When it comes to treating ailments such as IBS, Kidney Stones, Diverticulitis and High Blood Sugars small changes to your diet can have a BIG impact.
Most likely, you don't need to change your diet drastically. Simply limiting certain foods and nutrients, and increasing others, can help get you body back in balance and feeling well again.
Here are some examples:
1. Following a low FODMAP diet for 4-6 weeks can treat IBS, and the stop the bloating, gas, pain, and diarrhea that come with it. Once you're symptom-free, you can start to add most of the foods you love back to your diet.
Some high FODMAP foods you might need to avoid include: onions, garlic, apples, pears, honey, cauliflower, mushrooms, wheat (except sourdough), beans, and milk.
Recipe: Maple Granola with orange zest (FODMAP Friendly)
2. If you have Diverticulitis and are dealing with a flare up, avoid nuts, seeds, skins and other rough fibrous foods. Eat foods that are easy on your system like applesauce, cooked vegetables, rice and oats. When inflammation has settled and things are feeling good, slowly start adding fibre back to your diet with pears, raw veggies and whole grains.
3. To prevent kidney stones, limit high oxalate foods such as spinach, bran and nuts, eat more yogurt, milk and cheese, and stop taking your vitamin C.
Recipe: Strawberry Mango Low Oxalate Smoothie
4. Soluble fibre helps to:
- Lower blood cholesterol levels.
- Control blood glucose (sugar) levels. This is helpful if you have diabetes or if you suffer from hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
- Manage diarrhea and loose stools
- Reduce the risk of getting intestinal ulcers
- Have a healthier colon by increasing the amount of healthy bacteria
Some of the best sources of soluble fibre include: psyllium, beans and legumes, oats, oat bran, broccoli, and avocado. Aim for 10g of soluble fibre each day. Add fibre gradually and drink more water as you do. This will help the fibre to work better and prevent gas, bloating and diarrhea.