I loved the management of food storage and cooking using standardised recipes so the meals tasted the same each time they were ordered. It is amazing how much organisation is needed to bring together all food needed. The key is the plating line were all the containers are lined up with trays with the food requested and sharp-eyed staff managed to have the right food for each person ready. I enjoyed this as my busy ADHD brain could attend to all the different details necessary.
I lived with other student dietitians who could enjoy all the food provided through the nurses’ dining room. Like many food-sensitive people who are fussy about food and constantly on the go, and have a fast metabolic system, I tend to be lean. With such abundance of foods even managed to go from 53 kg (117pounds) to 58 kg (127 pounds) over the year.
While there I remember having very bad period pain such that I was sent to the Emergency Department on more than one occasion. I now know that very bad monthly cramping pain does sometimes occur in food sensitive people, but not as often as these bad cramping pains happen in those with irritable bowel syndrome. The hospital food was much more flavoursome than I was used to. I remember that the cooks used to crumble any drying cakes to make a slice flavoured with almond essence which they then iced. It was delicious! Now I am sure I would have got a headache if I had a more than one piece. I have lost the taste for almond flavour since being on the low chemical diet.
In those days I just put up with chronic headaches. I didn’t realize until ten years later that changing my food may make a difference. Otherwise I was very well, enjoying tennis and all the social life available to students. My poor concentration did not affect my work as I found practical work easy and had the time and motivation to learn all the detail of diet therapy. I do recall spending hours learning to type which I did not find easy.
In the mid 1960s, times were changing with more women wanting to have careers and not spend all day housekeeping, cooking and cleaning. I remember being part of a research project into family eating patterns and was amazed that women no longer cooked a main meal from scratch with a different main course and home-made dessert every night as was the usual way of life at that time, certainly in my family.
There is more on when additives used not to be considered bad on a blog with some additional thoughts on it on https://foodintolerancepro.com/why-additives-are-now-considered-bad/ with a pic of me as a student dietitian.
Great history Joan. I am sure students these days have a very different experience and living in has most probably gone! Your stories are so meaningful for me and reflect your ongoing expertise. Love jan
Thanks for your support. We seem to be moving from food sensitivity in 1970 being too incredible to believe, to the phase where everyone was wary of additives and “high acid” foods, to professionals being sought to really help what was an acknowledged condition from the 1990s. All was progressing well for quite a while. Now there is a hint of people who feel those who have adverse reactions being seen as food avoidant. So those who have reactions still need to keep letting others know that adverse reactions are real and should be investigated.