Are you tired of feeling tired?
Tired of being the first one to fall asleep during family movie night? Having to decline social events because it seems like it will take too much energy? Or maybe it feels like you are a few steps behind everyone, trying to catch up, mentally and physically.
That used to be how I felt for decades. Any physical activity seemed just a little bit harder, shopping seemed exhausting, exercising was pure torture. I used to look at joggers at parks in awe. Wondering, do their legs not feel like lead being dragged with each step? At amusement parks, I was always willing to sit and watch the bags/strollers, etc as an excuse to get a break. I remember always needing to rest, even from an early age. Sit somewhere. Sleep a little longer. Walk a few steps behind at a slower pace. I had never known any other way and I did feel envious of others and puzzled by what was wrong with me.
That all changed one day. Not to say I still don’t have days like that. But a few days here and there, maybe a week at the most in a month is nothing compared to every day. My saving grace was finding that I was sensitive to sulfites. As soon as I started to limit sulfites in my diet, I realized I wasn’t lazy. I wouldn’t always be the slowest person on a trail. Going to the mall or working out can and is enjoyable.
I Want Others To Feel Better
If you’ve found my site, chances are either you or a loved one has symptoms that are hard to explain. I want to help people with food sensitivities/intolerances feel better. Even if it’s not sulfites, I explain which other foods it might be and what you can do about it.
Food sensitivity/intolerance vs Allergy
Firstly, it is important to learn the differences between a food allergy, intolerance or sensitivity. Each may have different health implications and treated differently. A food allergy is a potentially severe immune response that causes a histamine reaction which can be associated with anaphylaxis. A food sensitivity can also be immune-related which can cause a slow reaction which may be hard to isolate due to the delay in response. Though poorly understood, food sensitivity is thought to be related to elevated IgG antibodies that react with the food or substance. Food intolerances occur when the body lacks an enzyme to break the substance down such as those that lack the lactase enzyme. Without this enzyme, the body has a difficult time tolerating dairy, causing gastrointestinal symptoms.
Habitual Eating May Mask The Effects Of Trigger Foods
We tend to eat the same 15-20 meals over and over. If you feel bad most of the time, then you may miss the fact that your usual breakfast or favorite snack is causing problems. With a food sensitivity, even a healthy or clean meal can contain pitfalls. For instance, if I were to eat eggs, toast, and fruit every morning, I may not realize that the bread I am eating has sulfites in it. Eggs with white shells are often treated with sulfites. Maybe if I ate walnuts, grapes, and cheese for a snack a few times a week, it may not occur to me that the walnuts contain sulfites as do the grapes.
To examine potential triggers for fatigue and other symptoms, I always recommend keeping a food diary or symptom log or try an elimination diet. With a log, you may notice that you feel better on the days you have homemade oatmeal in the morning instead of eggs and toast. Or perhaps, you will see that you don’t feel as sluggish in the afternoon if you have peanut butter and apples in the afternoon rather than walnuts and grapes.
Beyond Sulfites
While I spend the majority of my blogging about sulfites, many other food sensitivities are just as if not more prevalent. The most common food sensitivities or intolerances are Lactose and Gluten.
Other intolerances and examples of foods/beverages include:
Caffeine – coffee, tea, chocolate, energy drinks
Salicylates – aspirin, some fresh vegetables such as broccoli and canned vegetables such as mushrooms
Nitrites – cured meats, bacon, sausage
Histamines – pickled, cured or fermented foods, alcohol, tomatoes
Tyramines – aged cheese, cured meats, overripe fruits
FODMAPs – wheat, garlic, onion, fruit, legumes
Fructose – table sugar, honey, fruit juices
How To Stop Feeling Tired Of Being Tired
The purpose of Sulfitefreelife.com is to help people, who like me, know something is not right, but have had a difficult time finding out exactly what. For years, before my Idiopathic Angioedema Diagnosis and my discovery of Sulfite Sensitivity, any time I went to see a doctor, I complained of feeling tired. I always thought, if I ask enough people, maybe someone will give me an explanation. Someone must have seen this before. There have to be other people out there who have whatever it is that I have. At times I felt desperate, other times I felt hopeless.
Finally, my body just completely went haywire and my brother made a very astute comment. Those events were my starting point. From there I had to do the work. I kept symptom logs (and sometimes still do when I start to feel bad). As often as I was able, I researched and picked the brain of anyone I thought might know something. I monitored my symptoms. Most importantly, I drastically cleaned up my diet.
If it feels like you have been searching for years or just started searching, I recommend trying a food diary or elimination diet. Keeping a food log and even more so, the elimination diet may seem overwhelming or cumbersome but it will be worth it. If you want drastic results, you have to do something drastic. Improving how you have felt for years or perhaps your whole life, is no small task, but I am here to tell you, it is possible.
Traveling My Journey With An Open Mind
It has been an ongoing journey of discovery for me. This journey has been partially through my research, but I also do see and am treated by doctors for my conditions. I try to be careful to not justify any new symptoms with my chronic conditions.
If new symptoms present without the introduction of new foods, I try to keep an open mind about what it may be. For instance, a couple of years ago, I started to have worsening heartburn and severe abdominal pain. For the first few weeks, I thought I was having a flare-up of angioedema and thought, sulfites must have crept in my diet somehow. However, I ended up having a stomach ulcer.
When I had Postpartum Thyroiditis, I initially blamed the lack of sleep, new baby, return to work and everything else but at some point could not ignore the worsening symptoms and blood work revealed thyroiditis. Both conditions, the ulcer, and thyroiditis could have been very dangerous if I had ignored them and tried to self treat – self heal through diet alone.
Words To The Wise – Don’t Self Treat
For anyone reading this blog, looking to find answers to explain why they feel tired, I would urge you to make sure you have discussed your fatigue and symptoms with your doctor. Many conditions can contribute to fatigue which needs evaluation and treatment. These can include, but not limited to, thyroid problems, sleep apnea, anemia, prediabetes/diabetes, autoimmune conditions, and the list can go on. You might have even been to an allergist and testing for food allergies is negative. You can develop an allergy at any age, and allergies can worsen and become more severe over time. It is worth seeking medical attention for symptoms.
If however, you have explored those options and nothing has turned up, it might be time to start looking at food sensitivities and start your journey to stop being tired of feeling tired.
Did you find this article helpful? I would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment or email me at [email protected]
