Is this helping?

Changing your diet in a major way takes a lot of getting used to is actually an understatement. For the past two weeks I have been surviving on too much fruit and salad with oil and vinegar. I think that it is time to start trying to figure out foods that will be a pleasure to eat instead of a chore. While I work a lot and don't have a lot of time generally, my goal is to make a couple of nice recipes that use no high FODMAP foods. 

There are a lot of places who have recipes that they say are FODMAP friendly, but the fact is that because this is so new, there are a lot of foods that haven't been tested yet or where on the list as okay but now aren't or are in question. Coconut is one of them. Some say that some coconut products are okay, but others say no coconut at all. Since I am currently in the elimination phase so I am playing it safe, although I have been eating regular bread on occasion. A little seems to be okay although I really shouldn't at all.

The past two weeks have been rough. Just two days ago I was in excruciating pain for two days for no apparent reason. I had been following the plan really well, but just can't shake the pain. I have learned that I need to eat pretty much all day. Not a lot of course, but sitting down to one big meal taxes my intestines a lot, and then with the nausea there is stress and it all goes down hill from there.

I am also working on ways of not letting myself get too stressed. Stress is a big factor in how bad the pain gets for me, and unfortunately, I am very sensitive and get stressed pretty easily unless I am at work for some reason. I don't know about anyone else, but the stress cycle is a killer for me. 

So, my normal meals for the past couple of weeks have been: a handful of cheerios in lactose free milk, a fruit salad with allowed fruits throughout the morning, although I have been adding a little protein from the cafeteria at work as they have scrambled eggs and turkey bacon that I can have without toast or cheese or anything. Then for lunch I make myself a salad with some boiled egg and vinegar and oil and for dinner we have been eating plainly, some meat, vegetable and potato or rice. Rice doesn't seem to like me much, so I only eat a little of it. This menu is getting old.  

Another thing that is really important is keeping a food and pain diary. I just write down what I ate, but not quantities, that is too picky for even me, and my pain and nausea level. If my pain or nausea is below a 1 on a 1 to 10 scale I don't bother recording it. If I don't see it, I know that the pain was negligible. I had an almost pain free day! Very exciting.

Tomorrow is errand day, so I am off to look for recipes to convert. As I come up with tasty results I will post them, I may even post pictures to make things a little less boring! Thank goodness for cell phone cameras!   

First Week on FODMAPs

A week ago I started a food program low in FODMAPs to help ease my severe IBS symptoms.  My IBS has gotten to the point where I was completely incapacitated with the pain and nothing was helping. We couldn't figure out what was setting it off either, other than stress. The IBS would kick in with little rhyme or reason. Even reading labels trying to find a common denominator amongst the ingredients would not help to suss out an answer to this dilemma. 

After searching for the umpteenth time for answers regarding IBS that I hadn't tried already, I saw an obscure remark about FODMAPs and how those particular sugars could be causing the symptoms to be so bad. Some foods containing FODMAPs can build up in the system, so there is no way to associate the symptoms with a particular food. This program is being studied and developed in Australia, so the food lists are far from complete, but there seemed to be a lot of good press on it from there. The theory has apparently not stretched as far as America yet, particularly among the majority of dieticians and as always, our doctors are clueless about nutrition in general. (don't get me started)

FODMAPs are these sugars: Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols. It is believed that these sugars are difficult (or impossible) to completely digest which makes the gut work harder and can contribute to IBS pain.

For those who do not know, IBS stands for: Irritable Bowel Syndrome. This is basically a catch all for any digestive problem that the doctors can't find an observable reason for. After ruling out Crohn's, ulcers or other intestinal issues, this is what you get stuck with. The unfortunate part is that most people do not realize how bad IBS can be. I, personally, have been immobile with pain from IBS, and as I age it just keeps getting worse. Please understand that I am not wussy about pain normally. My second child was a c-section and while I was on the table, the epidural stopped working. I handled it until I was being put back together, at which point my husband saw my face and realized what was going on. I didn't yell or scream, I don't even remember it with too much horror (except when a conscious head surgery was suggested to me, that didn't sit well). Pain is something I have lived with my whole life, so when I say this pain is excruciating, I am not talking about a stubbed toe.

