All Systems, No: What Modern Day Chronic Illness Feels Like — The Gastrointestinal System

According to a 2022 study by PubMed and the NIH, most Americans eat an average of 4–6 times a day. Food isn’t just fuel—it’s woven into nearly every part of life. You shop for it, cook it, plan around it. You gather over it at dinners, barbecues, holidays, and celebrations. A surprising amount of conversation revolves around it.

And most of us genuinely enjoy it—the taste, the comfort, the energy boost from caffeine or sugar, the memories and connections it creates. Maybe you even proudly call yourself a “foodie.”

All of that is normal. It’s good, even.

But for a growing number of people—including me—food isn’t joyful. It’s an unpleasant, overwhelming chore. Let me show you what I mean.

Imagine only being able to drink one of two specific brands of alkaline spring water—each costing over a dollar per can. You can’t just grab it anywhere. You have to special-order it, deal with purchase limits, and then drive over an hour to multiple stores just to collect what’s available.

Now imagine grocery shopping every other day—sometimes at three different stores, one of them an hour away—because your body can only tolerate very fresh food due to histamine intolerance. You’re spending $200–$300 a week just to feed yourself. Shipping is sometimes an option, but only adds to the already exorbitant costs.

Then there’s the time: 3–5 hours every single day spent carefully preparing, cooking, and cleaning. That might sound normal at first, but it’s really not when only eating one meal and a snack—and still dealing with debilitating symptoms. Add grocery shopping to the mix, and time spent increases considerably. Meal prepping would help… but you can’t do that either.

Now shrink your diet down to about 10 safe foods. You rotate the same 3 or 4 meals over and over. They’re bland. Repetitive. Exhausting. Eventually, you lose the desire to eat at all.

Most days, you’re not eating because you want to—you’re eating because you have to. A "great" day might be two meals and a snack. An average day? One meal and a snack.

Seasonings? Salt, pepper, garlic.Oils? Olive or avocado.Snacks? Potato chips made with only sea salt and avocado oil, a few fruits, one brand of yogurt.

Now put yourself in a social setting—a party, a family gathering, dining out. There’s food everywhere. Things you used to love. Desserts you’d normally enjoy without a second thought.

You can’t touch any of it.

You smell it. You hear people rave about it. You try to stay engaged while quietly feeling worse physically—and honestly, wishing you could leave.

Then the questions start: “Why aren’t you eating?”

You explain. Over and over. Sometimes in detail.

And the responses? “Well, at least you can eat chicken and potatoes.” “I think I could do that for a while.”

And all you can think is: No—you couldn’t. Not for a week. Definitely not for nearly a decade.

Living like this wears on you. You manage it because you have to—but it’s exhausting. One mistake—one ingredient, a bit of cross-contamination, even trying something new—can trigger abdominal pain, nausea, reflux, headaches, bloating, or worse. Sometimes it ends with you on the bathroom floor, clutching a bottle of Pepto Bismol, just trying to get through it.

And even when you do everything right, symptoms can still show up. Every day.

If this feels heavy, I get it. Stay with me.

This isn’t about negativity—it’s about awareness. The goal is to give a real, unfiltered look at what many people with chronic illness deal with daily. Because understanding leads to better support, better care, and better outcomes. These situations aren’t as rare as people think—they’re becoming more common.

And yes, there are a few silver linings.

Over time, I’ve become extremely knowledgeable about nutrition. I’ve tested diets, studied labels, experimented with substitutions, and dug into the “why” behind how foods affect the body.

I’ve also become a strong cook—out of necessity. When you eat the same meals every day, you learn how to make them as good as possible. Taste and texture matter, especially when your options are limited.

And I’ve been able to help others. Not as a professional, but as someone who’s lived it. Sometimes sharing your experience is enough to help someone else start connecting the dots.

As chronic illness becomes more common, so do food sensitivities and digestive issues. For me, the gastrointestinal side of this has been one of the hardest parts—easily. It’s made the past decade hell.

And to be honest, some of that difficulty has been made worse by dismissive or uninformed comments from others.

But this isn’t about guilt.

If anything, it’s the opposite.

Enjoy your food. Appreciate it. Don’t take the small, everyday joys for granted.

And if someone in your life struggles with food—really struggles—find ways to support them. Include them. Make something they can eat instead of going out and leaving them behind. Be patient. Listen without judgment.

Because just because something is unfamiliar doesn’t mean it isn’t real.

And more and more people are living this reality every day.

It’s time we start seeing that—and treating people accordingly.