Meant to be

Do you ever feel like something is meant to be?  I have been thinking lately that I may have food allergies.  I have been dealing with depression and a general run-down feeling and some other symptoms that may very well indicate a food allergy of some sort.  Probably something I eat every day, based on recurrence of symptoms.  I don't know for sure, so I did a little internet research.  According to my research, the only real way to tell if you have a food allergy is to try an elimination diet.  Essentially eliminate all the foods that could be causing trouble and see if the symptoms go away.  

No, that's not all of it.  Then you add foods back one at a time.  When you do, watch and see if the symptoms come back.  Some sources say two days should tell, some say a week.  However long, you watch and see, then either add the food back into your diet or accept that it makes you sick and do without it.  Then if you are having a reaction, go back to base and let the reactions go away, then try something else.  That's pretty much it. 

I was working on a plan so I could eat this healthy, no-allergy way, and maybe find out if I was actually allergic to anything or if I was just imagining it and just needed to try to sleep more.And I have long wanted to cut down the amount of sugar in my diet.  I have reasons behind that desire.  Mostly having to do with how I believe our taste buds are overwhelmed by sugar and we cannot taste the other substances as well because of that.  Too much sugar, too much salt, and I thought, as long as I'm cutting back to what is going to be a pretty boring bland diet for a while, I might as well make it MORE bland and boring and cut out ALL the added sugar to try to reset my taste buds.  Why not?  It's only for a few weeks, and with the elimination diet I can't eat any pre-packaged foods anyway, so I might as well include that in my healthy no-allergy plan.

Well, just as I started working on this plan, I got really sick.  Laid up in bed, can't go to work, end up on antibiotics sick.  I spent all weekend sick in bed and when I went to work Monday they sent me home.  By then I was bored with my own company, so I turned on the TV.  And Dr Oz was on.  They gave teasers about the next day's show.  I ended up recording Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, because the promo said something good was coming up, but the menu info didn't specify which show.  On one of those recorded shows was a segment on elimination diets and testing for food sensitivities (commonly but mistakenly called food allergies). The next one was on how too much artificial sweetener messes up our taste buds.  They were suggesting a soda-free challenge to change our taste bud sensitivity.  I'm going sugar free.  

Unfortunately, I'm still sick.  Not a good idea to start something like this when suffering from bronchitis.  For one thing, how will I know if the symptoms go away when I'm not well?  But, I'm almost better.  Today is day three of my antibiotics, and although the doctor said I'd be well enough to go to work today, I'm still feeling too puny to be up much.  I'm sure I'll be fine after the weekend.  

Anyway, as soon as I'm well, I'm getting blood tests done to see where I am when I start, with blood sugar and all that.  Then I'm going on the elimination diet and find out if I have food sensitivities.  And when I'm done, hopefully I'll be able to come up with a healthy diet I can live with.

PLEASE don't let me be allergic to yeast or wheat!  PLEASE!  Although, the very fact that I really love bread probably means I'm allergic to at least one. <deep sigh of impending doom>