A Change of Diet

Were there ever certain fruits and vegetables you never ate as a child? Or food for instance that either didn’t taste good (Brussels sprouts), didn’t smell good (asparagus), had a bizarre texture (shrimp or mushrooms), had annoying little seeds (watermelon and strawberries), or even worse caused an allergy attack?

As a young girl, I was the epitome of a picky eater—which drove my mother crazy. I wouldn’t eat mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, peas (all peas), lima beans, olives, certain meat and seafood, etc. Really, the list went on and on. Ever heard of those poor parents with kids who ONLY ate chicken fingers and French fries at restaurants??? Woohoooooo. [Hand waving frantically.] Ici, ici, ici! Yep, that was me. Sadly, my mother often obliged to my delicate taste buds by cooking two meals. In truth, she did this more than I care to remember or share. At the same time, she was fortunate to only agonize over the dinner menu being that breakfast was kind of basic and lunch fell into the hands of cafeteria employees at school.

I honestly can’t put a date to when my body said, “Okay, let’s start trying new things.” But I’d pinpoint it to the start of university life and even more so, my time abroad. Some people believe taste buds have a cycle similar to that of hair—it changes every seven years. Any validity in that or is it just something a journalist wrote in The Onion?

Whether it’s true or not I’m quite thankful to have changed since adolescence. Naturally, a lack of restriction led me to a diverse diet. I’ve had the privilege to enjoy countless cuisines around the world, to experiment (dog, cow tongue, shellfish, etc), and to ameliorate my own culinary skills.

Sure enough, similar to most items found in a grocery store, this freedom to eat n’importe quoi had an expiration date. It certainly makes sense. Based off the seven-year hair cycle, if my diet changed at the start of college—August 2004—and today is February 19, 2012…what’s that mathematicians?? Around seven years!!!!! And you guessed it, my diet changed. Only this time it wasn’t by choice, nor was it something I wanted.

What’s changed? I am egg and dairy intolerant. Fantastic.

Lactose intolerance is certainly not uncommon in the world. The intolerance can begin at different times in life. In people of European ancestry, it usually starts to affect children older than five years. Ethnicity is also a factor. Ninety-five percent of Asians are lactose intolerant and approximately 60-80 percent of African Americans are as well. Well at least I have company!

No doubt, these days it’s hard to find someone who doesn’t have a food allergy or intolerance. Why? Ever read a list of likely food allergies and intolerances?!?!?! The lists are insane and seemingly endless.

To list a few:

• Milk
• Eggs
• Fish
• Crustacean shellfish
• Tree nuts
• Peanuts
• Wheat
• Soybeans

What does this diet mean for me in Togo?

Aside from the obvious—avoid eating fried eggs—I shouldn’t consume butter, cheese, yogurt, fanmilk (West African ice cream), mayonnaise (the staple ingredient for salad dressing in Togo), margarine, milk powder, milo (milk chocolate drink) and coffee beverages (with milk).

Much to my surprise, I’m not completely vexed by this no egg, no dairy diet. Things often change and it’s part of our job as human beings to change accordingly. I however often run into the “minor” setback of FAILING TO REMEMBER I’m intolerant before it’s too late—thus causing bloating, abdominal cramps, etc.

I have no doubt I’ll be habituated to this new diet with time. And until I’ve committed this allergy to memory (or until I’ve stapled a Post-It to my forehead for my friends and family), I’ll just have to rely on Lactaid pills from the medical unit.

Bon appétit! J