bloating.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common functional bowel disorders.
Between 1 in 11 people and 1 in 26 people globally experience irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms.

The condition affects more women than men. Some people with IBS have minor symptoms. However, for others the symptoms are significant and disrupt daily life.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common condition that affects the digestive system.
It causes symptoms like stomach cramps, bloating, diarrhoea and constipation. These tend to come and go over time, and can last for days, weeks or months at a time.It’s usually a lifelong problem

IBS could also be termed as a disorder of gut-brain interaction, meaning it falls within the realm of the growing field of neurogastroenterology and can be understood through an interdisciplinary biopsychosocial model, which looks at the interconnection between biology, psychology, and socio-environmental factors

In simple terms, there is a relationship between mental stress and the digestive system.
It is mostly associated with a change in stool frequency, stool form, and/or relief or worsening of abdominal pain related to defecation.

Unlike other GI disorders, there are no scarring or lesions in the tract of someone with IBS.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS TO LOOK OUT FOR?

Symptoms are almost same with other GI diseases and they include:
– Cramping
– abdominal pain
– bloating and gas
– constipation
– Diarrhea

You might be wondering how one can be constipated and still have issues with diarrhea. It is very common for people with IBS to have episodes of both constipation and diarrhea.

Symptoms such as bloating and gas typically go away after you have a bowel movement.
Symptoms of IBS aren’t always persistent. They can resolve, only to come back. However, some people do have continuous symptoms.

Women tend to have symptoms around their periods but reduced symptoms in men. Men have same symptoms as women but tend to report it less.

DIAGNOSIS
Your doctor may be able to diagnose IBS based on your symptoms. They may also take one or more of the following steps to rule out other possible causes of your symptoms:
– Suggest that you adopt a certain diet or cut out specific food groups for a period to rule out any food allergies
– Suggest a stool sample examined to rule out infection
– Suggest blood tests to check for anemia and rule out celiac disease
– Perform a colonoscopy

WHAT COULD BE THE CAUSE(S)
Although there are many ways to treat IBS, the exact cause of IBS is unknown
The varied possible causes make IBS difficult to prevent.

The physical processes involved in IBS can also vary, but may consist of:
– slowed or spastic movements of the colon, causing painful cramping
– abnormal serotonin levels in the colon, affecting motility and bowel movements
– mild celiac disease that damages the intestines, causing IBS symptoms

IS THERE ANY TREATMENT OPTION?
There is no cure for IBS. Treatment is aimed at symptom relief. Initially, your doctor may have you make certain lifestyle changes. These “home remedies” are typically suggested before the use of medication.

HOME REMEDY
Certain home remedies or lifestyle changes may help to relieve your IBS symptoms without the use of medication. Examples of these lifestyle changes include:

– regular physical exercise
– cutting back on caffeinated beverages that stimulate the intestines
– eating smaller meals
– minimizing stress (talk therapy may help)
– taking probiotics (“good” bacteria normally found in the intestines) to help relieve gas and bloating
– avoiding deep-fried or spicy foods

MEDICAL TREATMENT OPTION
– Alosetron (LOTRONEX) is intended for use only in women with severe cases of IBS-D who haven’t responded to other treatments
– Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) (eg, amitriptyline [Elavil]) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
– Antibiotics such as rifaximin (Xifaxan), which stays in the gut without being reabsorbed, may benefit patients with IBS symptoms caused by SIBO(small intestine bacterial overgrowth.

DIETARY INTERVENTIONS
Just as there is no single therapy for treating IBS, it’s important to remember there’s no single dietary strategy either.
– Avoid or minimize high-gas foods such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and beans as well as carbonated beverages.
– Avoid chewing gum or drinking liquids through a straw, both of which can lead to swallowing air, which causes more gas.
– Minimize consumption of fried or other high-fat foods.
– Avoid consuming large meals, which may promote cramping and/or diarrhea, and consume smaller, more frequent meals instead.
– Minimize consumption of foods high in lactose, such as milk, ice cream, and soft cheeses, especially if lactose intolerance is suspected. Hard cheeses, lactose-free milk, lactose-free ice cream, and low-lactose or lactose-free yogurt or kefir, which either have no lactose or tend to be lower in lactose than other dairy products, may be more easily tolerated.
– Drink adequate amounts of fluid to help alleviate constipation.
– Avoid or minimize alcohol and caffeine intake, especially with IBS-D, as both substances can stimulate the intestines and lead to diarrhea.
– Avoid artificial sweeteners that contain sugar alcohols, such as sorbitol, mannitol, and xylitol, which may cause diarrhea.
– Consume foods rich in soluble fiber, such as oatmeal, oat bran, oranges, strawberries, nuts, and carrots.

