Demonisation of Food

[Kathryn]

OK so a few years ago, I removed every possible "problem" from my diet and introduced them back one at a time in order to see if I was sensitive to any of them. I was sensitive to gluten, not carbs in general, but GLUTEN made me retain fluid. Another person doing this with me was sensitive to eggs, though I was not. My point is that I believe we are all wired together differently and different people react to different things. Duh!

I want to explain something else. I am apparently sensitive to gluten but I am not allergic to it, if that makes sense. So I do eat it occasionally. Not often, but sometimes. I mean, I cannot eat any more than half a piece of dry toast without swelling up and retaining fluid, But I don't assume that everyone else is like this. It's me - I'm like this, and thankfully I am not sensitive to eggs or dairy!

 

[☆Dreamwind☆]

Brussel sprouts and lima beans are pure evil. You can't convince me otherwise.

 

[anna.]

OK so a few years ago, I removed every possible "problem" from my diet and introduced them back one at a time in order to see if I was sensitive to any of them. I was sensitive to gluten, not carbs in general, but GLUTEN made me retain fluid. Another person doing this with me was sensitive to eggs, though I was not. My point is that I believe we are all wired together differently and different people react to different things. Duh!

I want to explain something else. I am apparently sensitive to gluten but I am not allergic to it, if that makes sense. So I do eat it occasionally. Not often, but sometimes. I mean, I cannot eat any more than half a piece of dry toast without swelling up and retaining fluid, But I don't assume that everyone else is like this. It's me - I'm like this, and thankfully I am not sensitive to eggs or dairy!

I've heard that differences in the way we grow and process our wheat can mean that gluten sensitivity (celiac disease should be looked at differently) is less of a problem in other areas of the world where they grow and process differently. For example, the U.S. mainly grows hard wheat, which has a higher gluten content. Europe primarily grows soft wheat, which has a lower gluten content. The U.S. allows (and uses) more preservatives and pesticides than Europe does, which could also make a difference. In my experience, I was able to eat all the bread and pasta I wanted while in Italy without any problem, something I'd be a lot more careful about at home. Although - I walked between 4-8 miles every day of the trip so that no doubt also had an effect. At home I walk an average of 2-3 miles a day.

I'd much rather eat bread than sweets, and I fondly remember those glorious days of Italian bread dipped in good olive oil... what heaven!

 

[Kathryn]

I've heard that differences in the way we grow and process our wheat can mean that gluten sensitivity (celiac disease should be looked at differently) is less of a problem in other areas of the world where they grow and process differently. For example, the U.S. mainly grows hard wheat, which has a higher gluten content. Europe primarily grows soft wheat, which has a lower gluten content. The U.S. allows (and uses) more preservatives and pesticides than Europe does, which could also make a difference. In my experience, I was able to eat all the bread and pasta I wanted while in Italy without any problem, something I'd be a lot more careful about at home. Although - I walked between 4-8 miles every day of the trip so that no doubt also had an effect. At home I walk an average of 2-3 miles a day.

I'd much rather eat bread than sweets, and I fondly remember those glorious days of Italian bread dipped in good olive oil... what heaven!

Yum! I don't recall having any issues with German bread (or brot) which is fabulous, or their pasta, now that I think of it. But like you, I walked a lot while I was there.

 

[anna.]

Yum! I don't recall having any issues with German bread (or brot) which is fabulous, or their pasta, now that I think of it. But like you, I walked a lot while I was there.

I've had a chance to travel a bit only in recent years, and across the board, the food I ate in Europe tasted better, and fresher, than almost anything at home. I bought strawberries in a tiny market on a side street in Rome that were hands down the best strawberries I've had in my life, and I live where there are plenty of strawberry farms but they're big commercial enterprises that ship the fruit only partially ripe. Much more of what you eat in Europe is locally sourced, seasonally ripe, and is less processed and that's the difference, food-wise (imo), paired with the fact that everyone walks or bikes so much more than most people do in the States. Even when they travel here, people I've encountered in our state and national parks in the Western U.S. are here to hike, which is fascinating to me. They have the Alps and the Andes, but they're here in our Sierra Nevada and Grand Canyon and Yellowstone.

City planners are looking at 15-minute cities here now, and for good reason - it's what works so well in cities in Europe, but even that's become a political football.