Food obsession

Question
Hi

I have a bad food obsession. Once I start eating a specific food every day, I find I have to have it, or I feel ill in my stomach.

For a long time it was a McDonalds hamburger, fries and coke meal. I HAD to have one every day.

For obvious health reasons, I started trying different foods OTHER than burger, fries, coke, and for about 4 months now I eat a small Wendy's caesar side-salad (99 cents) every day. I like it because of the price, of course, and it makes me feel full most of the day (not like the Happy meal), but it has also helped me eat mostly fruits, vegetables and almonds each day. A definite plus, I just do not understand why I get so obsessed with eating a specific food each day. I swear, it could be a ice cream dish of LARD. After a few weeks of daily scoops, I find I have to eat it! No matter what.

By they way, what does our bodies do with fats when we eat them? My present intake of food is almost NO fat, NO bread carbs, no milk products, other than the small amount of cheese sprinkled on the salad. My meat intake is the chopped ham pieces on the salad and a can of white chicken breast in water.

I feel great. Do daily aerobics, stretching and weights every other day. Sorry to make this personal, but there is no delicate way to put it; since changing my diet I do not go to the bathroom every day (No. 2). Before it was RUN to the bathroom and bad discharge of solids. Now it is every 2-3 days, no pain, no problems. NO hard solids.

OK, I am strange. But I seem to be better.  

Answer
Hi Michelle,

It sounds to me like you might have one or more food allergies or intolerances. It's not uncommon for people to crave the foods they are allergic to (particularly with milk allergies this seems to be common). Since you also mention you were having problems with your bowels, that also suggests to me the possibility of food allergies. lactose intolerance, irritable bowel syndrome or some type of malabsorption.

I am concerned that your diet right now is very limited in variety of foods and it is not properly balanced to give you all the nutrients you need. I would recommend consulting with your doctor regarding a referral to an allergist for determining if you have any food allergies. Further investigations may need to be done to rule out any of the other conditions I mentioned above. It's very important for you to try and determine what's causing your cravings and bowel problems so you don't limit your diet unnecessarily. You do need to include healthy fats, whole grains and calcium rich foods in your diet for proper nutrition. Hopefully working with your doctor you can determine specifically which foods are problematic and begin adding other foods back into your diet. In the meantime, I would recommend taking a multivitamin/mineral supplement (such as Centrum Forte or other broad-spectrum vitamin/mineral supplement) to help fill in some of the nutrients you are currently missing in your diet.

Hope that helps!

Karen
www.getfitwithkaren.com

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