Tea Time

IBS and tea is a topic I have yet to cover on this blog.  It isn't a treatment many doctors will discuss with you, so I happened upon tea quite by accident.  To read more you may want to check out some other bloggers, most notably Dr. Barbara Bolen of About.com.

Let me start off by saying that I'm not a tea or coffee drinker in any normal sense of the word. Most gastroenterologists advise against caffeine and I stick to this by sheer accident because I hate the taste and it gets me so revved up I can't function.  I'm a water girl 99.99 % of the time.  In recent years I have taken to experimenting with herbal teas as a digestive aid and have had mild success.

What do I use herbal teas for?  If I feel bloated, gassy or like I need to use the washroom I may look to drink a tea. Sometimes a glass of hot water will help, but I tend to have more success with tea.  My faves are as follows:

1. Mint:  This can be a little controversial, especially for those of you who have GERD (I do!).  If you have GERD then it can exacerbate your symptoms, but I have learned how much I can handle without causing problems.  I tend to buy organic mint or spearmint tea - it has no added caffeine or green tea.  My preference is David's Tea, but I also like the Refresh Tea at Starbucks - but not at home as it is far too expensive!  I tend to buy 100g from David's Tea and it will last me several months.

2.  Detox tea: I have only just begun to explore this tea, also from David's, so am still getting used to it.  The flavour is a little overwhelming, but it does appear to help with digestion.

3.  Pu'erh tea: These teas have a long history in China of helping with weight and digestion.  I'm still acquiring a taste for this; I'm having trouble getting on-board with the flavour; however, know that it works really well.  My favourite way to drink it is with some mint tea thrown in their to mask the flavour.

You can also make your own tea using freshly grated ginger, to find out more take a look at this article on IBS from Best Health.  For other home remedies that may help your IBS, take a look at this article on Discovery.

Do you use any herbal remedies to help manage your IBS or to aid in digestion?

Green Monster Madness

This week I began my first foray into uncharted territory – green smoothies.  Angela, of the blog  Oh She Glows, first started the “green monster movement” and it has caught on so much that she had to create a separate site to keep up with readers’ recipe submissions.  What is a green smoothie?  It is a smoothie that has something green in it, most often spinach or kale.   Why go green?  It is a fabulous way to add extra fruits and veggies into your day. 

I am a fruit lover.  I am not a vegetable hater, but I naturally reach for fruit before the veggies.  I am not what you would call adventurous in the food department; between the IBS, GERD and my natural inclination to be extremely picky and overly imaginative often prevent me from eating certain things or from trying new ones.  For example, I can often be heard saying things like I don’t eat bananas because they make my ears itch, or, you may find me in the produce aisle listening to an apple to determine if it is worthy.  I am not a fan of public kitchens, most especially microwaves, or potlucks.  That communal stuff really freaks me out.  I am a huge believer in food segregation, in other words, no food group shall touch another food group while on my plate.  What is my point?  The idea of putting something green in my smoothie really throws me for a loop and feels inherently wrong. 

I have no idea what pushed me over the edge, but I am currently spiralling down into the world of green monsters.  My green of choice was spinach.  Not fresh spinach, and as far as I can tell non-organic spinach.  Most people would buy fresh spinach, not yours truly; I have a current fixation with spinach.  I like things to be perfectly ripe; otherwise, if I find a flaw, I will have to abstain for months until the infraction is forgotten.  The way around this is frozen spinach.  I bought a block of chopped, frozen spinach for $1.79.  I thawed it out and put that puppy in the food processor, and then portioned it out into three containers for future use.   

The verdict?  Not too bad!  I could not taste the spinach (I think it was about 1/3 to 1/2 cup puréed).  My one warning – carry a compact and floss around when you drink this.  It should not be your beverage of choice for a perfectly white smile. 

What about the IBS spin on this one?  It has made me into a raging hot air balloon and has made me frequent the restroom – frequent being the key word here.  In the past, my nutritionist and I have not agreed on smoothies.  She recommended that I drink a smoothie measuring one cup or smaller, and she also recommended that I consume my smoothie later in the day.  My flare-up time always lasts until about 13h00, so, if I consume it in the afternoon I will be less likely to go to the loo.  Given my fear of using public kitchen facilities, I like to drink my smoothie in the morning so it is still somewhat cold when I drink it.  Will I continue on with the green monster movement?  I will definitely continue to play with the smoothie recipes and will try it for at least the next few weeks.  I would like to give my body time to acclimatize to the smoothies.  It is a large intake of fibre all at once for someone who suffers from IBS-D, however, if I can trick my body into cooperating it will be worthwhile.  

