.  You will be amazed how many things have egg, milk, nuts or some variation of these things in them.  I mean, just consider breakfast for a moment.  What do you normally have in the morning?  Cereal?  What kind of milk are you using with that?  Cow milk?  Can't have it.  Almond milk?  Forget about it.  Better stick with soy and hope that it doesn't fall on your allergy list as well.

Obviously, eggs in all forms are out of the question.  As is yogurt, butter, peanut butter and many types of granola that contain nuts.  In the end, you are left with meat (bacon and sausage), fruit (but in moderation) and oatmeal.  Not bad, but it sure takes the fun and variety out of the morning.  Personally, I am a toast person, and since I do not think peanuts are a problem for me, I am OK, but if not, then what?

This dietary lifestyle almost lends itself to quasi-veganism.  The kind that lets you eat meat but not other animal byproducts.  Which isn't bad, right?  But it is a lot of work and requires thoughtful choices.  So in the interest of improving my digestive health, I have consulted with my friend and will hopefully be getting some helpful tips and resources to make a good attempt at bringing more normalcy to my daily routine. 

Maybe this was more than you wanted to know.  But I think it should be interesting and for once I can write about something other than my job and the dogs.