American food ?? Bleughhhh

strawberrysnap

Alright so idk where this post should go under so putting it here,
No health issues before my year abroad in America then one year later I develop intolerances and allergies whilst being in USA, mostly dairy but also the additives which are banned in the U.K., has this ever happened to anyone else ?? I'm not hating I'm just genuinely curious as I have to get some medical procedures done from the negatives effects of American food in my body now that I'm back in England

Like I said I'm not hating, everyone has a different digestion tolerance etc but my doctor acts like I'm the only person this has happened to

strawberrysnap

Lol why has this thread posted twice idk

Motorsheen

You gotta be tough to live here; no sissies allowed.

We pride ourselves on the ability to handle a steady diet of Mountain Dew, Little Debbie Snack Cakes and Service Station Nachos.


.... and that's just breakfast.

TheRoadDog

It's all about making good choices. Every country has food that is bad for you and every country has food that is good for you.

strawberrysnap

I get that completely but even a bowl of porridge or tomato soup would hurt my stomach, I was eating healthy but then I found out fruit is sprayed with pesticides ( I'm guessing depending on state ) and it just all went downhill, over spring break I returned home and my stomach was fine again then I went back to the states and was experiencing issues again which was annoying as I was obsessed with veggie straws haha

strawberrysnap

I was just wondering if anyone else experienced the same

beagletracks

People have issues all the time eating foods that are prepared and processed differently in different countries. Extremely common. I've even met Americans who have gotten sick from food they've eaten in the EU (and also in the U.K. - forgot for a second about brilliant decision to leave EU). Crazy! Haven't heard about anyone requiring surgery for it, though. Get well soon.

cwolfman13

strawberrysnap wrote: »

Alright so idk where this post should go under so putting it here,
No health issues before my year abroad in America then one year later I develop intolerances and allergies whilst being in USA, mostly dairy but also the additives which are banned in the U.K., has this ever happened to anyone else ?? I'm not hating I'm just genuinely curious as I have to get some medical procedures done from the negatives effects of American food in my body now that I'm back in England

Like I said I'm not hating, everyone has a different digestion tolerance etc but my doctor acts like I'm the only person this has happened to

Outside of some short lived adjustments to different bacteria, etc...I think your doctor is correct. My wife's family from the UK travels here to the U.S. every couple of years and haven't ever had any issues.

NorthCascades

strawberrysnap wrote: »

I get that completely but even a bowl of porridge or tomato soup would hurt my stomach, I was eating healthy but then I found out fruit is sprayed with pesticides ( I'm guessing depending on state ) and it just all went downhill, over spring break I returned home and my stomach was fine again then I went back to the states and was experiencing issues again which was annoying as I was obsessed with veggie straws haha

Did you go to Whole Foods and spend extra on the no-meth porridge?

strawberrysnap

peppermintpudgy wrote: »

People have issues all the time eating foods that are prepared and processed differently in different countries. Extremely common. I've even met Americans who have gotten sick from food they've eaten in the EU (and also in the U.K. - forgot for a second about brilliant decision to leave EU). Crazy! Haven't heard about anyone requiring surgery for it, though. Get well soon.

Thank you

JLAJ81

I'm just allergic to Americans

usmcmp

strawberrysnap wrote: »

I get that completely but even a bowl of porridge or tomato soup would hurt my stomach, I was eating healthy but then I found out fruit is sprayed with pesticides ( I'm guessing depending on state ) and it just all went downhill, over spring break I returned home and my stomach was fine again then I went back to the states and was experiencing issues again which was annoying as I was obsessed with veggie straws haha

1. Not all fruit in the US comes from the US.
2. All fruit is sprayed, but all fruit is also washed (organic fruit is also sprayed and washed, then some brands do a dirt bath to make it appear straight out of the ground).
3. It sounds partially psychosomatic.
4. If you change your diet dramatically you'll feel like crap no matter what.

strawberrysnap

Idk I guess the U.K. and USA produce food very differently then, and well after seeing the impact I wouldn't say psych issues influenced any of my question it was more just to see if people had similar experiences so that I could ask them for advice

strawberrysnap

And I get that fruit is sometimes imported but I meant as a whole

SomebodyWakeUpHIcks

If yours table don't look like this, yous be doin sumtin wong!

Luna3386

I honestly get sick whenever I travel.

I've even had issues with citrus and fatty foods, even at home.

If you think it's additives, buy organic or find someone local so you can know exactly what is on your food.

strawberrysnap

Yeah I think it's the changes in diet! So annoying isn't it as organic tends to be more pricey but that's life

strawberrysnap

Ohhh that had an emoji at the end of it but it didn't show up

jseams1234

"I feel nauseous and I have a headache. That soup I had must have had beef broth in it." Your system's kickin' back broth? You're a manly man, aren't you? - Ron White

Tried30UserNames

I know a lot of people with food intolerances, myself included, who can eat a much wider variety of foods in other countries. I know those who can't eat gluten or dairy in the U.S. without miserable health consequences, but can enjoy French bread and cheese in France, for example. I do blame it on things we use here that they don't in much of Europe, glyphosate, for instance. I blame a lot of things on Monsanto.

