Healthy food irritates my gut!

[ISawAMouseThere]

Was diagnosed with IBS in my 20's, but continued to try to find ways of mitigating it. With help from various docs over the years I came to manage ok eating small meals whilst avoiding garlic, all beans, and pulses.
So I still suffer issues but they don't get in the way of my life too much. Well, apart from the endless wind and bloating (yes it has been medically checked).....

Roll on recently, we have been having work done in the kitchen, so with being quite busy alongside that, I became a bit lazy with meals. Just a temp thing so no big deal. After two weeks of eating fairly bland crap, with the occasional takeaway, I have experienced much less gut pain and discomfort (and a ton less wind) than ever before in my bloody life!

I also noticed something similar last year when visiting family across the country. We ate a very bland set of foods during that fortnight and again all of my symptoms backed off.

This is depressing to discover, since on the one hand it isn't that healthy, and on the other, I don't really like it. I have eaten a healthy, balanced diet since childhood, and always felt good in my body. Apart from in the bowel dept, obvs.

Wondering though if this recent discovery suggests I need to make more of a balance between bland and healthy? Is there a way?
The bland foods consisted of toast, peanut butter, ham/cheese on rolls, frites, mash, small bit of salad.
My usual diet contains a lot more veg and I love it
WWYD?

Love would continue to eat the bland food and add in one loved vegetable at a time for a week or two to see how I got on.

Maybe you're OK with carrots, but not cabbage. Sweet potato could be fine, but broccoli is a problem.

Maybe look at FODMAP guidance. It avoids anything which ferments in your gut. I have different issues but have also had to modify what I eat. A dietician told me to avoid stoned fruit, for instance. I had no idea stoned fruit contains fructose and upsets my system. So, although that’s classed as “healthy", I need to avoid it. Watermelon too…

I know what you mean but life feels too short for FODMAP - I have tried it all so many times in the past and came away more confused than when I went in!

I have located issues with beans for sure, but i think the issue is balance - if the larger part of the meal is bland, I can add some veg it seems.
Am considering buying some of those 4 ingredient bread rolls from M&S!

I know plain carbs are not popular on mumsnet! My digestive system disagrees.

Bland food isn’t necessarily unhealthy. If you are thinking that the Mediterranean diet is the only healthy way to live, then you may need to think again. There is a way to live where you are healed and whole.

Have a read here www.fedup.com.au/factsheets/factsheets-by-symptom/irritable-bowel-symptoms-ibs and then look at the website as a whole.

The gold standard elimination diet is the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Allergy Unit elimination diet, It can take weeks to get to a baseline and stay there for the recommended two weeks before adding something new in for discovery so a dietitian is trained as above is best. https://www.slhd.nsw.gov.au/RPA/Allergy/. https://www.fedup.com.au/support/failsafe-dietitians. Many of these do appointments by Skype, I believe.

Look for support here https://www.facebook.com/groups/380347182034474 and here www.facebook.com/groups/128458328536.

@ISawAMouseThere adding that I know where you are coming from. My addiction is salicylates but I get totally hyperactive on them so have to live with a bland diet.

However, I’m old enough now that I can think “I can live this way and live with the consequences” or “I can make the adjustment and live the with the results “. I prefer to live with the productive results but will admit to feeling sad at times.

Similar problem here, OP. I've had 5 years of on and off stomach issues and am now gluten free and dairy free, but symptoms still not entirely gone. I've recently realised that foods high in insoluble fibre cause me bloating and pain - nuts, seeds, fruit & veg skins etc.

I am glad to know I am not alone here, but equally sad for us all!

We have so much awareness of what a healthy diet looks like with all of the the lovely fruits, fibre and veg, and it doesn't always work so well for everyone. I don't like meat all that much so could never go too far in that direction either.

I did notice something once after a horrific bout of norovirus - it seemed to cure my IBS for the next 2 years. Perhaps it was because it reset the damn thing, I don't know. But back then I ate a rather bland diet during recovery for a while after. Potato, carrot, peas, with some chicken, toasties, etc. I had so much more energy and peace.

Thankfully (oh thank the heavens!) I am safe with cheese <3

FODMAP isn’t forever. Try it, it worked brilliantly for me and now I can eat many of things I couldn’t

I’m in the same position. It sucks. I can eat crap white bread, no wholmeal, no seeds etc. fruit I have to really ration, I hardly eat any fruit at now.

Vegetables are ok. Dairy is a no. I miss Greek yogurt.

I had no success with FODMAP at all over the years unfortunately. It isn't the holy grail for many of us. If only!

It is interesting that there is so much advice to eat massive amounts of veg types through the week, it makes me wonder how we survived in earlier times with just home grown seasonal stuff.

I realise IBS sufferers are just unlucky though.

I have IBS.

i go back to bland every time it flares. Not great but it works.

btw alpro now do a Greek style soy yoghurt.

Honestly, the Mediterranean diet has managed one of the best marketing campaigns ever. But it DOESN’T SUIT EVERYONE.

See my link above and have a quick read/look here www.fedup.com.au/introduction/introduction-to-food-intolerance

Have you looked into things like SIBO?

