Is it Possible to Love Something to Death?

I used to love bread. Absolutely love it. And I wasn't discriminating towards any kind of bread either - challah, raisin bread, whole wheat, white, French, soda, garlic, you name it - I loved it. There were few foods in my life that could compare with my love of bread - there was just something so simple and yet good about it. It was fluffy, warm, and smelled wonderful. With butter, jam, honey, or by itself, it was amazing. I could go through a whole loaf if no one stopped me. And when college rolled around, I proceeded to do just that.

And then came the terrible day when eating bread made me sick. It gave me tummy-aches and made me fart. How could such a wonderful thing do such horrible things to my body? I felt so betrayed.

I had a conversation with my flatmate today about how food intolerances develop. He said that he had a friend who ate 4 eggs every day developed an egg allergy. He himself once ate oranges for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, because they were so cheap, that he developed rashes all the way up his arms until he stopped eating them. Could it be possible that there is such a thing as too much of a good thing?

Yes, indeed, it is possible. While food allergies generally develop from a young age because it has to do with the immune system, food intolerances have to do with the gastrointestinal system and therefore can develop when your body gets an overdose of something. The differences in symptoms are very slight and so to make sure, you should go to a doctor and get checked out. I did a test for gluten allergy last year (since my brother is allergic to gluten) and tested negative. The only way you can test for a food intolerance is through an elimination diet. So if you try to eliminate something from your diet and you feel a lot better but don't test positive for an allergy, then chances are, you developed a food intolerance.

It's funny how when you love something so much, it actually turns against you. I thought I was expressing my love for bread to its fullest when I ate so much of it, but ironically, now I can't eat any of it at all. The upside is that now I actually get to say that I have overdosed on bread.

It's been a hard lesson to learn for me. For someone who loves to overdose on everything (except drugs of course!) sometimes it's hard for me to take things in moderation. I like to think of myself as someone who just likes to live big, but of course, getting tummyaches and feeling nauseous and irritable etc. prevents me from living big the way I want to. Because after all, how can I go backpacking when I feel dizzy with weakness every time I go for a run? How can I run a summer camp for underpriveleged kids if I have to run to the bathroom all the time?

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Thought for food: What's your favorite food ever? Celebrate it by taking eating just a little bit of today and saving more for later.

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Image: chopstock