By Jeffrey the Barak.
For the last thirty years or so, I have been slightly unwell. A constant pressure, bloating, inflammation. The ever present acid inside. I have taken pills and put up with it, and even become used to it except when it really flared up.
I gave up wheat ten years ago and it seemed to help a lot, but it was still there. I never really tried controlled and complete elimination of certain food groups to uncover the true cause.
But then another situation started to appear, obesity. I listened to President Clinton talking about his weight loss, and he mentioned Mark Hyman MD. I bought the book, The 10-Day Detox Solution, and gave it a try.
I no longer consume the following:
- milk, dairy, or anything containing it
- sugar, alternate sweeteners or anything containing them,
- grains, including rice
- starchy vegetables including potatoes etc.
- beans such as pinto, black etc.
So what is left?
Unlimited leafy vegetables, nuts, chicken, fish, berries, almond milk, olive oil, coconut oil and a few other things, which are all I need to have great breakfast, lunch and dinner. I can cook, sauté, grill, roast, bake and chop my way to delicious plates of food, and I can blend a great shake in the morning.
I have lost a lot of weight, and that is wonderful, but it pales in comparison to how much better I feel. The constant bloating, pressure, acid, nausea and inflammation of the last thirty years has finally subsided. It is not until it stops that one realizes how bad it really was. My energy level has risen and, probably due to being sugar-free, I am no longer fainting with hunger before each meal, like a starving food-junkie.
My ten days were up over a month ago, so I am supposed to have gradually reintroduced some of the eliminated food groups, but I feel so good that I am just going to stay on the ten day program indefinitely. However, I have brought back black coffee and espresso in moderation.
My favorite desert in the whole world was sweetened condensed milk, straight from the can. I only had it on rare occasions, but it now represents in their purest form the two main culprits, milk and sugar. I will probably never taste this elixir again.
And I used to drink cappuccino all day. No more. But just feeling better, more than makes up for that.
the-vu 
An encouraging article–about your new diet. Contrarily, I simply refer to my present diet as the Sputtering Anus Diet; and I do need to change and experiment!
I’m going to try a low FODMAPS diet. For the longest time, I didn’t know what this acronym meant, and assumed it was some kind of silliness. But I was dead wrong. It just refers to the kind of short-chain sugars that many people can’t digest effectively. The foods you list in your article are all allowed on a FODMAPS diet.
So I’m tossing a half-eaten onion bulb, a few garlic cloves, some frozen peas, nine blackberries, a partial loaf of bread, mushrooms, and a small amount of applesauce.
And no more yogurt. As we age, our lactase (enzyme) production tends to wane. Will keep some cheddar cheese as it is very low sugar (lactose).
FODMAPS is my new favorite term as it provides some hope of improvement, and your article provided the impetus to do a little investigation.
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Looking back, similarly to the Barack, I can first recall having a distended/bloated abdomen about 30 or more years ago. I was thin then and a little confused, and attributed the effect to practicing breathing exercises. Later I thought it was visceral fat. Now I suspect it was the beginning of an intestinal gas problem. When it’s not distended, it’s occasionally rather flat, depending on my current BMI.
When I have an appointment, I methodically release gas on the toilet at home and then in the parking lot before entering the waiting room and hope the appointment isn’t delayed. When I answer the multiple bladder calls at night on the toilet, each instance includes a sputtering gas release. And so on and so on, throughout each day, week, month, and years
I’ve begun my new low FODMAPS regimen, but not without a few mistakes. I had a few cashews before I realized certain nuts were off limits; so I’ve switched to peanuts. Almonds need to be controlled (ten max).
To replace yogurt, I’m now using lactose-free milk (it’s treated with lactase). I’ve studied many of the FODMAPS charts on the internet, and there are a few differences.
I did eject a surprisingly large stool this morning even though my fiber intake on FODMAPS is probably less than before. Perhaps this should be considered encouraging.
If this approach doesn’t help, then I may try digestive enzyme/HCL supplements. Robb Wolfe (Crossfit) likes the NOW brand. The enzymes should be enteric-coated so that they’re available in the intestinal tract.
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I finally found something that works for me. My basic problem seems to be digestive weakness, and not so much particular foods. I’m now taking a broad-based digestion-aiding dietary supplement and the improvement was immediate. This approach was recommended by an ND who wrote about floating stools and toilet water with a fatty sheen. In the past, floating stools were a popular health goal, supposedly associated with higher levels of Type 1 prostaglandins; but this view may have changed.
The supplement includes components (HCL and pepsin) that work on protein in the stomach and others that work in the intestine on carbohydrates and fats. I’m taking one capsule after each meal and may increase to two for possibly even better results. Also, I may add “enteric-coated” enzymes for greater activity in the intestine.
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Okay, I’ve changed my view on enteric-coated enzymnes.
The need for enteric-coated seems to be a myth. The plant-based enzymes used by supplement manufacturers remain active in a 2-9 pH range, so they’re not damaged in the stomach acid. Also, some of the enzymes function in both the stomach and the intestine, and this effect would be blocked in the stomach by enteric coatings.
Interesting observation: Since I’ve been using this digestion-aiding product, I virtually no longer have a need for toilet paper. “Passage” is simply a much cleaner process now. Oh, I do a test with a couple squares each time, and also tidy up sometimes during the day; but otherwise I have eight rolls in storage that are simply going to last a very long time.
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A have bad acid reflux.gasritis these things sometimes am feeling really sad n crying because of how a feel..stomach pain bloating gassy headache nausea .pain at my right side.shakeyness n all .am so tired of this acid reflux my head feels light sometimes..a pray to God for healing ..sometimes a lose weight sometimes a gain alittle..but a still have faith ..right at this moment am trying herbs n so far inna few days am feeling much better.what else to try?
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Hi Marcia. It is an actual medical condition, so while praying and herbs might cheer you up a bit, neither can cure it. Assuming you really have a reaction to dairy and not something else (wheat is usually the prime suspect), it is now known that cow’s milk is not a necessary part of the human diet. If you love to drink and use milk, try oat “milk” instead of the real cow’s milk. Your symptoms seem severe so you should talk to your doctor.
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