I've become increasingly convinced over the past 4 months that food is not a significant trigger for my IBS symptoms. I came to this conclusion based on strictly following the EFI diet and severely limiting my food intake to try to make myself symptom free. Not only did this not work, at all, but it also created additional stress for me around food that wasn't there before (and incidentally caused IBS symptoms).
I also came to this conclusion from my own personal journey of trying to understand why I have IBS, which began to make a lot more sense when I read "The Divided Mind" by Dr. John Sarno. He theorizes that IBS (among other chronic pain and illnesses) is caused by the brain to prevent terrible unconscious emotions such as rage, sadness, pain, from transitioning into the conscious mind. This spoke to me in a way nothing else has because I carry around so much emotional pain. I even used physical illness, namely 'tummy aches' as a way to cope with my parents chaotic relationship as a child. Not any wonder why that's now a programmed response for me as an adult.
This weekend I decided to experiment because I finally convinced myself that food is not triggering my IBS. I ate whatever I wanted after spending 3 1/2 months of denying myself many things I enjoyed and craved. I ate pork and beef, cheese, italian food with garlic and onions, french fries, pizza, salads, apples with the skin on. I felt free for the first time in a long time. I wasn't stressed about food at all.
Guess what happened? Nothing. I feel no better and no worse than I did before in terms of my IBS symptoms. I even had a really good day this weekend. I did have a bad day this week as well, but that's no different than when I was limiting my food intake. It's just not food causing my symptoms! That's not to say I can eat whatever I want, because even healthy people have digestive problems if they eat too much junky, greasy food. But I certainly don't need to eliminate so much from diet.
I wonder who else out there has discovered that their symptoms are not really controlled by diet?
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Is food really the answer?
