A plant based diet will not heal your IBS! This is a common gut health myth that circulates. It is usually not gluten or dairy that’s the problem for most healthy individuals. We need to shift towards foods that make us feel better and away from ones keep us fatigued or uncomfortable. We need to listen to our bodies. We need to feel what is good for our digestion. Yes fiber is important but everybody has a fibre threshold. Its 20 grams of fiber a day for some, for others it’s 50 grams of fiber a day. It is often because the person has a damaged gut, and digestion, absorption and detoxification are poor. These have to be fixed first before one introduces the plant based diet. Fodmaps, fruit and veg sensitivities are often an issue. We see people with the healthiest diet that they cant digest. They have the worst gut function and partially this is because they’re overextending their body’s natural capacity for digestion of fiber. I have written a blog here on fodmaps and fodmap sensitivities and the different foods that can be an issue for even the healthiest of people. This is not to say that we shouldn’t be eating green foods and lots of fruit, veg, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices. It’s just we must heal our guts first. Go slow with the fiber at the start and gradually as the microbiome grows and we’re able to tolerate more and more of the healthy foods and our digestive system is fully healed. Example beans are excellant at pulling toxin bile out of the body but many with IBS cant tolerate the gas with beans. Starting with a teaspoon full of hummus every few days is a good start, not eating a whole tub with raw carrots an celery. Other healthy foods than frequently cause issues : Brocolli stalks, Spinach, Kefir, Kombucha, Kimchi, Sauerkraut, Raw veg, Apples, Peanuts, peanut butter, Wine and Coffee.
If you are in alot of pain and IBS then cut out the above. Talk to a practitioner about healing your gut. Slowly increase the fiber and grow the microbiome. It takes a few years to do. Its not a quick fix. To grow a microbiome that’s going to support our immune systems long-term one has to go slow and not aggravate the gut with too much veg too soon..
To learn more about this see gowithyourgut.ie. For more tips follow @gowithyourgutclinic on facebook and Instagram or email my secretary info@gowithyourgutclinic for appointments.
Have a gut day,
Fiona
