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| Cheat Lake, Morgantown, West Virginia |
For this trip I packed more pharmaceuticals than clothing. After working long and hard to find doctors who could sort out my health issues that unfortunately started in France last summer, I finally managed to assemble what I call my medical dream team. I am still not 100 per cent okay but am definitely getting closer. My anxiety about traveling in a more vulnerable body profoundly upset me, but I decided that I really wanted to see my sister's family in Morgantown, West Virginia and our kids in New York City. So off I flew armed with a pharmacy of digestive aids plus my usual medications. At JFK where we changed planes to fly to Pittsburgh to rent a car to drive to my nephew's house, we grabbed lunch. By the way, there is no easy way to get to Morgantown, West Virginia. Having adopted the FODMAP diet my gastro doctor suggested a few weeks ago, I knew lunch at the airport would be a challenge. The FODMAP diet was created by researchers at Monash University in Australia. In my opinion, Australia is the continent from which all progressive health research hails as well as my wonderful daughter-in -law. FODMAP is a long acronym for a list of foods the small intestine absorbs poorly. Please look into it if you suffer from digestive distress. My Internet print out of the FODMAP "eat this" and "don't eat that" diet has now become my daily food guide to better digestive health. Studying carefully the choices at the Croque Madame food mart at JFK, I selected a no frills egg salad sandwich. Back at my table, I took out my digestive distress meds. One of the airport employees charged with clearing tables noticed the meds and offered to bring me a cup in which to pour the water from my water bottle. I felt so touched by her genuine kindness and thanked her profusely. She also decided we needed napkins and brought those as well. Who says New Yorkers are not friendly? Ha, ha I thought here lies a silver lining of my new unwelcomed need to pay closer attention to my diet
Upon arrival at my nephew's house, I retrieved my Amazon package containing a personal smoothie blender, brown rice protein powder recommended by my newly purchased FODMAP Cook Book , and Fody gut friendly granola bars. I set about making an almond milk peanut butter, banana, protein smoothie, my latest daily FODMAP friendly staple. One of my nephews asked me about the smoothie. Turns out he really enjoys the same combo of ingredients. After accepting my offer to make him a smoothie, he drank my FODMAP friendly smoothie with obvious enjoyment. Then my niece asked to try it so I gave her some of mine. Then her toddler wanted a taste. He loved it hereby making today the day of his first official smoothie. Soon, my other niece expressed interest in the smoothie. I promised her one for a pre Thanksgiving dinner snack tomorrow. So my incredibly frustrating stomach troubles which took so long to diagnose gave me yet another unexpected gift. I truly have much for which to be thankful. And maybe Aunt Giselle's smoothies will become a new Thanksgiving family tradition.
