If you know me you know I was diagnosed with IBS in my mid 20’s.

Then in my early 30’s I was diagnosed with a H-pylori infection.

Then in my late 30’s I was diagnosed with a soya allergy.

The thing about IBS is if you don’t do something positive about your IBS then you do keep ‘getting’ other symptoms and other diagnosis.

I keep seeing social media posts about IBS not being a food issue, it makes me so mad….. If you eat a diet high in ultra processed foods, then you are going to make your IBS worse. Why? because you disrupt your gut microbiome with UPF’s

Google ultra processed foods and the microbiome and study after study, article after article comes up.

How to recognised a UPF? the easy way for me is to look at the ingredients, is there an ingredient I don’t recognise? if the answer is yes, its a UPF.

I know I am simplifying a complicated condition by saying if you look after your microbiome then your beautiful gut bugs will look after you.

Do you remember the men in black film where the cat has the universe around its neck? That is how I think about the microbiome. My own universe that I must nurture.

My IBS improved when I learnt about how to nurture my microbiome. When I learnt the importance of not suppressing my stomach acid. When I learnt to cut out pointless sugar. When I learnt to cook. When I learnt about kefir and probiotics.

In 1990 when I was diagnosed there was no treatment for IBS. You were diagnosed and that was about it. There was no real research into the root causes or how to manage IBS. No FODMAP’s, no dysbiosis, no leaky gut. I am very grateful that now the research is there at our fingertips for those of us that love research.

But I do wonder if we have made the subject so complicated that instead of moving forward with actually helping IBS sufferers we have delayed the support because we have to run tests, analyse the results and give the root cause a name.

Is it time we took a step back and just ate well ?

Is it time to try eating grass fed animal protein and pasture raised chickens and eggs.

Organic or seasonal vegetables and fruit

Filtered water, a couple of cups of quality tea or coffee

And took control over the alcohol we drank.

I am however grateful for the support I get from targeted supplements. The ones that have helped me heal my gut mucosal lining. The ones that have helped me to digest my food when Im stressed and the ones that have helped me control my bowels.

I use to spend hundreds of pounds on supplements. I would see an advert and decide I needed that help. I ordered supplement from the US for a year. Did I benefit? Honestly I don’t think I felt much different.

The thing is that supplements are not a miracle worker, if you eat poorly, drink too much alcohol or don’t manage your stress you aren’t going to feel the benefit.

So have we come back full circle? is it time we just ate well?

Im not saying that Im 100% perfect. Sometimes Im tired and don’t eat as well as I should, sometimes I go to the pub and have 1 too many glasses of wine. After all even Nutritionists are human.

But what my IBS has taught me and what I am grateful for is, that I know how food makes me feel. I know what my body likes, I know how to rest if I do decide to not be perfect.

I know its hard to eat real food, to cook every night, to avoid the sugary treat foods, but if you are an IBS sufferer and feel like you can’t eat anything then what have you got to lose?

Omelette and kefir for breakfast

Chicken and cooked vegetables for lunch

Burger no bun (or steak) and salad for dinner

Fresh berries and yoghurt for dessert

Eat food that your microbiome loves for 2 weeks. Do you feel different ?

My IBS has meant that I eat well, I exercise consistently and I work on lowering my stress. Im healthy. Isn’t that what we are striving for ?

What does your IBS mean to you?

Jackie

Nutritional Therapist DipION, mBANT, CNHC

IBS sufferer

www.food4healthyguts.com