#IBS trigger foods

[sleepystawbie]

Just found out Okra is an IBS trigger. I am suffering.

[familydocblog]

Finding Relief from IBS: Your Guide to Managing Symptoms and Living Better

In this post, I’ll go over what IBS is, what causes those miserable symptoms, plus simple yet effective lifestyle tweaks, treatments and coping strategies to help you minimize symptoms and feel more in control.

If your stomach issues have you doubled over in pain, rushing to the bathroom, or popping antacids daily, you might be one of the 30 million Americans struggling with IBS. Don’t worry – you’re not alone. And most importantly, there are solutions! In this post, I’ll go over what IBS is, what causes those miserable symptoms, plus simple yet effective lifestyle tweaks, treatments and coping…

[sensitiveheartless]

Hullo!! Just wanted to give a belated thank you for all the well wishes, I really appreciate them all :'D I definitely seem to be on the mend! I've been having an...interesting health time this year, but I'm working on it. I've started getting more sleep, at least, which is helping — sleep deprivation makes my digestive issues way, way worse. And also makes it more likely that I'll get sick in general aksjdfksjdf

But yeah, anyway! With luck I will be able to get more things done this week, as long as I can avoid making my body rebel against me again!

[the-skybrary]

Systems with food allergies/sensitivities, where you at?

[castielsprostate]

youch!! not now kitten, daddy is having a tummy ache

[entropy-sea-system]

ARFID and IBS (and other GI issues) culture is feeling like you're "wasting food" by not eating the exact same food that the people around you are, even when you're not throwing it away, and when it would literally harm you to eat it

[britcision]

I know some people very sensibly limit their diets when they have a digestive disease (and I myself will take a cautious lick of anything spicier than black pepper to test it) but…

It might just be the irregularity (probably caused by having two fucking different digestive diseases)

It might be my Big Dumb Bitch disease (secret sixth undiagnosed disability)

But I have definitely become a lot more kamikaze about my food

My guts are going to be bad ANYWAY because they just are at random, so I might as well eat this chilli that’s been sitting out

Oops I left the cheese out of the fridge? I’ll take a bite and put it back in and if I die before tomorrow it can be thrown out

I’m a slow fucking eater anyway but my food safety awareness has dwindled to nothing in the face of the certainty that I’m Going To Be In Pain Anyway Give Me The Spicy

Nobody tell my gastro though he thinks I’m a good and well behaved patient because I tell him lies of omission and read the research he gives me

(He then uses this belief to fight my corner if my GP or other specialists think I’m a bad and naughty patient exaggerating my symptoms cuz he is a fucking angel and I love him I’m just out of fucks to give)

(This was INVALUABLE against my last GP who never forgave me for playing gameboy in his office when I was fucking 12 and called other patients liars to try and persuade me I was lying too)

[heartshattering]

I know my craving for Lay's potato chips is the devil whispering to me but ughhh I still want them

[wutheringmights]

.

[prisonpodcast]

Yk I was thinking I have IBS but what if it’s just all the constant drummy aches

[gorilla-grip-knussy]

I have consumed garlic bread. Let's see how my stomach takes it.

[ratsonas]

literally i dont even care about the ibs at this point i know how to manage it i just want the reflux and the anxiety to get better

[chronically-izzzzle]

Relatable, especially with BAM :S

[unicorns-sparkles-and-rage]

im rioting my mom thinks i may have ibs-m (which makes sense but i hate it, its basically both ibs-c (constipation) and ibs-d (diarrhea) at different times depending on what my body is doing lmao) and she wants me to do a food diary for triggers which i always forget to do (i've been told to do it for migraines too but i always forget to log shit and i also can never tell what is correlating with what) but the milk of magnesia i took earlier did not help and i'm all bloated and feel gross so time to take more when i get home

[crankymachine]

Fish fillets, cauliflower noodle macNcheese, "salad" of grated carrot and single bit of lettuce leaf, veggie egg roll (I lost the argument that it counts as a cooked veg. Today has been too exhausting. I put that battle down.)

