Could FODMAPs be Causing Your Discomfort?

It's been a few years now since I started my journey to understanding what was causing my digestive issues. Since then I've been tested for Celiac, Lupus, and allergies. The first two came back negative, thank goodness, but the allergy testing did show some mild food allergies. A few of those were grains, so I've adopted a gluten free diet in an effort to avoid some of those grains. I'll admit, I'm not as strict as I should be, and because of this, I still have symptoms from time to time. For me, this means I suffer from stomachaches, gas, bloating, headaches, and joint pain. It's not fun, and I don't know exactly what causes it. Yes, their are foods that I know, for sure, that if I eat them, I will be in pain, but without an official diagnosis of anything other than some allergies (mild at that... which tend to cause a stuffy nose and some mouth itching), I just do my best to avoid known issues. The rest is guess work.

I have read that Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity does not exist. I've read that it does. I've read that it could be sensitivity to pesticides, and I've read that it could actually be a sensitivity to FODMAPs.

Could Bacteria be a Cure for Allergies

http://www.kcet.org/living/food/food-rant/reason-behind-increasing-food-allergies-discovered.html

I openly admit I have not checked into the background of this article, nor have I fact checked it, but even if there is a kernel of truth it's an interesting notion. 

Effects of Food Intolerance

Anyone who has ever dealt with food intolerance knows just how miserable it can be. Sometimes symptoms don't appear until hours or days after eating the offending food. If you don't yet know what your trigger foods are, such late onset of symptoms can make it really difficult to figure out. Thankfully for me, I know my triggers and can even determine from the particular symptom what offender snuck its way into my diet. My symptoms seem to be cumulative too. The more I eat (and it doesn't have to be at one sitting) the worse I feel. My symptoms can range from achy joints, to migraines, to nausea, gas, bloating, diarrhea, fatigue... If it's a symptom of food intolerance I've probably had it. I'll admit there was a time when I honestly believed that this was my life. I was destined to live my life sick and in pain. Thank goodness that's not true! It took a while (about a month) for me to truly feel "normal", and it was a lot of work, but at least it was possible!

Interestingly enough, a study from Cabridge Diagnostics out of England showed that 60 days after altering their diets, 71% of patients in the study (2567 who responded to the questionnaire) saw improvements in their health. That's huge! So, if you're just starting out and wondering why you don't feel better yet, hang in there! It will get better.

What happens? Food intolerance and sensitivity cause inflammation in your small intestine. Over time this inflammation can destroy the lining of your intestine, which can cause all kinds of trouble. It's not just a simple matter of, I eat something, my stomach hurts, it passes, and I'm better. The lining of your intestine is responsible for nutrient absorption. If it's disrupted, the effect is malabsorption. Inflammation in your gut can also change the way your intestines move waste, which means you can end up intermittent diarrhea and constipation.

Why does it take so long to heal? If you remember from  health class... way back when... your small intestine is about 20 feet long with a surface area equal to about 2 tennis courts. That's a lot of area to cover! So, not only do food issues cause inflammation (that can last for days or even months), destroy the lining and ability for the intestine to move properly, but it also disrupts the balance of good bacterial in your gut. All of these things take time to restore. Not to mention, some offending proteins can take a long time to be fully removed from your system.

So what happens if you just decide to "deal with it" and continue eating as you have all your life? I mean, why change now, right? Well the problem is, aside from all extremely unpleasant side effects mentioned above, prolonged inflammation can put us at higher risk for cancers and immune disorders. How's that for a reason?

Bottom line, if you've had on-going stomach issues, see your doctor. You don't have to feel sick all the time, and if you have a known food issue... take care of it. Trust me, I know it's not easy, but it's well worth the hassle.


WebMd
GI Health
DiagnosTechs
Body Ecology

The Sensitive Eater's Lament

Adjusting to food allergies, sensitivities, intolerances, is not easy. Thankfully, I'm blessed to have a very supportive and loving husband who considers my struggles with food when he makes his own food choices. When we go out to eat, he often refuse to order foods he knows I can't have because he doesn't want to eat them in front of me. (I know... Awwww!) I think it's incredibly sweet that he wants me to be successful and doesn't want to taunt me with the very foods I crave. I guess he's noticed me drooling as I watch others munch on their cheesy, doughy, goodies. Now I can tell myself until I'm blue in the face that those foods aren't healthy anyway, but they just look sooo good sometimes... and I think they know it. I swear I saw a cupcake wink at me the other day! Cheeky confection!

So, while I'm thankful for a loving husband, I hate the idea that I'm depriving him of foods he's able to eat. It seems ludicrous to me that he should eat according to my needs. What's a girl to do? Thankfully my cravings for such temptations is beginning to subside. Hallelujah! So, when I say, "No, it's OK. I don't really want it." I mean it... well most of the time. The other part of the time I'm just saying it out loud in an attempt to convince myself that I don't want or need it. In the meantime I suppose it's just going to be a balancing act... and I'm not very graceful. As I quietly mourn the foods I crave, I will continue to encourage my husband to eat as he normally would... and he will continue not wanting to tempt me. Sigh... The bright spot in all this is that at least it's a pretty benign problem to have.

Medicine Net

This site has a wide variety of food allergy information. You can find everything from definitions of food allergy and food intolerance, to symptoms, to diagnosis, and treatment. In fact, there are no less than 20 links to articles on the first page alone. Medicine Net is a great resource for anyone who has, suspects, or knows someone with a food allergy.


Medicine Net: Food Allergy Information

Food Allergy or Intolerance?

WebMD: Food Allergy vs Intolerance
With so much information floating around out there, it's hard to make sense of it all sometimes. The dividing line between allergy and intolerance has been a little grey to me. Thankfully, WebMD explains the difference. The article gives definitions, symptoms, incidence rate, and more.