fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #3533 ]

[ SECRET POST #3533 ]

⌈ Secret Post #3533 ⌋

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Do you have any dietary restrictions? Whether religious/spiritual, health, political, etc reasons, why do you do that and how do you feel it impacts your life?

I'm a vegetarian who occasionally eats fish. Yes, I know, the hardcore vegetarians/vegans will tell me this "doesn't make me a real vegetarian", but fish isn't part of my everyday diet and my vegetarianism isn't a badge of honor or some kind of religion, it's just how I eat and it still describes my diet.

I became vegetarian initially for a few reasons. One, because I don't like the meat industry and animal cruelty (not opposed to eating animals per se, but I'm very against factory farming), two, for environmental reasons and to reduce my carbon footprint, and for... pseudo-spiritual/health reasons. I'd been struggling a lot with depression and eating disorders, and I felt like opting to do this was giving me personal control over my life again, and I really think it helped. Of course, that was ten years ago now, and being vegetarian isn't even something I think about anymore, it's so automatic, and I don't crave meat, and I cook a lot for myself/am pretty savvy about what restaurants I can eat at. (the "occasionally eating fish" thing increases my options in a bind) So yeah, it's really not a big deal at this point.

I'm a vegetarian. My parents raised me completely vegetarian (no fish, no poultry) but not vegan. I was vegan as a baby, but my parents found it difficult to convince me to eat a vegan diet when I started going to school and to other kid's birthday parties. It's super hard to tell a kid that they can't eat a piece of ice cream cake like the other kids, apparently. I remember very little of this.

I'm not sure how I feel about it. Sometimes I feel like my parents disadvantaged me. My system is now almost completely incapable of processing meat. I cannot eat a lot of cultural foods and going out to restaurants with my friends is sometimes an ordeal. I cannot cook meat and feel a little sick when I look at it and smell it. But on the other hand, I understand quite a bit of the logic and I see it as an extension of my love for animals. It's a big part of my life, for better or for worse.

I've got ulcerative colitis, so I avoid some things because they don't agree with my intenstines that well. I can eat everything, but some things only a little, like apples, potatoes and mayonnaise.

I have gastritis, so spicy foods do not agree with me. I shouldn't even eat bell peppers, but they are so good I do anyway.

I'm somewhat lactose intolerant, but not so much that I have to cut it out altogether. I just restrict it and use the lactaid pills and lactose free milk for baking things.

Due to having a kidney infection in college the day after a quiche party, my mild dislike of the taste of eggs has turned into an actual aversion. I don't mind them in baking things and such, but the taste or even smell of them makes me sick.

No alcohol because of my epilepsy. Though apparently it's so under control I'm allowed to indulge now and again, but then I wonder why anyone would want to risk a seizure for a freaking drink. Of course I didn't drink alcohol or wasn't even planning on it before I got epilepsy either, so it's not a hardship. It's mostly during parties and other social events that it can get annoying. Especially since people can get really weird if you tell them you don't drink. I know quite a few people who smoke cigarettes and have never even been offered a smoke. They often ask if I smoke but then when I say no they nod and say it's a filthy, expensive, etc habit and how they wish they could stop. I have been offered drugs, but when you say no to those, people shrug as if to say 'more for the rest of us'. But OMG if you say no to alcohol. I once explained to some guys that I might have a seizure if things went really bad, and their reaction was still 'come on, try it, just a taste'. Yet for some reason people also don't fully believe you if you say always being the only sober person at any kind of social event sucks.

I'm pretty happy that's it though. I had my gall bladder removed because of gallstones a few years ago and there were a few weeks/months between finding the stones and the surgery where I did have a bunch of restrictions. It was hell. They told me I'd have to find out for myself what I'd be able to eat after my gall bladder was taken out. Apparently I can still have most things. Too much grease and I have some stomach (and poop) issues but that might just be getting older. The only exception seems to be French toast. Granted, when I do have that I eat a ridiculous amount, so could be nothing there as well.

Vegetarian or as close as the food culture here will allow, and it doesn't impact my life any.

I used to not think about it, but now I see cute animals when I see meat as food.