I added a second egg roll, white wine + dijon mustard dressing, and some spring rolls sauce with hot mustard. Baby steps are still steps.

[rorleuaisen]

So, I’m one of those people. Ibs. Bread hurts. Gluten is fine. And I absolutely cannot have any wheat based store goods, besides saltines and pasta. I also can’t do gluten free goods, because I have a rice intolerance. It’s fun.

But also, I talk to people and they share their food issues with me. So I hear interesting things. Like someone who can eat a specific brand of flour, but can’t tolerate even the wheat things I can eat(like pasta). Or how some people with wheat issues can’t eat butter sourced in the usa, but irish butter is safe for them. And I get to share my weird little things, like how little bit of butter or milk hurt my gut, but I can have mozzarella cheese everyday without issues.

Bodies are fascinatingly complex, and food and digestion are a lot less understood than I would like. And I hate fad diets. But I can also appreciate how it can make people try something different and maybe it’s better for them.

And I don’t think people understand the impact food can have on your body. I’ve had to whittle my diet down bare bones to get to a pain free state. I’m on a 100% pain free diet, and as a side effect, whenever I add a food back into my diet, I can feel the changes in my body. Food can give me depression, overload, massive cravings, pain, fatigue, bloating, bowel issues, body odor, migraines, and brain fog. I don’t say what foods give me what, because these are my food triggers. My food intolerances. But I never noticed any of this before. And it has been… enlightening.

That said, diet with caution. Listen to your body. Fad diets can seriously harm you. Restricting food can harm you. If you choose to diet, do it is a learning experience to see if you can learn new things about food and your body. Fuck “super foods”. Fuck “empty calories”. Listen to yourself, and experiment with food safely.

Here are some things that are true: if you don’t have gluten intolerance, gluten is not going to hurt you. Gluten does not cause autism or ADHD or whatever.

Here are some other things that are true: Up to 20% of people will suffer from IBS during their lives. IBS is more common in people with autism and other mental disorders. IBS symptoms are uncomfortable and having them all the time can distract you and push you towards a meltdown. Bread is a common IBS trigger.

I’m going to ramble, so here is the important advice: if bread upsets your stomach try switching to sourdough (check the ingredients – if it contains vinegar or acid it’s not real sourdough) and make an appointment with a dietitian (not a nutritionist. Dietitians have training. Nutritionists have opinions).

Now let’s pretend you don’t know the above facts. You just know that dealing with meltdowns is hard. One day a friend tells you that cutting gluten helped them and you’re desperate for anything so you try it. You feel better. You have less meltdowns. You make an appointment with your doctor to tell them about this. The doctor runs a test and tells you you aren’t gluten intolerant. The doctor doesn’t ask any more questions. Maybe you try reintroducing bread back into your diet and your symptoms come back. Do you conclude that your doctor knows what he’s talking about? Or do you conclude that gluten is bad for you despite your apparent lack of gluten intolerance – maybe it’s just a poison! Maybe no one should be eating it!

I don’t have a point. Rather, I have several points.

The first and most important point is to get yourself checked for FODMAP sensitivities. Wheat is not the only FODMAP and if you tweak your diet a little you can have a much better time. 

The second point is that if someone tells you something stupid try to meet them with compassion. It might not be true that they have a secret gluten issue that the doctors are lying about, but it might be true that bread upsets their stomach and makes them miserable and they are telling you about this with the best language they have. It might be true that everyone else is either dismissing their problems or telling them that gluten is a poison, and by giving them a more even view (it probably isn’t gluten but did you know that wheat has other components?) you are opening up the world to them! This will be a lot more persuasive to them about the gluten thing than just telling them they’re wrong will be. 

The third point is that even if someone is wrong about why something helps they might have a point about it helping. Homeopathic hospitals had better survival rates in the 1800s because the doctors washed their hands. Buying gluten-free bread can help your autistic meltdowns by not triggering the IBS you don’t know you have. Asking why someone thinks something will get you a lot farther than just telling them they’re wrong. Curiosity is an awesome tool. Use it!

Shit’s complicated. We’re all just doing our best.