Please share your green monster recipes/experiences.  I would love to know how others are approaching this! 

Tuesday’s Recipe

• Fresh strawberries
• Watermelon
• Cantaloupe
• Yogurt
• Teaspoon of honey
• Container of spinach
• Splash of apple juice

Wednesday’s Recipe

• Fresh strawberries
• Container of spinach
• Frozen blueberries
• Frozen cherries
• Yogurt
• 1.5 teaspoons of chia

An almost pleasant experience

As a quick information bulletin to my readers, and potential readers, there are several reasons why I have begun this blog, some of which I examined in my first post.  However, there are other reasons that I have yet to touch on.  This blog is an opportunity to share my experiences with people who have IBS or other digestive issues in an effort to give an honest account of what these experiences might look like.  Having had a few occasions to connect with other sufferers, I can say that it is always a welcome change to open up to someone who is going through the same issues, we seem to be forever silenced by that social taboo called poo.  To this end, I will endeavour to speak honestly about day-to-day life with IBS and also GERD, but, be warned, some of you may find these accounts to be too honest.  I will share as much as I feel comfortable with, but for those readers who may have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to ask.  My hope is that by sharing my experiences some of you will recognize that there are others out there who have struggles very similar to your own, and, maybe we will be fortunate enough to learn something from eachother.  For those of you who do not suffer from IBS or other related issues, think of this as a window into that world.  There are far more IBS sufferers than you think, likely many people that you know, but nobody talks about it.  There is one very important thing to note, I have very mild digestive issues compared to those who suffer from other bowel-related problems such as Crohn’s and Colitis.  I do consider myself lucky to be in a place where my IBS is manageable; having experienced what I consider to be some very painful episodes, I cannot begin to imagine what those with severe digestive problems must endure on a daily basis.  It is always important to be thankful for the blessings that you do have… 

Last night was my first run with my running partner in quite awhile.  I was so relieved to be heading out with him again; I find it so much easier to run with a partner than to run alone.  No matter how fabulous my playlist might be, running solo feels like a chore.  

I was very apprehensive about last night’s run as my IBS has been acting up quite a lot.  I have spent the majority of the last week in the washroom, in the last two days alone I have used the washroom 13 times.   I have no idea why I have been having so much trouble; I have not eaten anything that would normally set me off, if anything, I have been extremely prudent with my food selection.  Furthermore, I can think of no possible stressor that could have triggered this flare-up.  However, as I write this post I have only used the washroom twice, by this time yesterday I think I was at four or five.  So, for some reason there has been a drastic improvement today.  What a treat to finally have a break.  One of the worst things about having IBS is trying to handle it in a public environment.  It is always difficult to determine at what point I should call it a day and head home from work.  A friend once asked me this question, and I guess my rule of thumb is that if I hit double digits while at work, it is time to leave.  But, often the pain-tolerance threshold can be a more accurate judge of when enough is enough.  If I find it too painful to sit on my office chair, it is a sure sign to call it quits.  

Given my washroom track record this week, I shuddered to think what a run might cause.  I seriously considered cancelling the run, but, as I had made the commitment to go, and I have signed up for the 10K, I decided to honour those commitments and hit the pavement.  Of course, true to form, I was late for the run because I was stuck on the toilet.  After I finally managed to peel myself off my porcelain throne, I experienced what was probably the best run I have completed in recent weeks.  We managed to complete six sets of six-minute intervals and covered roughly 6k or so.  What a shock!  With that being said, we did take two-minute walking breaks in between our running sets, I had mixed feelings about this, as it was not the six to one ratio I had been aiming for.  On the other hand, I certainly attribute the two-minute breaks to my ability to complete the full six sets without going to the washroom!  Woohoo!  In addition, it was actually an almost pleasant experience, the weather felt spring-like, the sidewalks were clear of both snow and black ice, it was not raining, and we went early enough that it was still light out.  We are scheduled for a run on Sunday and with yesterday’s success I am hoping that we can build on it and finally move on to seven minutes.  I certainly feel more positive given both our collective improvements and my personal improvements.  I might just be looking forward to tomorrow’s run!