Total Basset Case: Not so sweet

Jul 24, 2014

Not so sweet

There's been a break up in our house.
Between someone super sweet, yummy and hard to stay away from...

Sugar and I have parted ways.
And honestly, it's been for the best.
It's not fun, but for my insides and everyone's sanity, it was necessary.

Let me back up a bit.
A few months ago I started feeling really crummy.
Like really, really bad. Every single time I ate anything I felt so sick.
Bloated, yucky, stomach issues, the whole nine yards.
And for someone who loves to eat at much as I do, this was incredibly depressing.
This led to a lot of tears and frustrations.
So finally, after a few doctor visits and tests that I won't go into, a solution was finally found.
And that is, in short, that my body hates me.

Well, it hates sugar and is refusing to process it correctly.
(In official terms I was diagnosed with SIBO.)
This is as un-fun as it sounds.
The real kicker is that sugar is in EVERYTHING.
 Literally everything.
Just take a look at a few labels in your pantry.  Even the things you wouldn't think have sugar, do.
But I know things could always be way worse and we were all just glad it wasn't cancer or something scary like that. 

Unfortunately, there is no real, true solution for SIBO. 
There are a few antibiotics (those did 0 for me) and the most common other solution is a diet change. 
For now the latter is working for me (for the most part).
Again, it isn't fun and it takes a LOT of planning but since it's working, that's what we are going with for now.
Parties, going out to eat, grabbing a bite on the run are all really difficult but can be managed.

So what can't I eat?
Everything basically. Jk, sorta.
-No gluten, sugar, dairy
This includes no milk, ice cream, yogurt, cheese, soy milk, white/brown sugar, maple syrup, white potatoes (fries!), beer (!), sausage, sweet wine.

I can eat:
Eggs, veggies, fruit, chicken, beef, wine (thank GOODNESS), honey, nuts, beans, olive/coconut oil, sweet potatoes, corn tortilla chips
I can eat natural occurring sugars (fruit/wine) so that is a real life saver.
And I've found an 'ice cream' that I can eat made out of coconut and it's somewhat sufficing my need to eat ice cream every night of the summer. 
*lots of salads around these parts.  Thank goodness for our CSA!

Like I said, for now this diet is working; most of the time.
I've splurged a few times just to test the waters and it didn't go well.
So most likely I will be holding off on doing that for awhile.
Tiny, tiny doses of a few things seem to be okay but more than that isn't worth it.
The repercussions are totally debilitating but they aren't fun and they usually stick around for at least 3 days so I would rather just not deal with that.
Again, things could be a LOT worse and we are just adjusting to this as the new normal the best we can!

On the plus side, elminating sugar from my diet (and somewhat Mister's) has been really great for our health and bodies.  I can finally run well again (the stomach issues were really putting a damper on that that) and I've noticed physical changes as well.
The pouch of fat on my lower stomach that I've always fretted over is finally gone.
And those abs I've worked so hard for (and could always tell were in there) are finally actually visible.

As you guys know, we are pretty clean 90% of the time and work out quite a bit, so it blows my mind that doing something like eliminating sugar can have such a huge effect on our bodies.  (Kait recently cut out sugar too and is raving about it as well!)
You truly are what you eat.  I could not be more of a believer in that.

I'll be back next week with some recipes that fit this new diet and are also delicious.

I love discussing food, health and what we put into our bodies so please let me know if you have any questions or want more info! There isn't a ton about SIBO online but I'm happy to share what I know and have read!


13 comments:

Anne said...

Oh Sarah, sooo sorry to hear about all of this, but so glad to hear you're feeling better! Please do inspire us with some recipes - while I know I'm very lucky to not be forced to change my diet for health reasons like this, I really SHOULD change/eliminate a few things...

Lauren {Stylized Existence} said...

I researched a bit about SIBO last year when I thought I might have had it - I thought this post had a lot of good links in it with more info - probably stuff you've already seen or read, but figured I'd share it with you!

http://www.thepaleomom.com/2012/07/modifying-paleo-small-intestinal.html

Unknown said...

I'm so sorry-- I did not know that you were dealing with this issue. But I am thrilled that you have found a solution that helps you. Hang in there!

Caitlin said...

Good for you!! I've been trying to cut out sugar and this has been an inspiration. The longest I've done it before is for 3 weeks and I noticed such changes - weight loss, more energy, better sleep, etc. Okay... consider me back on the wagon.

Erin LFF said...

Sorry to hear about the health and feeling crappy! :( But I'm also inspired by your diet changes. Cutting out (or at LEAST cutting back!) sugar is something I've want to do solely for health reasons and have never had the will-power. Maybe I'll start small and try to go one week without. yikes!

Jill @ Bluegrass Belle said...

Wow! I'm sorry to hear how bad your belly had been feeling. I have never heard of that condition, but I'm glad you've found a solution. I bet it takes even more planning than usual with cooking/prepping meals...yikes!

Katie said...

oh my gosh! that sounds SOO hard! i would seriously struggle giving up all those foods. thank goodness there are at least a few benefits of doing it - i hope you keep feeling better and the diet works!

Shelley said...

i'm so sorry to hear you've been having such awful issues. i know it's not the same, but with a food allergy, i understand the difficulty sometimes with eating out, going to parties, etc. major props to you for being able to cut out sugar though. i look forward to seeing some sugar free recipes you're loving!

Jen said...

So sorry you are experience this. It's interesting though because I went through something similar about 2 years ago. I wasn't told I had SIBO, but my gut bacteria was all messed up and I had a lot of issues with bloating and stomach pain. I was officially diagnosed with IBS by a GI doctor because I was having some other issues as well. They put me on an antibiotic to kill off my bacteria and then I started taking Probiotics to regrow the good bacteria. I also was put on a FODMAP diet, which sounds similar to what you are doing. 2 years later, I am slowing reintroducing gluten back into my diet. Dairy and high-sugar content I still seem to have issues with. For 90% of the time I still stick with the FODMAP diet. It stinks, but I agree it's crazy because I eat rather healthy as well and have so many issues. Luckily with time I am able to splurge and not have as many issues as I used to. You start to learn when it's worth it to splurge or not. Can't wait for new recipes though. I seem to get in a rut with this crazy diet, so always looking for new ideas.

Meg O. said...

Wow, I am so sorry that you're dealing with this. I'm glad you're starting to feel better!! I can only imagine how difficult it is to research every single thing before it goes in your mouth. I guess there is a long term benefit - really getting you to think about ingredients and focus on putting good things in your body.

Karen M. Peterson said...

It's really too bad that you HAD to give up sugar, but you sound like you have a great attitude about it!

Whitney @ justacountry-girl said...

First of all - I am so sorry you have been dealing with this. However, your attitude sounds amazing! You go girl! Please keep us updated with the yummy recipes you find. Can't wait to hear about this lifestyle change for you that already sounds like it's a winner :-)

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