Anyway, today I finally put two and two together, and worked out that it's wheat. And I had this realization while naughtily snacking on a Chinese fried dough snack.
| (Source) It's like these, only flaky. I didn't even think to take a photo and now it's been devoured |
How shall I describe the experience?
First, I was happily enjoying some munch-time, and then about half an hour or so later, I felt really, really, really sick. Think of indigestion, bloating, and nausea all rolled into one. And then it hit me, this happens every time I have too much of anything with flour, including cakes, pasta, and bread.
As a child, I remembered absolutely detesting having bread for breakfast. Bread was really difficult to stomach, but growing up in an Asian household, you learnt to eat whatever was put in front of you... or else!
So, I grew up with a tolerance for being intolerant. Honestly! I thought it was perfectly normal to feel sick after meals all the time, which was why it also took me ages to work out that I had a lactose intolerance.
There are many ways (most that have yet to be 100% foolproof) on how to test for food intolerance. The easiest way is to keep a food diary. This way, you can work out what foods trigger your intolerance, and hopefully see a pattern from that point onwards. You can also do Food Intolerance Tests, but these have yet to be proven to work.
I did work out that I can have wheat in small amounts, just like I can have cow's milk in small amounts too. My symptoms only trigger when I've gone past my threshold.
While I'm feeling a little peeved about this, hopefully this will help me curb my snacking. Ideally, I'd love to be able to munch on carrot sticks like some people do, but I love that feeling of fullness that gluten gives me (or in my case.... overly full when I've had too much!). Here's to a new gluten-less diet.
My mum recently found out she has fructose malabsorption and the difference it made to her health is phenomenal. You won't even miss the gluten after a while, before you know it you will have discovered a whole bunch of gluten free options and not only will you feel full but you will get to enjoy it without feeling ill :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Hailey and glad your mum's feeling much healthier now! I'm going to research flourless recipes more, and gluten-free options.
DeleteStart reading labels it is amazing the food items that contain wheat, with a little planning following a gluten free diet is a breeze. Only problem is the cost. GF alternatives are always dearer. Aldi sometime stock them at a good price and Coles have just started a range with a lower price, on special this week!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up cheryl! I'll check out the Coles GF range!
DeleteOh my, you poor thing...that's pretty tough! At least you can still eat a bit, though! That has gotta be better than not being able to eat anything!
ReplyDeleteI know, I'm still very glad for that. Need to exercise moderation now though :S
DeleteI am originally from Singapore (and I love yo cha kway too!) so can imagine your pain! I too am getting more lactose intolerant as I get older - I suspect because we never had that much milk in our Asian diet originally.. now can only have small quantities of milk occasionally otherwise it's very uncomfortable. Good luck!!
ReplyDeleteThanks mummytutto. I had quite a bit of milk growing up, my parents always made us have our daily glass. Lactose intolerance only happened when I was older too. Apparently after the age of 20 your body stops producing the enzymes for it, so it's quite normal.
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