Recently I've been having stomach pains and bloating and I'm still having uncomfortable feelings now.
I only eat once a day, but at night. I'm not keen on vegetables with every meal, only occasionally I'll eat sweetcorn and peas. I've been quite a fussy eater since childhood really!
I know my body needs nutrition to enable it to cope with five mental health issues.
The doctor told me not to eat bananas cos it causes worse constipation. Any other fruit gives me stomach pain. So I won't eat any!
I've got to have blood and poo tests. I'm very anxious which doesn't help my stomach.
Doctor told me to take multi vitamins + iron and extra vitamin d. So I am.
I've been prescribed anti-spasm drugs to take three times a day and 20 minutes before food. I can't take them cos I only eat once a day! And a side effect is alcohol-like symptoms, which puts me off cos I don't drink alcohol.
Are oats good fibre? I can't eat nuts. I think I should introduce healthy foods gradually. Do you?
I go to this functional medicine (eating good quality food rather than drugs) doctor for dietary information. This article might help you choose what to eat:
It's always best to try to get your nutrients from food rather than a pill. Until you feel well enough to look after yourself & eat better, be aware that the supplements you take might clash if taken at the same time, or near foods that will stop absorption.
Try to take you iron with some citrus fruit, as vitamin C makes it work better, avoid anything containing calcium for an hour or so either side of taking iron as this stops it being absorbed.
Take your vitamin D with something containing fats, so this is absorbed better. Make sure it's vitamin D3 that you take, with cholecalciferol written on the packet.
If you can get some, try drinking something probiotic. I like kefir best.
I need the B12 & K2, so stick to organic wholemilk. I recently gave some grains to a friend to try to grow in a vegan substrate, but don't know how successful it's been yet.
I bought a specific strain of water grains and make it with mineral water and coconut sugar with a second fermentation in the bottle with ginger. Tastes like ginger beer.
try a couple weeks of drinking ensure and give the bowels a chance to relax or calm down, you can get coupons online and at doctor's offices. then after a few weeks gradually start eating solid food again, hope this will help, hope you feel better .
Oats are great but it sounds like you have quite a restrictive diet so gradual changes might be a good idea than drastic ones, incremental small steps to healthier food. Do you just eat once a day because you have found it works better for your stomach? If not could you try two or three smaller meals? I would be uncomfortable and bloated if I ate a days worth of food in one meal, but this is very individual and worth trying different things to see what works for you. As you are already going to have the tests I'd just make small healthy changes while you wait for the results as they might point you in the direction of the diet that might help you best. Good luck 😀
I would ensure that you drink plenty of water. I was diagnosed with IBS around 20 years ago but of late I have found that there are certain foods I cannot eat; I get a lot of pain with sweetcorn, raw carrots and raw onions.
I do drink water when I'm thirsty! I drink lots of tea. I just love tea with a cigarette.
I gave up alcohol three years ago so sugar has gripped me now! I have three sugars in a mug of tea.
I eat chocolate (1 Whispa & 1 double decker) when I wake up after only two hours sleep, every night.
I'm normally a petite lady (size 12) but my tummy is so bloated I look like I'm six months pregnant. Embarrassing being I'm 49 and had my five children years ago!
That's good! Tea is good for you also😊 although it could help your stomach to try and stop have cigarettes and not eat chocolate in the middle of the night as that could be messing with your digestive system as your body can't rest as well/heal your body at night when there's food in your stomach
If you only drink when you are thirsty - it's too late, means you are dehydrated. Try drinking a full glass on waking, before anything else, then sip water from water bottle or glass throughout the day, as well as your tea.
Hi ive just read your comment and can fully relate to the bloatin issue i had my son 18yrs ago but my stomach is always bloated and ppl always ask me am i pregnant its embarrassing
Your stomach is most likely bloated due to a] lack of food and b] sugar.
You have IBS and constipation due to eating wispas and doubledeckers (fake food); which is also affecting your sleep. Your body (and stomach) is crying out for food. Producing stomach acid in anticipation of the food but then doesn't actually receive any. The bloating is partly down to the sugar fermenting in your stomach.
You've chosen sweetcorn and peas because they're sweet. Sweetcorn is not food. There's a reason it comes out the other end looking the same as it did on the way in.
Oats are great for horses but not people. Grains are not healthy. People who eat porridge (and have to add sugar or honey or fruit to make it taste better) confuse a feeling of fullness with digestive distress/bloating. Why? Because oats and all grains (and beans) have defences to stop them being eaten. Defences the human digestive system cannot handle. Start scoffing down grains and especially beans, and say a big hello to flatulence and worse.
Keep it simple. Continue with the peas. Also, try mushrooms and peppers and onions but fry them in coconut oil or butter; even the peas: add them last as they only need a couple of minutes to cook. Reduce/eliminate the chocolate and sugar (why do you need 3 sugars in tea? Maybe it's just habit? Try Xylitol instead).
Mention constipation to someone and the most likely response is "lack of fibre" which is only part of it. If you increase your fat intake (our bodies crave fat and cholesterol) and say goodbye to the sugar you should see a dramatic improvement. Fat keeps us regular and improves bowel movement because it binds the waste together and lubricates as it does so.
Your doctor advised you to take multivitamins + iron and extra Vitamin D? No mention of what you were eating? No surprise then that the NHS is in the state it's in. At least she told you not to eat bananas (very high in sugar) so that's something.
Don't avoid animal protein/foods. Don't forget about common sense. The vegetarian/vegan communities can rave all they like about the (false) dangers of consuming animal protein/foods whilst ignoring what we are and what our bodies crave. I would be the first to stop eating meat and animal fat if there was an equal alternative, but there isn't. Tofu? Flax? Quorn? No. No. No.
Breakfast choice 1: A bowl of cereal/muesli, a glass of orange juice, and a piece of toast (with jam, honey or marmalade, or even worse: margarine).
Breakfast choice 2: Mushrooms, onions, peppers with sausages fried in coconut oil or animal fat with salt, pepper, parsley, paprika; and a poached egg on top.
Which is filling? Which is more likely to keep you going physically AND MENTALLY for 5, 6, 7 hours?
No.1 which produces a sugar rush/spike, which causes the body to produce insulin to remove the sugar as quickly as possible? Protein... what protein? Fat... what fat?
No.2 which doesn't produce a sugar rush; contains fat that fuels the energy-hungry brain (which is 60% fat), feeds the body's cells and gives them structure (cholesterol) so they don't become floppy and stick to each other. Cells sticking together can cause blockages leading to problems... who would have thought!
Please don't believe that this is complicated and you have to be going back and forth to a doctors office for tests. You say you've always been a picky eater; well, there's nothing wrong with that. Just pick nutrient-dense foods (not wispas and double deckers!! lol). If you do have sugar cravings try dark chocolate, and do some vigorous exercise beforehand so that your body uses the sugar up.
Oh, and regarding your mental health issues: you should see a dramatic improvement once you give your body what it needs. Keep us updated!
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