Tag Archives: fodmaps

The Best Smoothie

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Rishkoff Smoothie 3

Every single ingredient in this smoothie is a superfood. This smoothie is gluten-free, dairy-free, low in FODMAPs, and contains gut-healing ingredients. And with ingredients like strawberries, bananas and pineapple juice, and coconut oil, it is delicious and nutritious (for anyone). I developed this recipe for me, as a way to heal and seal my gut after all my struggles. It’s a rare and useful drink to fill my gut with everything it needs (and nothing it doesn’t!).

Pineapples contain bromelain, an anti-inflammatory compound. Coconut oil is easy to digest and it’s fatty acid structure causes it to be utilized for energy and not stored in our fat cells. But the heavy hitters in this smoothie are the L-glutamine and gelatin. Both of which can help repair leaky gut.

Recipe:

3-4 strawberries, cut up
2/3 of a whole banana, sliced up
organic fresh pressed pineapple juice
1 tb of coconut oil
1 teaspoon of gelatin (Knox brand)
1 teaspoon of L-glutamine powder (pharmaceutical grade)

Directions:

Put the cut up pieces of fruit in the blender.

Add pineapple juice just enough to cover the empty spaces between the fruit.

Put the coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl and heat it for 30 seconds to turn it liquid. Then add it to the blender.

Add the gelatin and L-glutamine

Blend and enjoy!!!

If you want a full meal-add a little of your favorite protein powder too!

PS: While the sugars in this smoothie are ALL natural (no added sugar), it is not a low carb drink and may be too high in sugar for some people.

(My recipe also appeared on Further Food Photos courtesy of Further Food as well! Rishkoff Smoothie 2)

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Transform your IBS with FODMAPs

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watermelon

Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a pain in the ass! It affects approximately 15% of the population. The good news is: there is a new treatment in town.

IBS symptoms include:

  • bloating
  • gas
  • abdominal pain
  • diarrhea
  • constipation
  • alternating diarrhea and constipation.

These symptoms can also be indicative of more serious conditions such as Crohn’s Disease and Celiac Disease (autoimmune disorders that cause damage to the intestine), so a doctor needs to rule these out before a diagnosis of IBS can be concluded. If your intestines are otherwise healthy, but you routinely experience the symptoms above, then you would be diagnosed with  IBS.

Some of the possible causes of IBS:

  • A current gastrointestinal infection
  • A past gastrointestinal infection (post-infectious IBS)
  • Antibiotic use
  • One or more food sensitivities
  • Gut dysbiosis—imbalance in your gut bacteria

Each of those causes can be the result of unhealthy gut bacteria (or flora).

Not surprisingly, then, the solution to IBS is to try to change your gut flora. (Also not surprising, Crohn’s and Celiac patients have gut dysbiosis too, and therefore can also benefit from the following protocol).

FODMAPs

FODMAPs are a group of naturally occurring sugars that are fermentable. In a healthy gut, foods with FODMAPs wouldn’t cause any symptoms. But for some people, these sugars are big trouble. They travel through your small intestine, unabsorbed, and are therefore available for your gut flora to eat. When bacteria eat FODMAPs, they release gas, which in turn leads to all those symptoms listed above.

FODMAP is an acronym that stands for:

  • F: Fermentable
  • O: Oligosaccharides (Fructans and Galactans)
  • D: Disaccharides (Lactose)
  • M: Monosaccharides (Fructose)
  • A: and
  • P: Polyols (sugar alcohols)

The list of foods that contain one or more of these FODMAPs is very long. Which means of course, that following a low FODMAP diet is pretty restrictive. But it works for 75% of people with IBS. Imagine that!

The restrictive part is only for a few weeks, and is called the elimination phase. After getting your symptoms under control and resetting your gut, you reintroduce these foods, one at a time, to see if they still produce symptoms. Some will and some won’t.

But then you’ll know what bothers your tummy. And the idea is to eat the most varied diet you can, without experiencing problems. Since there are so many foods involved and you want things to get this right the first time, this diet works best with the guidance of dietitian.

 

photo credit freedigitalphotos.net