S/O Sharing dessert - Food Dictators

[mmswm]

At some point in the past I read an article with the premise that sometimes people with food aversions have an allergy to the food that they dislike. Do you ever have problems/symptoms after eating foods with a high egg content, like custard, Coley?

[edited because I can't spell]

These stories are not supposed to be scientific fact but my family has been told to treat food aversion as food allergy until it can be checked out because of family history.

The docs wouldn't test me for allergies until I was in HS. Mom and Dad were told not to push any food that I seemed to have an aversion to especially if I described it as physically uncomfortable (like calling something itchy).

When I finally got tested - I went into anaphylactic shock from the skin test. Then a couple more times from the actual tests. When we finally got through the test (was suppose to take 2 days took 4 or 5 days), almost every food I HATED was on that list. A couple of hated foods that weren't on the list either a) had a similar flavor to something on the list b) was often mixed something I did test positive to C) had a similar texture to something on the list.

Sis HATES eggs. She hates them with a purple passion. Cannot keep anything that is mainly eggs down. She gags and gets sick. She also swears that the flu shot gave her a horrible case of the flu. I suggested that she might be allergic to eggs - and that the horrible case of the flu could have been a reaction. She is going to ask her doc about next time she goes in for a check up.

I know this is going to sound weird, but thank you for sharing that experience.  I have a severe food allergy and when I was tested I went into anaphylaxis from the skin test.  I've stopped sharing that bit of information, even with some doctors, because I've been told "that can't happen" and "I must be making it up".  Even with my medical records in front of him, I had one doctor claim that my allergist must not be able to recognize the symptoms of anaphylaxis because it's impossible to cause with "just a skin test."  I've never heard of it happening to anybody else, and that's kind of a lonely feeling, so while I'm not glad you have allergies, I am glad that I'm not alone.

[KenveeB]

I don't know if this is food dictatorship, exactly, but I used to know a girl who, when we went out to eat, would often  pressure me to order fatty, unhealthy stuff. If I felt like it that day I would do so and she'd be happy and order something similar. If I wasn't hungry or just felt like a salad or something then she would also order a salad but be very resentful about it. She'd complain about how she came out to enjoy herself and take a break from her diet, etc.

I could never get her to explain to my exactly why we had to eat at the same level of "healthiness". I mean, when she was on one of her diet of the week crazes it never bothered me to eat a burger while she had her handful of celery and orange juice (because yes, I was allowed to eat unhealthy while she ate healthy, but the reverse was never allowed to happen.) We drifted apart years ago, but sometimes I think about her and wonder if she still does that.

It's very awkward to eat out with a certain friend of mine. She has an eating disorder and underwent treatment for it. One thing her therapist told her was to never eat "diet" food and always eat whatever she feels like eating. Which is fine, and I want to be supportive of her. But whenever we eat, she always picks places that pretty much don't have healthy options, insists we (not her, we) order dessert, etc. It's very hard to stay on my own eating plan, flexible as it is, around her, and I don't want to sabotage all my hard work! (I've lost 50+ pounds and am working on around 30 more.) I try to just avoid situations where we would be expected to eat around her.

[PeterM]

I love diet, caffeine-free soda. Just figured I'd be the sole opposing voice on the matter. 

There's a book I really like, Wildside by Steven Gould, where to avoid spoilers I'll just say that a group of teens are cut off from the amenities of modern civilization for various periods of time. The main character loves caffeine-free diet cola. He craves it like nothing else. Which annoys him, because as he puts it the stuff is pretty much useless. "I mean, it doesn't even keep you awake!"

I avoided caffeine entirely for 25 years or so, as when I was in my late teens I discovered that it made me quite ill -  as in nausea and vomiting and similar unpleasantness. Just a couple of years ago however, my husband brought home some diet cream soda from the store and I got into the habit of taking a can with me to work every day. After a couple of weeks, I finally noticed, in small print on the can, the words "contains caffeine." I cautiously experimented with other caffeinated drinks and sure enough, I'd outgrown my caffeine problems! Exactly when it happened I have no idea, as I'd been very religious about avoiding the stuff.

So I've experienced both pro- and anti-caffeine dictators. 

