IBS, Bloating and Me

I have suffered for as long as I can remember with IBS and it seems to have only become worse as I have become older. Not so much do I get the excruciating pains I use to get ... I used to be in so much pain I would be lying on the floor in a foetal position crying, sweating and yelling (It got so bad one night that my boyfriend almost took me to the hospital), this was absolutely horrible and the pain would only pass after a bowel movement but I would also feel completely exhausted and need to lay down. Not a good way to live!! I figured early on that garlic and onions were a massive trigger for me and funnily enough so is coriander. So I have completely cut them out as I never want to go back to having those pains again.

Being on the low FODMAP diet really does help but it can be so hard eating out at restaurants and cafes, even at friend’s birthday parties at their house. Not one of my family members or friends have an intolerance to anything, no allergies and are definitely not on the low FODMAP diet, so I always have to pack my own food or go up the street to get my own supplies. Last weekend we went out with our friends for lunch. We went to a dumpling restaurant. I knew I wasn’t going to be very well after the meal but thought I will just suffer through it anyway as 1. I love dumplings and 2. I just can't let the low FODMAP diet control my social life :( Surprisingly I didn't feel sick after the meal but my tummy swelled up. I knew that there was going to be rumblings and painful movements in my stomach at any time but silly me went on with my friends to a desert restaurant. I made sure I ordered something very small and had a peppermint tea. This did not help my stomach. I felt so swollen and bloated for the rest of the day (uncomfortably so) and couldn’t wait to get home.

Now everyone always says to me "yeah I feel bloated too" and "there’s nothing wrong with your stomach you’re so tiny" but anyone who doesn't have IBS won't understand that swollen feeling when bloated and the pains you get. It's not so much being full from your meal; it’s that swollen feeling that really gets you. It is so uncomfortable and usually ends with lots of trips to the ladies room.

Below is a picture of me a few hours after my lunch of dumplings and desert. My swollen stomach stayed like that for hours and hours! My weight is about 55-56kgs and I am about 163cm tall so I am pretty average for my height and weight but check out what happens when I over indulge and go off my low FODMAP diet ......
It might not look like much but I felt as though my stomach was about to burst at the seams!

Stir-fried Beef with Oyster Sauce and Rice Noodles ... Delicious!

This recipe is honestly very tasty and keeps you feeling full without making you feel bloated ... No onion or garlic at all! Great to make extra to have for lunch the next day :) This recipe even got the trick of approval from my extra fussy boyfriend!

Ingredients:

200g lean beef steak (for stir fry)
1 tblsp Oyster sauce, gluten free (the Ayam brand have one, you can find this in Woolies & Cloes)
1 tblspn Sesame Oil
1 tblspn soy sauce, gluten free (I used Tamari sauce which you can find in the macro section at woolies)
2 tblspn Peanut oil
4 spring onions (green tops only), chopped
1 Carrot, cut lengthways and cut into strips
1 Zucchini, cut lengthways and cut into strips
1/2 red capsicum, deseeded and cut into strips
1/2 packet rice noodles
1 stock cube (I used one of my frozen stock cubes from my homemade chicken stock, see earlier post)
2 cup baby spinach leaves (optional)
1/2 Bunch coriander, chopped (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. Cut beef into thick slices (if not already). Place in a bowl and add in the oyster sauce, sesame oil and soy sauce and mix. Leave for 15 minutes.
2. Heat the peanut oil in a wok or large frying pan over a high heat.
3. drain the beef from the marinade and reserve the leftover marinade. When the oil is just starting to smoke or is hot add the beef to the pan and stir fry for 2 minutes. Remove and set aside.
4. Wipe the pan with paper towl. Reheat the wok on high heat and add in a little oil. Quickly add the spring onions, carrot and zucchini and stir fry for 3 - 4 minutes.
5. Add in the capsicum, rice noodles and 1/4 cup of water with a crushed stock cube and the reserved marinade Cover for 2-3 minutes.
6. Remove the lid and add back in the beef to finish cooking for a further 3 to 4 miuntes. Add the baby spinach and coriander and mix through.
7. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

A bit about how the FODMAP diet works ....

Hi all,

I thought it may be a good idea to share a bit about what the low FODMAP diet actually is. I have had a few people ask me what on earth a FODMAP is. And what are examples of foods high and low in FODMAP's ... Below is an article I have pulled off the internet from http://ibs.about.com/od/ibsfood/a/The-FODMAP-Diet.htm which explains everything really well ......

Researchers from Australia have come up with a novel approach for IBS treatment, that of having patients follow a low FODMAP diet as a way to reduce IBS symptoms. They have coined the term FODMAPs to describe a collection of short-chain carbohydrates found in many common foods. FODMAPs stands for Fermentable Oligo-, Di- and Mono-saccharides, and Polyols.