It’s important to note that while foods with soluble fiber may be beneficial for IBS patients, foods high in insoluble fiber, such as whole wheat, wheat bran, raisins, and corn bran, may further aggravate IBS symptoms in certain individuals

In addition, some IBS patients may not be able to tolerate other sources of soluble fiber, such as lentils, apples, pears, and beans, because they’re sources of fermentable carbohydrates

THE LOW FODMAP DIET
The low-FODMAP elimination diet is based on limiting certain short-chain carbohydrate-containing foods, including sugars, starches, and fibers that some people can’t fully digest and absorb.

These dietary carbohydrates are lactose, fructose, fructans, polyols, and galactans/galacto-oligosaccharides and are found in certain grains, fruits, vegetables, dried peas and beans, milk products, and prepared foods and beverages.

HIGH FODMAP CARBS HIGH FODMAP FOODS
Lactose Dairy and its products
Fructose Apples, pear, mango, watermelon
Fructans Garlic, artichokes, wheat, beer
polyols Cherries, apricots, peaches, sorbitol, xylitol
Galacto-oligosaccharrides Beans, cabbage, lentils, soy products

SOURCES:
1. https://www.healthline.com/health/irritable-bowel-syndrome#ibs-with-stress
2. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langas/article/PIIS2468-1253(20)30217-X/fulltext#:~:text=Our%20data%20therefore%20suggest%20that,criteria%20and%20methodology%20were%20pooled.
3. https://www.bcdietitians.ca/blog/what-is-irritable-bowel-syndrome-ibs-and-how-to-improve-your-gut-health

As you prepare, bite, chew, cut, slice, pound, pulverize, smash, purée, blend masticate and digest, you create a series of mechanical and chemical changes that affect: A food’s nutritional value/content (i.e. the nutrients it contains) and each nutrient’s “bioavailability” (i.e. the degree to which it can be absorbed by your body).

This means:

Some nutrients are indeed best available when the foods containing them are eaten raw, while other nutrients are best available when the foods containing them are cooked, or broken down by cutting or crushing, and/or eaten alongside other foods (the unbeatable bread and beans, Akara and pap)

Here are the 10 best ways to get the most nutrition from your food.

1. Choose locally grown foods.

“Eating locally grown and “straight from the earth” maximizes the vitamins and minerals (and deliciousness) you get from your produce.

Plucking them from the soil (or vine, or bush, or tree) means separating them from their nutrient source”. The longer they’re separated, the more nutritional value they lose.

Research has shown that freshly picked fruit or vegetables lose about 15-60% of most of their vitamins and minerals if not consumed after 72 hours.

Fresh is the main deal, it beats GMO foods any day as it retains all nutrients from the soil.

2. Soak, chop, crush, blend.

“These basics of food preparation can make vitamins, minerals, and other compounds (phytochemicals) more available in a few ways:

Cutting up fruits and vegetables generally frees up the nutrients by breaking down rigid plant cell walls.

Crushing and chopping onion and garlic releases alliinase, an enzyme in these foods that helps form a nutrient called allicin. Allicin, when eaten, helps form other compounds that may protect us against disease, fight against inflammation and offer antioxidant properties.

Soaking grains and beans reduces phytic acid, which might — in part — block your absorption of iron, zinc, calcium, and magnesium.

Phytic acid is known as a food inhibitor which chelates micronutrient and prevents it to be bioavailable for monogastric animals, including humans, because they lack enzyme phytase in their digestive tract.

If you’ve already been doing these things, great. Now you know why they work.

3. Store fruits and vegetables the right way.

When thinking about storage, balance two things:

Make it easy to eat your plants: Keep fruits and vegetables where you’re most likely to access them.

Slow down nutrient loss: Heat, light, and oxygen degrade nutrients.

That’s the reason why you should store all vegetables (except those of the root variety) in the refrigerator until you need them.