I drank caffeine all through my childhood and into my teens. My mother avoided it, but not strenuously. When I got to college I started having some nasty symptoms that frankly scared the snot out of me, and I couldn't figure out what was going on because my diet hadn't appreciably changed. My mother suggested I cut out caffeine, and that worked. It had happened to her the same basic way, but not until she was in her mid-20s, which combined with the fact that I'd never had any trouble with it before explained why she hadn't warned me about it.

So I switched to caffeine-free Coke, went through a week or two of withdrawal that really, really sucked, and got on with my life. About ten years later I started drinking the occasional regular Coke, with no ill effects, so now I'm back to the good stuff and going strong. The only side effect is to my waistline.

I've never encountered any caffeine dictators, pro or con. When I was drinking water or Sprite when out on the town I'd explain that I had troubles with caffeine and that was met with an "oh, sure" type of nod and occasional commiseration. No one's ever given me guff for not drinking coffee or generally not drinking alcohol, either. Considering some of the stories I've seen here over the years, I'm a lucky man.

[Kaymyth]

ahh diet pop.

I HATE diet drinks. I am sensitive to sweeteners. They make me wheezy and sick. I think I am actuality allergic to them. More to the point I can taste them. blercgh 

My sisters is adamant I can't taste them. She out right calls me a lier and hounds me about drinking diet. The number of people (usually bar people or people over hearing me ask a bar person to change a drink becouse they gave me diet when I didn't ask for it) who become dictator like over my drinks is amazing. total strangers will "ask" in total disbelieving way "why I am not drinking diet?"

I am so with you on this. Artificial sweeteners -- yes, even splenda -- don't make me sick, but the aftertaste is just disgusting to me. I love regular soda, but I'd rather drink nothing than diet soda. If I had a nickel for every time I ordered I coke and was asked, "diet coke?"...

Count me as another one.  I have yet to meet an artificial sweetener that didn't just taste nasty.  Science may say that they're umpty-times sweeter than regular sugar, but apparently my taste buds don't believe in science.

[Slartibartfast]

DH tried to get me to give up caffeine once.  I admit, I wasn't polite. I laughed.  Sorry, I just like my coffee and Diet coke too much.  And I can detect a difference in the caffeine-free versions.  Years ago DH tried to slip me some caffeine free coffee but one sip and I knew it was not my beloved high-octane.

If it was when you were pregnant, then we married the same guy.  Now, granted, I can't taste the difference between regular and decaf but we got to where we were citing different studies at each other to defend our positions.  (FWIW, all the existing research plus doctors' recommendations allow that up to 1 cup of coffee daily is probably totally safe and at the time I had about a 1/3 of that per day.)  To stop the badgering keep the peace, eventually I just started having my tea at work.

Well during my first pregnancy I voluntarily gave it up but with my second I was taking classes at night so caffeine was necessary.   It was maybe one bottle a day but still.  When Pirateboy2 turned out to have ADHD dh said "Maybe it was all the caffeine you drank when you were pregnant with him!"  I told him no, dear, it's a neurological issue and hereditary.  It is not caused by too much caffeine.

I remember once I went out to eat at a food court with a friend in high school and ordered a sandwich and a diet coke.  She said "You do realize that you can't cancel out the calories in that sandwich by drinking a Diet Coke?" 

I was very good about all the "don't eat this!!!" stuff when I was pregnant with Babybartfast, but this issue is the main reason I was even moderately good about it the second time around    I had to balance the "But I like blue cheese, darnit!" against the idea that if Bittybartfast had ended up having some sort of health issue, I'd always have to deal with people accusing me of having eaten blue cheese while pregnant (or drunk caffeine, or eaten tuna, or whatever).

For those of you interested in the caffeine thing, there's a great comparison chart online at http://www.flickr.com/photos/rtkrum/4266263806/sizes/l/.  So much of caffeine's effect is psychosomatic - coffee has five times the caffeine that a can of Coke does (for the same volume), and Coke has two or three times the caffeine in some other sodas such as root beer.  Which means if someone accidentally drinks a caffeinated root beer and claims it's going to keep them up all night, I tend not to believe them 

[ettiquit]

I think it's pretty normal to prefer that our dining companions eat bad when we eat bad.  I never vocalize it though, when a friend orders a salad and I get a burger.  My roommate called me a "loser" the other day because I declined her offer of a Little Debbie snack.  It didn't bother me since I get it.  I wish we didn't care so much though!


