Serious GI distress post Whole 30

[JL74]

Hi, this is a little embarrassing but I'm stumped and looking for help.

I completed Whole30 in June and ever since coming off it my GI system is totally off. It seems like everything I eat causes horrible bloating and gas. I understand this is likely my body's a reaction to eating "bad" foods again, but what I don't understand is why these foods have this effect on me now, when they didn't before? Any insight is greatly appreciated.

PS I will admit I did not reintroduce properly, which is why I will be repeating the program in August...but the idea of not being able to enjoy foods I really enjoyed before (like pizza) makes me wonder if I should actually do it.

[ladyshanny]

The Whole30 program and healing your gut didn't cause you to not be able to eat pizza without digestive distress. Allowing your gut to heal and then reintroducing something like pizza simply shone the light on what was probably already a problem for you.  The problem here is two-fold, as I see it.

 

First, when you are regularly eating things that bother your gut (like grains/gluten, dairy, soy), your gut forms a thick mucosal lining to help protect itself.  When you stop eating those foods for, say...30 days...that lining is no longer required and so it sloughs off.  Then, when you put an irritating food back in, there is less protection there and you will feel the results far more significantly.

 

Second, when we eat irritating foods for long enough we become used to the general malaise, poor digestion, poor energy, fluctuating moods that they may cause and this becomes our "normal".  Then, again, we eliminate them for a month and feel fantastic.  We might not even realize how fantastic we feel until such time as we start to feel crappy again.  One of our moderators describes it this way: I poke you in the arm for months.  Years maybe.  In the same spot, over and over and eventually, although it doesn't feel great, you form a callus and the discomfort is just the way it is.  Then, for 30 days, I stop.  Your callus sloughs off because it's no longer needed and you don't feel that constant discomfort.  Only, around day 35 or so, I start the poking again.  Same spot. And it HURTS!

 

My recommendation is that you do the program in August.  Then do proper, well laid out, specific reintroductions. If pizza is something you miss, reintroduce cheese and see how you do. Then reintroduce gluten grains and see how you do. Then reintroduce non-gluten grains and see how you do. Maybe you might be fine with non gluten grains so you could do gluten or grain free pizza crusts. If dairy is the problem, try reintroducing different kinds; goat for example. Maybe you could do a pizza with a nice goat cheese?  Not knowing what bothers you and how is going to be frustrating because it may feel like you "can't eat anything!".  Narrow it down, do the trials, work out what exactly happens.

[Noob1234]

Pizza got me too!!! I thought I was going to enjoy a slice of pizza at a work party but ended up throwing up about 3 hours later.  I posted the same question yesterday in another part of the forum.  But yeah, we're gonna have to re-heal and figure out why it killed our stomachs with an official reintroduction schedule.  

[LucieB]

It's also likely that during the course of the Whole30 you changed your gut microbial population to one that doesn't digest these foods as well, hence the bloating and gas. 

[JL74]

Thank you for your responses. I figured it probably had something to do with my body just "tolerating" bad food for years and now it is protesting because it doesn't want those foods anymore. Today I ate Whole30 again and it truly blows my mind that my body WANTS to eat healthy (like craves Whole30 foods like eggs and avacadoes for breakfast (I was a huge carb person at breakfast). I did order some NOW digestive enzymes when searching for a solution - any experience/advice with these? A friend also mentioned a tablespoon of Bragg's organic apple cider vinegar in my juice in the AM with some fresh grated ginger may help rebalance my gut bacteria that is out of whack due to poor food choices. Any experience with with of these supplements?

[LucieB]

I add ACV to my water bottle everyday, it tastes good. Whether or not it helps with my gut bacteria, don't know.

But think- is your gut bacteria "out of whack"? After 30 days of clean eating and other positive healthy food cravings... I'd say your current gut bug population is "in whack" (?) and what you had before whole 30 is the "out" population. Right?

I'm not sure there's anything to fix, is what I mean.

[ladyshanny]

I agree with LucieB.  Drink the ACV if you want, it has great properties and won't hurt you. But your gut bug population has nothing to do with a tbsp of ACV every day and everything to do with what you are eating on a regular basis. Eating two pieces of pizza after a successful Whole30 absolutely will not alter your gut bacteria.  The bugs in there doing their job though, did not like having to deal with something alien like pizza and they revolted.  There's nothing wrong with them.

[JL74]

Thanks again for the replies and insight. Everything y'all have said makes perfect sense. Looking forward to doing a purposeful reintroduction at the end of August and learning what my triggers are.