Sometime after Hurricane Katrina I began to have intestinal problems, not that Hurricane Katrina was the cause, it is just a timing gauge. Although it could have been--I lost 20 pounds the first month on duty and practically lived on Pepto bismo and fiber pills trying to control what food we did get. But then when I ended up my tour in Galveston and then Beaumont and the restaurants were all operating I was eating everything yummy and I do not remember a problem except for gaining weight. But anyway, disaster day did hit and...
Dr. Natali gave me information on IBS and Linda bought me a book and I scoured the website and began to change my way of eating to see if we could find the cause and the cure. Gone were the days when I could eat anything I wanted and not end up having some disastrous consequences. I appreciated Dr. Natali so much, he tried so hard to help and was very understanding.
The first thing I found for sure was the relationship to gluten and so I gave up gluten. The times I would slip or eat unawares always resulted in problems. Gluten was definitely out. Sugar could definitely be a problem, and I found the Special Carbohydrate Diet and that really solved the issue but another opinion was that it was just the Fodmaps (lactose, fructose, fructan, etc etc) and rice was ok, and potatoes were ok and watermelon was not ok, etc. etc. and so bread could be made from rice flour and not just almond flour, etc. The fact that these two diets disagree on certain foods to solve the same problem is why trial and error is necessary. Fodmap diet does not want you to eat onions and yet it is ok on SCD. Frustrating! Plus fodmap diet says Gelato ok, SCD no!
It is the opinion that when bacteria in our gut gets out of wack that the small intestine could not digest certain foods and they would just wiz on through. It is more complicated than that but lots of reading and experimenting helped me to find what worked to keep me fairly stress-free and not so many tummy aches and runs to the bathroom. I have lots of books and recipes and have experimented a lot.
But of course, you always cheat a little, slip a little and soon you are out of balance again. One thing that can be a real problem is antibiotics and last month with all the antibiotics with my dental issues my system is out of wack again and I am back to square one...so to speak.
So back to cooking what works and eating what works and avoiding the rest...plus I had given up more dairy last summer when I found my congestion and phlegm problems could disappear with the dairy...who knew. Well actually if you read books and the internet a lot of people know.
But actually, the homemade food is much better than any other. It just takes planning and shopping. Since I have found my love for Havarti Cheese I am especially anxious to try the fresh tomatoes and Havarti pizza on a homemade almond flour crust...I never tried that before!!! We will see if it is as good as the margarita pizzas on the Mediterranean Cruise. I am looking forward to my homemade spaghetti sauce, too, so much better especially with spaghetti squash and zucchini and hey, I have missed my cauliflower mashed potatoes...
After I get my tummy settled down again I will try my rice flour bread again and my potatoes one at a time and gradually see what else I can handle...Oh, yes, I am back to making my own yogurt again. Why did I stop, it is so good and much better than probiotic pills. Just takes a little effort.
My favorite breakfast...an egg mixed with half a banana and made into a big pancake and then slathered with butter...yum. Or an egg stirred up with cheese and microwaved for 45 seconds.
Well, the heart doctor did say to make my diet just protein and vegetables, I guess that is what it will be.
The funny thing I can remember tummy aches being a part of my life from the time I was a child, definitely when I was a teenager and young adult so I probably have been eating things I was allergic to or that were toxic to me for years. When I had an exam as a young adult the doctor said I had a wrinkled stomach? lining and so acid and spicy foods would always irritate me...that is all I remember about that. And there have been other sporadic episodes but not chronic until about 2006-7 or so.
No comments:
Post a Comment