Reading this thread, I remembered two recent examples of those who are really outspoken and will tell anyone who will listen how bad something is.

I was telling my mom and brother that my son (9) made me lunch.  I told them that he went a little overboard with the mustard on my sandwich, but other than that everything was really good.  My brother says "At least it wasn't mayonnaise!", which resulted in my mom and bro discussing the evils of mayonnaise.  I didn't bother tell them that the sandwich also had mayo on it.  They're both insane about food, so it's best not to engage.

Another one about my brother.  My DH makes a really good chili, and we often have it at family gatherings.  A lot of times I'll make cornbread to go with it, and my brother always partakes in both enthusiastically.  That is, until the time I was running late and still making the bread when he arrived and he saw that an entire stick of butter is used in this recipe.  He declared that he would never eat my cornbread again.  Sigh.  Butter is the ultimate evil in his world.

[PastryGoddess]

I think it's pretty normal to prefer that our dining companions eat bad when we eat bad.  I never vocalize it though, when a friend orders a salad and I get a burger.  My roommate called me a "loser" the other day because I declined her offer of a Little Debbie snack.  It didn't bother me since I get it.  I wish we didn't care so much though!


Reading this thread, I remembered two recent examples of those who are really outspoken and will tell anyone who will listen how bad something is.

I was telling my mom and brother that my son (9) made me lunch.  I told them that he went a little overboard with the mustard on my sandwich, but other than that everything was really good.  My brother says "At least it wasn't mayonnaise!", which resulted in my mom and bro discussing the evils of mayonnaise.  I didn't bother tell them that the sandwich also had mayo on it.  They're both insane about food, so it's best not to engage.

Another one about my brother.  My DH makes a really good chili, and we often have it at family gatherings.  A lot of times I'll make cornbread to go with it, and my brother always partakes in both enthusiastically.  That is, until the time I was running late and still making the bread when he arrived and he saw that an entire stick of butter is used in this recipe.  He declared that he would never eat my cornbread again.  Sigh.  Butter is the ultimate evil in his world.

More cornbread for you!

[Twik]

For those of you interested in the caffeine thing, there's a great comparison chart online at http://www.flickr.com/photos/rtkrum/4266263806/sizes/l/.  So much of caffeine's effect is psychosomatic - coffee has five times the caffeine that a can of Coke does (for the same volume), and Coke has two or three times the caffeine in some other sodas such as root beer.  Which means if someone accidentally drinks a caffeinated root beer and claims it's going to keep them up all night, I tend not to believe them 

My mother was astonished when she discovered her mother-in-law's idea of something to prepare you for bedtime - a nice, steaming cup of hot coffee. She and her children swore it was the most soporific thing ever.

[Venus193]

Coffee doesn't keep me awake at all and I once had a boss with the same reaction.  Both of our mothers drank coffee during their pregnancies at a time when nobody was saying this was a bad thing.  They consumed the same quantity as before and after.  I joke about posting before coffee sometimes, but for me the value of coffee in the morning is the aroma.

Having said that, it annoys me when anyone tries to talk me out of drinking coffee or tea after 2PM.  Not going to happen.

[Piratelvr1121]

I know that for anyone with ADHD, stimulants such as caffeine can have a calming effect.  A doctor explained it to me, as she acknowledged it seemed counterintuitive to give people with hyperactivity stimulants, but it has been shown to work.

My middle son is far more focused when he's had caffeine than when he's not, and as he doesn't like the effects that ADHD meds have on him, we let him have caffeine instead.

[siamesecat2965]

DH tried to get me to give up caffeine once.  I admit, I wasn't polite. I laughed.  Sorry, I just like my coffee and Diet coke too much.  And I can detect a difference in the caffeine-free versions.  Years ago DH tried to slip me some caffeine free coffee but one sip and I knew it was not my beloved high-octane.

Heh. My cousin tried to tell me how much better SHE felt once she gave up caffeine, and how I would too. Sorry, no. the day I give up my coffee is the day they pry it from my cold, dead, hand. I'm not much of a soda drinker, but I enjoy my coffee. A lot.

