Colour-code your foods!

[Luisa22]

So we have RED for uh-oh....nope. Bad belly to follow.

We have AMBER for "okay -ish, can eat it sometimes, but not too much of and not for days on end."

And we have GREEN for "usually fine, easier on the gut, no real dramas when I eat this, but not much use during a flare up" (as if anything is!)

And everybody's food list is going to be different.

If you can eat ice cream, or bread, or chocolate, etc with no obvious damage done, then go for it. No point restricting foods or nice treats if you don't have to. The only time to maybe go without these might be during a Low Fodmap diet 6-8 week trial. Remember, even chocolate contains quite surprising nutrients if you check, or if you buy a decent one.

If someone else can eat something fine, it doesn't mean you can. If it's listed as Low Fodmap, it doesn't mean it suits you. Many low Fodmaps I can't eat. And a few high ones are kind to me.

And the weirdest thing is, that sometimes our safe food list can change...one way or the other. So safe foods can start to become "no" foods, and those we didn't trust, can become okay. We have to be flexible.

But sometimes there are foods that stay safe for a very long time. I have those staples.

And the operative word is often "sometimes."

It can help to make a really simple chart, magnetise it to the fridge, and highlight the foods in the colours.

And, what I learned is, it doesn't matter if it's a "healthy choice" or not. If YOU feel healthier for eating it, stick with that, but be ready to introduce healthier foods if possible.

Some food that is considered "unhealthy" (such as white basmati rice etc) actually isn't too bad on nutrients. But food additives/processed foods can be bad news, so try to cook simple foods from scratch.

Just passing on a few tips that I found out for myself.

[Waiting_for_godo]

That's a good post and totally agree. I still cannot say what works and what doesn't as it changes so much. White basmati isn't unhealthy?

[Luisa22 in reply to Waiting_for_godo]

Well, this is the info I collected just over a year ago on a nutrition chart:

White Rice (1 cup of cooked rice.) That's based on the American "cup" which is more like a standard British tea or coffee mug.

Magnesium 19 mg

Calcium 15 mg

Folate 91.6 mcg

Choline 3.3 mg

Omega 3 20.5 mg

Omega 6 98 mg

Small amounts of some B vitamins

Iron 1.9 mg

Phosphorus 68 mg

Potassium 55.3 mg

Zinc 0.8 mg

Manganese 0.7 mg

Selenium 11.9 mcg

So some of those numbers aren't high, compared with other foods, and considering what we need each day, but those are all helpful.

[xjrs]

It can be pretty irritating how what you can tolerate changes. Pre treatment of SIBO (which I didn't have), the resulting change in my gut flora means that I now react to root vegetables when I used to eat these all of the time. After taking Alflorex, I can now eat wholemeal bread and many other cereal fibres without issue. I've used the principle that you can get your gut flora used to certain foods if introduced very gradually. This has worked in some cases, but not all cases for me. For instance, I was determined to eat broccoli, even just the florets, but this was a no go in any amount even when trialled over a long period. I then went as far as growing my own broccoli microgreens which should be easier to digest. Again, even the smallest amount would give me IBS pain. This is one of the most difficult things I am finding about IBS. The shifting sands. Many vegetables are my nemesis but fruit less so.

There has been some studies that show that the problem is to do with the gut having a 'memory'. Even if you recover from food poisoning or a bad bug (now more in balance) or gastritis, your gut still has a memory of the injury and still thinks that some foods are attacking you in very random ways. It would be so great if they came up with something that allows that memory to be reset.

[Luisa22 in reply to xjrs]

I will remember what you said, xjrs, and thank you. I was wondering how to get certain foods back into my diet, and so I am going to try what you tried...really very tiny amounts, maybe wait a few days, then try again etc.

I have been inclined to go a bit overboard trying half a portion or a whole portion at once and failing.

My main problem is when I am preparing food I am usually very hungry for my dinner! At that stage I CAN literally eat anything, and feel fine until either a few hours after dinner when I get some gut discomfort sometimes, or usually the morning. So if something tastes nice and I've missed eating it, I go a bit overboard.

So I will try the smallest tiny bits. It will be easier if I can buy loose veg, when I can just choose one, rather than for instance, buying a whole pack of carrots or beetroot. The only problem I have is I live alone, get grocery deliveries and many supermarkets only have packs.

I hate wasting food. And if I only ate 1/8 or so of a carrot, the rest would go off by the time I got to them! But I will try that.

[xjrs in reply to Luisa22]

Yes it is difficult with the quantities. Some fresh things can be frozen. I tend to freeze fresh fruit for instance - peel oranges and kiwis, portion and bag them up for the freezer. I even freeze whole pears with the skins on after washing (these taste better when defrosted in the microwave rather than left to stand at room temperature).

In regards to gradually increasing foods, my strategy has been to have 1/4 or 1/3 of a normal portion for a couple of days; if that is OK, increase to 1/2 a portion for a couple of days, then increase to 3/4 for a couple of days, working up to a full portion. If I get symptoms I cut back to the previous amount for longer and then re-try increasing.

I am trialling Nush almond and chive spread at the moment. I started with one heaped teaspoon yesterday. The tub needs to be used within 5 days, so I know what you mean about potential waste from eating in increments.

[Blue_81]

Its weird for me. Pizza is not the best food option but when I eat it I feel so good. My stomach stops hurting and my mood improves. Usually all foods are okay, however, sometimes something trigers inside of me that I start feeling bad. Ugh, its so frustrating to be like this. Wish I could figure how my system work and stop hurting.

[Luisa22 in reply to Blue_81]

I know, Blue_81. The foods that almost always calm my gut so I don't feel much in the way of symptoms are hard boiled eggs, plain steamed fish, white rice, and green beans or spinach. But I can't eat the same thing every day! Also madeira cake is happy in my gut, and white bread toasted. I have learned that there are days when I can eat other things okay, and adapted to the days when I can't, and stopped worrying about "five a day" stuff. And mysteriously my energy and general health is fine. I would happily trade "eat a rainbow" etc....for feeling pretty well in myself!