I just found out I'm prediabetic and I need to cut my sugar and carb intake. I had also been eating a lot of fast food within the last month and a half, which may have contributed to it. Today is the first day I'm doing this, I'm struggling to not eat more things and I'm close to my caloric limit for the day because I ate a huge ass burrito I brought from work yesterday and it didn't even fill me up. I am also struggling to not think about food.

Sorry for the unsolicited advice, but I'd add exercise, exercise, exercise. 30 minutes on my bike can bring my blood sugar down as much as 30 points. I hope you find a nice balance that works for you and can stave off the actual diabetes. There's still time to turn the train around.

I just didn't have plans to do anything today and I'm not used to having to limit myself, so that's why I was trying to limit my calories. But it seems I am gonna have to take your advice and exercise today because I had dinner and probably didn't help the calorie count, but I also play Pokemon Go, so at least I'll get some distance on my eggs.

Were I you, I might worry less about calories and more about carbohydrates (unless your doc said otherwise of course). And, I mean, you SHOULD eat dinner every day. A big part of managing blood sugar typically comes from feeding our bodies regularly.

She said I should also work on my weight because I also have PCOS and while I'd like to get away with just 30 minutes of exercise, I know I have to up that amount. Yeah, my main problem is sugar, I don't eat as much as I'd like because it hurts my teeth, but I still eat plenty of it, I have been trying to avoid carbs for the most part though, except for the month and a half I've been lazy and mainly had fast food for dinner.

I don't want to be that person who thinks they know everything and shoves it down everyone's throats, so I'll just say I strongly suggest trying to find a dietician (your doc might be able to refer someone) who can help you navigate these new waters. Because you're saying some things that are concerning to me and make me feel like you may have some preconceived, inaccurate notions.

I was doubting myself when I wrote my initial post but I managed to pull myself out of it. I know for the most part what to eat and it's not the end of the world if I have trouble starting out since I have a lot of bad habits I need to stop and sometimes things just get to me. Thanks for the help and concern though.

Another unsolicited advice response, sorry. You might want to consider healthier, higher quality calories instead of cutting calories, at least at the beginning. Restricting yourself too much, too fast will set you up for binging and failure. (Your other comment that you have to exercise because you "had dinner" is what concerned me. You should always have dinner. There are debates about how many meals a day you should have, but 3 is usually the minimum.)

Fast food is full of sugars and unhealthy trans fats, which don't produce satiety. A fast food diet will also have you bouncing all over the place with your blood sugar, which also will make you hungrier faster. If you eat healthier, more filling food - baked potatoes instead of fries or eggs instead of sugary cereal, etc - you'll lower your calorie intake without even trying. There are studies that say the sound of crunching helps you feel full too - my go-to snack when I *want* food instead of being actually hungry is baby carrots, because they're filling and the sound makes me conscious of eating while assessing if I'm actually hungry.

My husband went through this at the start of the year. It was so scary for him to get that diagnosis, but he was finally ready to make a change. And while he jokes that I am a cruel taskmaster when it comes to his diet, he honestly has gotten used to it and clearly enjoys being in his own skin more and more as his health improves. He never complains about being hungry. When he is hungry, he makes good choices.

If you want, I can give you some recipes and/or meal plans. I would love to help! No pressure, of course. :) It's a hard path, but if you make small changes, they can have a big impact. It's all about setting yourself up for success. I know you can do it!

I was just upset about that burrito. I did have eggs this morning and those actually did fill me up, otherwise I would have just had some sugary cereal for breakfast.

The bad part is, I work at a fast food place, we do have some healthy things, which I have been mostly eating for the past few months. It's a Mexican-American place (Del Taco for those in the region) and I've avoided rice and mostly tortillas as well.

I would love that, thank you! I never know where to start besides eating smaller portions and soon I end up back in my old habits and I really want to avoid actual diabetes, not a fan of needles.

Yup, I know Del Taco. One good thing is that they have their nutritional info available online. That work is tough, and starting a diet working there would be even tougher! Kudos for making some first steps!

I will message you. :) Prepare for an info dump - don't let it scare you! I'm definitely an advocate of making small but sustainable changes over time.

Double whammy, I have CVS with a lot of food triggers as well as regular ol' food sensitivities, and the SO has food allergies.

It sucks. I play "Do I have a problem with this food or is it just my anxiety/hormones/stress/mars in retrograde?" a lot. I can't have potatoes. Potatoes are delicious! Stupid potatoes. I'm still working my way through every potato substitute and missing hashbrowns something awful.

