leahcarn Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 Background information: On day 26 of a low FODMAP whole45 aiming to sort out digestive issues (IBS-D). I was mostly ok on paleo, but thought I would go low fodmap for 30 days to see if that made a difference. Since I started whole30 it's been worse, so I decided to go for 45 instead to give my gut time to heal. I also have some sort of flu thing today, so I'm not sure if my current digestive issues are due to that, but it is discouraging anyway. I'm also craving banana with cashew butter. I'm taking the fact I'm craving it as a sign I shouldn't have it lol, although I did read somewhere that cashews are helpful for depression, so I'm not sure if it's that or a sugar craving???? I just really feel like throwing in the towel. I've done more research on FODMAPs on the internet and it seems some thing I thought were low, there is debate about, like yams and sweet potato. I'm worried I've done this all wrong, and wondering if I should just try and find a good doctor to help me through it (I was hoping to get the elimination diet to determine what foods I was having issues with out of the way before I saw the doctor, just for financial reasons). 19 days to go (hopefully). One blog I saw said to go fo at least 5 symptomless days before reintroducing anything, so I'll wait and see Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melbournegirl Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 Not everyone reacts to all fodmaps or in the same way so its trial and error. I haven't heard of sweet potatoes classed as fodmaps. They are starchy though and many people have problems with starch. I was highly fodmap intolerant but best thing I ever did was give up all grains not just gluten and fodmap grains. Brazil nuts are the best for depression and cancer... Selenium. Cutting out fodmaps will change your gut flora substantially and it might take 45 days to adjust. I have just cut out fruit for the first time ever and had 5 days of diarrhoea... I think that was from my gut flora adjusting as I had been whole30ing for the ten days right before. Not everyone gets to symptomless but you should try to get to a stable baseline before testing foods. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leahcarn Posted August 28, 2014 Author Share Posted August 28, 2014 Thanks melbournegirl. When you experimented with fodmaps, did you cut out just the things that obviously irritated you, or cut out everything and then test by reintroduction? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leahcarn Posted August 31, 2014 Author Share Posted August 31, 2014 Really? No other advice/mods weighing in here? Why is this so hard?!?!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 I hear crickets. Lactose from dairy products, fructose from certain fruit, coconut products, and sweeteners, fructans from fibrous vegetables, and polyols from fruit and sugar alcohols are all rich in FODMAPs and can be difficult to digest for people with functional gut disorders. These foods can cause serious and painful symptoms in those with IBS and Crohn’s disease. I had to look it up. There are so many gut disorders. Sound like you know quite abit about it. Deb knows about this...have you been to a doctor? ...emotional and physical stress are also known to be contributing factors to the development of IBS, and could induce FODMAP intolerance for reasons not yet fully understood. (9) In these cases, disturbance of gut microbiota is a likely causative factor; as we know, stress alters the gut flora significantly and could be the reason why stress, FODMAP intolerance, and IBS are so closely linked. How can you treat FODMAP intolerance? First, addressing intestinal bacterial overgrowth or imbalance is key; even if you don’t have IBS, gut dysbiosis can lead to poor digestive function as well as contributing to FODMAP intolerance. There are a few gut-healing protocols available today, such as the GAPS Diet or the Specific Carbohydrate Diet; my personal approach is similar to an autoimmune Paleo diet. I often recommend probiotics to my patients to help balance out their gut flora, and occasionally recommend antimicrobial treatments depending on the severity of the individual gut infection. Managing gut flora is a highly individual process, so it’s important to pay attention to your own symptoms when coming up with a treatment plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 "That’s an AWFULLY broad statement to make, Crypto, that IBS is always caused by infection. I have been to so many specialists (GI, internal medicine, immunology, holistic nutrition, TCM…) over the past 6 years to try and discover why I can’t eat ANYTHING, despite the fact that all of my tests come back perfectly normal. I have been tested for parasites, infection, Crohn’s, Celiac, allergies, you name it, all to no avail. The only thing that has even remotely helped has been eliminating FODMAPs from my diet. FODMAP intolerance is no different from lactose intolerance, do you deny its existence as well? The truth is we don’t know very much about the intricacies of how the gut works. One thing we DO know is that the many systems of the body do not operate in isolation, they are all inter-connected. Symptoms presenting in the gut may have root causes in other body systems – psychological, immunological, endocrinological, etc" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Woah, this is a strong reply. I have been using the FODMAP approach for 1.5 years and it has made an enormous difference to my life. So long as I stick to the foods ‘allowed’ I have no symptoms. If I stray off the FODMAP list the symptoms reappear. It has been well tested by a University in Australia and adopted by the UK NHS and I believe has a 75% success rate….. