Tummy Talk: Herba-belly

In the last five years, it’s become popular to go gluten-free even if you don’t need to be. As I’ve shared before, I was recommended a gluten-free diet by a doctor just after I began experiencing IBS symptoms when I was 17, and I convinced myself this would be the cure-all. I convinced myself of this so much that I went strictly gluten-free for three years, and limited my gluten intake for another year after that. But now at age 21, after having a rough year with my IBS due to stress, lack of sleep, an irregular eating schedule, and inconsistent exercise, I’ve realized that limiting my gluten wasn’t a cure-all. In fact, limiting my gluten intake hasn’t really helped at all, and it seems like limiting my diet only made me more anxious, exacerbating these problems over the last year. What’s more, limiting my gluten may have actually caused me more problems than it did solutions. I’ve realized that lots of my constipation, trouble passing gas, and anxiety associated with eating came from my gluten-free dietary restriction. Perhaps at first it helped with some parts of my IBS: Gluten, after all, has been proven to increase inflammation , regardless of whether you’re allergic or not. However, after years of crossing anything containing gluten off my list of foods I could consume, I began to wonder what would happen if I just started integrating a little gluten here and there. At first it started with moderate amounts of soy sauce and beer, then it turned into whole grain crackers, and now I’m at a point where I can have a slice or two of bread and feel perfectly fine. I’ve come to understand that maybe rather than constructing a hefty list of dietary “no-nos,” I should be expanding the list of good things I’m putting in my body. I should be focusing on what goes in my body, not what I’m keeping out. This isn’t only healthy for my belly, but it’s healthy for the side of me that struggles to not slip back into the eating disorder habits I developed originally as a result of my IBS. This is why recently I’ve been making an effort to eat a lot of whole grains, fermented foods, and dietary supplements that use the natural world around me to feed my gut the things it wants to eat, from a biological standpoint rather than just an “Ooh, that tastes yummy” standpoint. This means feeding my belly comforting things when it needs it, such as ginger when I’m nauseous and peppermint when my stomach’s cramping. It also means repairing my gut by eating a lot of fermented foods, such as kombucha, Greek yogurt, and raw sauerkraut. And it means seeking out unprocessed supplements, ones that might have been used for years to treat stomach ailments. It’s always important to consult your doctor or a medical professional before you start taking a supplement, but that doesn’t mean you should be waiting for your doctor to suggest certain things. You should be doing your own research, because online support groups and chatrooms about IBS and other illnesses can be really helpful for learning about homeopathic treatments. One supplement I heard about through word-of-mouth that ended up being particularly helpful in curing my constipation and bloating is called Atrantil

, comprised of quebrancho extract, conker tree extract, and M. Balsamea wild extract. It doesn’t work for everyone, and is largely dependent on lots of bodily factors, but it’s worth asking your doctor about, or at the very least doing more research about yourself. I’m still learning about what my body needs. But I’m learning how lucky I am to be discovering this, even if it’s a long and grueling process sometimes. It’s not going to be something I learn overnight, and I’m becoming more comfortable with this fact. At this point, I know I’m more comfortable putting naturally occurring, IBS-fighting food into my body, and I’m going to keep searching for the best natural treatments that will help fight the good fight inside my tummy. Reach Opinion Editor Rebecca Gross at wellness@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @becsgross

Tummy Talk: Herba-belly

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