IBS, Ayurveda diet, Kitchari, Rice and Yoga practice

Healthy Food Nutrition
#1

Hello everyone! I had a severe stomach problem a few years ago, i.e. lying in bed with stomach ulcers and a nasty bacteria for a year (not H Pylori).

To cut a long story short it has left me with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome).

I can no longer eat the following without repercussions i.e. headache, feeling sick nauseous and needing to lie down, usually constipation (or the other way), black stools (indicating blood).

-Steak/Beef
-Too much meat
-Fish (oddly this one is quite bad for me)
-Eggs (an immediate no no)
-Mushrooms (the kiss of death in any form)
-Coffee (pretty bad, I get away with a cup now and then)
-Alcohol
-Too much Dark Chocolate/Cocoa (only allowed a little)
-Too many tomatoes, Onions (can eat them fried)
-Fruit - this one is odd since I can eat a little, but my gut goes haywire if I mix the fruit with other types of food.
-Porridge/Oats (this one is a no no, painful as I loved it so)
-Brown/Black rice (unless its the round brown from Macrobiotics)
-Too many uncut vegetables (i.e. they are great however when blenderized or made into a soup)
-Too much milk

So yea pretty much the ayuverda diet for my dosha (Pitta) above!

I can generally eat:

-Potatoes
-Sweet Potatoes
-White bread
-Butter lots
-A little yellow cheese
-A little yoghurt/dairy but not too much
-Biscuits/Cakes (seem to be just fine with these).
-Honey + sugary sweet things no problem.

Furthermore what is odd is I’m quite capable of eating junk food where meat is mixed in, fairly spicy food and fatty food I’m fine with.

So for example I can get away with eating a whole pack of fatty chocolate cookies or going for a Chinese and having Sechuan Beef and a load of pork dumplings as well as a load of fatty foods, wake up the next day and feel fine.

So without further ado I’m beginning regular Yoga practice and I’d like to sort my diet out.

I can’t stand cooking and also can’t stand being hungry and looking for something appropriate too eat! So would love something fast, easy, tasty and staple to make I do not get bored (i.e. I once made enough Spaghetti Bolognese to freeze lasting me 4 months and ate it straight which was wonderful)

I’m a text book Pitta Dosha, although I have some Kappa tendencies when it comes to putting on weight, I like fatty food and put on weight fast (but also can lose it fast), so I’ve been trying to cut fats out.

I’d like to lean towards Veganism, and in fact I don’t desire much meat anyhow, the thought of having a steak doesn’t appeal to me whatsoever for example.

So I found Kitchari i.e. White basmati rice and yellow split mung beans, wonderful it seemed so perfect which I could quickly make in my rice cooker.

However unfortunately I’ve run up against a brick wall when eating kitchari, severe constipation, headaches and black stools, this was even worse when I added Psyllium husk for extra fibre.

I have found (and remember even before I became ill) that I tended to get some stomach acid with eating too much straight rice.

So what is it I’m doing wrong in all this? I realise I’ve wanted to cut a lot of fat out of my diet, but as soon as I do a mono carb (with slight protein) diet like Kitchari, I run into problems. And yet I can go to the local shop and buy a load junk crisps and cookies and I’m fine? Bread and butter also just fine.

Is it evident that I need a lot of fat in my diet (despite my trying to reduce this?)

#2

Dairy and gluten have a negative effect on me, it seems all grains but rice do also

#3

[QUOTE=shivashaktiyoga;86558]You follow yoga practice every day. You will not suffer from any stomach problem. It will improve your digestion mechanism and keep you healthy and fit.

ShivaShaktiYoga
Certified Yoga teacher training India[/QUOTE]

I am doing Yoga nearly every day (there are days when it is impossible), but I’m afraid so far I am still dealing with the same dietary issues.

I’m starting to realise my problems maybe to do with fat or the lack of it in my diet as I’ve been trying to cut it out, so for example if I just ate boiled potatoes I would have stomach issues, but if I mashed them up with a lot of butter I’d be fine.

Dairy and gluten have a negative effect on me, it seems all grains but rice do also

A lot of dairy affects me too, but I can’t have my tea without milk, it seems my rice issues are as current as they were when I was younger despite my loving rice, I just can’t really do rice (unless it’s heavily mixed up with fats/veggies).

