Since I can remember, I have suffered from abdominal pains and bloating. It has been at its worst over the past few years but even when I was a kid after I ate certain foods (apples, ice-cream and chewing gum in particular) about an hour later I always had severe bloating and cramps. I thought I was just being silly because why would anyone get sick after eating an apple?! An apple a day keeps the doctor away after all... right? Well not for me...
At around 2pm most days I was in agony with cramps and a stomach that has doubled in size. In hope of “fixing’ myself, the past two years I have made a really conscious effort to eat even healthier and cleaner with expectation that it would help to relieve my symptoms but things just kept getting worse.
I couldn't stop the bloating, I was always tired and I never had a regular pattern for going to the bathroom. Sometimes I would be super regular and sometimes I wouldn't go for days (and by days I mean MANY days!).
I had been to my doctor who suggested I eliminate gluten, I did this for a while and the symptoms didn’t ease. Then I eliminated dairy which didn't help either (as I don't eat dairy anyway except for some cheese here and there). I did x-rays and tests galore to get to the bottom of this problem because it was beginning to get me really down. I was tired of being in pain all of the time when I made such an effort with my diet. I was “healthier” than I had ever been and yet I felt worse than I had ever felt.
Finally after every other possible test had been done, and all other illnesses had been eliminated (thank goodness) I was diagnosed with IBS. IBS..!!!! Why didn’t I realise this!? I couldn't believe that I didn't realise that my own gut health was not in shape. I didn’t put two and two together because I always associated IBS with the need to constantly run to the bathroom but I have now learned that this is not necessary true; there are 3 different types of IBS. . The different types are a) constipation mixed with normal, b) diarrhoea mixed with constipation (sorry but this post wasn't designed to be pretty) or c) when you have predominately diarrhoea mixed with normal.
More on that here Better Health Info on IBS
Some symptoms include
- bloating/ swollen stomach area
- cramps and pains in the stomach
- major discomfort in the stomach
- feeling full after eating a small meal
There are more symptoms and if you think you may have IBS the following link has some useful information IBS Fact Sheet - Womens Health
My doctor advised me I should start to follow a low FODMAP diet. WTF is FODMAP? I am glad you asked! :) It stands for Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharide’s and Polyols. FODMAP’s are found in many of the common foods we eat such as wheat, milk as well as many fruit & vegetables. People with IBS have a hard time getting some foods which are high in FODMAP's pushed through the small intestine, so by the time the food gets to the large intestine these molecules which haven't been properly absorbed are readily available for the bacteria (that is normally there) in the large intestine to feed on it causing these FODMAP's to ferment. This then leads to the symptoms that many of us know as IBS! I had never even heard of this diet before so I was surprised by how the foods on the high FODMAP list related to my bad symptoms. Apples (yes apples!!) in particular are one of the worst offenders for people with IBS. So it wasn’t just me being crazy, I was actually harming my gut the more I tried to eat healthier. There I was filling up in the mornings on green smoothies with apples and pears so no wonder I never felt great by lunch time. I used honey in replacement of sugar thinking that I was being healthy but I was actually irritating my gut even more because fructose is a major cause of IBS symptoms. Garlic, onion, beetroot, stone fruit, fennel are all things I eat weekly, some even daily and these things are some of the sources of my pain! After learning more about the low FODMAP diet and sticking to it as best as possible I have already reduced my symptoms and have only been doing it for a short time. I haven’t had one cramp since I have been following it!
I found this great FODMAP'S Table of foods suitable and unsuitable on the low FODMAP diet. This is not a diet for weight loss but if you suffer from the horrible symptoms of IBS (and 1 in 5 of us does) you will notice a significant difference in the appearance of your stomach as it won’t be bloated anymore! I always needed to cover up my stomach with baggy tops in case it would bloat but now it seems I don't have to worry about that anymore.
It is recommend to eliminate all of the high FODMAP containing foods for around 6-8 weeks and then slowly re-introduce certain foods back in to work out what your personal tolerance level is. Everybody is different, so while you may be able to eat an apple every day, someone else (like me) may not. You may be able to eat a slice of bread everyday but any more may cause you pains, so it really is trial and error until you work out what is good for your body and what isn’t. I am really hoping that mangoes are ok for me once I re-introduce some fruits because they are my absolute favourite!
Obviously you should consult your doctor before starting any diet and if you do think you might have IBS you should first rule out other problems that might be causing the similar symptoms. Polycystic ovaries, coeliac disease can cause similar symptoms such as cramping, bloating, constipation, diarrhoea so you should always have your doctor test for the other things first.
If you do have IBS (I feel for you so much!) then I highly recommend giving this a try. It won’t cause you any more harm by trying, and if it doesn’t work for you then it doesn’t work… What have you got to lose? (A 5 month pregnant looking belly perhaps!) It is so nice not being in pain everyday! I had actually started to believe that was normal and everyone must feel like that!
I couldn't stop the bloating, I was always tired and I never had a regular pattern for going to the bathroom. Sometimes I would be super regular and sometimes I wouldn't go for days (and by days I mean MANY days!).
