Bye bye diet rules

Waitrose makes a really very good red lentil and chilli soup in its healthy eating ‘Love Life’ range. Half a carton was my lunch today and made me feel very good about myself - after last night's stilton, port and walnut fest.

Then I went off and interviewed Professor Peter Whorwell, the IBS specialist. We were talking about the pros and cons of the York Test as a bunch of Prof W’s patients took part in a double blind trial, and those dropping foods to which they were intolerant had 25% more symptom relief than those who were told to avoid other foods to which they were not intolerant, but had been led to believe that they could be. After he mentioned that many of us also have IgG antibody responses to foods, but without any symptoms, in which case there is no benefit in avoiding these foods, I found myself back in the kitchen – eating my first sandwich in weeks (and jolly nice it was, too: Brunswick smoked ham with Dijon mustard in deliciously nutty Heyford Wholemeal bread) – and then a piece of butter fudge (it seems to be replacing itself as it’s consumed) and the last of my mother-in-law’s flour and butter free chocolate cake, which she made with chestnut puree (apparently replacing everything else) for New Year. After all, I am not 100% convinced I do have symptoms - although the next step should probably be to measure my tummy after eating different foods, and see if dairy and yeast make much more difference. 

While consuming all these post lunch delights, I read in the Times that fitness guru Matt Roberts likes his clients to keep a daily food journal as listing everything we eat apparently discourages us from eating too much.  So... you already know what I’ve eaten so far today (btw breakfast was muesli with half a banana and coconut milk) – what have you been eating??