Tuesday 5 June 2018

Sensitive stomach eating

Hello all and hope life is going well.

As an incidental - anyone who wants to know when I'm posting a new blog post - if you go on the 'desktop version' of this site there should be an box at the bottom of the page where you can get email notifications of any new posts (it's automated, so I don't get your email and no spam or anything).  Also, I'll mention each new post on my CFS instagram 'A daisy through concrete' depending on which method you prefer!

I've been thinking a lot about my food and nutrition this week and though I'd do a post about it as I haven't come across anyone who has mentioned similar issues (though I'd love to hear from you if you have).  Basically I have a very sensitive digestive system, it seems to get very inflamed and as much as I'd love to follow all the 'eat lorryloads of fruit, veg and wholegrains' advice to support my health, my insides can't deal!

So I get left with a dilemma about how to eat in a way which is supportive to my health in terms of providing nutrients without making my insides really angry.  At the risk of tmi - it isn't IBS cos my bowels are fine - it seems to be more a stomach/upper GI issue.

I recently had an appointment with a specialist CFS nutritionist and we're doing more investigations to try to get to the bottom of what is going on.  And of course I've been through all the NHS checks, they are totally baffled.  I do have diagnosed Coeliac Disease so gluten is a total no-go and I haven't had any for years.

What we do know makes it worse:

-Fibre, especially insoluble fibre. So fruit, veg, wholegrains, bread, seeds, dried fruit, nuts etc.
-Fatty foods.
-Large quantities of protein.

Which mostly leaves a bit of lean protein, white rice and dairy.  I do eat little bits of fruit and veg but have to keep it minimal or it leaves me in mega pain.   I take multivitamins to help nutrition and omega 3 too.

'FODMAP' recommended foods (a diet recommended for IBS) also cause me issues so it doesn't seem to be the 'fodmaps' that are causing the problems. By experimenting on myself I found I could manage 'orange veg' pretty well - carrots, squash etc and I just learned on Chris Kresser's website (Paleo diet expert guy) that these particular vegetables are low in 'insoluble' (indigestible) fibre.  He describes eating insoluble fibre as like taking a wire scouring pad to your insides if you have inflammation.  Which is what it feels like frankly!

So the question is - what to do to decrease the inflammation? I've been taking some soothing herbs that the nutritionist has recommended me; she also suggested I do a dairy-free month to see if that helps.  I'm working on increasing my non-dairy calcium intake this week in preparation to try this (tofu and sardines mostly, as I can't do it through green veg!). I'll let you know!

Probiotics and prebiotics are also mentioned a lot as solutions to digestive issues.  Prebiotics are indigestible fibre so not an option for me currently.  I can manage some probiotics (mm, sauerkraut!) but kefir made my insides go insane!!

This topic is very much a work-in-progress for me so I can't offer any 'ultimate insights' currently, but I wanted to share my experience in case it helps anyone else with sensitive insides be able to eat again. I've literally had months where I've scarcely been able to keep anything down (isn't digestion a glamorous topic!!).  Orange veg, rice, lean protein and 'soft' yoghurty-type texture foods are the way!

Wishing you health, love and happiness as always xx

4 comments:

  1. It is really interesting reading your blog to understand a bit more about the sorts of challenges you face day to day. Huge admiration for how you’re coping given the complexity of what you’re up against. Keep your chin up. You will beat this. x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aw thanks Andrew; it does get a bit complex - can I have a second doctorate for all the extra research please 😁 Thanks for your encouragement (and blog reading dedication!)x

      Delete
  2. I'm sorry to hear about the digestive issues you're experiencing. I hope it's going to get better soon. I've had similar experiences but with IBS. I'm curious - are all fruits equally tricky to digest for you? Or are e.g. bananas easier than oranges? All the best xx /Anna

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hiya Anna, sorry I just saw your comment! You’re right, some fruits are easier to digest than others - high fibre fruits like bananas and raspberries are difficult, also acidic fruit like rhubarb and citrus. Soft fruits are easier like apricots and pears for example. Also I had a test recently that showed some nasty bugs in me so hopefully treating that should help!!xx

      Delete