I’ve discovered that for my particular eating issues, eliminating the yeast in bread appears to be the most important part. Soy sauce has also been a culprit, but not hard cheese or grapes. I have been eating cheeses in my backpacking food without issue, and I ate some grapes when I took my niece camping. Neither of those affected me like eating some meatloaf with breadcrumbs did.
I avoided eating the dinner roll that came with that meal, but the main course was meatloaf. And I knew that meatloaf would have breadcrumbs and that those breadcrumbs would be leavened with yeast. I ate it as a test, and the answer came back: nope. My body doesn’t want to deal with yeast.
The real question is why this was never brought up as a possibility. An uncommon food sensitivity, for sure, but when I continually expressed that I was not doing well, why would my doctors not suggest something less common? I’ve been considering what to tell my GP when I go in for an annual exam in the fall. Part of me wants to say nothing to her, just go and do the minimum, no complaints. I’ve been managing my symptoms without the use of laxatives for months – now that I have stopped eating yeast!
It just feels so absurd that with all the foods they told me to avoid, they never brought this one up.
But I’m figuring it out, and I’m doing better. I’m eating more foods than I was before, and I don’t actually miss bread as much as I thought I would. I’m eating fruits and vegetables again, which makes me feel better overall. I really like fruits and, sure, even some veggies. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to eat beans again – that experiment will definitely be coming soon!