Are You Eating Reactive Foods? 14 Ways to Tell.

I’m going to tell you two stories about car trouble, which will segue into one of my favorite deserts, which will hopefully give you some giggles (because laughter is incredible medicine) and also seamlessly transition us into today’s topic. Sound good?

This past weekend I went to my local health food store to buy some items for a Mexican themed supper I wanted to prepare. I also needed laundry soup. This is an irrelevant detail but makes for a funny story (more on this later).

When I left the store, and got back into my car, it wouldn’t start. Hmmm. Click. Click. Click. Click. The clicks seemed to get more disgruntled and angry the more I tried to turn that key. After several tries I realized I would have to try something else (because if you keep doing what you’re doing you’ll keep getting what you’re getting). I decided to call for help.

I called my husband. No answer.

I called my husband’s mother. No answer.

I called my husband again. No answer.

I called my husband’s mom’s cell phone. No answer.

I kept trying. In this instance I had no choice but to keep doing what I was doing. After a few minutes of calling the same numbers over and over again, my mother in law called back. I explained to her what was happening, and asked if she could come pick me up and drive me home. She sent along her partner, Dave. When he arrived and tried my car, he said definitively, “It’s the battery. But I don’t have cables.”

Minutes before, while waiting for him, I ran into a friend. “What’s up?” he asked.

“My car won’t start so I’m just waiting for my ride.”

Minutes before this I realized I had forgotten the laundry soap so popped back in the store quickly to grab it. (More on this later).

About a year before this the mechanic said during a routine check-up that I should replace my battery. At the time I ignored him. Oops.**

“Hmmm… maybe someone in this parking lot has cables,” I thought out loud.

“I do!” It was at woman in the stall beside me. “I was eaves dropping and heard your car wouldn’t start. I have cables but I don’t know how to use them.”

Well, with Dave’s knowledge, and her cables, bingo, bango, bongo! In a few seconds my car, Wanda Blue Fish was running again. I thanked both my rescuers and explained to Dave that I had to get home so I could get my groceries put away. Specifically my favorite desert. Coconut icecream. It had to go in the freezer. I didn’t want it to melt all over the place. That stuff ain’t cheap.

A couple years before all of this I lost a container of coconut icecream to car trouble. I locked the keys in the car while I was filling up the gas tank. Oops. The road side assistance guy made fun of me as he was ballooning my window down. “What’s that goop all over your seat?”

Sigh. It’s my melted favorite desert.

Not tolerating much dairy, I’m so grateful to the folks who figured out how to make icecream with coconut milk. It’s not something I have very often. But every once in a while I enjoy the treat with no ill effect.

Thankfully this past weekend I didn’t have to sacrifice it to the car trouble demons. I made it home in time. The icecream made it safely in the freezer.

(To finish the laundry soap story, I realized when I came home, that in my rush to grab the forgotten soap, I had accidentally bought fabric softener instead. Oops. My husband laughed when I told him this because it’s not the first time I’ve made that mistake. Oops.)***

Interestingly, not all coconut icecream is the same for me. There is one brand that makes me feel incredibly ill. Nauseous. Griping gut pain. Yek.

And that brings us to today’s topic (seamless, right?):

Are You Eating Reactive Foods? 14 Ways to Tell.

1. You feel nauseous. You have griping, gripping gut pain.
2. You get heart burn.
3. You’re bloated. So bloated that you feel “9 months pregnant.” (This is likely related to bad microorganisms in your gut that are fermenting your food, and causing gas.)
4. Your energy drops. You want to nap. You do nap.
5. You feel stupid. Not guilty stupid. But Duh…stupid. Like you try to think but all you see is fog.
6. You get diarrhea.
7. You fart. This is not funny, or normal. (See #3).
8. Your mood changes. You get cranky. You turn into a You-Zilla. This is the neurochemistry of your gut changing.
9. Your pain increases. This is inflammation.
10. Your sinuses are suddenly more clogged than a Dutch dance festival. Hello histamine.
11. Your weight goes up the next day. This is the basis of the revolutionary Food as Medicine program called the Plan by a genius nutritionist named Lyn-Genet Recitas, and for which I’m proudly a nutrition coach.
12. Your basal body temperature goes down the next day. (More mind-blowing insights from The Plan.) Your thyroid function has been affected!
13. You don’t sleep properly.
14. Your skin rash flares up like it’s stuck on the side of the road – battery? Locked keys? Who knows!

And good gravy (is there such a thing?) there are a ton more. The key is to listen to your body. What’s healthy for your BFF might not be healthy for you. You have to figure out what works for you. But all these things (and more) are signs that your body doesn’t want you to eat that food. You need a different battery.

To your healthy, thriving, delightful life,

**In the future if an expert – say a mechanic, or hehem, your naturopathic doctor – makes a suggestion – might be a good idea to take their word for it. Jussay’n.

***And the universe will keep giving us lessons until we learn them. Also jussay’n.