Don’t tell my family, but I’m pretty inconsistent when it comes to giving something up for Lent every year. I was raised Ukrainian Catholic, so growing up, there was a strict expectation of observing all traditions ahead of Easter Weekend (which falls on April 25th for us “old calendar folks” this year). I’d tell my family I was giving up something inconsequential – sweets, soda, swearing, to name a few examples – and then completely forget about it until Good Friday. This has been a “rinse and repeat” process for the past few years.

This year, I’m actually going to take it seriously. Not for the sake of the holiday, but for my own health.

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I first noticed that I was getting sick in June 2020. My stomach was aching constantly- the pain often struck suddenly and violently while I was on the air. Initially, I thought I had just eaten something rancid. But in the weeks that followed, the pain just kept coming back. I had 0 energy. I survived for days at a time on crackers and Gatorade, hoping that whatever was causing me this much distress would end sooner rather than later. My family suggested that the pain was being caused by the stress of my job. And while that was likely a factor, I was more concerned over the possibility that my body was not digesting food properly.

So I asked around: what are some common food allergens? For starters, dairy came up in every conversation I had with friends who had food intolerance issues. That was an easy fix- with the ever-expanding market of lactose-free products and the ease of using lactose enzyme supplements, managing my dairy consumption worked out fairly well.

While I hoped that this would be the end of things, I still found myself in searing abdominal pain pretty frequently. It seemed like nothing I ate mattered, because my body wasn’t digesting it anyways. “Might as well get used to the pain,” I thought.

By March of 2021, I was referred to a gastroenterologist (GI). He suggested probiotic and fiber supplements, and ordered me to stop drinking Red Bulls before, and I quote, “I ended up back there for a more invasive procedure.” (Yikes.) That appointment happened to be on the first day of Lent, so I decided to give up my primary source of caffeine for the foreseeable future right then and there.

(I’ve had exactly 2 cans of Red Bull since that appointment, for what it’s worth.)

While that may have solved some other issues in the Sleep Dept., I was still in a considerable amount of pain. There was no way for me to gauge what types of foods would trigger the doubling over, the “I’ll be right back’s,” or the “where is your nearest restroom’s?” Later that summer, I agreed to do a CT scan. Those results came up inconclusive, so my GI prescribed me medication that would allegedly help with some of the pain. I’m still not sure if those work or not.

I changed jobs and moved across the country, and the pain came right along with me. It took a while to get an appointment, but when I finally saw my new doctor, everything in our meeting was focused on managing the pain. She walked me through a diet plan that would temporarily remove foods that the body often can’t process through the small intestines.

I would only have to be on this diet for 6 weeks, but in the spirit of the Lenten season, I’ve decided to stick with the plan for 7 weeks.

This is where The Lent Box comes in.

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There’s a lot of restrictions on this diet, and in order to guarantee my full participation, I needed to purge my kitchen. A handful of items are in my freezer and fridge, and I’ve quarantined those items in their respective spaces. But for everything else that was non-perishable, I chose to relegate them to The Lent Box (pictured below).

I’ll spare you all the details on what I can and cannot have, but the following ingredients are among those cohabitating in the Lent Box:

  • Gluten, + barley and rye products
  • Garlic, including garlic powder
  • Onions, including onion powder
  • Products with apples and pears in them (there’s a bunch of other fruits too, but they’re not in my pantry at the moment)
  • Honey
  • Beans, including soybeans and soybean products (soy protein is ok, so soy sauce is on the menu)
  • Products containing high fructose corn syrup
  • Dairy, especially high-lactose products like chocolate, sour cream, and certain cheeses (most of these items, if any, stay in the fridge)

That leaves me with a smattering of food options for the next 7 weeks. On the bright side, when it comes to garlic and onion, there are some workarounds. I can have chives and the dark green parts of scallions, and garlic-infused oil is A-OK. Hopefully that’ll elevate the mass of rice- and potato-based meals I’m going to consume during this time. Most seasonings are on the table, too.

And I can still have my morning cup of green tea- the caffeine alternative that I’ve adopted in lieu of Red Bull. If that switch alone helped resolve my sleep issues, I’m hopeful that this lifestyle change will shed some light on how I can grow from here.