Sudden Adversion To A Food I Can Eat?

[RuskitD]

Due to beef, pork, corn, soy, dairy and gluten (all grain) out of my diet, I already seem to have a limited amount of things to choose from. I am somewhat fearful to try new things. I just want to keep healing, not slow it with a reaction to something. (not that it hasn't happened!)

I thought maybe fish would be good. I love fish! I can't have tuna, I reacted to it, assuming it was the 'water' (broth) they add to it.

So I sat down two months ago to eat tilapia. I used to eat it once or twice a week before the 'gluten crash' and changing my diet. I was only able to eat a few bites and I suddenly felt I couldn't eat it or I would be sick.

So I threw it away.

I kept thinking that my mental reaction to that was SILLY. I LOVE FISH! So I tried again, determined that I would get past my mind, playing tricks on me before. I didn't get through three bites before I knew I had better stop, or I would throw up my entire supper and not eat.

Any one else have this happen? A sudden aversion to a food you used to love? That for all you know, is ok for you to eat?

Have I developed a sudden neurosis? My logical mind says I love fish. (or it used to, now it says stay away from it) But when put in my mouth, I want to be sick. I suppose it could be my body warning me it doesn't want fish.

I have NEVER in my life had a reaction to a food like that before. I am a person who would try anything edible. I might not like it, but I would go ahead and swallow it. It wouldn't gag me.

Someone please tell me this happened to you, so I don't feel so odd!

[FruitEnthusiast]

Boy do I hear you on this one. I too have so few things my body will tolerate. I try not to think about what will happen if there is nothing left for me to eat. Yes, you can develop a problem to a food all of a sudden when you used to tolerate it fine. It's happened to me several times. Most recently nightshade plants gave me a bad reaction out of the blue. I don't know why fish would bother you in particular, but I would listen to your body, if it doesn't like it that much. Mercury or something else toxic from the water is all I can think of that could give you a problem with fish.

[Pauliewog]

I have had the same thing happen especially with fish. I love grilled fish but right now I can't go near it. I have no desire to eat it. I am still ok with sushi! In my case, I think weather plays a part too. It is really hot and humid where I live right now. I have no interest in even warm food. I have been eating all my meals cold. I usually steam a bunch of vegetables then cool them and have big mixed veggie salads. I just had tuna for lunch. That doesn't seem to bother me. So no, you aren't odd.... unless I am too!

[RuskitD]

~whew~ Thank you so much! I feel so much better knowing I am not alone in this! As I said, I used to be game to try any food! I never turned down a chance. So for me to suddenly gag at eating something so common, that I always loved and enjoyed just seemed so bizarre!!!! Of course, this life of being suddenly intolerant to many foods is bizarre also!

Thanks!!

[Pauliewog]

Unfortunately, I have yet to have an aversion to chocolate!

[bartfull]

I love eggs. Always have. When I was a sick little kid, soft boiled eggs was the only thing they could get me to eat. If I were about to be executed, a bacon egg and cheese sandwich would be on the menu for my last meal.

But after going gluten-free I would get nauseous every time I would eat eggs. Someone here mentioned that eggs cooked in the shell might do that, whereas eggs exposed to air wouldn't. So now I eat my eggs fried or scrambled. I miss my soft boiled, but they still turn my stomach.

[T.H.]

This has happened to me too, yup.

I've been doing this not too long, really, about 3 years now. But so far, most of the time, I eventually find a reason for my aversion that makes total sense, once I figure it out. Now I've learned to trust that feeling, even if it makes no sense.

Sometimes it's the food itself, but most times, it's contamination of the food with something I can't have. I can't have gluten, plus a few allergens and sulfites.

I went through a period where anything salty made me gag. I had to force myself to eat it. Which seems stupid, you know? What sense would that make? Turns out that I react to low levels of sulfites that can be used to bleach salt. When I found a safe salt, all of a sudden my salty dishes didn't bother me anymore.

You react to corn, yes? I could think of one possible issue with the fish that could affect those with very sensitive corn reactions. I react to sulfites, and many corn derivatives are sulfited during processing, so I've had to keep track of both the corn and corn derivatives now, for both my reactions to corn AND to sulfites, ugh.

So what I've found is that fish sometimes get a citric acid wash as the anti-bacterial wash (beef too, sometimes, but that's rarer). There is also ice that can be used on the fishing boats, to store the fish in, that is a mix of water and citric acid. I don't know if the acid is added by the fisherman, or if they purchase it already combined - if it's the latter, the fisherman may not even know that it's there.

Again, it's a good anti-bacterial, so you can see why they'd use it. Oh, and if you have fish that comes in a styrofoam tray with one of those little pads underneath, the pads usually have citric acid in them, too. :-/

The citric acid penetrates a few layers into the flesh, so it can't be washed off.

If you react to citric acid, it might be worth checking out other brands, maybe, see if they sit better with you, yeah?

[RuskitD]

Everyone, thank you for the posts! I don't feel so weird now. Won't rush off to get my head examined just yet. LOL

PaulieWog, I have no aversion to it chocolate either, but my body does. I was making my own little cocoa/cane sugar thick chocolate syrup to eat with a spoon for a choco fix. But I got raging heartburn so bad.... I gave it up. Ohhhhhh how nice it would be to have chocolate on my tongue! Have a piece for me... please?

Other than the chocolate, I refuse to pity myself. I am luckier (so far) that I can still have things many here cannot. Eggs being one!

Shauna, thank you so much~! I had already decided what you suggested. It feels good to have validation! I figured if my body said NO, then NO is the answer! At this point, it knows more than I do. I listen closely, and give it what it asks for, and keep from it what it doesn't want.

This can be a wild ride sometimes, figuring what we have to live without, while trying to eat SOMETHING! Yes, I have reacted to fresh, already cut up watermelon from the store. It had no packet in it, and no ingredient on the label other than watermelon, but it did a number on me. I later realized, of COURSE they sprayed it with citric acid to keep it 'pretty'. So, though I don't 'know' I reacted to citric acid, my body knows I ate something very wrong.

I gave up regular table salt too. I guess the iodine is a corn derivative. Either way, it felt like it was killing me.

Thank you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!