Interestingly, I have pancreatic insufficiency and am meant to be bothered by high fat foods. But I can eat rich foods that are high in fat just fine.

What causes me issues are things like cabbage, cauliflower, kimchi, sometimes salad. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I don’t think it’s at all surprising that you have issues with healthier foods. I would definitely look into SIBO because that would explain a lot about how the gut micro biome after norovirus oddly might have helped.

I'm not on a med diet?

I presume it is high in pulses and beans?

I do love fish and simple veg, but tons of grains gives me the fear. Shame, as lentils are so tasty.

Not much info for sibo via NHS, although after a bit of reading I only have gas and bloating, which isn't what I would call a diagnosis.

Never good to diagnose strangers over the internet though!

I have no issues when eating carbs unless very high fibre. I would love to know if IBS is more common nowadays, or is awareness of it makes it seem that way.

I grew up eating a good diet of meat, carb and veg, even portions and never had issues. As we have all become health focused on eating more and more veggies, the issues have got worse for me.

My mum often tells me that no-one had intolerances when she was growing up.

in the same breath she also tells me that she loves orange but it doesn’t like her and she can’t possibly eat peanuts because they make her ill.

my dairy intolerance however is faddy.

It's quite common for people with bowel conditions @ISawAMouseThere

To me, it sounds like you struggle with fibre, you might want to look at the differences between soluble& insoluble fibre as a way of managing your diet, but I suggest you speak to a dietician for clear guidance.

I have a weird issue with lettuce. I dont have IBS or anything else like that. But 1 in 3 times when I eat lettuce I get extreme diarrhoea after about an hour. I dont get this with any other food and regularly eat high fibre things like beans/Greek salad etc. I'm not sure if its the lettuce or some kind of bacterial contamination on the lettuce.

Have you had a test for coeliac disease?

It inflames the gut so you react to anything with fibre, and to dairy, not just to gluten, but the root cause is gluten.

Its important to know that the test for coeliac doesn't work it you're not eating gluten, so get tested before yochexclude gluten from your diet.

Do you perhaps also have diverticulitis? My friend does and when she’s having a flare up the first thing she does switch to white bread etc for a couple of weeks and her symptoms ease.

www.mkuh.nhs.uk/patient-information-leaflet/dietary-advice-for-diverticular-disease#:~:text=If%20you%20have%20a%20flare%20up%20of%20diverticulitis%20and%20continue,treated%20and%20your%20symptoms%20improve.

One thing worth trying is cutting the veg much smaller. I have IBD/surgery and if I have even a little bit of gut inflammation, food that is hard to "pass" agrevates it and makes it even worse. So peanut butter is good but chunks of peanut are bad, lettuce and pepper strips and onion strips can also get a bit stuck. If diced it makes it a lot easier for my gut.

I think a lot of people with digestive problems find it hard to eat food with a lot of fibre in. Plus which some fruit and veg is a lot easier to digest than others. Maybe if you eat the food that you know suits you for the majority of the time and have just a couple of meals each week where you add in a different ingredient?
I think the point of FODMAP is to pinpoint where your intolerance is - so if you are already aware, for example, that you are fine with wheat and dairy then I wouldn’t think there would be a lot of point in it.

Friend has crohns and when she gets bad, the things she can eat are white bread, pasta, cheese, chicken and ham with veg like carrots. She can’t eat salad or things like peas and beans or peppers.

I don't think your diet is bad at all, considering it gives you peace! It's not as if you're eating tons of UPF at every meal, and sugar galore. I eat quite similarly to you and am fine health wise with no deficiencies in my blood tests and glucose/cholesterol all ok too.

I have diverticulosis which is "dormant" ( just had my five year colonoscopy and they found one little polyp, the diverticular stuff is there, but not causing me any problems). I spoke to the consultant who is obviously not a dietician and his view is carry on and don't worry, enjoy my food and don't tempt fate!

I will confess to using chia and flaxseed (milled - I think that makes a difference digestion wise), but lentils are a no no. I will say that I introduced the milled seeds very very gradually, and I have no issue with them now, but I take them in small doses like a teaspoon of each every morning on the Greek yogurt.

I really feel you! I have UC (so also IBD) and if I want to feel well I have to eat a very personalised version of “healthy”. I also have allergies.

I’ve accepted that the mainstream definition of a healthy diet doesn’t totally apply to me and that’s okay. I’ve seen it in my friend with Crohn’s and my son with ARFID - you’ve got to do what you need to live your life and ignore any other noise or guilt.

I do have to make choices like white over brown bread, spaghetti hoops over baked beans etc. But I just focus on eating lots of the nutritious stuff I can tolerate - fruits and vegetables, dairy, protein etc. I can’t handle insoluble fibre like bran but I can have granola occasionally. I take supplements and exercise and drink lots of water. Overall I’m pretty healthy even if I have a very beige diet when it comes to carbs!

Maybe keep a food diary for a month and note what makes you feel bad and feel good. People are suspicious of this as they think you’ll go “oh well chocolate makes me happy so I’ll just eat that!” But if you’re honest about pain and energy levels, you’ll come out with a good plan!