things that make you go hrmm

[the_siobhan]

The week before I left for Haiti I was waking up in the middle of the night with pain so bad that had I not known what was going on, I would have been convinced I was having a heart attack.

It occurred to me a couple of days ago that along with the vast quantities of beans and rice, I ate an awful lot of bread when I was in Haiti - along with pancakes and white pasta.

I did not have one single stomach issue. Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

There's obviously something else going on here.

Comments

[nannyo.livejournal.com]

Totally randomly, I read a thing about HOW bread is made in the UK and the US now, when it is only allowed to rise for less than a minute. So they put in loads of boosters and stabilisers and things which make it rise really quickly. Apparently, allowing the yeast and wheat to work together and rise for longer than 10 hours dramatically ups how digestible it is. I wonder if the Haitian bread was made in a more old-fashioned, less mass produced way?

Mup sometimes reacts really badly to bread, but when we make at home now, he tends not to, which I either attribute to the mighty power of the placebo effect, or to the long rising times I use.

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

Entirely possible. I just had a couple of pieces of toast for breakfast - store bought bread - and my stomach is already rolling around.

We have a breadmaker so I just need to stock up now that I'm home and we'll see what happens.

[redheaded-pixie.livejournal.com]

I still think it might be worth looking into trying to track your cycle and see if it matches any of this cycle of food stuffs. Obviously, you're cycle will be tougher to track than say mine... but I still maintain that my dairy / ovo dietary issues are linked to my cycle. Given how much trouble you've had trying to figure out what's wrong, it can't hurt to try.

On the other hand, it's also worthwhile to try making some bread at home and see if you have any reactions to it. nannyo makes a good point.

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

I could probably do it with temperature. That's a good thought.

[hobbitbabe.livejournal.com]

Mine are definitely linked. (But as you say, it's easier to figure that out when one still has the obvious clue.)

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

Lis has IBS issues occasionally, triggered by oil. When she was in London, she ate greasy pub food for every meal, and had no problems whatsoever. My mother is (midly) allergic to alcohol, tomatoes, eggplant, and tons of other stuff. When we were in Italy, she drank wine, ate tomatoes, and ate everything she's not supposed to with no ill effects.

Maybe it's something about travel?

[tristam08.livejournal.com]

I was woken out of a dead-sleep with severe pain about 6 months ago.
I also thought I was having a heart attack till I realized that the pain was mainly when I inhaled. It turns out it was a muscle-spasm in my back ribs. Apparently they're commonly mistaken for heart attacks, prompting an ambulance call or an emergency room visit. I'm glad I thought it out before panicking (too much).

[lilactime.livejournal.com]

Oh, breadmakers make such yukky bread (imo, anyway). I've got a cool recipe for no-knead bread that uses only a tiny bit of yeast and is left to rise for 12 hours. It's crazy-easy, and it adapts well to non-wheat flours such as rye. Let me know if you want it.

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

I've had those. They can be really painful.

I frequently pop ribs out of place when I've had really bad bronchitis. Do that in enough spots and it can get quite painful.

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

More and more I'm thinking it's because our food is just so incredibly adulterated. From the genetic manipulation of original food, to the plastic packaging, we get a ton of crap in our diet that we just can't know all the effects of.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

That would explain Haiti -- where they can't AFFORD all the plastic and genetic alteration and stuff -- and Italy, where we were in Tuscany where doing that stuff to your food is considered a bigger sin than bestiality in front of the Pope (well, he LIVES in Italy, so they KNOW the guy, and, in the sixteenth century, there WERE a couple popes who might have been into that sort of thing) -- but does it explain London, where they have just as much pre-packaged crap as the United States and Canada? I mean, yes, the pre-packaged crap they have in London is better than the American stuff, but I don't think it's significantly different than the Canadian stuff.

'Course, it could have been the vastly increased consumption of alcamahols Lis drinks in London over when she's home -- maybe she WAS having problems and just not noticing. . .

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

BTW, I've been meaing to mention this to you for the longest time. I've started restricting my commercial bread consumption and just sticking to the stuff I make at home, which is all allowed to rise over night.

Zero problems. Either it is the rising time, or it's some additive they put in commercial breads and pastries. I've had no problems ever since.

[nannyo.livejournal.com]

I'm really pleased to hear this. I've been slacking a bit on the bread front, and am now going to make some at home. Yes! I am enjoying making it too, cos despite long rising times, it doesn't take too much actual processing time.