Hello, welcome to Taylorflys blog! My name is Taylor Flynn; a 17 year old health and environmental enthusiast. I have loved learning about health and wellness ever since I stared experiencing stomach pains, a couple of years ago. I got extremely full after every bite of food, as well as experiencing cramps and severe back pain. I tried so many different things for about a year; going dairy free, giving up certain foods that were thought to be triggers, trying probiotics, trying antibiotics, trying gas relief medicine, trying miralax, trying lactose pills, trying new 'superfoods', and trying apple cider vinegar shots. Nothing relieved my pain.
Things got so bad that I slowly ate less and less, as I couldn't fit very much food in my stomach. Overtime, I also began to lose weight due to the little amount of food in my system, and I eventually got to 98lbs at 5ft5in. I also developed an unhealthy relationship with food and myself. I looked in the mirror and saw a huge, ugly stomach that no one could possibly think looked good (of course, other people wouldn't have cared as much as I did). I also began to obsess with every food that went into my body, as well as the workouts that I did. This obsession took over my life. I was ALWAYS thinking about food and I felt guilty for making any sort of mistake. Although I was never diagnosed with an eating disorder, I do believe that I was very close to developing orthorexia, which is the obsession with healthy eating.
Eventually, I saw a doctor who simply told me that I suffered from ibs- irritable bowel syndrome. I had no idea what that was at the time and was told that medicine wasn't available until I turned 18 (I was 15 at the time) and all I could think was that I would suffer for another three years. Although this particular doctor didn't help me at all, this diagnosis is what eventually led me to discover the low-fodmap diet. Essentially, this is a diet that eliminates certain foods with higher amounts of 'fodmaps' or Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols. For ibs sufferers, these types of foods are hard to digest. Common ones are garlic, onion, and wheat. I can go into this deeper in a future post if you'd like. Since adopting this type of 'diet,' I feel much better. My stomach is still healing, but my relationship with food and myself is much better now!
I truly believe that this experience has shaped me into who I am. Although I still have stomach pains some days or anxiety over food other days, this unhealthy obsession has turned into a healthy passion! That's why I wanted to create this blog; to share my love of cooking, nutrition, and many of my other passions! If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments or by email: taylorflys01@gmail.com. I want this blog to be a safe space for people to communicate their passions and worries. I also want it to be a place that can inspire, encourage or motivate people. I hope you will stick with me on this wonderful path God has brought me down!
