Healthy Eating Part II

I have never been so hungry or in such a bad mood my entire life!  I started out that Monday morning in high spirits, I ate a couple of kiwis had a cup of tea and was starving again 5 minutes later!  I remembered the doctor saying that the diet was easier to do if you loved food.

During the first couple of weeks I couldn't understand what he had meant by that.  I spent my time thinking of all the things I wanted to eat, reminding myself I couldn't eat them and then planning what I could eat.  Food became an obsession.  However, I did one day realize what he had meant.  Being intolerant to lots of things means you have to be inventive, he had also told me I would have to rotate foods every four days so this means you have to be VERY inventive.

I taught myself how to make stews with no flour in them to thicken them, I tried new cuts of meat and different types - I had always been very boring eating mainly chicken and beef with a bit of sushi every now and again.  I'm not a big fish eater so that bit has been very difficult for me.  I made wonderful vegetable soups for dinner to keep me warm and I even learnt to make my own stock for soups.

For the first few days I had the most almighty headache but suddenly, on about day 5 it disappeared.  

By the end if the first month I was totally headache free (unless I had news from my ex husband!), I was sleeping better, feeling more energetic and on top of all that I had lost six and a half kilos!  All my post baby weight from my last pregnancy disappeared in one month.

I was really impressed.  Not only that, but for the first time in my life I was eating properly.  Lots of fruit, lots of fresh veg, meat and fish, and what's more, I was eating more than I used to.

I began to enjoy planning what I was going to eat every day and for the first time in my life actually inventing new recipes.  I was having fun.

That was 6 months ago.  It has now become a way of life.  In total, I have lost 9 kilos and am still enjoying the challenge of eating healthy but interesting food.  And I love eating fruit - something I was never very good at before.

My husband has had his intolerance test and is also doing the diet and finding he too has more energy and is sleeping better.  But both of us have discovered a major problem.  We live in Madrid in Spain and it is impossible to buy fresh fruit, peeled and sliced for quick consumption when you are out and about.  There is limited fruit available from places like McDonald's (Happy Meal Apple Slices) and Starbucks offer at box with an apple and a banana in it - now I realize that Starbuck, McDonald's etc don't know who has what allergies and intolerances and have to cater for the general public and those fruits are easier to store and serve, but a greater variety would be appreciated.

I have found one supermarket in Madrid, Sánchez Romero, that does fresh cut fruit in cartons but it is also horrendously expensive.  If anyone in England or America is reading this how about telling me the availability of fresh cut fruit over there.  Also the availability of lactose free milk in Starbucks or other chains.