LAWoman72

I don't think any one nation's food is inherently "bad", I think preparations can be totally different and our bodies can react. We've grown up not only with certain basic foods, with loads of modifications on basic themes, but with percentages of ingredients and so on. Altogether it seems like (and is) a varied diet but will very likely have a certain theme that our bodies are used to. Then whammo. Something that sounds/looks the same in the package but when you eat it, your body notices the difference and since, being in another location, you're not just having a few bites of this "different" type of food but you're having it night and day for days or weeks. Hells yeah you can have a bad reaction.

As for the pesticides in the fruit, you're aware that we import a good percentage of fruits, some veggies, some herbs, spices and so on? So...not "American" at all, for those. Meanwhile they're exported to other nations as well, most likely. Possibly even including yours.

I think it's just the shock and sudden about-face of different food preparations that's getting to you.

I do have lots of friends and acquaintances from other nations who now live in the U.S. and I haven't heard this particular complaint, certainly not long-term. My former roommate from Ireland did say she initially found American food "heavy". She noticed a change but evened out eventually and neither gained nor lost weight, so the food wasn't "heavier" at all calorie-wise, apparently, or at least we can say it must have more or less been a wash. I know when she went to "the Irish store" with imported foods of all kinds, including meats, I practically ralphed on her bangers and mash, they felt like a collective rock in my stomach even though they tasted absolutely fantastic, yum.

dc8066

JLAJ81 wrote: »

I'm just allergic to Americans

You broke my heart

ROBOTFOOD

SomebodyWakeUpHIcks wrote: »

If yours table don't look like this, yous be doin sumtin wong!

my diet right there lol

JeromeBarry1

I've gotten sick from traveling from one USA region, Texas, to other USA regions, both Hawaii and Pennsylvania. I thought it was viruses.

browneyedgirl749

I don't think it's just American food. If you are used to eating certain foods, then go to a different country, your stomach may not know how to handle it. I lived in Japan when I was a kid. The first year I was there I was constantly getting an upset stomach. It is just how our body reacts to different foods.

Timshel_

strawberrysnap wrote: »

Alright so idk where this post should go under so putting it here,
No health issues before my year abroad in America then one year later I develop intolerances and allergies whilst being in USA, mostly dairy but also the additives which are banned in the U.K., has this ever happened to anyone else ?? I'm not hating I'm just genuinely curious as I have to get some medical procedures done from the negatives effects of American food in my body now that I'm back in England

Like I said I'm not hating, everyone has a different digestion tolerance etc but my doctor acts like I'm the only person this has happened to

I gained 5 pounds in Europe when I was there. The food must be more fattening than America.

bigmuneymfp

It must be all the poison they put in the dairy

strawberrysnap

Thank you everyone! And yup mostly dairy! But I'm not lactose intolerant anywhere else

Hamsibian

I have lived in the states my whole life. I have health issues, and have developed a lot of intolerances over time - beans, wheat, gluten, dairy, the list goes on. If I eat some of the more serious offenders like bread, I just want to keel for the next few days/weeks. However, when I visit my family in Egypt, I can eat a whole lot of pita bread and falafel with minimal issues. In my n=1 experience, the issue is more with the way that food is made and processed more than the food itself. It really sucks.

JustinAnimal

JLAJ81 wrote: »

I'm just allergic to Americans

I'm allergic to fuzzy elitists who generalize an entire country of over 300 million people. I might be alone in this.

I generally experience gastric distress regardless of where I travel, due to whatever changes (or it could simply be the travel). That said, I acknowledge that many European countries have much stricter regulations for what can go into packaged food (and probably non-packaged). Like healthcare for the entire country and mass transit, the size of the U.S. makes a lot of things different than the size of smaller countries. At least that's my guess as to why this issue may exist.

SoulRadiation

strawberrysnap wrote: »

Alright so idk where this post should go under so putting it here,
No health issues before my year abroad in America then one year later I develop intolerances and allergies whilst being in USA, mostly dairy but also the additives which are banned in the U.K., has this ever happened to anyone else ?? I'm not hating I'm just genuinely curious as I have to get some medical procedures done from the negatives effects of American food in my body now that I'm back in England

Like I said I'm not hating, everyone has a different digestion tolerance etc but my doctor acts like I'm the only person this has happened to

I'm in the USA...my kids have food allergies and I've read up on it a little bit (mine have tree nut allergies). I'm fairly certain that you aren't the only person this has happened to through reading basically random anecdotal accounts (I know what that means, it's no proof)...and I'm also not surprised your doctor has no idea what is going on.

Unfortunately, food allergies are complex and I don't think the experts really know everything we'd like to know about them...yet.

I have a feeling that your problem is going to go away, but I can't articulate exactly why. I hope whatever medical procedure you have to deal with becomes resolved. It could have been an environmental or additive thing that you aren't going to be able to deal with...but you just can't prove it and you're never going to know.

If your milk works over there...just drink it and be happy. That's about all I could say.