Have you noticed how different foods affect you?

In how they make you feel, or even look?

I am for some reason very aware about how I feel after I eat certain foods (whether their immediate effects or slightly longer term). Part of this I think is because my diet is very controlled (and I make everything from scratch) so I can notice differences in how I feel from sometimes changing a single ingredient or food item. Another part of this is because I am just hugely interested in food/diet anyway.

Just to give you some examples, eating strawberries makes my hair feel softer, if I eat homemade liver pate last thing, I have an absolutely amazing sleep, etc.

What about you? Have you noticed how different foods effect you?

3 Likes

Yes I haveā€¦but I donā€™t look like a jam doughnut,:rofl:

Seriously some foods make me feel very lethargicā€¦I avoid those, most of the time I eat salads, fish,fruit, chicken, I exercise a lot as well, used to be a gym bunnyā€¦I must renew my membershipā€¦i do drop into the gym some days, then just pay for the few hours Iā€™m there.

Iā€™m going to join our 24 hour gym here.

1 Like

Myself & Mr P benefit from avoiding Gluten (he is intolerant, and Iā€™m not but do feel better for not having it). I also graze through the day rather than having actual meals and feel much better for that too, if I stick to healthy things.
I notice a difference if I eat sugary stuff - Iā€™m sluggish and feel tired.
I miss eggs because I love them, but simply cannot tolerate them anymore.
We also donā€™t eat meat now eitherā€¦I never liked how that made me feel - overstuffed and sickly.

2 Likes

I have to be careful what foods I eat, I suffer from reflux, but I have pills now which help.
I canā€™t eat radishes, onion, cucumber, white bread, pastry, though I can eat that now, batter on fish etc, though again, on the pills I can now. I am still learning what I can & cannot eat, daft thing is some foods I could eat I now canā€™t & vice-versa, but that could be an age thing too. Meat is fine, as is most spreads & cheese, potatoes, peas & fruit. I am a weird person. :grinning:

2 Likes

Since starting to eat lots of almonds my hair has become very silky, it could be coincidence of course.

2 Likes

I do notice if it disagrees with me ā€¦ fresh cream is a definite no no for me.

Iā€™ve never paid much attention to see if my diet affects other aspects of my physical well being.
Itā€™s an interesting thought though as essentially, ā€˜you are what you eatā€™.

2 Likes

I also make everything scratch - that way I know what is in it and what effect it is likely to have. Love bread but, if I eat too much, I feel bloated - even if I make gluten free. Sugary stuff gives me indigestion - so I make my own chutneys, pickles, and preserves - the commercial ones are loaded with sugar. Am a compulsive label reader!! I ā€˜listenā€™ to my body - if it craves melon - then I will eat melon. Donā€™t eat much meat these days - mostly live on fish and chicken - but am choosy about where I buy it. Am very lucky to have a local butcher who dry cures his own bacon - so no nitrate slime in the pan. All his meat and poultry comes from local farms and is top quality. In the town centre we have a market that is open most days and has two fruit/veg stalls selling only local, seasonal produce - and there is both a cheesemonger and a fishmonger there as well. I would never, ever, buy meat, fish, or cheese from a supermarket.

A lot of my meals involve garlic and onions - both of which are antibacterial and antiviral. Havenā€™t had a cold for about 40 years and never had influenza at all.

I also use lots of lemons and limes - which keeps my hair in good condition, and my skin free from blemishes.

Maintenance of ones health is ones own responsibility - know your body - familiarise yourself with itā€™s likes and dislikes - and feel on top of the world!

2 Likes

Definitely. Iā€™m celiac so gluten is definitely off limits. Diary doesnā€™t agree with me and now Iā€™m just getting tested for diabetes. Unfortunately I donā€™t do conventional artificial sugars. They make me super irritable so Iā€™m using truvia which is sativa based.

Nitrates, MSG and other preservatives dehydrate me very quickly. I donā€™t normally add salt to my food so find these very salty.

I also cook everything from scratch so I know exactly whatā€™s in my food and because itā€™s so rewarding. Home grown fruits, vegetables snd fresh herbs are amazing also.

Our goods today are loaded with sugars and syrups that really arenā€™t good for us. Modified sugars? I meanā€¦ what are they? Saying something is modified leaves the door wide open to mean anything. Corn syrup is bad enough! Now we have modified corn syrup. I could go on but wonā€™t.

I do, however enjoy eating fresh homemade foods.

At the moment Iā€™m waiting for my health card so I can get tested for diabetes and then Iā€™m see a naturopath doctor to make sure Iā€™m doing ok

3 Likes

So, stodgy foods makes me feel sluggish but spring/summer light meals, mostly salads makes me feel energetic

4 Likes

@minx I love salads!

1 Like

I canā€™t eat gluten so if I am ā€œglutenedā€ it ruins my week. Even a tiny weeny bit of gluten will make me sick. It feels a bit like inflating a hovercraft inside my stomach. So most foods make me worry that I might be letting a hand grenade off. Kind of makes your relationship with food quite complex.

4 Likes

I canā€™t eat high cocoa content chocolate or drink quinine containing drinks like tonic water as these can and do trigger migraines in me.

1 Like

There are a few foods that I try to stay away from later in the day. A cold glass of milk before bed is always welcome.

For the most part, moderation is the key. I can mostly eat whatever I am in the mood for, thank goodness.

A glazed doughnut once every couple of months is a treat for me. :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

2 Likes

I love tonic water - but it has to be Schweppes!

1 Like

I kept a food diary for over a year to log how different foods affected me. I started out with a baseline food then started slowly adding things, logging how I felt as I went along.

Thatā€™s how I became a dietary vegan. I realized that I was lactose intolerant. I found out that chicken and turkey make my throat hurt. Beef made me feel sick. I was so used to those feelings that I hadnā€™t considered that food might have been causing them, especially foods that were so common in my diet. I just thought I had a nervous stomach and got colds a lot.

I also found that MSG and chocolate gave me migraines. Linking those was obvious when I was looking for it and looking back, but seemed so random at the time.

For a couple years, I ate the same thing every single day. I tried to make the diet as healthy and varied as I could within the day, and I took a multivitamin. For those years, I wanted to not have to think much about food, adding to the pressure of choosing, sort of like how Steve Jobs wore black every day. It worked for me at the time.

I read labels for everything I buy, looking at the sodium, sugar and protein especially. Too much sugar makes my energy spike and crash. Salt can be bloating. Protein is necessary as a dietary vegan.

To answer the OP, yes food affects me a lot.

2 Likes

Iā€™m wondering whether you might have liver/gallstones Melā€¦ have you considered doing a liver flush?

I was very sceptical about it, but thought I would try it anyway because I have heard so many people say they noticed a big difference after doing one. So I did one, and I noticed a difference too. Not only that tho, I kept getting urges to do more - as if my body knew they were doing me good, and I ended up doing about 10 over the course of 2 years. I havenā€™t done one in a while but it might be something you want to look into?

1 Like

Never heard of one of those!

1 Like

I agree with you Tabby but if I drink it then I might as well lock myself away for a day or 2 until the migraine has gone and thatā€™s even with taking my magic migraine medication.

1 Like

That is sad, PV, as tonic water is such a refreshing drink. Mind you - I probably drink too much of it!