Why Your Stomach Hurts

And what you can do about it

Growing up, I ate what I considered a pretty healthy diet. I enjoyed fruit and vegetables and my mom made sure to include vegetables at every dinner. We ate out occasionally, and sometimes that was fast food, but restaurant eating never became the norm for us. I remember at one point when I was maybe 10 or 12 years old, I asked my mom if she thought I was healthy. In my own mind I was thinking about what I always heard about high fat foods causing high cholesterol and clogged arteries. I wondered if the damage could start developing in childhood if a kid ate too much junk. “You are very healthy,” my mom replied. So I didn’t worry about it anymore, at least not for a while.

Sometime in middle school I started reading food labels after doing a chapter on nutrition in health class. I would look at calories, fat, and sugar and really just ignored everything else. I wasn’t trying to cut back at that point, but was just more aware of the nutritional value of the foods I ate. Honestly, I still had absolutely no idea that a lot of what I was eating was total crap.

In late high school, I noticed that my stomach hurt fairly often, and usually after I ate. It wasn’t nausea, but rather a general soreness or slight burning pain that lingered throughout the day. I went to the doctor and he gave me a list of foods to avoid that could irritate the stomach. I didn’t pay much attention to it. Eventually I ended up having an endoscopy to rule out a stomach ulcer or other concern. It found nothing. My stomach was fine.

It took many years to realize that the source of my pain came from two main reasons: 1) Almost every time I ate I stuffed myself past the point of being full, and 2) Much of the food I was eating was highly processed and loaded with chemicals. Even after changing my diet drastically in college to eat an appropriate amount of food and choose healthier options, I still didn’t realize how much chemicals I was getting from my food. I went on a light/low-fat food kick for a while, and indulged in diet soda often. I thought I was making better choices, but in reality I was just throwing more and more chemicals into my body.

Thankfully, over the years I have learned much more about what it means to eat healthfully. I am by no means perfect, and I do still indulge in some junk because I believe that anything is okay in moderation. But I have never felt better and healthier than I have in the past few years. Now I don’t pay as much attention to the calories or fat, but focus on the ingredients list. I look for foods that have as few processed ingredients as possible. I do look at sugar grams, mainly because when I want a slice of bread or whole grain crackers I am not looking to be eating sugar along with it. Instead, I save sugar for actual dessert. I have cut way back on canned foods and I no longer eat frozen microwave meals or snacks like I did growing up. I never choose fat-free or sugar-free, unless the food is naturally that way. I don't drink soda unless it's to help with nausea (regular soda only). Wholesome ingredients are my priority. I want to be as kind as I can to my body since it’s the only one I’ve got.

One of the best things you can do for your body is make a conscious effort to know what you are putting into it. If you have stomach symptoms like I did or other digestive issues, try cleaning up your diet by choosing foods with ingredients you know. I think many people can save themselves a lot of chronic health issues by simply removing the chemicals in their diets. I have never gone gluten-free or avoided grains, I simply chose more wholesome, quality foods. And if you have trouble remembering what is or isn’t a quality food, just remember the acronym CRAP!