What to eat so my stomach doesn't get upset

Curlyhatescurls

Hi All,
I'm not seeking medical advice, I'm undergoing some medical tests to rule out what's wrong with my stomach but I have to wait till April. Basically my stomach is constantly upset, all the symptoms in IBS. I'm getting fed up of it all and I have come up with a food plan of foods that don't upset my stomach, I was wondering if people could advise me on it-

Basically it's the BRAT diet- bananas, rice, applesauce and toast. Also- boiled carrots, avocado, rice milk and peanut butter. I'm on Iron and Vitamin C tablets already. Am I missing out on any major nutrients? And does anyone know if white rice is gentler on the stomach than brown rice?

Hope I can get some help on this as I'm at my wit's end,

Thank you.

yellowlabrador

I m would also cut out the peanuts as they can cause a reaction. Maybe follow your diet for a few days and gradually introduce a few things. My biggest problem is wheat and gluten. Even a trace makes me sick for a few weeks. Ask your doctor for an appointment with a dietician.

Curlyhatescurls

Thank you for the advice! I rely a lot on peanut butter so that could be another thing that's causing my stomach distress. I'll also eat only gluten free bread. I've been tested for coeliac disease and don't have it but that doesn't mean much because I have noticed wheat causing problems in my diet.

Zombienosh

The two most common problem causers tend to be Wheat/gluten and dairy.

Iron supplements are notorious for being hard on the stomach.
I think spa tone is a more stomach friendly option...

siblers

Is it regular bread or gluten free? Should go with gluten free breads, pastas etc as wheat seems to be quite prevelant with IBS. Dairy as well can be a bit of a disaster.

kloc

You may have gluten intolerance rather than gluten allergy per se but a IgG food allergy test would show that up. You seem to have discovered what foods suit you so you could start introducing some more well cooked vegetables which will help increase your fibre intake and start including fresh fish and lean poultry to increase your protein and see how that feels.... Probiotics would be of huge benefit to you also, a good multistrain one would help.. Generally avoiding beans, and any of the cabbage family (broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts) as they are difficult to digest.. Reduce stress where possible and listen to your body ... Good luck..

siochain

take out all wheat from diet for two weeks, if that fails try the same with dairy for two weeks.

On another note a lot of IBS symptoms can be reduced or eliminated by reducing stress.

Curlyhatescurls

Hi, I am already on a vegan diet the past two years, so haven;t been eating any animal products anyway. Thanks everyone for all the advice, thanks especially to kloc- I've heard a lot of good things about taking probiotics in terms of IBS so I'll try that out and that's such good advice about the veg [I've noticed that I have a lot of trouble whenever I eat anything from the cabbage family, and I've started boiling my veg instead of eating it raw as that seems to cause trouble too]

Stench Blossoms

Sounds nasty.

In terms of probiotics I use Udo's Super 8 and Acidophilus. Maybe give them a try?

El_Dangeroso

Curlyhatescurls wrote: »

Hi, I am already on a vegan diet the past two years, so haven;t been eating any animal products anyway. Thanks everyone for all the advice, thanks especially to kloc- I've heard a lot of good things about taking probiotics in terms of IBS so I'll try that out and that's such good advice about the veg [I've noticed that I have a lot of trouble whenever I eat anything from the cabbage family, and I've started boiling my veg instead of eating it raw as that seems to cause trouble too]

Sounds like FODMAP intolerance, very common in IBS. You want to avoid certain fermentable carbohydrates (cabbage would be a big one).

http://www.ibsgroup.org/brochures/fodmap-intolerances.pdf

Just edited to say this diet is of course just palliative, make sure you get all your tests done at the doc even if you feel a little better, low iron is a concerning symptom and it could be something more than IBS.

Curlyhatescurls

Thank you El Dangeroso, really good info there and am going to try the low-fodmap diet:) [Notice some of the things that I meant to be able to eat really don't agree with me so I'll tailor it a bit]

Actually, on another note- can I get enough protein from bananas and avocados? I can't eat tofu or tempeh or any soya products as they really don't agree with me. Beans don't either and I'm nervous about nuts causing problems too. I'm vegan for ethical reasons but obviously if I need to eat fish/meat for health reasons I will do it.

Oh, and could it make sense that any kind of oils/fats really upset my stomach? I don't eat butter or any soya replacement, but even shallow frying vegetable in oil upsets the stomach. Or putting olive oil on bread. I just leave that all out now.

El_Dangeroso

Curlyhatescurls wrote: »

Thank you El Dangeroso, really good info there and am going to try the low-fodmap diet:) [Notice some of the things that I meant to be able to eat really don't agree with me so I'll tailor it a bit]

Actually, on another note- can I get enough protein from bananas and avocados? I can't eat tofu or tempeh or any soya products as they really don't agree with me. Beans don't either and I'm nervous about nuts causing problems too. I'm vegan for ethical reasons but obviously if I need to eat fish/meat for health reasons I will do it.

Oh, and could it make sense that any kind of oils/fats really upset my stomach? I don't eat butter or any soya replacement, but even shallow frying vegetable in oil upsets the stomach. Or putting olive oil on bread. I just leave that all out now.

I think when you are in the throes EVERYTHING seems to upset your stomach, I've been there. But when you start eliminating the real culprits, then you find you can eat a wider variety than you used to.

The protein thing is very tough, given your restictions, most vegan sources of protein tend to have gut irritants that tend to be fine for healthy people but awful for those trying to heal their gut, ie legume or grain based.

Oh but BTW, you're not going to die of protein restriction even if you have to do it for a few months.

Curlyhatescurls

Thank you so so much El Dangeroso, I really appreciate all the advice you're giving me. I'll try a very restrictive diet and slowly add in foods and see if I can pinpoint where the problem lies.

El_Dangeroso

Just remembered potato is 10% complete protein and very gentle on the gut.

Just don't eat it cold or re-heated, otherwise some of the starch turns to resistant starch which is a fermentable carbohydrate.

RUSTEDCORE

just drink some green tea

metamorphosis

FODMAPS is fantastic and like already stated ... it shows you that you can actually eat a wider variety of foods than you thought possible once you start re-introducing and finish that process

Its hard (was for me anyway), but worth it

siblers

metamorphosis wrote: »

FODMAPS is fantastic and like already stated ... it shows you that you can actually eat a wider variety of foods than you thought possible once you start re-introducing and finish that process

Its hard (was for me anyway), but worth it

How long did the process take and are you able to eat most types of foods now?