Hi, friends! Just popping in for my once-weekly post. How are you all doing? It’s hard to believe that when I first started blogging I used to post three times a day, and even just a little over a year ago, at least five times a week. I’ve been writing this blog for almost five years now (!) and if you’ve been reading for awhile (thank you!) you’ve seen how much it’s changed. And, to be real, I have also changed. I wasn’t even legally allowed to buy or drink alcohol when I started this, and now my friends are starting to get married and have kids! Time flies.
Thanks for all your words of encouragement on my last post. I just went for a follow-up appointment at the podiatrist, who said my foot is healing really well! It’s been a lot easier to get to sleep lately- and I don’t wake up in the middle of the night with excruciating pain- and my doctor said I might be able to walk without my brace in a week or so. It was a little bump in the road, but I’m so glad it wasn’t more severe.
While I’m on the subject of health (I feel like I should rename this blog “All About Katie’s Body”!), I went to see my GI yesterday for the first time in three months. I told her that I’d been following a low-FODMAPS diet for most of that time, but wasn’t really able to notice any patterns. I’m still feeling incredibly bloated most of the time, and it’s very uncomfortable to wear anything that’s not loose-fitting. It’s been really frustrating, and kind of a blow to my self-confidence. So what’s the next step? At the end of July, I’m going to take a hydrogen breath test. If you’ve ever taken a glucose blood test, it’s kind of the same idea: you go into the doctor’s office having fasted, drink a carbohydrate solution, and have your levels tested periodically for three hours. Unlike the glucose test, there are no needles and you just have to breathe into a tube. The test is used to diagnose a variety of digestive issues including small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, lactose intolerance, fructose intolerance, and sucrose intolerance. Hopefully I’ll have more answers by the end of the summer!
My doctor also reiterated a point she made back in March, that I haven’t been taking so seriously: no gluten. I don’t have Celiac disease, but because my colon is hypersensitive, a lot of the sensitivity I’m experiencing is compounded by gluten and its byproducts, leading to additional bloating. (I’ve also noticed that during weeks when I don’t eat gluten, my eczema isn’t as bad.)
In between doctors’ appointments yesterday, I headed down to Chobani SoHo to finally check out the Greek yogurt bar. I’d been invited to visit the store when they first opened, but I was vegan at the time and wasn’t eating dairy. I had a coupon for a free cup, and was excited to use it!
The space is small but open, with lots of stained wood and glass windows so you can watch your creation being made.
Toppings galore!
It was lunchtime, so I ordered a savory snack to tide me over until I got home. I ordered the cucumber + olive oil: plain Chobani, cucumber, olive oil, sea salt + mint, served with pita chips. (Yes, I just told you that I’m not supposed to eat gluten… but it’s hard to resist, especially when I’m hungry!)
It was delicious! I’ll definitely be recreating this at home, and will use some of the other menu items as inspirations for snacks at home. Yum!
How do you eat your yogurt?
