Healthy isn’t helping

[Alybubbles]

hi, I’m 56 female diagnosed IBS diverticulitis and gluten intolerance. I stick to gf and occasionally I have to go dairy free. I would like to ask whenever I try to eat healthily - salads, veg, yoghurt, fruits, I really have painful bloating, back ache, headache & fatigue. Does anyone know why?

thanks. Love to all xx

[Sunnysidoop]

My close friend had similar symptoms with a diagnosis of diverticulitis and IBS, and it turned out to be endometriosis

[Alybubbles in reply to Sunnysidoop]

oh no. I’m well past menopause, does that matter?

[Penel]

Hello Alybubbles

Have you worked out if your symptoms have a particular trigger? It’s very annoying but one persons healthy foods can give another persons bloating etc.

I’ve got IBS-C and have found that I had to cut out some ‘healthy’ foods to get it under control. Following a low Fodmaps diet has helped a lot, this means cutting out some fermentable carbohydrates. I bought a cook book to help with meals.

Perhaps have a look at the websites to see what you think?

nhs.uk/conditions/irritable...

monashfodmap.com/about-fodm...

Past menopause you shouldn’t have any problems with endometriosis, I would think.

[Alybubbles in reply to Penel]

honestly I thought I had found the triggers, gluten & on/off dairy,& some gf foods. But now, it’s fruit & veg. I will have a look for low Fodmap. Thank you x

[Researchfan]

Hi Alybubbles,

Sympathies. I have wheat/gluten intolerance possibly allergy. IBS-mixed.Definitely look into the Low Fodmap diet (ideally with supervision from a Dietician?). It helped me to figure out certain sensitivities. Like cruciferous vegetables and legumes bloating. Fructose in fruit can be a problem. Everyone is different and it takes a few weeks to eliminate the fodmaps then add back in one at a time in lowest serving possible, then build up to find your own tolerance (or intolerance!).

I have to admit the longer been at this that raw salad and veg is hard to digest! I also limit dairy and added sugar (fructose). Yogurt is questionable as personally sometimes ok and sometimes not. I think for me it’s to do with a histamine sensitivity though as it’s fermented, as well as casein sensitivity (can lead to constipation and headaches). Soya is a big no no for me. If you can get the Monash university Fodmap App as it is very useful to see which fodmaps are in which foods. Monash are the researchers to discover about IBS and fodmaps originally. Also I find fiber can have the opposite effect as taught and too much causes problems for some. There’s research to show this especially in bloating and chronic constipation. Fructose and fructans linked more to diarrhoea type IBS. I would say keep a detailed food diary, note symptoms and see if you can find any particular sensitivities? Allow correlations upto 3 days after consuming a food (maybe a bit sooner or longer).

If none of that gives relief look in to a low histamine diet (dr Janice Joneja) and possible histamine intolerance. It only takes 2 weeks to figure out whether histamines in food are a problem for you by eliminating high histamine foods and following a low histamine diet. Dr Joneja information online and her books on histamine sensitivity helped me immensely too.

Good luck.

[Alybubbles in reply to Researchfan]

that’s all really good advice. I have never heard of histamine in foods! Thank you so much x

[CATRYNA49]

I'm Celiac with its accompanying skin disorder DH. I am totally grain free, soy free, nothing with mold or yeast and nothing high in iodine; so no shellfish. I also suffer from Hashimotos and IBS. My diet consists mostly of meat, some veges, fruit, and Macadamia nuts. I have also found that foods high in fiber can cause bloating, heartburn, and GERD. I keep my fiber low and most vegetables I stir fry. Experiment with fruits and see how your gut reacts and delete any you react adversely to.

[Alybubbles in reply to CATRYNA49]

this is very interesting. I am definitely not Coeliac (have been tested), but yeah, I’m finding yeast/mould/fermented foods upset me. Thank you x

[Galaxy2]

Hi there, sorry about the late response.

I get diverticulitis infections too. I’ve had an IBS diagnosis for years but now have been told I do actually have celiac. My trigger to infections I worked out was gluten which I think was causing the inflammation and then could trigger diverticulitis. That what why I originally cut out gluten for but any infections I’ve had since I can relate to accidentally eating gluten and my inflammatory markers in my blood stay high sometimes for ages. When I’m like that I have to eat such a simple diet and cut out fibre until it all settles, otherwise I get bloating, pain, all the usual. Frustrating as I feel then it’s not possible to eat a healthy diet.

Not sure if that info helps at all but do feel free to ask anything.

[Alybubbles in reply to Galaxy2]

thank you, this helps loads. I am actually back at the gp’s as I have had such bloating and tummy pain. Tummy very tender to touch and back ache. Bloods done awaiting results x

[appletina]

I have everything you have apart from headaches, but have not had diverticulitis diagnosed as yet but I am sure I have it. The back ache is there a lot with constipation. Dairy makes it worse, cabbage and gas inducing fruit and veg is a no no. Recently had tests on my womb because despite being in menopause I still have thickness in my lining, so endimetriosis maybe an issue?? I am introducing intermittent fasting now and changing my diet and regular exercise. The bloating has gone down and I have lost a few pounds, I think thats your best bet. I have cut out carbs and blending mild vegetables and fruit to smoothies and soups. Quinoa instead of rice, sweet potatoes instead of chips, no sweets and only dark chocolate, forget fizzy drinks.

[Magicmarker28]

I would do an intolerance test, i would also remove dairy from your diet. I have coeliac disease and as it turns out cannot tolerate dairy - these seemingly, for some, go hand in hand. The intolerance test i did because i wasn't seeing much improvement from the removal of dairy / gluten. There are loads of red flags on the intolerance test i did, i've removed these from my diet, and i feel soooo much the better. Might help you.

[Smartdoc]

Hello, are you sure you are actually,gluten and dairy free? Even bagged raw nuts might contain gluten, I was caught out by this recently.