[siamesecat2965]

Coffee doesn't keep me awake at all and I once had a boss with the same reaction.  Both of our mothers drank coffee during their pregnancies at a time when nobody was saying this was a bad thing.  They consumed the same quantity as before and after.  I joke about posting before coffee sometimes, but for me the value of coffee in the morning is the aroma.

Having said that, it annoys me when anyone tries to talk me out of drinking coffee or tea after 2PM.  Not going to happen.

My parents and now my mom, can drink coffee day and night and it never keeps them up. i think its because they are so used to it.

[Twik]

I think it's partly genetic.

I've very occasionally been kept awake by drinking coffee late at night. But I've never really felt a significant boost from a single cup of coffee or a cola. I suspect I don't have a lot of caffeine receptor genes or something.

[kherbert05]

I know this is going to sound weird, but thank you for sharing that experience.  I have a severe food allergy and when I was tested I went into anaphylaxis from the skin test.  I've stopped sharing that bit of information, even with some doctors, because I've been told "that can't happen" and "I must be making it up".  Even with my medical records in front of him, I had one doctor claim that my allergist must not be able to recognize the symptoms of anaphylaxis because it's impossible to cause with "just a skin test."  I've never heard of it happening to anybody else, and that's kind of a lonely feeling, so while I'm not glad you have allergies, I am glad that I'm not alone.

I can and have gone into anaphylaxis by touch repeatedly. Since 2001 I've landed in the ER 7 times all for skin contact with peanut products. If a Doctor tells me it isn't possible (that has happened), I walk out. When it comes to health care I don't suffer fools at all. Telling me a reaction that I've had since the day I was born isn't possible means I don't trust you to be well informed.

[weeblewobble]

DH tried to get me to give up caffeine once.  I admit, I wasn't polite. I laughed.  Sorry, I just like my coffee and Diet coke too much.  And I can detect a difference in the caffeine-free versions.  Years ago DH tried to slip me some caffeine free coffee but one sip and I knew it was not my beloved high-octane.

If it was when you were pregnant, then we married the same guy.  Now, granted, I can't taste the difference between regular and decaf but we got to where we were citing different studies at each other to defend our positions.  (FWIW, all the existing research plus doctors' recommendations allow that up to 1 cup of coffee daily is probably totally safe and at the time I had about a 1/3 of that per day.)  To stop the badgering keep the peace, eventually I just started having my tea at work.

Well during my first pregnancy I voluntarily gave it up but with my second I was taking classes at night so caffeine was necessary.   It was maybe one bottle a day but still.  When Pirateboy2 turned out to have ADHD dh said "Maybe it was all the caffeine you drank when you were pregnant with him!"  I told him no, dear, it's a neurological issue and hereditary.  It is not caused by too much caffeine.

I remember once I went out to eat at a food court with a friend in high school and ordered a sandwich and a diet coke.  She said "You do realize that you can't cancel out the calories in that sandwich by drinking a Diet Coke?" 

I was very good about all the "don't eat this!!!" stuff when I was pregnant with Babybartfast, but this issue is the main reason I was even moderately good about it the second time around    I had to balance the "But I like blue cheese, darnit!" against the idea that if Bittybartfast had ended up having some sort of health issue, I'd always have to deal with people accusing me of having eaten blue cheese while pregnant (or drunk caffeine, or eaten tuna, or whatever).

For those of you interested in the caffeine thing, there's a great comparison chart online at http://www.flickr.com/photos/rtkrum/4266263806/sizes/l/.  So much of caffeine's effect is psychosomatic - coffee has five times the caffeine that a can of Coke does (for the same volume), and Coke has two or three times the caffeine in some other sodas such as root beer.  Which means if someone accidentally drinks a caffeinated root beer and claims it's going to keep them up all night, I tend not to believe them 

When I was pregnant with my son, my inlaws started doing a weight loss program together (all of the aunts, cousins, plus my MIL) and a new sugar substitute had just come out.  While I was happy they were getting healthy and finding lots of baking/cooking uses for the sugar substitute, I wasn't willing to eat the foods made with the sugar substitute because it was so new and all of the research wasn't complete and I didn't know how the sugar substitute would affect the baby.  After a few go-rounds in which I think maybe the inlaws thought I was judging them for their choices, they did accept that I wasn't going to eat the "revamped" foods"