Them: I think im not meant to eat raw cauliflower. Every time I do I feel horrible all day.
Me: Interesting. I wonder why. What about broccoli ?
Them: Same thing. But when i cook or roast the two I’m okay.
Me: Does it cause stomach pain or just mysterious lack of energy?
Both: Both. Woke up with the stomach pain too
Me: What happens when you eat raw cabbage? Brussels sprouts?
Them: Same thing 😐 which makes me so sad because i love raw red cabbage salad
Me: You might be able to take digestive enzymes [amazon link] to help you break it down. It sounds like you have trouble digesting cruciferous vegetables (the cabbage family). Although generally good for you, if you can’t digest it, it might feel like lactose intolerance. Side note: Those also contain goitrogens which can disrupt your thyroid but that’s when you eat like 10 servings a day, not 2. More likely you’re just tired from pain and bloating.
Them: I do have a lactose intolerance too
Me: I recommend experimenting with digestive enzymes [amazon link].
Them: I barfed from the stomach pain. Usually I drink kombucha and that seems to help.
Me: It probably helps cause it is slightly acidic. Like apple cider vinegar. Kombucha doesn’t support enzymatic action to my knowledge. It is delicious though.
Them: Ugh i am in so much discomfort with my stupid stomach. I haven’t ate anything today because of fear of throwing it up
Me: Is it your stomach or your intestines or large intestines? Be specific. Is it nausea? Is it stomach pain? Intestinal pain? Etc etc.
Them: It’s bloating. Lower abdomen. Pain. Headache.
Me: Ok. You need to carve out some meals that you know are safe to eat and write them down so you have a safe recipe list. If you’re hurting in your lower abdomen it’s probably food you ate 12-14 hours ago.
Them: So maybe sushi…? Not the veggies from yesterday.
Me: It could be either. Vegetables have indigestible fiber in them. Rice can as well especially if it was leftover rice that was chilled in a fridge and not heated back up past 130 F.
Them: Ugh so it could be either. The [prescription medicine redacted] also has side effect of stomach pains or Crohn’s disease.
Me: In your opinion are you getting stomach pains after eating (A) or approximately an hour before a bowel movement (B)?
Them: More so A. I’m still in pain from yesterday though.
Me: So you’re in perpetual pain for 24 hours?
Them: Since yesterday early afternoon
Me: In your opinion, are you constipated with difficult hard bowel movements (A), bowel movements are soft and easy and regular (B), or do you oscillate between constipation and diarrhea (C), or just diarrhea all the time (D)?
Them: B, Dr. Justin.
Me: Fantastic. IMO I don’t think it’s Crohn’s or intestinal issues. It just sounds like possibly bloating and gas from carbohydrates you’re having trouble digesting.
Them: So enzymes.
Me: Are there foods you know you can eat that don’t cause you nausea or pain, such as a hard boiled egg? Or does protein make it worse?
Them: Protein doesn’t hurt. Or eggs. Neither does mushrooms. I asked my husband to bring home watermelon for me since that’s really all I want
Me: Also doesn’t sound like H. Pylori or a stomach ulcer. Sounds like undigested carbohydrates still.
Me: Does this description fit: You eat food and you’re fine for at least 2 hours but between 2-12 hours you’re in a lot of pain.
Them: Yes! And since starting [prescription medicine redacted] I’ve only noticed an increase of stomach aches and discomfort.
Me: So there’s a few things that can cause discomfort. (1) Indigestible fibers scraping your intestines when they’re inflamed or damaged, such as an intestinal ulcer. (2) Indigestible carbohydrates–indigestible by you–that are digestible by bacteria that create gas and bloating. Such as the wrong type of bacteria, or bacteria in the wrong part of the intestines which can much on fibers/carbs and create gas at a rate that generates pain and discomfort. (3) In general, generic gastritis.
Them: What should I do now?
Me: I have some homework for you and your husband to sit down and do together. Start comparing foods that cause you discomfort between 2-12 hours to the Breaking The Vicious Cycle Legal/Illegal Food List list [amazon link] and see if there is a correlation. If suddenly everything starts making sense, you could benefit from the specific carbohydrate diet (SCD) which limits fermentable foods that cause bloating and pain. First thing to note is that if you look up watermelon in the list, watermelon is listed as “legal” which is your first clue. Second, cabbage is listed as legal but it has a side note that you shouldn’t eat it until you’re on your way to recovery from gas pain. That’s another clue.
Them: But what if I can eat a cooked cabbage and be okay but raw cabbage upsets me?
Me: It makes perfect sense because cooking can break down some substances for you that makes them gentle on your stomach, and by eating them raw you’re leaving those substances (fibers/carbohydrates) intact to be broken down by bacteria in your intestines./
Them: I’ll start the list today!
Them: Does fermented mean pickles?
Me: Not sure how to answer. I think pickles aren’t actually completely fermented. They’re soaked in vinegar created by bacteria but it isn’t clear if they bacteria always eat all available carbohydrates before the acid levels rise high enough to kill the bacteria. What that means is cucumbers could in theory contain carbohydrates in them that haven’t been fermented yet. Said another way: Foods already fermented outside your body might be safe to eat because they’re no more fermentable carbs or sugars left for bacteria to eat and create gas. This is why lactose intolerant people can eat hard cheese because there’s nothing left for bacterial to eat, but these people cannot eat milk or soft cheese because they aren’t fermented at all.
Them: Oooooh okay.
Me: I sincerely hope you feel better. Excited for you. I know that list of foods is long and stupid but if you buckle down one evening and focus on creating a safe recipe list containing 6-12 high calorie meals that are repeatable, you should be quite satisfied and happy for a lifetime. Or at least until you get over this bacteria imbalance. 🙂 Focus on making a safe recipe book is what I’m saying.
Them: 🤗🤗 thanks hopefully i can nail it down soon
Me: You’re welcome. Oh. One more thing. If it is just genetic gastritis, you may also benefit from just drinking some carbonated water [amazon link]. For people with gastritis I’ve heard it described as “God’s gift to man.” If this works for you, you can invest in a SodaStream [amazon link] which will give you plentiful supply of carbonated water fairly inexpensively. Sodium bicarbonate is what your body uses to reinforce the lining of your stomach to protect against excess stomach acid, if I understand correctly. I’m not certain that’s your issue but it’s worth a try considering you said Kombucha helps.