IBS usually comes with either constipation or diarrhea or, as in my case, both. Sometimes in the same day. We believe that it is responsible for my extreme nausea and even the 100 pound weightloss (in six months) that happened a year ago. If you have these types of symptoms SEE A DOCTOR! Do NOT self diagnose whatever you do. There are many really awful problems that could be going on that could kill you. As bad as IBS pain gets, it won't kill you. If you find that it is IBS (or more accurately, not something else that can be seen and understood), then look into this as a possible solution.

This first week was very rough. The list includes items that are in things all the time. Trying to find a snack that doesn't have onions or garlic in it for flavors is not an easy task. Wheat is in everything, fructose and HFC is in everything. This is a lifestyle change, at least during the elimination phase. Try to not let it stress you out too much, because that just makes it worse.

There are many different lists out there. Some say a few slices of beets are fine, while others warn to stay away from them completely. I am of the opinion that if the item in being questioned, then it is not allowed for now. It can always be reintroduced at a later time, once your system has cleared out a bit. People with IBS are not necessarily affected by everything on the FODMAP list, but some of these foods do build up in your body. Eating a slice of bread today may not hurt, but if you heat wheat products all day for a couple of days, then it could cause issues. Since you ate it for a few days with no problems, it would be unlikely to associate the reaction with the product, hence, the elimination portion of the program.

I have started a job which keeps me out of the house and away from the internet for the most part, so this page can not be updated daily, but I will be popping on to discuss my progress and tips on trying to live with this plan as I learn. Below is the list that I am using. There are items to avoid, plus a list of things that are fine to eat. This is important I think because the avoid list can look daunting and impossible, so having whole foods that are always fine is a good thing to have. Since the testing of these foods is happening in Australia it may be a long time before the brands of foods available to us are made available, so until then, we are stuck examining all of the labels the best we can.

Another thing to remember is that very trace amounts of the avoid are unlikely to cause problems. Soy sauce (a fermented soy is allowed) has a trace of wheat. As long as you are not celiac, this is not a problem. It was advised on all of the sites that I have found to avoid all onion and garlic, no matter what or what form. Garlic can be sauteed in oil, the solids removed, and the oil used for flavoring, but that is it. 

Okay, here is the list:

ELIMINATING FODMAPs

AVOID:

FRUITS:		VEGETABLES:
Fructose: Blackberries Apple Mango Nashi fruit Pear Persimmon Rambutan Watermelon Grapes Dried Fruit		Excess Fructose Sugar snap peas
Fructan: Persimmon Rambutan Watermelon		Excess Fructan vegetables: Artichokes (Globe & Jerusalem) Asparagus Beet Brussel Sprouts Cabbage Chicory Dandelion leaves Fennel Garlic	Leek Legumes Okra Onion (brown, white, & Spanish) Peas Radicchio lettuce Shallot Spring onion (white section).
Polyol: Apple Apricot Avocado Blackberries Cherries Longon Lychee Nashi Fruit	Nectarine Peach Pear Plum Prune Watermelon	Excess Polyol vegetables: Avocado Cauliflower Mushrooms Snow peas
PROBLEM WHEAT & Rye products: Bread (white, wholemeal, multigrain, sourdough, pita, & many rye) Pasta & noodles (regular, two minute, spelt, egg noodles, hokkien & udon) Breakfast cereals (containing wheat, excess dried fruit &/or fruit juice). Sweet and Savory biscuits (wheat based) Cakes & baked goods (wheat based) Pastry & breadcrumbs (wheat flour made) Others (semolina, couscous, bulger) OTHER FODMAPs FOODS (containing, FRUCTOSE &/or Fructans) to AVOID: Honey Corn syrups Corn syrup solids Fruisana Chickory Dandelion tea Inulin Artificial sweeteners (see GOS) Sugar free or low carb sweets, mints, gums, & dairy desserts. Baked beans, lentils, & chick peas		Special notes on vegetables: Onion is one of the greatest contributors to IBS. Strict avoidance is recommended. Avoid: • Onion (brown, white & Spanish), Onion powder, White section of spring onion. • Leeks,  Shallots, Garlic. There is undeclared onion hidden in many processed foods including, chicken salt, vegetable salt, vegetable powder, dehydrated vegetables, stocks, gravies, soups, marinades, & sauces **edit** I forgot! No dairy! Supposedly you can have lactose free dairy which I am told means all hard cheeses are fine, as well as brie for some reason. All other products need a lactose free label, even yogurt it seems. That makes sense as I had a very poor reaction to some greek yogurt once.

