Fad diets, obsessive eating behaviors and patterns, eating a certain way for our appearance—we’ve all heard of these problems or experienced them for ourselves. Food has always been a passion and love of mine. Food can be interpreted in so many different ways—it is not only fuel for the body, but it's also culturally celebrated, eaten for enjoyment, and regarded as a symbol of benevolence. Yet, food can be looked upon in a negative light: being the cause of weight gain, social exclusion, and deteriorating gut health.
I have been there and I have definitely done that. From being health conscious at a young age for high cholesterol to being criticized by family members for the “Freshmen 15 weight gain” after my first year of college, my journey with food is one that is never ending and constantly evolving. Long-term strict calorie restriction, deprivation of specific types of food groups, and abnormal eating patterns for a certain physical appearance have not only established a negative relationship between myself and food but also heavily impacted my gut health.
The Abnormal Stomachaches
From high school to freshman year of college, I rarely packed lunches to school and often times would only bring snacks like fresh fruit, almonds, and dried mangoes for a “light lunch.” As I navigated through my first year of college, I found that my new energy expenditure from all the walking and studying led to a significant increase in appetite. Although my body was craving food and energy, I never took the time to listen, barred by a restrictive eating mindset. As a result of ignoring my hunger cues and not feeding my body the nutrients it was craving, I found myself experiencing abdominal discomfort and bloating between lunch and dinner time every day.
Any Physical Discomfort Is Not Normal
As someone who always had digestive issues, I thought my personal experiences were normal and a part of every day life. As the bloating and abdominal pain increased, I realized my symptoms had worsened: foods that had never caused any issues for me in the past now caused discomfort. After a summer of constant visits to the doctor's office to determine the exact cause of my symptoms, I was recommended to follow a low FODMAP diet—a restrictive diet that eliminates potential carbohydrates that trigger digestive discomfort in individuals who are sensitive to certain types of food groups.
Eating for Physical Wellbeing
Too often, we are told to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables because they are beneficial for our health. Yet, certain fruits and vegetables were often the cause of my abdominal discomfort, making me feel physically unwell. Following the low FODMAP diet shifted my mindset from eating things for enjoyment to eating things for the purpose of feeling healthy. Ice-cream, pizza, burgers, and doughnuts were no longer looked upon as "cheat meals," but they were classified as high FODMAP foods that were considered to be limited. No longer did I have the mindset of restricting according to diet culture's rules, but I was restricting for my overall health and well-being.
What You Put Into Your Body Matters
A doughnut is often regarded by society as an "unhealthy treat" that should only be eaten on "cheat days." Yet, a donut could also benefit your mental health and overall physical wellbeing on those days when you want to treat yourself. While following a low FODMAP elimination diet, I no longer had the chance to have that donut for a treat meal or mental break—simply because doing so would cause me to suffer the consequences of severe abdominal pain and bloating. The fine lines segregating "healthy" and "unhealthy" foods were no longer distinct, and they were blurred and replaced by "low FODMAP friendly foods my stomach could tolerate" and "high FODMAP foods my stomach could not handle." Foods were chosen according to how they would make me physically feel, and this significantly helped me view all types of food in a more positive light. The calories in food should not be the concern, but choosing the right types of food for the purpose of feeling well and healthy should be the mindset.
While I am still adapting and learning about which foods my body can and cannot tolerate, my gut health has taught me to never take the foods I love for granted. Next time you are considering following a fad diet for the purpose of achieving a certain physical appearance, I hope you do so in a way that will not deprive yourself of the foods that bring you joy but allows you to establish an overall positive relationship with food.