In a medical room, a middle-aged woman was performing an examination.
After she finished assessing one child, another child quickly entered.
The woman watched the little girl enter with an awkward expression.
The girl didn't say anything and simply walked to a chair quietly.
After the girl sat down, she glanced at the business card on her necklace and quickly introduced herself.
"I'm Doctor Nadia. This is our first time meeting, right? How's your day here?"
"It's pretty good. The room is very clean, the food is delicious, and some of our needs are met. It's just... I'm a little uncomfortable because I can't leave the room freely."
The woman smiled, understanding what the little girl meant. "That's normal. During your previous examination, you were diagnosed with an illness. So, sick children like you aren't allowed to go out freely, for fear of infecting other children."
"I see. So... what's wrong with me? I feel strange every day. Sometimes I feel energetic, but sometimes I feel lethargic. Then every afternoon, I feel restless, sometimes even dizzy."
"It's just a fever-like illness. Your body is currently fighting a virus, which is why you sometimes feel lethargic and restless. But don't worry, it will soon disappear as long as you follow our instructions."
"Mmh... Okay."
The woman began performing some simple checks, such as checking your blood pressure, body temperature, and so on.
"How was breakfast today? Are you satisfied?"
"Well... I'm quite satisfied..."
The woman observed the girl's expression and tone and knew that she wasn't really happy.
"This orphanage is still quite new, so it's not very well-known yet, and it doesn't have a proper system yet. What do you think is lacking here?"
"Um... What do you mean?"
"Like clothes, rooms, or maybe... food? You know, some kids might not like certain foods, and we might need to add variety."
"Ooh~ That sounds good."
The woman then picked up a tablet and displayed a picture of fried rice.
"What do you think of this menu? Does it look appetizing?"
"Mmh, that looks delicious. But... I don't think I've ever had it before, so I'm not sure about the taste."
"Then, how about this?"
"French fries? Mmm... I've never had them either."
"I see... What about this?"
"This cake... I think I've seen it before."
"It's a rice cake."
"Oh, I was wrong."
"You've never had this before either?"
"I don't think so..." The little girl then lowered her head, slightly embarrassed. "Sorry, I didn't give a good answer."
The woman then changed the image on the tablet and turned to show a picture of minced meat.
"Oh, I've had that before. It's a little sweet and a little spicy... I like it. Although the meat sometimes gets stuck in my teeth."
The woman showed me a colorful cake that looked soft and elastic.
"I've never had that before, but I've always wanted to try it."
Seeing the girl's expression brighten, the woman changed the image on the tablet to one of a stir-fry containing only various vegetables.
"Oh, I like that. Mama and Papa said it's important to eat vegetables and fruit, so we eat it often."
The woman pondered for a moment, as if thinking.
"Do you often get stomach aches after eating something?"
"I never used to. But lately..."
"I see. I think you have digestive issues."
"Digestive issues?"
"Yes. Everyone has their own digestive issues. For example, spicy foods, raw foods, or sweets. Most people don't realize it because they instinctively avoid or never eat them. In your case, I think you have trouble digesting foods high in carbohydrates."
Seeing the girl's confusion, the woman immediately explained further, showing various images from a screen that had been enlarged and transformed into a hologram.
The human body essentially requires various nutrients to maintain health. Among these, carbohydrates serve as a source of energy.
However, in this girl's case, she seemed to have difficulty absorbing these nutrients. One example was her apparent lack of familiarity with rice-based foods, a high-carbohydrate food.
People recognize what they eat, and others don't recognize what they don't.
Another example was the girl's constant need to go to the bathroom after eating high-carbohydrate foods.
The body naturally eliminates substances it can't or has difficulty digesting. The body may also be unable to tolerate them, or even perceive them as foreign.
This is not essentially a disability, as the girl appears to still be able to absorb carbohydrates from fiber or sugar to some extent.
And although she greedily avoided foods made from rice or potatoes, it's important to remember that almost all foods contain varying amounts of carbohydrates. This meant that the girl could actually still absorb carbohydrates.
However, even small amounts of carbohydrates could still cause various problems such as low energy and hunger.
Over the past few days, the woman had actually had someone monitor the girl in front of her, so she was quite certain of her diagnosis.
She initially wondered how the girl managed to survive each day. However, as someone with advanced knowledge, she quickly discovered the answer: fat.
In addition to glucose, which can be a source of energy, fat can also be a source of energy. However, it's an emergency or backup energy source when the body runs out of energy from carbohydrates.
At this moment, the woman had confirmed what ordinary people would consider impossible: the reverse.
The girl in front of her had been unconsciously using fat as her primary energy source. This was evident in the girl's apparent frequent consumption of vegetables and a fondness for meat.
Compared to carbohydrates from rice or tubers, vegetable fats from vegetables and fruits provide more benefits, which makes the girl very healthy. However, there's still another problem.
Fat can indeed be converted into energy, but the process takes longer than carbohydrates or glucose, so if the girl engages in strenuous activity, it will take a long time for her to recover.
The human body also needs balance. Too much fat in a person's body can cause blocked blood flow or various other health problems.
"This all sounds like a lot of trouble. Mama and Papa never said anything about it."
"No need to be sad. They're just trying to keep you from worrying. I'll do a further examination on you. Are you afraid of needles?"
"No. I'm not."
"Then take the cold wipes."
The girl glanced at the wet wipes in the container before suddenly letting out a muffled scream, as the cold wipes were just a distraction.