• All Fruits except berries — this includes tomatoes and avocados — at room temperature away from direct light.
• All cut fruits and vegetables with a squeeze of lemon juice on them and in an airtight container. (Cut food products rapidly oxidizes and vitamin C, an antioxidant, slows decay). 
• All herbs — with their amazing phytonutrients — chopped up and frozen in an ice cube tray with water. 

4. Eat most sources of water-soluble and heat-sensitive nutrients raw.

Heat breaks down vitamin B1, vitamin B5, folate, and vitamin C (heat labile), so you get more of these when you eat certain foods raw.

So, foods like: sunflower seeds, peas, beet greens, and Brussels sprouts (sources of vitamin B1), broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and avocado (sources of vitamin B5), spinach, turnip greens, broccoli (sources of folate), and bell peppers, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts (sources of vitamin C) are generally best eaten raw to maximize absorption of these water-soluble nutrients.

For example, raw spinach contains 3 times more vitamin C than cooked spinach.

You lose water-soluble B-vitamins and vitamin C when you boil them. So, if you’d like to cook these mentioned foods, cook them at low temperature without exposing them to too much water. 

Best cooking methods to adopt includes:

blanching;

steaming;

sautéeing;

roasting; and/or

microwaving.

5. Know which foods are best when cooked.

“There’s actually a wide range of nutrient loss from cooking — anywhere from 15 to 55 percent. In most cases, you lose the most nutrients by boiling in water”.

But some foods actually deliver the most nutrients when cooked.

For example, cooking: 

• significantly increases bioavailability of lycopene, found in tomatoes. Research shows that lycopene increases by 25 percent when tomatoes are boiled for 30 minutes. significantly increases the bioavailability of beta carotene, found in red/orange/yellow plants like tomatoes, carrots, sweet potato, and spinach. 
• Cooking helps here by breaking down the plants’ cell walls. Cooking could also denature protein in eggs and meat, making them much more digestible.
• makes iron and other minerals more available for absorption by decreasing oxalates, an acid that makes the minerals inaccessible by binding to them.
• reduces certain harmful food components, such as cyanide (found in tubers) and possible anti-nutrients (found in grains and beans), making way for all the good stuff those foods have to offer.

Pro tip: If you do end up boiling veggies, keep the liquid for something like soup stock. This way you can eat those nutrients later and they’re not really “lost”.

Boiled potatoes are beneficial than French fries literally because fried foods are termed empty calories (they are more energy dense than nutrient dense).

6.Pair food strategically to maximize nutrient absorption.

“Many world cuisines put particular foods together. (Think of greens with lemon and olive oil in Italian cooking, or the complex spice blends in Caribbean, African, or South Asian cooking.)

Combining the right foods together doesn’t just taste awesome, it also helps you absorb all nutrients in the foods you eat at the right amounts.

Lets see some examples .

PAIR FAT WITH FAT:

Eat foods that contain the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K with dietary fats, which help dissolve the vitamins and ready them for absorption.

Therefore, foods like:

sweet potatoes, carrots, and squash (vitamin A),

eggs and mushrooms (vitamin D),

spinach, Swiss chard, and asparagus (vitamin E), and

kale, spinach, and broccoli (vitamin K), all go better with small-sized portions of healthy fats like:

Mixed nuts, avocado,olive oil,coconut oil; and/or butter.

It’s good to note that foods like salmon (which contains vitamin D), egg yolk and liver (vitamin A) and sunflower seeds (vitamin E) take care of themselves, since they’ve got their own healthy fat.

PAIR IRON WITH VITAMIN C:

Iron from non-animal protein  sources is known as nonheme iron. Non-Heme iron is not as well absorbed as heme iron, which is found in animal foods (such as red meat or dark poultry). To absorb the nonheme iron from our plant sources and utilize them we pair them with foods rich in vitamin C.

This works in two ways:

Vitamin C can help the plant food “let go of” the mineral.

Vitamin C can block other dietary compounds that can inhibit absorption.

Therefore foods like:

spinach, kale,soybeans, and lentils all go better with:

a squeeze of lemon juice,

orange slices,

strawberries, or

chili peppers.

Try this: Spinach salad with orange slices, strawberries, and a lemon juice vinaigrette. Or braised kale with chilis and a squeeze of lemon.

