Hi Zoe,
Generally my digestion has been very good over the years but a couple years ago I had a problem that seems to be IBS related and went on the FODMAP diet for 6 weeks, which helped to normalize my GI system again. Unfortunately, about a week ago I had another flareup with a lot of belching, indigestion, and some abdominal discomfort at times. I’ve made an appt with a PA specialized in GI issues but in the meantime resumed the FODMAP diet. I find it very challenging to not be able to eat so many healthy foods (e.g., asparagus, cabbage, avocados, hummus, protein powder for smoothies, etc) and to change my diet to be a less healthy one. I am vegetarian (mostly vegan) and had gotten off of grains and yogurt for many months. I am now resuming eating some grains (millet, oats, brown rice) and eating some no lactose organic yogurt and organic goat cheese to be able to have some things that will fill me up and are relatively healthy choices. I am still not sure what is going on with my GI system as there are many things that can cause these symptoms. I do have diverticulosis (found on my last colonoscopy) but never had a flare up of diverticulitis (so I’m not sure if this is what is going on, but it seems like I would be in more pain if this were happening). I wanted your feedback on the best approach to take to try to resolve my GI symptoms as quickly as possible and what you would do if you were in my shoes dealing with this. I will see the specialist, though he is not available for another month so I want to take positive steps to heal my GI tract in the meantime. I greatly appreciate your input and look forward to hearing from you soon. All my best, Janet
Better Together
Dealing with a flareup of GI distress
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Hi Janet,
I’m sorry to hear about your GI distress. Have you been taking any gut healing agents such as probiotics, prebiotics, digestive enzymes, curcumin or l-glutamine? While food choices certainly make a world of difference, when we have chronic issues it indicates we have may need additional healing agents for a period of time so that you can eventually be able to eat a wider variety of foods!
While each person is unique, I often recommend something like Integrative Therapeutics Glutamine Forte (mix of curcumin and l-glutamine) for intestinal healing, a high fiber (vegetables and fruits) diet (15-20 grams/day), and probiotics like our ProBrainBiotics. In addition to what you are eating, this should begin to address the structural healing of your microbiome. If you would like more personalized support around this, consider making an appointment with one of our nutrition coaches. Best!
Hi Zoe,
Thanks very much for your reply. I am taking probiotics, digestive enzymes and sometimes take l-glutamine. This is only the 2nd episode of this type of GI distress so I’m hoping it doesn’t turn into a chronic issue. I must say that the FODMAP diet is very effective and noticeably helped within a day or so. I definitely eat a high fiber diet and take probiotics daily but may need to add a product with l-glutamine like you recommended. Thanks for the suggestion. I will look into it. I am hoping that after a few weeks on the FODMAP diet, I will be able to start adding back some of my favorite foods, such as avocado, hummus, cabbage and cauliflower. Thanks again for your support and helpful suggestions. I will consider contacting the nutrition coach if this problem persists. All my best, Janet
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Thanks Zoe. The FODMAP diet does seem to settle things down in the GI tract, though I don’t like having to restrict eating many of my usual healthy food choices and bringing grains and lactose free yogurt back into my diet to have some additional choices to fill me up. I had eliminated grains and yogurt for many months and plan to do this again once my GI system settles down and I slowly re-introduce the higher FODMAP foods back into my diet to see how I tolerate them. I appreciate your support and good wishes. All my best, Janet
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