Are you facing Christmas with dread that your IBS symptoms may ruin your holiday or time with friends and family ?  I have listed some very simple tips to help you avoid a flare up:

Stay Calm – That may sound crazy, but anxiety and stress are huge triggers for IBS/IBD sufferers.  By managing your stress levels and allowing yourself to stop from time too time to recharge your batteries, you are actually reducing the likelihood of IBS symptoms.  Also Acid Relux, Diverticulitis and many other gastric problems can be helped.
Do Not Eat On The Go – As we rush around the shops, taxi the children about and then manage to fit in housework, Christmas shopping, job and social life, we forget a fundamental part of digestion.  For IBS spectrum sufferers, chewing is essential.  By making sure you do not swallow lumps of partially chewed food you are actually eliminating another trigger for a flare up.  Therefore, no matter how busy you are, chew your food so it is very mushed up.
Hydrate – Liquid consumption is, in my opinion, as important as food.  Remembering to drink as we go about our daily lives during the festive season, is essential.   We can become dehydrated very quickly, and this in turn can lead to constipation.  So you could have an excellent diet, and undermine the hard work with food, with poor hydration.  
Avoid peels, skins and pips – Fibre can be a friend or a foe for IBS sufferers.   To ensure you do everything you can to have a flare free festive season, peel your fruit, avoid the pips and leave the skins.  If you apply this rule literally, that would mean you avoid dried fruit, as it is very very difficult to peel !  The little capsules of fruit sugar are a potential trigger and we do tend to consume more during the Christmas season.
Be Happy – The happy hormones do create a happy gut.
'It is Just One !' – DO NOT DO IT – Do not compromise your health and fun, by saying ‘just one’.  Those naughty nibbles and yummy deserts could trigger an IBS flare up, so be strong.
Plan – Have some stand-by foods in your bag, so you do not get caught out.  Take some of your own breads or biscuits with you for example, and most of all, if you are eating out, do not be afraid to ask the staff for information.  Restaurants have to supply allergy and intolerance information now, and a quick glance at their guide could save you days of discomfort.

Please note IBS and other gastric symptoms all respond in different ways, so the guidance above is just that a guide, not a cure all.  To book an appointment for more information and to attend the IBS Specialist clinic please contact Victoria, 01795 534627.  or [email protected]


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BLOATED ?  What could be to blame ?

I see lots of patients complaining of stomach ache, bloating, feeling tired, and some have bowel problems ranging from constipation to severe diarhoea.  If we look at our heritage, our food's evolution has raced ahead of our own development, and this has effected our ability to digest our food.  Also, wider imports of tropical fruit and vegetables from far flung continents means we are at times eating foods outside our own culture.

An example of this is mango, a wonderful juicy fruit which can be used raw or cooked, and also dried.  It has gradually become more and more widely used, and is seen on many menus now.  The problem is it is high in fructose, and some individuals have difficulty digesting this type of sugar. 

We are naturally designed to better digest glucose.  Our bodies do not have the dedicted means of absorption for fructose that glucose has, so this digestive difficulty means some fructose remains undigested in the large intestine, where it ferments.  This fermentation leads to the production of gas, bloating and for some people diarrhoea. 

Professor Whorwell from the University of Manchester says 'our bodies are not terribly good at digesting fructose, especially in the quantities we eat these days, with year-round access as well'.

Fructose malabsoroption can go hand in hand with IBS, Crohn's disease and IBD (inflammatory Bowel Disease), and 'approximately 1/3rd of IBS sufferers will have fructose intolerance' (quoted Julie Thompson, Specialist Gastroenterology Dietician.)

Fructose malabsorption can also be linked too depression or low mood, as fructose has been associated with blocking the production of serotonin !  It's interesting to note that children's behaviour has been effected by fructose intake.   Fructose is used to sweeten many foods, and marketing and manufacture has made these very appealing and available to children, and behaviour changes have matched this increase.

Some fruit and vegetables are better tolerated than others, so random exclusion is not a good idea.  Exclusion should be properly managed in order to prevent further mal-absorption and mal-nutrition.

Written By Victoria Shorland, Consultant Nutritionist, Faversham, Kent, www.eattolive.org.uk, [email protected] or Telephone. 01795 534627 / 07789512825.

Could the Foods You Eat Be Making You Feel Unwell ?

‘Excluding Suspect Foods Can Cause Other Health Problems if Not Properly Managed.’

Eat To Live, run by Consultant Nutritionist Victoria Shorland, offers the opportunity to see a professional for advice relating to all sorts of health conditions, including gastric / bowel disorders, which are an area they specialise in.   Through correct management and simple changes an individual can see their symptoms subside, and health improve considerably.

Food Intolerance Testing and Allergy Clinics are also available. 

So let’s take a look at the difference between allergy and intolerance:
 
Allergy

An allergy is an extreme, sudden immune response such as swelling of the face, tongue, other limbs, hives, itching, difficulty breathing, palpitations and even organ failure.  This response is caused by IgE Anti-bodies being produced to fight off a particular ‘allergen’ which in some cases could be a food.  This is also known as anaphylaxis.   IgE (Immunoglobulin E) is the most common allergy form.  This is a sudden onset allergic reaction.

A very tiny amount of ‘trigger’ food or substance is needed to promote a reaction.

Food Intolerance

This is not the same as a food allergy.

Symptoms can be stomach cramps, dull aching in the lower abdomen, low mood, hyperactivity, lethargy, diarrhoea, constipation, diverticulitis, excessive gas, burping, acid reflux, rashes.  The causes vary from person to person and can be difficult to identify, which is why a Nutritionist should be consulted, and in some cases a food intolerance test carried out.

‘Foods should not be excluded without supervision from a Professional specialsing in diet, in order to prevent malnourishment, vitamin deficiencies, and other health problems.’