SO plays "Why won't the stupid label just SAY if it'll kill me or not?!" a lot.

Diabetic, so I'm much more aware of carbs and sugars. Like, I used to love Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies, but then I read the label and saw that one was the higher limit of my recommended carbs for an entire meal.

So, verifiable things like that I pretty much just don't eat anymore. It's not worth my eyes, limbs or needing insulin for. And I'm no-rice burrito bowl and whole grain pizza anon from other threads, so I sometimes transition to more diabetic-friendly versions of things. Aside from that, the biggest thing is that I just pay more attention to what I'm eating, which is good advice for anyone.

Can't have anything from the peach/plum/etc. family because of an allergy.

Allergic to soy.

Can't have blue cheese because it has penicillin in it and ALLERGIES thanks to that.

And thanks to having the gallbladder out, can't have fried foods. (But try telling my family to give a shit about not frying things.)

I don't eat meat or gluten. I have celiac disease and I cut out meat because it's expensive and I randomly started getting grossed out my the idea of it. I still wear clothing made of leather and wool, so it's not like it's an animal rights thing.

I was raised vegetarian but have not stayed so into adulthood. I was also brought up with religious "clean meat" standards, which honestly I don't always abide by all the time, and no alcohol, which isn't a problem at all because alcoholic drinks are, for the most part, an acquired taste and I don't care to acquire it (I did once taste test butterscotch rum, which tasted good).

On the health side, Mum has a gluten intolerance so while I haven't cut gluten totally out of my own diet, it's easier to eat non-gluten stuff simply for the fact of not buying two lots of a food item. Plus corn thins are nice.

I've been vegetarian for over 20 years now--I like animals, dislike factory farming and most meat, and worry about overfishing and the health of the oceans generally. I miss bacon and smoked salmon and crab, but there's pretty decent vegetarian bacon these days, especially if I ignore the virtuous instructions to dry fry it and just fry it in oil or clarified butter.

I don't much care what other people eat as long as they're not assholes about it.

I eat paleo/Whole30 rules as much as possible. (Whole30 is no added sugar/sweeteners, no grain, no alcohol, no legumes [save young beans like green beans], and no dairy for 30 days. It's more to teach you about being conscious of your food choices than to maintain that every day.) I'm actually doing another strict Whole30 starting in a week. Because it's so strict, I do more paleo on a day-to-day basis. Lately, I've really fallen off the wagon and been eating more sugar and grains, which is why I'm resetting with a new Whole30 run.

I do it because it makes me feel great. I didn't believe it would when I first did it, but grains (in particular corn, which is in EVERYTHING) and dairy really make me bloated and slow me down. Added sugar is an infestation on American diets too - a lot of sweeteners used is corn syrup, which makes me feel ill even in that different form, and real sugar is more the cause of obesity and weight-related disease than fats. I have a whole rant about how the food industry and their lobbyists have engineered American diets to maximize profit over health, but I'll save that for another day.

It's difficult to maintain, which is why I'm not strict aside from the 30 day stints (which I do 2 or 3 times a year), and it does annoy my friends when we have to go to a restaurant where they'll cater to my requests. The biggest one I try to maintain when not being totally strict is the no added sugar rule, which is probably the hardest one to follow! But how I feel makes it worth it. I sleep well, wake up with energy, and feel good throughout the day. My endurance at the gym improves too. Best of all, my husband has decided to be healthier along with me and has lost a considerable amount of weight (he was diagnosed as pre-diabetic). He looks great and is improving every day, and I'm looking forward to lots of extra years with him. So it's impacted me in a very meaningful, real way and has spread to affect others too.

I have a hypothyroid disease so I can't eat soy. Which used to not be too difficult to navigate but around the time of the rise of low-carb and then gluten-free diets, soy flour and soy protein took the place of a lot of wheat and corn fillers in a lot of foods so now I have to read labels like a hawk. It isn't just a myth, either, it really does affect the absorption and efficacy of my medication. Made that mistake a few too many times. "Oh, it's just a little soybean oil, that can't hurt." Oh yes, yes it can.

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[ SECRET POST #3533 ]

Dietary restrictions

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