Food Gone Wild

WARNING:  This is an IBS-specific post, and may contain TMI - Too Much Information.

We have all been lead to assume that fruits, vegetables, lentils and whole grains are healthy and should represent a large portion of our diet.  I would also like to believe this is true, but, unfortunately, for some of us, this can run horribly awry in practice.

For the last few months I have had the sneaking suspicion that I have been heading toward a full-blown IBS episode. Firstly, as my episodes are normally about every two years or so, I am clearly due.  What tipped me off though were the minimum of seven to eight visits to the ladies room each day (double what I think of as normal) for the past eight weeks. I have had gas so badly that I have been unable to sit up straight at work and have been forced to drop everything, call a cab and head home to my magic bag on more than one occasion.  It has begun to affect my routines, my corn starch usage has gone through the roof and I cannot decide whether sitting or standing is preferable.

In an attempt to combat this I have tried a few things.  I had my first abdominal massage, I am now seeing a naturopath (the third in my lifetime).  I find myself agreeing to consume tinctures and Chinese herbs with names like bu zhong yi qi tang.  I have yet to try a rice water remedy that is supposed to help regulate me.

The likely question here is - is it something I'm eating?  I tried that experiment - I did the clean eating thing - I peeled and steamed my veg and fruit.  I ate lots of sugar-free applesauce and fruit cocktail (fresh fruit can be tricky for IBSers to digest).  I ate more fibre, I drank more water (more than my 3+ litres a day), I drank digestive teas, I did the digestive-friendly yoga poses and lots of yoga breathing.  The results?  It gave me the shits, like, have-the-flu kind of shits.

Upon realizing that this was not going according to plan I bought a lot of Boost and Gatorade (to help replace electrolytes).  On particularly high-pain days I have been drinking 1-3 Boost.  Some days I have a completely liquid day so it does not hurt quite so much by the time I hit number 8. On better days I have 1-2 Boost, applesauce, white bread with peanut butter and either more white bread, applesauce and an egg or grilled chicken with steamed broccoli.

However, a funny thing happened.  I went on vacation.  In the land of Olive Garden salad and bread sticks, pizza, fried food, dessert and alcohol.

Amazing milkshake at Duckfat in Portland, Maine

Aside from a little gas, I was at 1-2 washroom trips a day - without the big D and minimal amounts of pain!  I even hiked up several mountains at Acadia National Park without crapping my pants or popping a squat!  The only real side effects are my clogged arteries and the extra padding around my tush.

View from Acadia Mountain

Another beautiful view 

What does this mean?  It certainly goes to show that stress is the leading factor contributing to this IBS episode.  It also shows that when in an episode food can have little bearing on your symptoms.  So does this mean I plan to continue along this road to chunky town?  Definitely not.  Come hell or high water I am putting my fat pants away.  But, it does mean that as I go back on "real" food, life will be pretty awful, for quite awhile as my body gets used to trying to process fruits and vegetables.

As an IBS sufferer it is often difficult to choose the right foods because my reaction to the good food goes against everything I have been taught - from the food guide to my specialist, to all the health, fitness and wellness bloggers out there.  The healthy choice certainly feels pretty unhealthy to me as I have to go every hour, on the hour from the time I wake up.  It certainly feels unhealthy canceling appointments and making up excuses as to why I have to miss that meeting or have my colleagues believe that I really cannot shake that flu.  It is also really awkward dealing with the corn starch in a public restroom - all signs point to addiction.

So today, my first full day back from vacation I started off with my morning shake (Shakeology, cocoa powder, cinnamon, skim milk, peanut butter and banana baby food) and stuck to real food aside from my one ultra dark chocolate truffle and some butter on my white bread.  My body certainly cannot take whole wheat bread and vegetables all at once - one step at a time.  As I slowly, but surely trade in my fat pants for my skinny jeans, think of me, perpetually on the throne, in a cloud of corn starch.  Think of this as installment one in Food Gone Wild - an IBSer's tale of strange food choices, all in the name of the colon!

For those of you with digestive issues, I would love to hear if you have any recommendations!

Rhubarb - A Public Service Announcement

Rhubarb season is finally upon us, and if you are anything like me, you went straight out and bought a bunch of stalks.  Every year I anxiously await their arrival so that I can make a batch of stewed rhubarb.  I use stewed rhubarb on everything, on toast, in a sandwich, over yogurt and over ice cream.  It is cheap and easy to make and it tastes fantastic.  However, when I first began using rhubarb I noticed a strange phenomenon - I could not stop using the washroom!  It turns out that rhubarb is high in both water and fibre and is often used as a digestive aid for those who suffer from constipation.  This certainly is no joke; even though I am aware of this side effect, I go through my annual accidental rhubarb cleanse.  

Two weeks ago, I was speaking with a friend of mine who had cooked up a batch of stewed rhubarb.  She noticed she was feeling ill throughout the weekend, and thought she might be getting the flu.  Not wanting to go hungry, she ate a lot of yogurt and rhubarb and continued to feel sick.  My friend was unaware of the stimulating effect rhubarb has on the digestive system, and honestly, it never crossed my mind to warn her.  I took it for granted that everyone was aware of what rhubarb was capable of, apparently I was wrong.  Hence the public service announcement. 