The FODMAP theory holds that consuming foods high in FODMAPs results in increased volume of liquid and gas in the small and large intestine, resulting in distention and symptoms such as abdominal pain and gas and bloating. The theory proposes that following a low FODMAP diet should result in a decrease in digestive symptoms. The theory further holds that there is a cumulative effect of these foods on symptoms. In other words, eating foods with varying FODMAP values at the same time will add up, resulting in symptoms that you might not experience if you ate the food in isolation. This might explain the mixed results of studies that have evaluated the effects of fructose and lactose, two types of carbohydrates, on IBS. Ongoing research is being conducted as to the accuracy of the FODMAP theory and the effectiveness of the diet for IBS.

Below you will find lists of common high and low FODMAP foods. These examples are given for informational purposes only. If you are interested in following a low FODMAP diet, it is essential to work individually with a licensed nutritionist. There are risks to devising your own diet. It is tempting to pick and choose certain items based on your personal preference which could result in continued symptoms due to a lack of strict compliance to a sanctioned low FODMAP diet. Working with a trained nutritionist will also help to ensure that you receive adequate and balanced nutrition including a healthy intake of dietary fiber.

Common High FODMAP Foods

Fruits:

Apples
Apricots
Cherries
Mango
Pears
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Plums and prunes
Watermelon
High concentration of fructose from canned fruit, dried fruit or fruit juice

Grains

Level of FODMAPs is increased when these foods are eaten in large amounts:
Rye
Wheat

Lactose-Containing Foods

Custard
Ice cream
Margarine
Milk (cow, goat, sheep)
Soft cheese, including cottage cheese and ricotta
Yogurt
Legumes

Baked beans
Chickpeas
Lentils
Kidney beans

Sweeteners

Fructose
High fructose corn syrup
Isomalt
Maltitol
Mannitol
Sorbitol
Xylitol

Vegetables

Artichokes
Asparagus
Avocado
Beets
Broccoli
Brussel sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Garlic (with large consumption)
Fennel
Leeks
Mushrooms
Okra
Onions
Peas
Radiccio lettuce
Scallions (white parts)
Shallots
Sugar snap peas
Snow peas

Common Low FODMAP Foods

Fruits

Banana
Blueberry
Grapefruit
Grapes
Honeydew melon
Kiwi
Lemon
Lime
Mandarine
Orange
Raspberry
Strawberry

Sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners that do not end in -ol
Glucose
Maple syrup
Sugar (sucrose)


Lactose Alternatives

Butter
Hard cheese, brie and camembert
Lactose-free products, such as lactose-free ice cream and yogurt
Gelato
Rice milk
Sorbet

Vegetables

Bell peppers
Bok choy
Carrots
Celery
Corn
Eggplant
Green beans
Lettuce
Parsnip
Scallions (green parts only)
Sweet potato
Tomato

Grains

Oats
Gluten-free products
Spelt products

So there you go, a bit of information on what all this FODMAP business means. It can sometimes be very hard to work out what is a trigger for yourself as everyone is very different to what they can and can't tolerate. Although it says you can have lactose free products, I find I can't tolerate any dairy even if it is lactose free. Hence why I am booked in to see a Dietician as it can be very frustrating sometimes. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me as I am more than happy to help.

Mel X

Amazing Health Benefits of Ginger

The SUPER food! I am loving fresh ginger at the moment. Although I have always loved it in my stir fries and Asian dishes I have never really had it another way .... Until my brothers' girlfriend made me a cup of tea with sliced fresh ginger root in it. After that I was hooked! I now have a cup everyday and some days when I feel like it I add a slice of lemon. Some people also put honey in it but unfortunately for all of us on the low FODMAP diet we can not have honey as it is very high in fructose.

I had a cup everyday while I was sick with a cold recently and a bad cough. I read that ginger helps with mucus breakdown and I have to say I think it helped :) Although it didn't cure my cough and cold it did help me feel better. Ginger seems to have a warming effect when you drink it .... I like to say it warms the cockles of your heart :) Because it has a bit of a kick to it, it really gets the system going (the intake of ginger juice will warm the body, promoting healthy sweating, which not only assists detoxification but also boosts the immune system).

I have also read that ginger is good for people with Irritabel Bowel Syndrome as it can help settle the stomach if you are feeling ill ... some people just take a raw slice and chew on it! (not sure if my I could do that) Also, if you drink it with hot water it helps with the digestion of your food ...

A little bit about Ginger ....

Ginger is the underground rhizome of the ginger plant with a firm, striated texture. The flesh of the ginger rhizome can be yellow, white or red in color, depending upon the variety. It is covered with a brownish skin that may either be thick or thin, depending upon whether the plant was harvested when it was mature or young.
Ginger is aromatic, pungent and spicy, ginger adds a special flavor and zest to Asian stir fries and many fruit and vegetable dishes. Fresh ginger root is available year round in the produce section of your local market which is a bonus! I have looked into growing my own ginger but need to wait until Spring as it only has a certain window in which it will grow.

