A lot of my friends have been diagnosed with IBS. They don’t always share whether it is the one with diarrhea or constipation. But, they know that I understand what they are going through and have come to me for advice on how to eat.
The first thing that runs through my mind is….if you have IBS, the probability that you have another immunity issue is pretty high. (At least I think so.)
I am not a doctor or dietician. I can only share what has helped me and maybe it will help others.
Honestly, I never even considered that my digestive issues were IBS until the gastroenterologist told me to switch to a Low FODMAP diet. When I did the research, (Key word- RESEARCH) I then discovered that this recommendation is for those with IBS. I knew I had GERD and Esophageal Dysphasia. Never even occurred to think that the morning gas, pain and trots were IBS. When I started cross referencing my medications with my symptoms and other websites (Sjogrens, Lupus and EverydayHealth) it became clear that I suffer from this. It is not uncommon to have several other auto immune issues when you have one. One chart that I found in researching Sjogren’s shows that you will have on the average of five other health conditions. Those in the top ranking to go along with Sjogren’s are GERD, Raynaud’s, sinusitis, Hypertension and IBS. I got a different combo platter than those specifically. I did get the GERD and IBS. Thankfully, I have not experienced the others.
I usually refer them to Whole 30 and Everydayhealth websites. Both are great. I love Everydayhealth because it sends you relevant emails according to what you subscribe for. I get the RA updates. Everydayhealth recently had an article on eating vegan and its benefits for RA. Whole 30 has great resource shopping lists that you can use to help hone your dietary needs.
I started my food restrictions by removing all gluten, wheat, rye, barley and then all grains. I then moved to trying plant based. That did not work out since I am sensitive to soy. One of my biggest helps was the research Lupus and Sjogrens foundations have done and published.
I was gifted “Healing Arthritis” by Susan Blum, M.D., M.P.H. Great book. It helped me refine my food selection and vitamin supplements even more. That led me more to a Paleo type of diet bordering on Keto.
It has been in the last year that the gastroenterologist suggested a Low FODMAP diet. I once again turned to Whole 30 to get a good list of suggested foods. What is FODMAP? Well, I had to look it up. Bottom line, don’t eat anything that can cause gas or ferment in your stomach.
What happened then? Well, I crossed off all my food allergies, then all the night shades and then the red lined (avoidance foods) from that list. There wasn’t much left. I progressed down to 2 main meals and snack. Eating a high protein breakfast, high protein lunch and a snack for dinner. Dr. said to eat light and have all food finished 3 hours before bedtime, so small dinner or snack for my evening meal worked great.
Then IT happened…..What would that be? I started noticing my clothes were getting larger. I panicked and contacted my endocrinologist and the gastroenterologist. One was concerned, the other not. I was told that between my medications being managed effectively and changing my food selection, my body was finding a new balance. (WOO HOO!)
I will be honest. I didn’t do the changes to lose weight. I did them to get rid of the pain. (The shoulder pain, hip pain, all over body pain, stomach pain, colon pain, back pain and any other pain.) Going down another dress size is wonderful.
Please, please, please work with your doctor on your food selections for your conditions. You will need to make sure that with vitamin supplements you will have a balance. Blood work needs to be monitored carefully to make sure that there are no deficits. (I suffer from several deficits that require mandatory vitamin supplementation.)
Here is a fun treat….Chef Fran cooking my version of a safe dinner. Enjoy.
God will guide on this journey, if you let Him.