I have been a vegetarian on and off for the last 3-4 months, but I must say it has been a struggle, not because I find it difficult to not eat meat but for several reasons

  1. I’ve noticed I really lack energy without meat (and I never ate a lot of meat anyhow), I can really feel the difference with and without it and I am exercising daily, after a month of pure vegetarianism after having some chicken I felt my energies return after quite some lethargy (which is why I tried it)

  2. I find digestion actually easier if I eat fattier foods centered around some meat, rather than just straight grains/beans/legumes, potatoes, veg and/or rice.

  3. My gut instinct is honestly telling me I should be eating chicken and fatty chicken at that. I actually have no desire for any meat, just I have this gut intuition telling me I should be having chicken broth and some fatty cut up chicken on a daily basis. Red meat, sausages and fish and other meats I still omit completely.

Lastly I’ve been often on the move so realistically it’s just been difficult to find the time to cook for myself and hence be vegetarian.

My major disappointment is Kitchari, because while I love it and love the taste of it, it takes me so long to digest it and the rice in it doesn’t agree with me so much, actually get acid reflux having eaten it, to add to this quite a bit of constipation. I was eating it for 5-7 days running and could do no more (not to mention the total lack of energy).

Anyway will keep you all posted on how I get on.

#4

Hello everyone, well it seems no one has much idea what my problem is…

I have kept trying to return to kitchari and as a mono diet, but I can’t get past 3 days of it.

I love the taste of it and I love eating it, I don’t feel bad immediately after it, but then after more than 4 hours my whole digestive system is never left happy.

I put in extra ghee to deal with this to no avail.

I’m told and read it’s a wonder food and while it tastes wonderful I’m just not sure my body finds it agreeable…

When I return to a normal omnivore (althought very little meat) diet I feel normal again.

#5

You don’t have IBS. IBS doesn’t cause bloody stools. I’m afraid you likely have Inflammtory Bowel Disease (look up Crohn’s Disease) and need specialized treatment.

If you’re in India, another possibility is Intestinal Tuberculosis and a good gastroenterologist will evaluate you for all of these potentialities.

#6

Hi David, I no longer have bloody stools and I doubt I have IBD given the (lack of) severity and nature of my symptoms, my symptoms are very mild but enough to cause me bother if I eat the wrong foods.

I was infact told by a doctor that I probably have and will have a text book mild form of IBS after my severe stomach problem a few years ago, they still don’t know what it was but presume it was an ulcer or severe infection, I still may have a few small ones down there.

I definitely have slow digestion and low stomach acid.

There is one constant with me and that is I require fairly fatty foods or foods cooked with enough fat in them.

I do remember however that even when my gut was healthy eating straight rice would cause me stomach acid and digestion irritation, so I’m not sure it’s directly related with my stomach issues. It’s a shame because I love rice.

I was hoping kitchari would be a cure all given I love it also, but it seems my body just doesn’t seem to like it.

#7

I hope you’re right but if I was in your position, I would ask for a fecal calprotectin test to see if you have inflammation in your digestive tract.

#8

[QUOTE=David;87057]I hope you’re right but if I was in your position, I would ask for a fecal calprotectin test to see if you have inflammation in your digestive tract.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for your thoughts David, I’ll get it checked next time I see the doctor.

#9

I’ve had what the doctors have called IBS for eight years now. Doctor’s have proven to be of no help to me, but I have learned how to control my symptoms on my own. A method I devised myself I call “The 3 S’s”. Each “s” stands for a type of food I eat daily. For breakfast, I have a Smoothie. For lunch I have a Salad, and for dinner I have Soup. I eat that same thing, everyday, Monday through Friday. On the weekend, I eat whatever I feel like, but I keep it within reason. No overeating and I try to keep it healthy, but if I have a craving or urge for something specific, then I go ahead and have it.

I don’t drink anything other than water and the occasional beer. I exercise everyday. About four and a half months ago, I switched my exercise routine to Yoga. I am really enjoying this new change to my routine. It really feels great! :slight_smile:

So, I’ve been doing this self-created program for about 6 years now and it works very well for me. I went off of it once within that time for a few months and the symptoms started to return and I started putting on weight. I went back to my “3 S’s” and started feeling much better again. So now I know this is the plan I will stick with for the rest of my days.