Rational Food Choices

I have a head ache.  I'm wondering if I've been consuming too much artificial sweetener.  I don't use packets of it anymore.  I've converted entirely to stevia, which by the way has just been approved by the FDA!  But I've been drinking a lot of these zero calorie drinks..."sparkling ice", "vita rain", "slenderize", and stuff like that with sucralose.  I've also been chewing sugar free gum a little compulsively.  And this morning I had caffeine free tea with that sugar free french vanilla creamer that I used to be totally addicted to.  OK.  I had 2 cups of it.  I'm not beating myself up over this.  I just think it's worth taking note of.  I've been feeling pretty aware of how certain substances affect my body recently.  That's new.  It used to be all about what's good and bad.  What's got lots of fat or carbs or calories vs. what's OK.  But now I'm more able to let go of those judgements, and feel how they affect me physically.  I still don't have a really clear sense of which things make me feel certain ways...like if I eat a meal, I can usually recognize shortly afterwards whether it made me feel better or worse.  Now that I'm eating healthy quantities when I'm hungary and stopping when I'm full, it's no longer a struggle to figure out if I ate too much or too little.  I pretty much eat the amount that I need...mostly.  So whereas before, my stomach usually felt yucky after every meal, because I had been starving up until the point that I overate and stuffed myself, now, I feel good after most meals.  And if my stomach hurts, it's not cuz i ate too much, it's usually because something didn't agree with me.  In many of these cases, it turns out to be something that my doctor confirms I have a slight allergy to.  Even if I have a small or normal sized portion of milk, peanuts, or soy, my stomach will feel full, bloated, and gassy.  If I eat steak or beef, my burps taste like hot dogs, and it grosses me out.  Most of the time, I decide that the unpleasant burps are not worth the enjoyable taste, but every now and then it seems worth it.  Caffeine is weird.  When I have it, my stomach doesn't bulge out or anything, but it feels like it's too big for its container, and I have to push it outward to make room for it otherwise it cramps.  The more caffeine I have, the worse it is.  One breakfast tea isn't that bad, but it's enough to notice.  Actual coffee is significantly worse.  So I'm not sure, but I think there's something about breaded...things that doesn't agree with me.  My stomach doesn't feel right after I have fish nuggets or chicken tenders.  yesterday,  I had a "crispy chicken salad", and was feeling it through this morning.  I wasn't really sure if that was what it was.  Sometimes I know it was something in the meal, but was it the bread or the cheese?  A few days ago, I had some cheese fondue and artichoke dip, which also has cheese.  Could it have been the high quantity of cheese that was upsetting my stomach?  or was it the msg in the chinese food I had for dinner?  I think it takes a while to tell, but the important thing is that I'm listening to my body.  I'm feeling it out.  And when I get answers, I don't make rules about it.  I evaluate on a time by time basis whether the benefit is worth the cost.  I feel rational about the decision.  It's cool.  but i still have a headache!  I guess next time I want a drink with artificial sweetener, I'll think about that.  I'm not saying I can't have it again...but is the taste worth the headache...and the side effects of sucralose which researchers have sited as "intense food cravings and depression."  Luckily I'm not feeling those right now, but I certainly did when I was consuming mass quantities of splenda every day!  coincidence?  I think not!