Digestion
As a digestive aid, ginger can reduce appetite through its regulatory effects on blood sugar and serum cholesterol. A few slices of fresh ginger simmered in a cup of water and consumed before a meal stimulates digestion.

Cortisol Reduction
Ginger is among the group of herbs and spices that are regarded as stimulants, having an effect similar to caffeine. Consume up to 4 grams, or 2 teaspoons, of ginger per day to increase metabolism and light the digestive fires. Increased energy makes it easier to exercise and put more pep in your step, burning calories and flattening your tummy.

So go on ... have a cup and you might be pleasantly surprised :) After all this talk about ginger tea, I am off to make myself a cup to get those digestive juices flowing!

 

 

Delicious Kunyit (Turmeric) Chicken

Kunyit Chicken

Ingredients:

2 kg chicken wings or legs
2 Tbs ground turmeric
2 tsp ground coriander
1/2-1 teaspoon chilli powder or to taste
2 tsp salt
20 sprigs of curry leaves, crushed roughly in hands
1litre of vegetable oil (or any oil you prefer)

Method:

Combine all ingredients except oil in a large bowl. Wearing disposable gloves (because turmeric leaves very vibrant stains) mix with your hands until chicken is thoroughly coated with spices and seasoning. Cover with cling wrap and marinate overnight or for at least 2 hours.

Heat oil in a medium pot or wok on medium to high heat. To test if oil is ready, immerse a wooden spoon or wooden chopstick into the oil. If it bubbles rapidly, the oil is ready. Always do a test fry with a single piece of chicken to check the oil is not too hot, in which case the chicken will burn on the outside before it is cooked all the way through. I found I was frying it in the oil for 10 minutes.

Fry 6-7 pieces of chicken at a time, together with curry leaves as this will make the oil beautifully fragrant. The result should be a deep golden brown with a vibrant yellow tint. Rest on kitchen towel in a colander. Repeat until all chicken is cooked.

Serve hot with the fried curry leaves as part of a shared meal, or as casual finger food – brilliant as a beer snack.

Health Benefits of Bee Pollen

I have very recently noticed people putting bee pollen on top of their smoothies and wondered what the fuss was about. So I got reading about it and found it to have many amazing benefits!

Bee Pollen has loads of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, co-enymes, amino acids and trace elements. The benefits of these include:

• Vitamin E for anti-ageing and improved skin health
• Vitamin B12 for energy production and metabolism
• 22 amino acids for protein production (a good source of protein for vegetarians)
• May provide a feeling of 'fullness' to assist with weight loss
• A source of essential nutrients for anyone whose diet is lacking
• Calcium, zinc, magnesium and iron to support digestive health, bone strength, metabolism, muscle health and liver function
• Natural antioxidants that assist a range of health issues from cardio support to anti-aging
• Bioflavonoids that support immune health and may assist with allergy prevention
• Pollen is also a remedy for hay fever and allergies 

I went out and bought a small jar of bee pollen granules the other day. I say bought a small jar as it is pretty expensive. The below jar cost $12 and it jumps up pretty quickly in bigger quantities.

*I must warn anyone who does suffer from allergies to talk to their naturopath or Doctor about taking bee pollen as it says on the label of the jar that it can cause extreme allergic reactions in some people.

Low FODMAP Chicken Stock

Low FODMAP Chicken Stock

After reading so many soup recipes I found that nearly every recipe required a chicken or vegetable stock .... After standing at several supermarkets for an hour looking at every brand of stock and it's ingredients I found every single brand had onion and garlic in it. If it didn't have garlic it had onion and if it didn't have onion it had garlic! You can just never win with prepackaged foods! I came across a homemade chicken stock recipe that I thought I'd share with all the low FODMAPer's out there as I believe it will help with any dishes you make ... I made a batch tonight and have put it in ice cube trays to freeze so when making a stir fry, soup etc. I can just throw in an ice cube of stock and let it melt in :)

Recipe:
1 big pot
1kg chicken necks (from happy free range chickens)
1kg chicken bones or chicken carcus
2 large carrots chopped roughly
1 parsnip chopped roughly
2 stalks of celery chopped roughly
6 whole peppercorns
3 bay leaves
1 bunch of sage
Salt

Method:
1. Place chicken in a large pot and add enough cold water to cover
2. Bring the water to simmer, skim off any scum as it rises to the top
3. Add vegetables, bay leaves, sage, peppercorns and salt
4. Bring back to the boil, skim again
5. Cook for 1.5 hours on a low flame
6. Drain the stock through a colander and reserve the liquid (and put in ice cube trays if you wish)

