Constantly feeling bloated and uncomforatble

[Lindylo]

I started a Healthy Eating plan 4 weeks ago and I am therefore eating at lot more fresh veg and fruit, but I suffer with IBS and diverticulitis and I am in agony with constant pain in my lower abdomin and feel 9 months pregnant because I am so bloated.

[Hidden]

I think you should take into account that what's regarded as a healthy eating plan for most people, is probably completely the wrong option for we IBS-ers. Lots of fruit and veg, particularly certain types, are lethal for many of us and it sounds as if you might be badly affected by them too.

Have you tried the low-FODMAP diet? This works extremely well for many people on here. Would be happy to give you more info on it if you'd like me to.

Roz

[Lindylo in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for your reply Roz, I have not heard of the FODMAP diet, so would appreciate so more info please

[Hidden in reply to Lindylo]

The best sources of information for FODMAPs are as follows:

a) the smartphone app available for download from Monash University - the diet was created there.

b) Patsy Catsos's book 'IBS-Free At Last!' - best to buy the actual book rather than the download the Kindle version as it's easier to read charts etc.

c) Sue Shepherd and Peter Gibson's book 'The Complete Low-FODMAP Diet: A Revolutionary Plan For Managing IBS And Other Digestive Disorders'. Sue Shepherd developed the diet at Monash so you can't really go wrong.

Although the NHS has now got behind this diet, and you should be able to get a referral from your GP to see a dietitian, I didn't find its guidelines either as strict or as good as Monash's so stuck with what Monash said along with Patsy's Catsos's book.

I started the diet over 18 months ago using just the Monash app and Patsy's book (the Sue Shepherd one has only recently been published) and found that all other information on the web was misleading, outdated and frequently wrong, so I strongly advise you just to stick with the above.

Roz

[Lindylo in reply to Hidden]

Wow!!! lol I dont have a smartphone, not a kindle.

Can I download the info from the internet?

We live in Spain, and because I am not retirement age, I cannot get a referral from our GP unfortunately.

[Hidden in reply to Lindylo]

No I don't think you can download the app info from the web, but if you go to the Monash site, you could try contacting the FODMAPs research team to see if they can help in any way.

Both of the books I mention are available from Amazon and contain all the info you'll need.

Wishing you well,

Roz

[Lindylo in reply to Hidden]

Thank you so much for sharing this information Roz, I am amazed by it and I am definately going to try a couple of weeks of cutting out a great deal of things I eat on a regular basis, especially veggies, swapping them etc.

Linda

[jnbina in reply to Lindylo]

Hi there, try this site fodmap.org it's a new site with free info.

[Lindylo in reply to jnbina]

Thank you for the link

[denvajade]

Hi Lindylou, I understand your symptoms, I too have the same issue, I can only eat pumpkin, sweet potatoes, beetroot, all other veges affect me. I really cant eat fruit either so its pretty hard to know what to eat. Wishing you well.

[Lindylo in reply to denvajade]

Yes so frustrating, as I do love my veg

[Hidden]

I suffer with IBS-D which was disagnosed in 2012 at the age of 65 and am on a strict dairy free diet which keeps my symptoms under control.

I find that cabbage and it's associated veg cause wind so I avoid these - much as a love them.

Also maybe you should be careful about eating the skins of fruit which contain more fibre. Strawberries also affect me to a degree so again I avoid them.

It's just trial and error. Unfortunately I think that as IBS has so many triggers one should not be too fussy about 'healthy diets' - what we need is to eat what keeps us healthy.

[Lindylo in reply to Hidden]

I know, i love my veggies and fruits, so frustrating as I have at the 2 stone (if not more to lose)

[angbri]

You really should be tested for Sibo ( small intestinal bacteria over growth) this causes alot of those symptoms. IBS is a term for " I don't know" something is causing the symptoms

[Lindylo]

OOO Gosh, I have never heard of Sibo, thank you for telling me, I will have to look into getting tested.

[emboss3]

I suffer with IBS and I feel your pain, I tried going for a Low Carb, high veggie and protein diet and struggled with pain in my bowels and excessive, and i mean excessive!..Gas and bloating. A couple of books I have read which are EXTREMELY helpful are 'Irritable bowel solutions' and 'The first year Irritable bowel syndrome', which points out that eating high fiber can cause a lot of problems for IBS, so emphasises eating more soluble soft foods for a month to let the bowel rest then gradually introducing roughage like veggies and skins back in to see how you tolerate it. They also point out how high fat foods, caffeine, excessive fruit and dairy can also create a problem. Good luck, I'm still tweaking my diet to see what works, at the moment i'm great with Cooked, soft foods including

White rice, Sweet potato, Potato, Carrots, Courgettes, Butternut Squash (Cooked, Peeled and deseeded)

Apples (Without skin), Pears (Without Skin), Ripe Banana, Lemon, Lime, Mango

Chicken, Turkey, Fish (Red meat such as bacon and sausages in moderation)

Soy milk/Rice milk

Coconut Oil

Eggs

Dairy free Chocolate/ Seedless Jams

[Lindylo in reply to emboss3]

Thank you for the reply, but I cannot have anything white ....... bread, rice etc and i do eat a lot of skinless chicken and fish already.