RoadWarriorFromLP

It may be a health issue that has nothing to do with your move. You probably should go to a doctor to see if it is a symptom of another problem.

If it's a food allergy, that may also be coincidental. Those can come and go.

There are a lot of corn-based sweeteners used in US processed foods, including savory foods such as pasta sauce. (I've never compared labels to confirm this, but I suspect that the US processed foods tend to have more sugar content.) Whether allergies to corn syrup are common, I don't know.

jeepster

Buy food at the organic section.

For processed food read the labels on food products to make sure there isn't any corn syrup in the stuff. Yes you can get Worcestershire sauce without corn syrup. Actually most foods can be purchased with so called natural ingredients you just have to hunt for it.

scrubbedexpat091

And pay a nice premium for it.

Especially for organic stuff, around here anything labeled organic has a very nice premium added, up to being double the price. Plus too many studies have shown some organics are not really organic, and organics still have a lot of pesticide on them just because there is so much in the environment.

Is there any actual proof organic is healthier?

Pulaski

What's up with baking powder?

TheTokenBrit

I think I noticed a change in the taste of things a little bit but no intolerance. One of the thing that amused me when I first visited America was Cool Whip. It's delicious but give me real whipped cream any day.

Steerpike

Long shot, but you are at a higher altitude in Mesa, AZ (1,200' typically) than in UK (most people live within a few hundred feet of sea level). Also, Mesa is DRY (as in, humidity / dew point). The latter tends to affect skin and respiratory issues, but you never know. As a result of the dryness, you may find yourself drinking a whole lot more water (or other fluids), and that may have some side effects.

robin1234

I don't bake much that requires baking powder, but when I do, I reduce the quantity in the recipe, whether US or British, radically. For instance, if it says two and a half teaspoons, I might put in one teaspoon. I find the flavour of excessive baking powder nauseating, and if too excessive leads to loss of appetite, indigestion, headaches etc. I would NEVER eat store bought US cakes, muffins, scones etc, because for some reason they use grossly excessive quantities of baking powder (as well as much too much sugar..)

OnwardandUpward

For a long time after we emigrated we all got marks on our hands and face whenever we ate fried food...stopped me eating fast food anyway.

I've only lived in two states but we had to spray for pests- crickets, ants, 'roaches, we also often found ticks when we first lived in US ( I tested negative for Lyme Disease )

A lot of US recipes which seem to be 'from scratch' contain very processed ingredients.
A couple of times I've gone right back to basics and only eaten soup and plain oatmeal and veggies and fresh fruit...I do better then especially for joint pain. And pretty much any time I eat out I get sick. Especially 'pot-luck' or buffet.

I am not sure people are taught great hygiene requirements here in TX- I've watched friends handle raw meat then serve drinks, I think loads of the restaurants are dirty- and you can see people sitting outside smoking or using the public toilets in their aprons etc

I went to one place and the server was emptying the bin in a chicken place...she put down the trash and came to say 'can I help you', I said 'aren't you going to wash your hands?' and she was annoyed and went to the hand-cleaner dispenser and did a small rub.

In our huge city I think it's a lack of enforcement. But then some of the things I think are fairly normal around food, like hand-washing...may not be. Certainly the closest Kroger supermarket to me is filthy- the baskets, the carts, the floors...dare I say it some of the staff...

Rusty Chainsaw

One thing nobody's mentioned is the massively higher amount of salt that seems to be in everything. Between that, HFCS and added dairy products, my digestive system went haywire. I spent a lot more time on the toilet back when I lived in the US.

Mallory

When I was in the UK last summer, I noticed the large amount of salt in bread. If you are cutting back on salt, you should check the labels.

Pulaski

I am not aware I have ever tasted baking powder. What does it taste of/like?

SultanOfSwing

If you saw the amount of salt I put on my fish and chips when back in Blighty, you'd probably rethink that

Without going too far over into TMI territory, I think I'm actually a bit more regular here than I was in the UK, though I was pretty regular there too. That being said, I think I have a cast iron digestive tract - it was always able to take whatever I could throw at it. From extra hot curries, to the foot-long kebab-on-naan after 15 pints. Piece of piss

I don't mind the food out here, to be honest. Some things are better here - like Mexican food. I can't get enough of that.

ChocolateBabz

and on the flip side I too have suffered since my teens with terrible IBS, my diet here is much worse and yet my symptoms have all but disappeared - who knows why but I am not complaining I no longer have to plan every trip with a detailed map of where to find a loo

Bob

http://www.buzzfeed.com/michaelrusch...in#.rqbp9XwJMa

You must have seen that? Well I think that's a challenge right there...

robin1234

A bitter taste. I believe you only taste it if there was too much used. I found this piece on the topic; the writer suggests that some brands are better than others, and there are different ingredients involved. In the past, I've used Clabber Girl, an old established and reputable brand, but just looked in the cupboard and my current tin is supermarket own brand. Don't know if that really makes a difference.

Baking Powder and Bitter Taste | Yakov Shafranovich