SUITABLE

FRUITS: Banana Blueberries Boysenberry Cantaloupe Star fruit Cranberry Durian Grapefruit Honeydew melon Kiwi Lemon Lime Mandarin Orange Passion fruit	Paw paw Pineapple Raspberry Rhubarb Strawberry Tangelo dragon fruit grapes papaya pineapple prickly pear rambutan	Special notes on fruit: Limit intake of suitable fruits to one serve per meal. e.g. One whole banana or orange. Third to half a glass of suitable juice. Small handful of berries or grapes. Small amount of suitable dried fruit (e.g. 10 sultanas).
VEGETABLES Alfalfa Bamboo shoots Bean shoots Beans (green) Bok choy Capsicum Carrot Celery Chives Choy sum Cucumber Endive Ginger Lettuce (may be ok or not) Marrow	Olives Parsnip Parsley Potato Pumpkin Silverbeet Spring onion (green section) Spinach Squash (this may be troublesome for some) Sweet potato Taro Tomato Turnip Yam Zucchini (this may be troublesome for some)	AROMATIC SUBSTITUTIONS: Chives Green part of spring onion Asafoetida powder (* contains gluten). Fresh & dried ginger, coriander, basil, lemongrass, chili, mint, parsley, marjoram, oregano, thyme, rosemary & others.
GRAINS: Rice Potato Amaranth Tapioca Quinoa Millet Sorgum Buckwheat Arrowroot Sago Cornmeal Popcorn Corn meal		WHEAT PRODUCTS: (alternatives) Gluten free bread, 100% spelt bread, wheat free rye. Gluten free pasta, rice noodles, wheat free buckwheat noodles. Porridge, wheat free muesli, rice bubbles, corn flakes, & gluten free cereals. Corn thins, rice cakes & crackers, gluten free crackers, ryvitas, & rye cruskits. Gluten free cakes, flourless cakes. Gluten free biscuits. Gluten free pastry mixes, & bread crumbs, polenta, cornflake crumbs. Buckwheat, polenta, millet, sorghum, sago, tapioca, rice, & corn flours.
Golden syrup Treacle Maple syrup White, brown, raw & castor sugar (sucrose) eaten in moderation. herbal teas Nuts & seeds (moderation) Oat bran Barley bran. Psyllium. Rice bran Coconut meat,milk, and cream (I have heard different things about coconut. I say be careful and don't use it as a regular part of the diet for now) Chia seeds are allowed in a 1 1/2 Tb. portion. Coconut water cocoa and chocolate (Not milk chocolate. Even with lactaid I had one of the worse reactions when I introduced this too early. Ow.)

And we are off!

Today I went shopping to see what was out there. After an hour of scouring the store shelves in both the "health" section and the regular aisles, I learned that there actually seemed to be more conventional foods that I could eat. That is the good news. The bad news is that most of the premade things, like bread, are incredibly expensive. BEWARE, most of the gluten free breads seem to have apple and/or pear concentrate in them, which is off the menu right now. I did find one that does not have those ingredients. The brand is: Kinnikinnick Foods and it is the white bread. You will find it in the freezer. 

