 |
| I look thrilled |
Last week, I spent the better part of a day talking about
IBS. IBS stands for Irritable Bowel Syndrome and there are two types IBS-C and
IBS-D. C and D stand for constipation and diarrhea lest you think my work is
glamorous. The panel I was on had a GI doctor (who developed the IBS survey yielding the info in the title), a psychologist and me. Oh, and
Wendy Williams was the host and moderator.
I’m going to digress for a minute to note that Wendy
Williams has lost a lot of weight, like 50 or 75 pounds so I was a little taken
aback when she walked into our rehearsal. She made the discussion livelier and
played video of people on the Santa Monica pier being interviewed about their
bowel habits.
 |
| My big head |
Some salient suggestions for GI problems:
Keep a food journal- I know it’s almost required as a
nutritionist for me to suggest this. It's imperative with GI issues in order to
determine your personal food triggers.
Some common IBS triggers are fried foods, gluten,
sweeteners, chocolate, carbonation and caffeine. However, this is very
individual.
Eat fermented foods- not only do these foods (yogurt,
fermented cottage cheese, kombucha, kimchi) contain probiotics which can reduce
gas and bloating BUT fermentation makes foods more bioavailable and nutritious.
Yes, nutrients are produced in the fermentation process.
You should eat fermented foods even if you take a probiotic
supplement.
Take vitamin D- there are so many reasons to take vitamin D3
but 82% of people with IBS don’t get enough D.
Beware of your basics- many people come to me with questions
about obscure supplements. For constipation, for example, start with getting
enough fluids (warm fluids best if binded) and doing vigorous, standing
exercise such as running or rebounding. Make sure you're doing the basic, easy behaviors before getting fancy.
Talk to someone on your healthcare team about GI issues
especially if they are impacting your social or work life.
No comments:
Post a Comment