Melbourne

I went on a little trip to Melbourne last week and had a great time. As I ate out for lunch and dinner every night I had to navigate the implications for my health. Unlike here in Brisbane people took my health issues seriously, didn't ask if I was allergic and were quick to ascertain if anything else in my meal could create problems.

Yes many of my meals were bland, but I was ok! Which in the end meant I could enjoy my fantastic trip!

Of particular mention was:

Parkers Steakhouse in Geelong. I was not able to enjoy their BBQ baste or any of their sauces but the steak was amazing on its own... as was the wine!

Café and Biscotti in Little Collins Street. Made their roast chicken Onion free just for me!

The sandwich shop on the corner of Flinders Lane and Centre Way - When I asked if something had onion in it I was given recommendations of what didn't and a complete low down of all the ingredients

The Quarter on Degraves Street - took my request for 'what type of pumpkin?' with perfect grace!

Ah Melbourne how I enjoyed all of you!

Wholemeal spelt bread

I recently started back on spelt bread. The one I get is from the Brisbane city markets (http://www.janpowersfarmersmarkets.com.au/queens-st-markets-brisbane-city-markets/) at the Artisan stall.  SOL breads have a similar product (http://ishop.solbreads.com.au/showcategory.aspx?CategoryID=5&SEName=buy-sol-breads-online)  but i find there's a bit heavier than artisans.

Artisan's bread tastes lovely and is divine lightly toasted with a smidge of butter and Vegemite on toast. However, the bread is quiet heavy and I found myself feeling very bloated and uncomfortable after a few days of use. I have a very sensitive system, as possibly many of you do, and i found it too much. One piece seems to be ok, around 50g, but any more than that and my system just cant handle it.

As I recently went off fruit, I have had problems finding a satisfactory replacement for my morning Banana. So my thinking is that maybe a nice piece of spelt to start the day and then GF or wholemeal (i am starting to reintroduce wheat a bit) for lunch may be a nice way to get the best of both worlds. I will see how it goes.

Fructose Malabsorbtion

After two years on the FODMAP diet I realised that I wasnt as good as I had hoped. I was still really really tired all the time and though my symptoms were pretty good, I still didnt feel what I would call comfortable.

I decided about a month ago to stop eating fruit again (i tried for two weeks in 2012 and perceived no difference in my symptoms). This time my symptoms have improved. Even my partner has commented on how much better i 'appear' to be. I am still tired all the time, but i dont feel as heavy or bloated .... the gas produciton has also been on a downslide.

If you like me are not getting the results you are after, maybe try to remove a few things entirely from your diet and just see if there is an improvement.

I cant say I am all worked out, after two years of trying I am still not what I would call good in that general area. But its allot better than it was :  )

Fructose Malabsorbtion and Fruit Teas

On a rather cool Monday afternoon I decided to try a Berry Zinger tea.... almost as soon as I had finished it symptoms started. At the time I thought it might have been something else, I didn't see how a tea could produce such a flare up.

However the next morning when I woke up with my FODMAP hangover it clicked for me that it might have been the tea. I check the ingredients and not only did it have chicory (something we should be careful of), it had a multitude of dried fruit extracts.

I did a quick search and found this

http://www.livestrong.com/article/449550-fructose-malabsorption-herbal-teas/

Tea is hard for us particularly if you are sensitive to caffeine. If your keen for a warm drink with no caffeine and milk you can always have ginger (you can use fresh ginger too:), chamomile (if you get it loose leaf you can control how much you have), Roobios or peppermint (be careful with peppermint can cause indigestion if taken to close to food).

Just a piece of advice. Try and stick with organic teas. I was drinking regular teas and started getting stomach cramps from them. Switched to organic on the advice of a friend and haven't had any problems since : )

Stress and IBS

I dont think I need to tell anyone just how much stress can impact on ones IBS symptoms. Those of us that are worriers have a touch of this pretty much every day. But nothing compares to those big stressful events that we all have to go through. They bring with them emotional upheaval and generally an erratic change in diet.

I know that when stressful, might i add awful events happen, that our FODMAP diet is the least of our worries. But the flare ups make everything just that little bit harder. Please make sure you have peppermint tea/oil and some Psyllium to keep any flare ups under control. Keep taking your morning walk and drinking as much water as you can.

When life gets hard, in the first world at least, we owe it to ourselves to take just a few moments to try and keep our IBS in hand.

I know this sounds like rubbish, but trust me. After going through my own very stressful experience I could have done without the intensity of the flare ups I experienced.

Cooking for people with FODMAP intolerance.. what not to do

I was asked over to a dinner party recently and in order to assist the preparations I sent through my FODMAP list.

When the evening finally arrived I was informed that we would be having something with apples in it. I could have 1 they told me, they had checked. I figured they would have checked my list and as I didn't have it on me I trusted their judgement. However 4 hours later when the pain started i started to wonder.

I checked my list the next day and apples were definitely on the list and there was no leeway. It got me to thinking where they must have found this. I was too embarrassed to ask them in case they realised they had make me sick (and i was for three days).

It dawned on me about the second day in that they must have searched the Internet and found something/someone with an alternate version of my Monash approved list and used it instead of mine.

So for those of you cooking for your friends with FODMAP or other allergies/intolerances ... if they say they cant have it, they cant have it. As much as you love your friends and want to show off your skills, remember you are playing with someones HEALTH and may cause them actual pain. They will resent you forever for dismissing their feelings and needs.

If you have food issues tell your friends not to deviate and stick to YOUR list.

They love you, but they cant really understand how playing with things could harm you. So spell it out and pray you dont get sick... funny isnt it... i get IBS symptoms just from the stress of eating somewhere new for fear they will make me sick and I will pay for it.

Sometimes you just cant win... but hey, aint it good when you do : )

ah Christmas

I love Christmas. I love the presents, the crooning songs that give you a brief insight into your 6 year old self sitting on the floor in front of your grandmothers Christmas tree and realising that you had in your possession a Barbie whose arms and legs could actually move at all the joints and most excitedly... her head could move up and down, the chats with family all over the country and of course the food.

The giant heaps of food that you simply cannot resist. And i am not talking FODMAP food that you cant eat but dont stop yourself, i mean the food that you can eat, and because of that you over indulge.

I must admit that i am a bit of a guts. I love food, and i eat is quickly and without savour. This of course leads to a resurgence in Fodmap problems (i have low stomach acid as well) and a rather unpleasant holiday experience. SO my advice... after spending two weeks blown up like a whale. Slow down, savour those incredible morsels and be careful with the wine. Fructose is in wine and if you are enjoying a glass with a berry filled dessert you may encounter problems.

Also prepare for people to 'forget' that you cant eat certain things. there is no shame in bringing your own sandwich in a little cold bag just in case. You dont have to starve!! (this happened to a family member of my partners who showed up at her sister in laws and was lucky enough to be able to eat some of the salad... the very small salad and starved for the rest of the 5 hours she was there!!)

I know this is all too little too late, but perhaps when your googling around for some advice in December 2013 this may help you prepare for the season to come : )