Did you react to more of those just-perfect bananas or the exquisite red papaya during a holiday in North Queensland? What about the slightly spicy salt (it was not the usual high-MSG one), or the increased vanilla ice cream in the lovely warm afternoons? What about that strong smell in the rent-a-car? What about the not-very-yellow batter on your fish with plain chips, or the tiny dip into the gravy you asked to be served separately on the otherwise plain roast? Was the meat or fish not as fresh as you would have been careful with at home? You had delightful walks in the botanic gardens with all the wonderful smelling plants. Something has caused a very bad headache, with thick sinus pressure and nausea. You have not had one this bad in years, and your thinking is more scattered. You are reminded just why you are so careful with your diet at home.
How do you decide?
Diet detective work is about assessing all the clues. Banana and red papaya are tolerated at home. So are hot plain potato chips and the fish from inside the batter. You did note the smell of the meat and fish and they were fresh. On the other hand, smelly cars have been a problem before, and the overall dose of vanilla was up, the flowers in the garden did have some unusual aromas that you noticed at the time. But the spicy salt on the chips was the most likely, even though the headache happened 24 hours later. Many people report that a reaction to a cup of tea comes on after 24 hours. The reality is that this reaction was almost certainly to the Total Body Load of suspect foods adding up to a threshold. You remind yourself that you still need to be assertive, to ask questions about food, and be as careful as possible when away from home. Fortunately it was a lesson learned without spoiling a great tropical holiday.
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