Breakfast Smoothie

I usually make a smoothie every morning. I find it doesnt fill me up too much and make me feel bloated for the rest of the day. I have used almond milk in my recipe below which makes smoothies a bit creamier but I am finding anything to do with almonds (almond milk, almond meal, raw almonds etc.) really bloates my tummy. So I am going to go back to just using water in my smoothie or try rice milk I think, just to see how it may differ from using almond milk ... I have also found using coconut milk will really make my stomach swell up and I will feel really uncomfortable for the rest of the day ... I have since read that coconut milk is high in fat which isn't good for someone with IBS as it doesnt digest through the intestines very well... If you can tolerate cocunut milk then by all means use it in this recipe :)

Recipe:
Half a banana (I tend to freeze my bananas so they make my smoothie a bit thicker)
Half a kiwi fruit (I am obsessed with gold kiwi fruit at the moment)
1/2 to 1 cup of almond milk unsweetened or water as I will be trying
Desert spoon of physillim husks
1 tspn of raw cacao powder
1 tablspn soft brown sugar or a desert spoon of rice malt syrup
1 tspn of bee pollen
3 - 4 ice blocks

Put everything in your blender and blend away! Delicious!

Mel X

Low FODMAP Vegetable Lasagna

Hi all,

I have just made my first low FODMAP recipe which has come from the Monash University Low FODMAP Diet application for iPhone. If no one has heard of this app or heard that the Monash University researches the IBS, food intolerances and the low FODMAP diet then check out this website http://www.med.monash.edu/cecs/gastro/fodmap/diet.html 

Recipe for my Vegetable Lasagna:
1 tspn Olive Oil
1/4 Zucchini, cut in half and sliced
1/4 red capsicum, diced
1/4 medium sweet potatoe, sliced
40g baby spinach (or 2 handfuls)
1tblspn Oregano (I added a bit extra because I love oregano)
200g canned diced tomatoes
100g low fat ricotta cheese
2 tblspn cottage cheese
Gluten free lasagna sheets (I bought a box and used it all)
1/2 cup red wine
60g mozzarella cheese
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Steps:


1. Preheat oven to 180C. Heat oil in a pan and sauté the zucchini, capsicum, sweet potatoe, baby
spinach and oregano over a medium heat until they start to soften. Take off heat and add the tomatoes and red wine stirring through. Set aside.
2. Combine the ricotta cheese and cottage cheese together
3. Pre-prepare the lasagne sheets as per the packets directions
4. Place a lasagna sheet on the bottom of a lightly greased baking dish and spread half the vegetable mix evenly over the sheet. Top with 1/3 of the cheese mixture. Top with another lasagna sheet. Repeat by topping with remaining vegetable mix. Top with with another 1/3 of the cheese mix. Top with the third lasagna sheet and remaining cheese mix.
5. Pace mozzarella on top of the cheese mix and bake for 30-40 mins or until it is golden brown and cooked through the centre.

6. Cut into squares and service with fresh salad (if you wish).



Hints:
You can substitue the red wine for a red wine vinegar and reduce the quantity to 4 tblspn.

About Me

Hi my name is Mel

I am a 28 year old girl living in Melbourne town with my best friend/boyfriend. I love him dearly and am also a big family orientated person (I love my family to no end). I love going out with friends, trying new places to eat and drink but also love getting in my pj’s and cuddling up on the couch and watching TV.

I have recently been “diagnosed” with Severe Irritable Bowel Syndrome after years of putting up with tummy troubles and going through numerous tests to be told it is just IBS. So although I don’t have any allergies or intolerance's to certain foods I do suffer with finding the right foods that suit me and my sensitive tummy.

After recently doing the breath tests to see if I had a lactose intolerance or fructose intolerance they put me on a strict diet a week leading up to the tests. The tests came back negative but I found I felt a whole lot better on this diet (although restrictive). My stomach was flat for the first time since I was about 20. I had no tummy pains or the swollen bloating feeling I constantly have.

When I went back to the doctor with my results I told her about how I felt doing the diet for the breath test. She told me it was pretty much the Low FODMAP diet. Now, I had read about this diet but didn’t read too much into it. After feeling so much better I really got stuck into researching it. I have since found out that Dr Sue Shepard was the founder of this diet and have since booked myself into Shepard Works to see a Dietitian.

Although I have read numerous blogs and followed numerous people on Instagram to find Low FODMAP diet recipes it is just so hard and there isn’t enough information and recipes out there for us who suffer with IBS. I believe a Dietitian will help me manage my diet … My appointment is in July so I will write a blog with how it goes J

So this blog is really just me talking about my experiences, how I am feeling and any recipes I find that are low FODMAP. Please feel free to hit me up with any recipes’ you have found to work for you I’d love to see them!

Mel X