I had been to my doctor who suggested I eliminate gluten, I did this for a while and the symptoms didn’t ease. Then I eliminated dairy which didn't help either (as I don't eat dairy anyway except for some cheese here and there). I did x-rays and tests galore to get to the bottom of this problem because it was beginning to get me really down. I was tired of being in pain all of the time when I made such an effort with my diet. I was “healthier” than I had ever been and yet I felt worse than I had ever felt.
Finally after every other possible test had been done, and all other illnesses had been eliminated (thank goodness) I was diagnosed with IBS. IBS..!!!! Why didn’t I realise this!? I couldn't believe that I didn't realise that my own gut health was not in shape. I didn’t put two and two together because I always associated IBS with the need to constantly run to the bathroom but I have now learned that this is not necessary true; there are 3 different types of IBS. . The different types are a) constipation mixed with normal, b) diarrhoea mixed with constipation (sorry but this post wasn't designed to be pretty) or c) when you have predominately diarrhoea mixed with normal.
More on that here Better Health Info on IBS
Some symptoms include
- bloating/ swollen stomach area
- cramps and pains in the stomach
- major discomfort in the stomach
- feeling full after eating a small meal
There are more symptoms and if you think you may have IBS the following link has some useful information IBS Fact Sheet - Womens Health
My doctor advised me I should start to follow a low FODMAP diet. WTF is FODMAP? I am glad you asked! :) It stands for Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharide’s and Polyols. FODMAP’s are found in many of the common foods we eat such as wheat, milk as well as many fruit & vegetables. People with IBS have a hard time getting some foods which are high in FODMAP's pushed through the small intestine, so by the time the food gets to the large intestine these molecules which haven't been properly absorbed are readily available for the bacteria (that is normally there) in the large intestine to feed on it causing these FODMAP's to ferment. This then leads to the symptoms that many of us know as IBS! I had never even heard of this diet before so I was surprised by how the foods on the high FODMAP list related to my bad symptoms. Apples (yes apples!!) in particular are one of the worst offenders for people with IBS. So it wasn’t just me being crazy, I was actually harming my gut the more I tried to eat healthier. There I was filling up in the mornings on green smoothies with apples and pears so no wonder I never felt great by lunch time. I used honey in replacement of sugar thinking that I was being healthy but I was actually irritating my gut even more because fructose is a major cause of IBS symptoms. Garlic, onion, beetroot, stone fruit, fennel are all things I eat weekly, some even daily and these things are some of the sources of my pain! After learning more about the low FODMAP diet and sticking to it as best as possible I have already reduced my symptoms and have only been doing it for a short time. I haven’t had one cramp since I have been following it!
I found this great FODMAP'S Table of foods suitable and unsuitable on the low FODMAP diet. This is not a diet for weight loss but if you suffer from the horrible symptoms of IBS (and 1 in 5 of us does) you will notice a significant difference in the appearance of your stomach as it won’t be bloated anymore! I always needed to cover up my stomach with baggy tops in case it would bloat but now it seems I don't have to worry about that anymore.
It is recommend to eliminate all of the high FODMAP containing foods for around 6-8 weeks and then slowly re-introduce certain foods back in to work out what your personal tolerance level is. Everybody is different, so while you may be able to eat an apple every day, someone else (like me) may not. You may be able to eat a slice of bread everyday but any more may cause you pains, so it really is trial and error until you work out what is good for your body and what isn’t. I am really hoping that mangoes are ok for me once I re-introduce some fruits because they are my absolute favourite!
Obviously you should consult your doctor before starting any diet and if you do think you might have IBS you should first rule out other problems that might be causing the similar symptoms. Polycystic ovaries, coeliac disease can cause similar symptoms such as cramping, bloating, constipation, diarrhoea so you should always have your doctor test for the other things first.
If you do have IBS (I feel for you so much!) then I highly recommend giving this a try. It won’t cause you any more harm by trying, and if it doesn’t work for you then it doesn’t work… What have you got to lose? (A 5 month pregnant looking belly perhaps!) It is so nice not being in pain everyday! I had actually started to believe that was normal and everyone must feel like that!
The transition for me hasn't been too hard. The hardest part for me has been not being able to eat as much fruit because I usually have a smoothie with apples and pears but I have cut that out now. I am still having a smoothie but filling it with more greens. Going off wheat might be hard for you if you eat a lot of it but to make it easier you can have other grains, I eat a lot of quinoa so I have been using that for lunch most days. You can have spelt sourdough which is delicious so it’s not all bad! I just made spelt & oatmeal muffins and they are delicious!
If you do a google search you will find many lists which are easy to print and stick to your fridge to remind yourself what you can and can't have until you get used to it. The one I used is this FODMAP'S Table.
I would love to hear about your journey with IBS and if you have tried the low FODMAP diet and if it has helped you? Please share in the comments section below :-)
Bee x
Information on IBS & FODMAP's sourced from
http://ibs.about.com/b/2011/03/29/printable-fodmap-diet-chart.htm
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Irritable_bowel_syndrome
Images Sourced From
http://www.hawkesbaytoday.co.nz/news/editorial-tummy-bug-takes-heavy-toll/1782533/
http://thewakeupcallradioshow.com/10292011-stomach-health/
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