Introducing Bia

Today I had pizza. It was a difficult, mentally and physically hard day, and I indulged in some comfy food. It's 2:25am and I'm awake, exhausted, trying not to be sick. I know I'm not supposed to eat pizza, I know I'm supposed to eat 4 small meals and 4 small snacks, no gluten, no lactose, low fructose, low galactans, no polyols, low residue, why would I do this to myself?

In that moment, I feel guilty, powerless and alone. It's a special kind of loneliness, driven by the taboo of talking about anything GI related, the disgust of seeing our byproducts. Even for a blog post about it, I'm careful not to be crude or shock with my words.

The sad truth is, I'm not alone in this, I'm not the only one sleeping with a bucket in arm's reach, and I'm really definitely not the only who cries of pain in the toilet, because at least 40% of adults have some degree of chronic GI issues, and I'm part of the 10% of those that have it kinda pretty bad.

I failed, I indulged, it doesn't matter that I succeeded 98% of the time, I knew I shouldn't and chose to, I don't get to complain or take a day off, not from work, and definitely not from this responsibility to myself. I am being too harsh, guilt isn't going to change anything, I need to find a real solution because I'm running a never ending marathon and all I can do is get better at it.

Nutrition is central to our lives, our health, our socialization and our identities. Adapting it can have consequences ranging from awkwardly saying no to lunch once in a while, to eating disorders and life threatening diets. I want to emphasize that professional diagnosis, support and supervision, mental and physical, should be put into place before any big diet change.

Chronic GI conditions are a domain where the professionals can only do so much: there is no cure, only management. You learn, through trial and error, what your body can handle, how it reacts, and you adapt your nutrition, while making sure to keep a balanced, varied diet, with the correct amounts of macros. There is no blanket solution, each person is different with their own tolerances. It is a long, grinding process, filled with grief for those foods you used to enjoy, and the constant choice between accepting a tempting but unsafe food and suffering the consequences.

The anxiety creeps up, "what if this meat was cooked with onions?", "I hope the store will still have white rice flour", and the daily routine takes hold. Choosing between breakfast and going to work on-site, having 8 alarms to remember to eat a few bites, meal prepping because it is near impossible to find safe prepared foods.

I couldn't find a tool to support me in my daily diet, so I quickly coded one in a weekend. Then I slept and realized: I'm not alone in this, so I scrapped that code and started over properly.

That's Bia. It won't cure anything but it's built by someone who lives this, for people who live this. The goal is simple: make the daily management a little less hard.

If you're a developer or product person curious about the technical side, that'll be here too: the architecture decisions, the trade offs, the mistakes.

If you live this too, follow along — Bia is being built for you. You're not alone in this. We can make things easier.