PAIR IRON AND ZINC WITH SULFUR:

Also, foods rich in iron and zinc are usually best eaten with foods rich in sulfur. Sulfur binds to these minerals and helps you absorb them better.

Therefore foods like:

liver, beef, and turkey (rich in iron)

oysters, beef, and turkey (rich in zinc)

all go better with garlic, onion, and egg yolks.

PROTEIN COMPLEMENTATION ESPECIALLY FOR VEGETARIANS 

This way is the most effective way to get all 9 essential amino acid into a vegetarian diet. 

• Foods like beans and vegetables that are limited in methionine should be complemented with grains, nuts and seeds
• Grains, nuts,seeds and corn are limited in tryptophan,lysine and threonine should be complemented with legumes.

By this, every meal is a win-win.

7. Keep it simple.

Keep it simple and sane.

It’s still better to eat broccoli any way you can get it than to not eat it 

because it’s not “perfect”. As Brian “Voice of Reason” St. Pierre likes to say:

It’s also important to factor in things like the quantity. 

Sometimes the cooked and raw versions of a food are equally nutritious, just in different ways. For example, raw spinach might have more iron, but it also has more of the chemicals that block your absorption of iron.

Rule of thumb: 

Water soluble vitamins (vitamins B and C) lose the most nutrients when cooked.

Fat soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, E, K) lose the fewest nutrients when cooked.

“Just eat some darn vegetables already”.

8. Don’t discount frozen foods.

Does frozen broccoli have the same nutritional value as the stuff you just picked from the earth and ate raw? Maybe not. But how often do you eat raw, straight from the earth?

Research shows that processing can decrease a food’s vitamin C content by 10-90 percent. But the reality is that frozen or canned fruits and veggies come in handy when you’re busy. And a little vitamin C is better than none.

Remember, too that fiber isn’t affected much by freezing or canning. So eat your veggies … however you can get them.

9. You can still be flexible with animal source (flexitarian).

Many animal-based sources of vitamins and minerals are more bioavailable than plant-based sources (which may bind up vitamins and minerals chemically, or require a lot of steps to be converted to what our bodies prefer). For instance, as we’ve noted, the iron you get from meat is more available for absorption than the iron you get from plants:

Heme iron, found in animal protein, is encased in hemoglobin molecules, which protect the nutrient from getting degraded by other nutrients and minerals in your GI tract. That means you’re absorbing the iron intact via gut cells that are specifically designed to take up the nutrient.

Nonheme iron, from vegetable sources like spinach, starts to change the minute it comes into contact with other stuff in your intestines, meaning you can only absorb a small fraction of it.

The same is true of many other vitamins and minerals, such as calcium or vitamin A.

If you’re an exclusively plant-based eater, you might want to be flexible a little bit and add a bit of animal source to your diet from time to time.

10. Monitor your tolerance.

Nutrients don’t do you much good if there is an undetected food intolerance that keeps you from absorbing them (IBS especially or lactose intolerance).

Unfortunately, not everyone tolerates raw foods very well even if they’re technically “better for you” sometimes.

If you have GI symptoms such as gas, bloating, or problems with your stool, consider an elimination and re-introduction diet to figure out what you’re not tolerating, and see a dietitian (nutrient deficiencies are more common than you might think).

Once you eliminate and re introduce  the foods that affect you the most, you can better optimize your nutrient intake and lead a healthy life while enjoying every meal.

 

BOTTOM LINE

Each meal should be enjoyed because of the variety involved in an adequate diet. This helps to gain every nutrient there is and make you healthier on the long run. When foods are combined accurately, there won’t be any need to run to supplements at all unless in very critical cases or in  the case of prescription.

Always make sure you speak to a dietitian before making any nutritional decision . 

 

SOURCE: https://www.precisionnutrition.com/10-ways-to-get-the-most-nutrients

Lowering your carb intake might give you an edge on weight loss — at least in the beginning. But first, you have to get over the hurdles that such a big diet change can throw in your path. Low-carb diet side effects, including diarrhea, can be bothersome as your body adapts to the diet.

DIET CHANGES AND DIGESTION

Once you make a change to your eating habits BOOM! you risk disrupting your digestive system’s homeostasis — or balance. Taking away foods and nutrients your body is used to relying on or adding new ones can throw your gastrointestinal, or GI, system into a dilemma  — and it may let you know in more ways than one 😁.

