Lactase capsules

Hello.

I've been diagnosed ibd for about a year. Colonoscopy revealed colonic ulcer which comes and goes. Im trying to follow a fodmap diet as best I can and this has helped enormously. Also just started cutting down on sugar!!! Bit of a sugar junkie to be honest.

Any other sugar junkies out there?

I'm lactose intolerant, about to experiment with lactase capsules. Anyone had any success with these and in what dose?

Cheers peeps

[Lynnetod]

The lactose intolerance comes from the natural sugars ( not like the sugar you put in your tea) which irritate the bowel. Get the food maestro app, all the natural and manufactured sugars irritate your bowel because your body can't break them down. You will probably also have a problem with wheat and gluten

[Shehangsbrightly]

I have a massive problem with sugar addiction. It causes me to want to eat all the time as it makes me crave sweet things and carbs and I find I am constantly starving. I honestly thought I had binge eating disorder for years until I stopped eating anything with it in for a while and found that it was the cause all along. It was a revelation. I have never been addicted to anything, not even cigarettes when I used to smoke years ago which is why it was such a surprise to me. If I get it out of my system by going cold turkey for a few days I feel so much better but it only takes a little bit and I'm back on it again. It makes me feel lousy when I do eat it but it is really difficult to get myself out of the cycle of eating and craving. Hopefully you will find that cutting down will really help. xx

[Hidden in reply to Shehangsbrightly]

Its a relief to know there are others out there struggling with this. It is a powerful force and I am finding it so hard to not automatically stuff sugary things in when I'm hungry, and yeah, always hungry. I'm using plain discipline to not touch any on "non sugar"days, but can only keep that up if I know theres a "sugar day" round the corner to alleviate the cravings. Baby steps. Thanks for your reply

Do you have ibs and does sugar make your symptoms worse or cause them even? How were you off sugar completely?

[Shehangsbrightly]

I think a lot of people have this problem but don't realise what it is. I get stuck in a cycle. I eat sugary things, feel lousy, feel compelled to eat more sugary things to make myself feel better, feel starving all the time, eat more sugary things, feel more lousy and on and on. The cravings are horrible. I have IBSD and acid reflux and sugar definitely makes them worse. About 2 years ago, I found through eliminating all Fodmaps for two weeks and then gradually re-introducing them, that I have a problem specifically with Polyols. If I avoid those and I am off sugar then I have no symptoms or very mild ones (I think there are other foods that if I eat a combination of them I get symptoms but it's never been bad enough that I have felt the need to find out what they are) The minute I get back on sugar again things start up again. I was off sugar completely last summer for three months. I felt better than I had in years, had no cravings, virtually no symptoms (apart from when I think I had FODMAPs without realising) , had loads of energy and was motivated to walk 10,000 steps a day, every day. I lost 2 stone. At the end of the summer I went on holiday, fell off the sugar wagon and have been back in the cycle I describe above pretty much ever since. To get off sugar completely I have to go cold turkey for at least 4 days to get it out of my system. (some people cut down gradually but I've always failed when I've tried to do that) During that time I have major withdrawal symptoms (headaches - which I never get usually, a furry tongue, aches and pains, feeling like I'm coming down with flu, nausea) If I have even the tiniest bit of sugar then I'm back to square one again. It's truly evil stuff for me. I has no idea about this until I was researching the side effects of artificial sweeteners a few years ago and found a really long discussion thread on a forum which lead me to find just as long a thread on sugar. There were literally hundreds of people commenting on how lousy sugar makes them feel, the cravings and compulsion to ea that they experience, and the side effects and benefits of quitting it. I can't find the link now (will keep looking and post it if I find it) but there are hundreds of articles on the internet about it. There is even one on the NHS site. I've posted the link to that and another one you might find useful below.

nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pa...

nutritionsecrets.com/sugar-...

Good luck with everything. Hope this helps. Happy to answer any questions.

P.S. Sorry for the long waffly reply but it's really helped to write that all down and it's made me realise that I need to get myself back off sugar starting tomorrow.