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 I once put veggies/fruits/greens in a vitamix and consumed this variety which I now realize contained very high amounts of high histamine/fodmap/salicylate foods and I went into anaphylaxis. It was one of the most horrible experiences I have ever had. All the veggies/fruits/greens were organic and they nearly killed me. I would think juicing would concentrate such things and not be good. It surely does for me but the vitamix concentrate was the worst ever for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 I have been following the FODMAP diet since October and it significantly reduced my IBS symptoms. Since the studies are new here and FODMAPS are in most everything, it has been hard for me, but I felt so much better and was eliminating much less frequently. However, I was still having some issues on ocassion (bloating, constipation) and two weeks ago I started taking digestive enzymes, Betaine HCL and also a combo pill of bromelain, papain, pancreatin, pepsin, amylase, lactase, lipase, ox bile powder, ginger root, turmeric. I feel so much better now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 It’s “Simple Digestive Formula” from Whole Foods. There is also a brand available online from NOW called Super Enzymes that works well if WF isn’t near you, but it does include 200 mg of HCL as well. The great thing is it’s not really expensive (I think it was $6.99 for 100 tablets). I’m still eating pretty low FODMAP but since I started the supplements I’ve been able to be more flexible and eat some of the things I’d cut out in small amounts with no reaction. Good Luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 I too found veggies to be problematic. Which was a bummer because I’d always loved veggies, ate a lot of them and had a large veggie garden. Limiting my veggie intake to those that are Fodmap friendly, using a good digestive enzyme (Digest Gold), eating them well cooked or juiced has been very helpful. This year I planted a lot of herbs in my garden. Now I have been eating fewer veggies but more herbs and was surprised that, even though most of my digestive problems are gone, eating more herbs has made me feel even better. Then I read Chris’s recent post on wild veggies and the benefit of bitter and then it made more sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 If you are like me – same symptoms – it is not gone, it is just blissfully dormant. As soon as you go off the diet, it will be back with a vengeance. I’ve tried re-adding GERD triggers b/c the diet says you can have them with almost no success (tiny amounts of vinegar seem okay but wine, garlic (so bad), etc. just do not work for me at all). That said, if I stick with the diet and avoid those triggers I feel pretty normal. When I go off (or mistakenly eat something that bugs me) I feel crappy for a good 48 hours. While it’s better to not go off, at least now I can ‘plan’ if I want to go off (special dinner) and not have a mishap before I have to do something where I need my body to be in good shape. Helpful. I’m still on some H2 blockers, cannot get off without horrible flares but I was able to reduce my medication with this diet which is a score (no more PPIs for example). I’m hopeful eventually to get off the medicine but understand it just may not be in the cards for me. Any sort of carbs including fruits and veg seem to stop my motility entirely. We’ll see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 I consider avocados to be “grey area”; some will tolerate, others won’t. Keep in mind that the range and scope of FODMAP intolerance is highly variable. Some patients are particularly sensitive to garlic and onions, for example, but have no trouble with stone fruit. It’s best to eliminate all FODMAPs and then reintroduce each class to see which you are sensitive to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Avocado contains POLYOLs and is indeed considered a grey area food. Research suggests a quarter of an avocado per meal is ok, so long as rest of FODMAP load is minimal. COCONUT has long been taken off the list of problem FODMAP foods as it only contains small amounts of sorbitol. Many people with IBS react to excess fats though too, or may also react to the GUMs added to most commercially available coconut milks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 My IBS cleared up entirely with just intensive probiotic therapy and a somewhat cleaned up diet. I had had severe IBS for over 2 decades and now have not had it for about 6 years. I did continue having other significant health problems though even after my IBS completely cleared up…which leads me to think that others might be like that too. The return of good bowel movements alone does not guarantee the return of good health. Later I found that for further and deeper healing I did need to do a GAPS like diet…which I’ve modified but and I’m pretty much paleo now….the journey continues… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Welp. I hope there's something you can glean out of these for yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb. Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Background information: On day 26 of a low FODMAP whole45 aiming to sort out digestive issues (IBS-D). I was mostly ok on paleo, but thought I would go low fodmap for 30 days to see if that made a difference. Since I started whole30 it's been worse, so I decided to go for 45 instead to give my gut time to heal. I also have some sort of flu thing today, so I'm not sure if my current digestive issues are due to that, but it is discouraging anyway. I'm also craving banana with cashew butter. I'm taking the fact I'm craving it as a sign I shouldn't have it lol, although I did read somewhere that cashews are helpful for depression, so I'm not sure if it's that or a sugar craving???? I just really feel like throwing in the towel. I've done more research on FODMAPs on the internet and it seems some thing I thought were low, there is debate about, like yams and sweet potato. I'm worried I've done this all wrong, and wondering if I should just try and find a good doctor to help me through it (I was hoping to get the elimination diet to determine what foods I was having issues with out of the way before I saw the doctor, just for financial reasons). 19 days to go (hopefully). One blog I saw said to go fo at least 5 symptomless days before reintroducing anything, so I'll wait and see Leah I can feel you struggling to navigate your way through the ocean of info online and it is confusing and hard. I strongly recommend that you find a good nutritionist/dietician who understands IBS/auto immune and start to work with them. It is really hard to do it yourself by trial and error and I don't blame you for being frustrated. Where in NZ are you? I am a Kiwi living in the US. Don't give into your cravings! Are you doing AIP? If not, that is the way to go, not a regular W30. (the auto immune protocol, see: http://www.thepaleomom.com/autoimmunity/the-autoimmune-protocol) Have you been tested for Celiac? You need to be eating gluten when you take that test so hopefully you have. What about Crohns? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melbournegirl Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Thanks melbournegirl. When you experimented with fodmaps, did you cut out just the things that obviously irritated you, or cut out everything and then test by reintroduction? I did a full exclusion as a precursor to a clinal trial testing non coeliac gluten intolerance. I was always intolerant to onion, garlic, wheat and rye (fructans), nice to know why finally so I didn't test these again. Same for cabbage and legumes. I reacted to peas, cauliflower, beetroot, avocado and mushrooms. Except for peas, I find I can tolerate these others in reasonable amounts if I don't eat them too often. I avoid artificial sweeteners like the plague. I react to watermelon and some fruits but eat them any way in summer and just put up with the bloating. Since cutting out grains and dairy my tolerance is better. I think there is an immune health and gut flora health influence on fodmap intolerance ie if your gut is healthy you are less likely to be fodmap intolerant or your intolerance improves as your gut health improves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praxisproject Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Have you been keeping a food log? Have you been feeling worse since going low FODMAP or worse since Whole30? Are you sure FODMAPs are the problem? There's lots of things that cause digestive problems: nightshades, latex, histamine, cruciferous, raw, pesticides, lack of enzymes, nutrient deficiency, MTHFR genes, etc. How do you feel? Bloated? Bananas and cashew butter might just be cravings for starch and fat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leahcarn Posted August 31, 2014 Author Share Posted August 31, 2014 Thanks for the feedback. I haven't been tested for celiac yet but its one of the things I will be insisting on. I have been tested as having normal immune function, would that rule out celiac of crohns? I haven't been keeping a food log, because that turned into an unhealthy mental habit so I removed it for whole30, planning to start it again for reintroductions. I have been eating paleo previously, and that made me feel a lot better than I had previously (turns out both dairy and gluten are a problem), but I still had a few random lingering issues. This whole30 I have changed my diet by cutting out the very minimal amount of cheese I was having (it hates me, but I love it), cutting out all fodmaps (I thought!), and not eating snacks or after-dinner sweet snacks. I didn't know if it was FODMAPs, but I cant eat apples, some pears, onions, or too much avocado, so they seemed to be the logical choice to check first. My symptoms are bloating, stomach cramps, gas and loose stool, depending how much of a particular item I have been eating, but since starting this whole30 I haven't been able to pin the symptoms down to any particular food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melbournegirl Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Intolerances usually arise due to leaky gut and poor gut flora anyway. I suggest focusing on healing your gut with probiotics and bone broth, it certainly won't hurt. Any changes in diet especially for sensitive stomachs trigger symptoms, perhaps enzymes will help too. I just cut out fruit and it took my stomach 5 days to adjust...(loose stools) Who would have thought? I tried two meals a day a few months ago and that caused the opposite effect.... It's not always predictable how our guts reacted when impaired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leahcarn Posted September 1, 2014 Author Share Posted September 1, 2014 Thanks Melbournegirl, I do appreciate it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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