Suddenly cutting your carb intake is bound to have at least some effect on your digestion. It may improve your digestion if you used to eat a lot of refined grains and sugary junk foods or if you’re one of those people who are sensitive or intolerant to certain types of carbs.

If that’s not you, then rest assured you are not alone. Most people who cut carbs experience some low-carb diet side effects — and those who cut carbs drastically experience more.

A common result of eating fewer carbs is constipation. Carbs are a rich source of dietary fiber, which adds bulk to stool and softens it so it’s easier to pass. Eating less fiber will have the opposite effect. Diarrhea is also a common side effect of low-carb diets. This is likely due to the foods you have added to your diet to replace the carbs you have cut.

KETO DIARRHOEA FROM FAT INTAKE.

The ketogenic diet is an extreme low-carb diet that cuts carbs to a maximum of 50 grams daily, but often much less than that. In addition, fat intake is increased to as much as 90 percent of calories. That is a whole lot of fat for your digestive system to have to deal with suddenly.

Even in normal amounts, fat is harder for the body to digest than protein, starches or sugars. Of the three macronutrients, fat takes the longest to digest, which can put more stress on your GI system and cause diarrhea, gas, bloating and other uncomfortable symptoms. People with digestive disorders are often encouraged to lower their fat intake because of this.

A high-fat diet can probably disrupt the microbiome — the population of beneficial bacteria in your gut that regulates digestive health. This is especially true of increased ingestion of saturated fats from meat and dairy products. Also, a  link between high fat intake and digestive disorders such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis exists.

Last, some people have more trouble than others digesting fat. When your body can’t digest and absorb fats normally, they are broken down in the colon into fatty acids. This causes the colon to secrete fluids, which can trigger diarrhea.

PROBLEMS WITH PROTEIN AND DAIRY

An increase in protein can also cause digestive disruptions for some people. The keto diet keeps protein intake at a moderate levels, about 35%.

However, if you are choosing to follow a low-carb, high protein and low- to moderate-fat diet, rather than a high-fat keto diet, a large increase in protein can be problematic, causing either constipation on diarrhea. Like fat, protein is also harder for the body to digest; it has to work harder to break down the macronutrient into its constituent amino acids.

A high-protein or high-fat diet may also include increased amounts of dairy. For people who have trouble digesting the milk sugar lactose, this can cause a host of problems, including diarrhea. Using a protein supplement can be a good way to boost your protein intake; however, you may be sensitive to some types of protein more than others. Whey protein is a common culprit because it contains lactose.

EFFECTS OF SUGAR SUBSTITUTES

Having a sweet tooth on a low-carb diet can be excruciating. This causes many people to turn to sugar substitutes, such as erythritol, xylitol, sucralose and stevia. These sweeteners have no calories and no effect on blood sugar, and many people go overboard because of this.

Some may find sugar substitutes cause no problems — whether or not they are actually good for them is another story. For other people, these sweeteners can have a laxative effect, especially when consumed in large amounts. This can leave you running for the bathroom right after indulging in your favorite treat, which isn’t so sweet.😂🤣

IS IT JUST TEMPORARY?

The good news is that diarrhea and other low-carb diet side effects are often fleeting. They may last for a week or so while your body adjusts to the change. After that, you may find that your digestive system normalizes. But whenever you are making a diet change, it helps to do so gradually, so your body can take more time to adjust. This may prevent low-carb diet diarrhea altogether.

In other cases, for example, for those who are lactose intolerant, the diarrhea may persist. If you find that your new diet continues to cause digestive problems, it just may not be a good fit for you. Diarrhea that lasts longer than a few days is not only uncomfortable, but can also lead to dehydration and nutrient malabsorption. In this case, it’s best to go back to your regular diet immediately and check in with your doctor

You should consult a registered dietitian whenever you consider going through with this type of diets if you must. Cutting out a particular food group from your diet isnt too healthy, so you probably shouldn’t.

SOURCES:

Fields H, et al. Are low-carbohydrate diets safe and effective? Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. 2016;116:788.

Sackner-Bernstein J, et al. Dietary intervention for overweight and obese adults: Comparison of low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets. PLOS One. 2015;10:1.

Raynor HA, et al. Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Interventions for the treatment of overweight and obesity in adults. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2016;116:129.