Plot twist of the year: I found out I have a natto allergy!

For years, natto was a daily thing for me. One pack a day, no questions asked. It was basically part of my personality at that point.

Then, out of nowhere, I started feeling off. My appetite disappeared, I had no energy, and eating became a struggle. But the idea that natto could be the problem never even crossed my mind.

In fact, I kept telling myself, “Well, at least natto is healthy!” and continued eating it.

Big mistake.

The more I ate it, the worse I felt. My appetite got even lower, I could barely manage meals, and the weight started falling off me at an alarming speed.

Eventually, I thought, “Okay, something is definitely not right here,” and went through a whole series of medical tests.

And that’s when I got my answer:

Natto allergy.

Apparently, the trigger isn’t the soybean itself. It’s a sticky substance in natto called poly-gamma-glutamic acid. So soy products are totally fine for me.

It’s literally just natto.
How specific is that?!

I’ve since learned that people who’ve been stung by jellyfish sometimes have a higher risk of developing this allergy. As far as I know, though, I’ve never had a jellyfish encounter dramatic enough to explain it.

Life is weird sometimes.

Of course, I’m a little sad about it. Natto is healthy, affordable, and used to be one of my favorite go-to foods.

But here’s the funny part.

That whole experience completely reset my relationship with food.

Since I couldn’t eat properly for a while, my appetite and eating habits basically got a factory reset. And the result?

I lost a LOT of weight.

Not exactly the method I’d recommend, but here we are. 

These days, I’m focusing on nourishing my body with wholesome foods, listening to what it needs, and actually enjoying my meals again.

And honestly?

There’s something really nice about starting the morning with a big, colorful breakfast and a healthy appetite.

So goodbye, natto. We had a good run. 💔

I never thought we’d have to break up like this, but I guess life had other plans. ♡