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IBS- Do I have it?
Could it be IBS?
There is no one test to tell you that you have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Instead, diagnosing it depends on identifying the symptoms and excluding other more serious causes first.
Typical symptoms include- abdominal pain/discomfort, altered bowel habits (how often you go and the consistency), bloating, flatulence, nausea and, reflux. Generally you need to have had symptoms at least once a week for 3 months to be diagnosed.
We also have to exclude any more serious causes for your symptoms such as coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel disease or even colon cancer. Symptoms that would be concerning for something more serious than IBS are if you have new symptoms well into adulthood, bleeding when you go to the toilet, unexplained weight loss or fevers, symptoms that disturb your sleep at night, incontinence of faeces, a family history of serious gut problems or other associated symptoms like joint pains/rashes.
Your doctor may order some blood tests/stool tests to exclude these serious things.
We come across far too many patients who suffer with symptoms for years before seeking help- so if any of this sounds familiar to you, we encourage you to make an appointment with your GP. It is important to get a diagnosis so that we can help you create a plan to manage your symptoms- there’s a lot that can be done!
#IBS #guthealth #fodmaps #gp #doctor
Cauliflower soup recipe idea
Happy weekend lifestyle connoisseurs! This week we highlight the humble cauliflower and a great soup recipe to prep for the rainy week ahead.
Cauliflower is one of my favourite veggies to cook with. It has quite a mild flavour and can be used in so many different ways. I often add grated cauliflower to bump up the veggie content of plain rice and can hardly taste a difference! You can even add cauliflower raw to smoothies without affecting the taste but adding heaps of nutritional value!
Did you know that you can also use the cauliflower leaves and they actually contain more nutrients than the cauliflower itself! They’re a great source of calcium, iron, fibre, protein and antioxidants.
I’m sharing a recipe from fellow Melbourne GP, Dr Preeya Alexander, who has been a guest on good chef bad chef. I’m a huge fan of soups- warm, filling and the perfect way to cozy up as the autumn weather cools down.
I made this for my family today but I made a few tweaks:
– Brown some cumin seeds with the olive oil in the beginning (my Indian genes want to add cumin to everything!- it adds a great flavour and an extra boost of antioxidant).
– Add in the leaves of the cauliflower!
– To reduce the calorie load of this soup, you can skip or reduce the amount of cheese and use a tablespoon of nutritional yeast for that cheesy flavour instead.
– Once the soup is cooked, empty a rinsed can of chickpeas into the pan and heat through. Canned legumes are one of my favourite hacks for adding heart healthy plant protein to meals. Plus they taste great and make this a much more filling meal that will keep away the munchies til your next meal.
– I added a good handful of chopped parsley and coriander and a nice squeeze of lemon on top to bump up the flavour and antioxidant punch
Verve approved sweet snacks
Some ideas to satisfy the 3pm sugar craving
In the lead up to Easter, I thought I would make some suggestions for healthier but easy to throw together sweet treats! It’s very normal for our bodies to crave sweet foods sometimes but if we can satisfy these cravings with whole foods, we’re also making sure that the sweet taste is coming with some good nutritional value too.
My first favourite: Stuffed dates
Pick the really nice juicy and plump medjool dates for these. Simply split down the middle, remove the pip, put in 1/2 tsp of natural nut butter and then put a whole nut in the middle for some crunch. I find Brazil nuts fit perfectly but you can use any kind. (Brazil nuts are also one of the best ways of making sure you’re getting enough selenium in your diet. A single Brazil nut per day can get you to your daily selenium requirement!) If you’re feeling decadent, you can even drizzle some melted dark chocolate on top of your date. Pop them in the fridge or freezer for 60minutes to firm up and you have a delicious yet nutritious energy boost! Keep in mind that these are quite calorie dense so you don’t want to go overboard but one or two stuffed dates can make a great snack to fuel your busy days.
Next, banana sushi!
Peel a banana and put it lengthways in a plate. Put a thin smear of nut butter on the top half. Sprinkle on some hemp seeds or chia seeds – et voila! So simple yet so satisfying.
And finally, a healthy dip to go with your apple slices
Mix 1/2 tablespoon of greek yoghurt with 1 tablespoon of tahini (sesame seed paste) and sprinkle in some cinnamon. This dip adds a boost of protein and healthy fats to make your fruit a lot more filling and sustaining and is also a great source of calcium.
Sweet treats don’t have to require hours of baking in the kitchen. Just start with a fruit of your choice, add in a nut or seed product for some creaminess/crunch and get creative!