NaBloPoMo: My personal brand ~ A Woman on a Food Quest

As part of the National Blog Post Month & the Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge today's prompt is ‘My Personal Brand.’

With all my special order needs my quest for edible food is a challenge. Therefore, I am a woman on a food quest.

In my innocence as a child, I think I knew better what foods I could and should not eat than when I grew older and bought into the idea that I should eat many foods because they are healthy. 

~ Tidbit: My mom loves to eat raw onions. When she was pregnant with me she would get sick every time she ate an onion. Then after I was born she was able to resume eating onions without getting sick. I do believe her sickness was actually caused by me already having issues with onions before I was born. ~

I wanted to be healthy so I expanded my food choices.  About the time I began my eating healthy craze I suffered a non-food related injury (an traumatic injury to my gut).  During the arduously slow recovery process I continued to eat the 'healthy for me foods' and I blamed my not feeling well on the injury.

After the injury healed, I joined Weight Watchers with a group of friends. It was a positive experience. I lost 30lbs while learning to read food labels more effectively and also keeping track of what I was eating.  I was eating healthier than I ever had before but I was feeling worse and worse.

Since the time of the gut injury all the way through my Weight Watcher experience I had had many trips to my doctor and had repeatedly been diagnosed as having a yeast infection. The medication I received at the end of each doctor visit only made me feel worse. I was frustrated that the doctor could not tell me why I kept getting the yeast infections – which often appeared just a rash on my shin.

I finally took the first step towards getting better by going to a Kinesiologist/ Certified Nutritionist that my friend recommended. That was the best thing I could have done. He was able to tell me what I was suffering from - Candida - and explained what that entails. He also informed me of something I had suspected. I have food allergies, intolerance, and sensitivity to more than just onions.

For me the inciting incident for the over-active yeast in my gut (Candida) was the injury I suffered. I have no idea how long I’ve had all the food issues that I have but I’m very happy that I know what they are and can move forward.

~Tidbit: After discovering I have a corn allergy and cutting all aspects of corn out of my diet, the black toenail that I have had for as long as I can remember, has turned and remains a normal color. ~

I have not been cured yet. I don’t know if I will ever be but knowing what’s happening with my body is sure better than not knowing. I at least have some control and ways of dealing with how I’m feeling. The next step for me is to discover foods that I can eat that won’t make me sick and develop my new “healthy” way of eating. This is my quest.

#NaBloPoMo #NHBPM #HAWMC