Morning. Jim gets out of bed and walks to the kitchen.
Jim (Thinking to himself): “Hmm, now what should I have for breakfast? I could make some gluten free oatmeal with fruit or maybe a smoothie with oat milk. Ugh, I don’t really feel like making anything and I should get a move on if I want to make that meeting on time. I wonder what’s in the freezer. Oh, I forgot about this sliced bread! Maybe I’ll just make toast. I don’t know, I shouldn’t be having bread. I’ve gained 10 pounds this month and I have no idea why. I thought I’ve been eating pretty healthy too. Oh wait, it’s sourdough! Toast it is!"
Jim makes himself toasted sourdough bread with peanut butter.
Later on…
Lunchtime. Jim waits in line (socially distanced of course) at a take-out deli. He stews over the options.
Jim (Thinking to himself): “Hmm, now what should I have for lunch? That salad looks healthy. It has croutons and feta cheese though. Maybe they can take those out. I wonder if they can put the dressing on the side or just swap it for olive oil. Is it so difficult to make a clean dressing instead of lacing it with artificial colors, fructose corn syrup and emulsifiers? Ugh, that chicken sandwich looks delicious, but I shouldn’t be having bread. Wait! They have sourdough? BOOM! Chicken sandwich it is!"
Later on…
Jim is walking home from work. His phone rings. It’s his partner.
Jim: “Hi love. Good, just got off the subway. You? Oh great, I’m happy to hear that. I’m not sure, any ideas? Pizza? I’d love pizza but I shouldn’t be having, wait, it’s sourdough? Where’d you find sourdough pizza? Alright then, pizza it is!"
A few days later…
Jim is on a Zoom call with his new Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine.
Doctor: "Jim, I think it would be helpful if we go over what you typically eat in a given day."
Jim: "Ok. But it kind of changes a bit every day."
Doctor: "It doesn’t have to be precise, just some of the typical things you eat."
Jim: "I can do that."
Doctor: "Let’s start with breakfast."
Jim: "I usually have toast with peanut butter. But it’s sourdough."
Doctor: "Ok. What about lunch?"
Jim: "Hmm, I guess I sometimes have a salad but mostly sandwiches, sometimes veggie sandwiches, sometimes chicken or red meat. I should also note that the bread is always sourdough as well."
Doctor: "Ok, and what about dinner?"
Jim: "Sometimes pizza. But it’s sourdough. Sometimes a salad with bread, but that’s also sourdough. Sometimes veggie burgers with sourdough buns. There’s this bakery that makes these amazing sourdough waffles. You keep them in the freezer and just pop them in the toaster when you’re ready to go! And they’re made with coconut sugar. I eat those for dinner too, and sometimes for breakfast. And I guess sometimes for lunch if I’m working from home."
Doctor: "Any snacks throughout the day?"
Jim: "I really love these sourdough cinnamon buns from my local bakery. Unbelievable! Also, sourdough crackers, sourdough tortilla chips, sourdough pretzels, sourdough chocolate chip-cookies, sourdough pumpkin bread, and sometimes coconut sourdough muffins. Not all in one day of course, but those are my go to’s."
Doctor: "Ok great. This is going to help me connect some of the dots. However, to start, I will say that for someone who is coming to me already diagnosed with a leaky gut, an ongoing gastrointestinal bacterial imbalance, Hashimoto’s Disease and Chronic Epstein Barr Virus, you might want to start looking at cutting back your intake of bread and all of those indulgences that are made with dough."
Jim: "But it’s sourdough!"