So, to make it abundantly clear - tread with caution.  Rhubarb is amazing, and because of the flavour you can easily eat too much.  If you eat too much you will spend much of your day on the toilet.  You will feel as though you have taken several laxatives.  If you are constipated, reach for rhubarb and you should enjoy a great sense of relief in very short order.  This is by no means a recommendation to avoid rhubarb, but rather a warning not to eat too much.  As with anything, moderation is the key to success; start out eating a little less than you think you should and increase your intake from there. 

Other bloggers have been covering rhubarb from a culinary perspective, check out the following post at  Bite Size Wellness for some ideas on how to prepare. 

The F word – Part Deux: Dear Diary…

In my last post I began my introduction to the world of fibre and how I came to discover my optimal intake-level of the f word.  Knowing your numbers is great in theory, but if you do not know how to track your fibre then you will have no idea how you are doing.  Sure, your symptoms may indicate that things are not going well, but you will not know how the fibre or the food is affecting you.  The solution is … food journaling! 

For those of you who have been diagnosed for awhile, you have probably received this recommendation many times before.  If you are anything like me, I blissfully ignored it.  I became so aggravated any time someone suggested that I track my food, and even worse my symptoms, and my feelings.  And then I had one too many “episodes” and could no longer ignore the repeated recommendations of my dietitian to begin tracking.  So, pen and notebook in hand, I began the tiresome task of writing everything down.  When I say everything, I mean absolutely everything. 

What to track?

• Track how much (ex. 1 slice of whole wheat bread, ½ cup of unsweetened applesauce etc.) and how it was prepared (ex. peeled, cooked, grilled, poached, raw etc.)
• DO NOT forget to track your liquids, especially water
• Track when you ate it
• Track how you physically felt throughout the day (ex. felt bloated after lunch, solid BM after breakfast, cramps after dinner etc.)
• Make note of details relating to your BM (bowel movement), this would include color, consistency, smell, easy or difficult to pass
• Track how you felt emotionally (ex. felt stressed all day, very positive day etc.)
• Write down any event you may feel was significant
• Make note of any physical activity you did that day and for how long – in addition, if your IBS felt better or worse as a result
• For women, if you are on your period, be sure to note this as it can drastically change your symptoms

 Now that you know what to track, how should you track?  There are so many options that you can use, I have tried both the manual options and a few of the online options.  Here is a sampling of what you can use:

• Notebook – just like a diary, you can just make a new entry each day and jot down all of the details as listed above.
• Spreadsheet – I am a girl who loves her spreadsheets.  I love to create an Excel file for pretty much everything, so journaling was no different.  My philosophy is, if you can make it visually appealing and thoughtfully organized, you will be more likely to use it.
• Worksheets – Some dietitians will give you a worksheet that you can use to track your food, and if not, make your own, maybe using a spreadsheet!
• Online – There are unlimited online choices.  In the past, I have used Fitday (the free version) and I currently use Livestrong (paid version, but will likely switch back to the free version next year).  These providers have all of the information available online, so you do not have to wonder how much fibre is in the food you are eating, or what the nutritional break down is of a Tim Hortons blueberry bran muffin.  These are useful tools because they can show you whether or not you are reaching your RDI for various nutrients, it has a “journal” option that allows you to track your symptoms, as well as your fitness and other activities.  My husband is a valiant Fitday supporter, but, Livestrong is prettier and has lots of articles relating to fitness and food.  A friend of mine uses a similar paid tool on the Women’s Health website and I also know that many runners use SparkPeople.  However, it does not matter which option you choose, it just has to work for you.  
• Mobile –  most, if not all of the websites listed above also have apps that you can download to your iPhone or iPod so you can track on the go.  They also sync up to the online versions.   

When keeping a food journal, ensure that you track for a minimum of two weeks, but preferably a month.  This will allow you to track a wide variety of foods and it will give you a clear idea of your eating habits and how your symptoms relate to what you eat.  

Once you have tracked for the allotted time, you should analyze the results and make adjustments accordingly.  For example, if you notice that every time you eat turnip your guts are a-rumble, maybe you should stop eating this gas-inducing food.  If you notice that when you eat food high in refined sugars that you have the runs, maybe it is time to re-think your sugar intake.  If you notice that no matter what you eat for breakfast, you are having problems, maybe change the time you eat breakfast.  Perhaps you discover that an after-dinner walk makes you feel much better, you should ensure that you do this every night because it gives you relief.  What happens if you have strong symptoms and cannot figure out the trigger?  Check your food intake on the previous day.  Often times, it is the food that you ate yesterday that creates the symptoms you feel today.  If that does not work, did something happen in your life that could have triggered the symptoms? 

Below are some screen shots from both Fitday and Livestrong to give you an idea of what their interfaces look like.  Check back for Part 3 in my f word series.  

Screenshot of Livestrong's MyPlate 

Screenshot of Fitday's interface