One of my problems is that I am extremely nauseous all of the time and smells set me off in a big way. I mention it because this bread, when toasted, has an "off" odor to it which was not pleasing. I tried it anyway, and the texture is really nothing like bread, so I couldn't eat it. It is likely that with enough deprivation in the bread department that it will become much better as time goes on. Right now I know what real bread tastes like, and this isn't it. So, my lunch was one scrambled egg in a wee bit of butter. Of course, egg smell doesn't make my tummy very happy either, but it wasn't so bad today. Yay!

This morning felt bad, but I changed up my regular routine and that seemed to help a bit. Instead of waking, drinking green tea and then my stomach med, I took the med, waited (I am not supposed to eat 2 hours after, but I need to eat little meals often for the IBS... scheduling madness) and then had a Greek blueberry yogurt. After that, I had tea. That did change my reaction to the tea, but now I have another issue which is the opposite of the tea problem and hurts worse in the long run. This is something I have to keep an eye on.

Hopefully the groceries will last a while as they were expensive. I did pick up some gluten free flours for pizza and hopefully, bread. Recipes will be posted if they turn out well.

This is also the time that I am establishing a list of foods that people using FODMAP can eat as that can be quite confusing.

Work in progress.

In the Beginning

Over the years I have had a website and many blogs, all of them trying to zone in on one subject that I am dealing with at the time. What I am finding is that most people have far more than one thing going on at a time, and they are all important things. 

Lately I have been an older college student, applied for grad school, raising vegetarian kids, growing my own fruit and vegetables, preserving the harvest, and dealing with a multitude of medical issues like IBS and undiagnosed problems that leave everyone scratching their heads.

What I would like for this blog to eventually be is a place for foodies on a restricted diet, my own health journeys as well as household things such as organizing and paying down debt.

Today I am researching the FODMAPs diet plan which seems to be working pretty well for many people with digestive problems. This plan limits the amounts of certain types of sugars which are found in many different foods. The sugars become gases and are believed to aggravate symptoms of IBS. The food lists are not always consistant as new research is constantly being done catorgorizing the different foods as well as there being some room for individuals who are not bothered by some things while others are.

I am not looking for fads! The paleo diet and no carb diets and every other bandwagon out there all have some truth that makes them work, but I do not feel that it truly addressed the issues of digestive problems. FODMAPs are not about cutting out one type of food (for instance, milk is not okay, but hard cheeses are, so you can still have dairy if you can tolerate it normally. Fruits are okay in limited portions from the allowed types, that sort of thing).

Also, IBS is not imaginary, it is not created by stress although that does aggravate it in a big way and it is not easy to live with for many people. Personally, I have had a c-section with my epidural non functioning, and I still call this pain a 10, and it is a 10 that is unpredictable and lasts for an indeterminate time.  IBS can, and often does, completely change your life.

Finding things to eat is only half the battle. In order to go anywhere I need to have a plan in place. My entire day is planned around the pain and the extreme urgency to go, all of the time. Add in the neurosis of not being able to do what needs to get done in a public restroom or even a friend's place, then I have to be even extra careful. My mornings consist of drink 1/2 a mug of green tea (it isn't good for IBS, but it helps with one aspect of the problem without adding in more medications) and at least two hours before I leave for work. I can't make plans because I never know how bad the pain will be. When someone needs a solid answer I can not give it, which results in my not getting to do all of the things that I would like to do. This is a DEBILITATING problem. 

So, on that note, I am going back to research. I am hoping to be able to put together a fairly comprehensive list of whole foods that can be eaten or should be avoided  when trying the FODMAPs system. I will document how it works here. This blog is not all about health issues though, there will also be homesteading advice for things like gardening and canning foods as well as neat organizational tricks and budget ideas and using found objects rather than buying new and more.