My Favorite Safe Food Is Making Me Gag
For many years, I have had a couple of safe foods I resort to when symptoms are overwhelming. One of my favorites is a lifeline at times because it is a good source of protein. It has been essential for energy during the worst of times. Now it is making me gag.
I have spent more than a decade defaulting to plain tuna when IBS kicks into overdrive. It has been the food I eat before I begin fasting for many years. It has always been safe, and it has always been the best way to keep up my strength during fasting. The last few times I have had to leave home, I gulped it down as quickly as possible. I tried to chew as little as I could without choking. The taste was making me sick.
Struggling to survive on bland safe foods
I have very few safe foods. None of the others are good sources of protein, and tuna was the one I enjoyed most. I spent many years eating it straight out of the package with no additives. As long as it was packed in water instead of oil, it never gave me problems. Not once did it ever trigger an IBS flare. Now it triggers my gag reflex.
I have struggled to find more safe foods over the years, but I have failed to add anything to the list. My safe foods are tuna, crackers, plain oatmeal, and gelatin. All the others are so bland. Tuna at least had a bit of flavor to it, and it was the only meat I could tolerate.
Losing a taste for doctor-approved foods
Gelatin started making me gag about a year ago. I was not surprised. Over the past few decades, it has been the only food allowed before medical testing. They will also give you chicken broth, but I do not consider that food. It is a liquid, and a liquid is not food. I soured on chicken broth many years ago. It was only a matter of time before gelatin followed.
Now that I can no longer stand the taste of plain tuna, I have lost the only meat and major source of protein on my list. It was the only bit of flavor I had left. Crackers and plain oatmeal taste like cardboard and glue. They taste more like a craft project than a meal. The nutritional value hardly makes it worthwhile. The only thing it is good for is calming my incessant hunger and quieting a growling tummy.
How will I get enough protein?
Tuna had many benefits. That bit of protein was a real pick-me-up at times. It added a bit of flavor to my bland menu. I could open a pack and eat it without cooking anything. I could take unopened packs wherever I went without worrying about it spoiling. It was perfect for trips and unexpected emergencies that required me to be away from home overnight.
Tuna really is the ideal food for me when fasting is not possible or when I need to prepare to fast. Unfortunately, I can no longer stomach it. Losing such an important part of my safe menu is going to be a headache. Losing a source of protein is sure to leave me feeling drained.
Dreading fasting and flares
I dread the next time I must fast because I do not know how I will manage. What will I do when flares are really bad and I need to stick to safe foods? I may have to starve my way through it with very little energy. The thought of relying on a cardboard and glue meal of crackers and plain oatmeal does not sound appealing.
What did you do when a safe food suddenly turned on you? Were you able to find a replacement?
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