Why foods bother you…and sometimes they don’t

January 16, 2021

“Why do foods sometimes bother me, but sometimes they don’t?”

That’s a question I’ve heard many times during the years I’ve worked with people who have IBS or a “cranky gut” due to other gastrointestinal (GI) issues.  It can be so frustrating and sometimes very inconvenient!

It may be a “bucket situation”

Figuring out why foods sometimes bother you and sometimes don’t is best explained by what I call the “bucket situation” in your gut.

Imagine it’s a warm summer day, and your outside faucet has a slight drip. You put a bucket underneath it to catch the water. Since the drip is so small, little water accumulates in the bucket. It never overflows.

Now imagine you turn that faucet on and get called away.  Too much water goes into that bucket in a short amount of time.  It soon overflows.

The same can happen in your gut

When you eat a certain amount of a food or ingredient, your gut may be able to handle it without an issue. Just like the bucket could handle that slight drip without overflowing.

If you eat a larger serving of that item or eat it more than once in a day, your gut may say “Hold on!  That’s too much!”  Your gut reacts and you experience those unpleasant symptoms.  Just like when you turned on the faucet and the bucket overflowed.

Now imagine you had that faucet dripping into the bucket and added a dripping hose to the bucket as well.  Water from different sources causes the bucket to overflow.  That can happen in your gut when you are eating different foods, but those foods contain too much of a similar component that your gut reacts to.  For instance, those foods could contain a specific FODMAP category or something similar.  As with the bucket, your gut has more than it can handle, so it reacts.

Another possibility is that you may be able to eat small amounts of different FODMAP categories on their own, but if you combine them, you have an issue. (This is called “FODMAP stacking” by some people.)

It may not be FODMAPs

Similar issues unrelated to FODMAPs can occur in people who don’t have IBS. I’ve seen it in people with gastroparesis and other GI conditions.  They can also occur in people with IBS who may or may not have issues with FODMAPs. (Yes, the FODMAP approach sometimes does not solve gut issues!)

So how do you tell?

Regardless of whether you have IBS or another GI issue that causes your “cranky gut” to disrupt your life at times, figuring out why some foods bother you and sometimes they don’t is easier when you do two things:

Find an expert who thoroughly understands food beyond what appears on ingredient labels and understands your gut health condition. This usually means you are looking for someone like me – a registered dietitian nutritionist who specializes in gut health issues.

It’s also important to keep a food and symptom log that contains key information. (If you haven’t already downloaded a copy of my guide on what to include in it, click here to download your free copy now.)

Why an expert needs to see your food and symptom log

Over the years I’ve helped many people who’ve attempted to solve their gut health challenges using something they’ve read on the internet, in a book, or in a handout they received from a well-intentioned provider who was not a registered dietitian nutritionist trained in how foods and gut health conditions interact.

Unfortunately, this information is often out of date, inaccurate, or considered only one aspect of the issue.  (Monash University, the leader in research for the FODMAP approach to managing IBS, stresses the importance of having an experienced registered dietitian nutritionist as part of your care team. This often gets left out of the discussion in a busy medical office.)

At the time these people started working with me, they were excluding many foods. A few of them were at serious risk of developing nutrient deficiencies. All of them were finding eating less pleasurable and it was negatively affecting their quality of life.

By working with me, I was able to use my knowledge and systematic approaches to help them discover what was truly bothering them, expand the range of foods they could eat, manage their GI issues, and enjoy life more.

Take the next step!

Ready to see if I can help you? Set up an appointment or a free discovery call with me to see how my expertise can benefit you. Your insurance may even cover part or all of the cost!

Lisa-Garcia-registered-dietitian
Lisa Garcia_Name Mark_RDN+Health Coach_Color_1200

Having personally struggled with weight and gut health issues, I understand how easy it is to think that food is the enemy especially with the changes our bodies undergo as we age.  It doesn’t have to be that way!

I love using my extensive education and coach approach to help people realize it is possible to feel better and be healthier while still enjoying their life and food.

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