Recently I’ve not been feeling myself, lethargic, grumpy and experiencing a lot of pain in the ol’ gut department. My IBS has flared up over the past few months and it seems it’s back with a vengeance. I got my IBS diagnosis when I was 17 and for years nothing helped. It wasn’t until two years ago I thought there might be a correlation between my symptoms and gluten and eventually I was diagnosed with coeliac disease. Since following a gluten free diet I’ve felt fine, only getting a flare up when I’ve been glutened (whether accidental or admittedly not having any will power to say no). However, for over a month now I’ve been feeling terrible. I was keeping a food diary to see if some new allergy had reared its ugly head and found nothing. I couldn’t link it to stress because my life has been pretty stress free recently and I haven’t ate gluten in a very long time. I am stumped as to why I’m feeling this way and whilst there is no quick answer I am keen to find a quick remedy.

I’ve never really found IBS medication helpful, it may relieve pain temporarily but I don’t like becoming reliant on a tablets and I’ve only found light relief when my IBS is particularly bad. I bought pro-biotic digestive support tablets and found they didn’t help either so over the past few weeks I’ve made a conscious effort to make sure my diet is aimed at helping relieve my IBS.

As much as I love coffee, if I drink too much or try to down a cup before I head off to work in the morning I get jittery and slightly nauseous. So, to combat tiredness I drink a lot of peppermint tea. Peppermint tea has been a life savour recently as I’ve been feeling extra lethargic with the pains of IBS. If you aren’t partial to a hot drink, peppermint oil is also a great way to combat IBS too, a few drops in water can really help to ease bloating and cramps.

My second favourite thing at the moment, and one of the biggest food trends going, is kale. I’ve seen everything from kale crisps to kale sorbet. Although I’ve not been THAT adventurous I’ve been adding it to smoothies and making it a main ingredient in all sorts of salads. Having it in a smoothie really helps my level me out first thing in the morning so I can get on with my day and not dwell on a bloated tummy.

kale, asparagus, courgette, corn and squid salad with pesto

I may be jumping the gun slightly as I only bought these yesterday but I’m astounded at the quick fix effects of the Linwoods Flaxseed mixes. Flaxseed, also known as linseed, has anti-inflammatory qualities that help relieve the horrible bloating we get with an IBS flare up. Linseeds on their own aren’t meant to be very nice but these mixes are pre-milled and filled with other sweet and savoury options. I added the cocoa and berries one to my morning smoothie and sprinkled it over my porridge and I bought a mix with goji berries, pumpkin and sesame seeds which will be perfect for bulking up soups and stews.

I’m starting to feel a bit better this week but I’m still determined to get to the bottom of the problem rather then settle for a few quick fix solutions. What are your go to foods when you get hit with a bought of IBS?

Dom

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