Treat yourself

The past couple of weeks have been a reminder to me that positivity is crucial.

When on any restricted diet, it is important to focus on what you can eat, rather than what you can't - and enjoy it. 

Here are my top five easy, tasty, gluten-free, low FODMAP treats.

Because life shouldn't be an endless procession of carrot sticks and brown rice crackers. 

Best ever low FODMAP treats

1. Whittaker's dark chocolate peanut slabs.
2. Smoothies made with banana, So Good soy milk, and So Good Vanilla ice cream (both made with soy protein, not the whole bean). My post-run favourite. 
3. Retro Organics lactose-free raspberry yoghurt.
4. So Good soy ice cream and Barker's lemon curd.
5. Free From Gluten dark chocolate biscuits. So much NOM.

My wee collection of treats.

Easy does it

Day six of the low-FODMAP diet and I'm surviving. No cold sweats from ice cream withdrawal or uncontrollable cravings for stone fruit. So doing well, really. 

Keeping to the diet hasn't been as difficult as I had feared. We have been making more things from scratch, which has been an adventure. But some nights - like tonight - you just want a simple dinner. 

One particularly tricky thing about the low-FODMAP diet is that you aren't allowed onions or garlic. That makes a lot of easy meals not quite so easy. Basically all pre-made sauces are out. And some easy meat choices, like frozen fish fillets and sausages, are out too.  

Except for these nifty Blackball beef sausages. 

They are both gluten free and low in FODMAPs - deliciously juicy and flavoursome without sneaky garlic, onion powder or wheaty filler. The secret ingredient is, well, meat. 

It won't be the prettiest dinner I ever post on here, but sometimes easy is best. 

Especially when easy also means tasty. 

Our bangers and mash.

A new journey and an old favourite

A new journey 

Yesterday I started a new and - at least, from my perspective - exciting journey. In pursuit of digestive health. 

I have always had a bit of a delicate stomach. In fact, that is a bit of an understatement. Before I went gluten free, I used to experience intense abdominal pains every single day. 

When I went gluten free, there was instant relief. The only times I ever had stomach aches, it could be traced back to a glutenous source. 

I was better. 

Until about a month ago, that is.

Initially the pains were mild. Manageable. But the frequency and severity quickly increased. And at the same time, my energy levels were ebbing away. 

A week ago the pains had become excruciating. I went to my GP, who did a range of tests. 

My results came back normal, although my iron levels are a bit low. I discussed the situation with my GP and our family dietitian-in-training (thanks, Michelle!). Both agreed that further investigation of dietary triggers would be a good course of action. 

So, on Friday I went to see my dietitian, Sarah Elliot. Sarah is absolutely lovely. She is an expert in her field, but also extremely empathetic and genuine. She focuses on balance and the enjoyment of food. I know that I am in good hands. 

Sarah has recommended that I try a low-FODMAP diet. 

A what?!

What is a low-FODMAP diet, exactly? (Apart from something that desperately needs a sexier name.)

FODMAPs are a group of lesser-known sugars (including fructose, lactose and a number of others) that are commonly malabsorbed in the small intestine, leading to abdominal pain and other irritable bowel symptoms. 

Apparently symptoms can emerge suddenly - like they did for me - if a trigger, such as stress, reveals an underlying sensitivity. 

There is strong evidence that a diet low in FODMAPS can help to alleviate symptoms like mine, but it should always be supervised by a dietitian. 

For the next three weeks, I will be cutting out FODMAPs to see if my symptoms improve. If they do, then we will start re-introducing foods to test my sensitivity to the different sugars. Then I can adapt my diet to manage my symptoms going forward. 

It's only been a day, so I won't know if the diet is working for a wee while yet, but I am hopeful that the journey I have started will help to alleviate my digestive distress. 

Day one: An old favourite

The elimination phase of the low-FODMAP diet is pretty restrictive. This app has lots of great info about the details. Let's be honest, I'm going to be eating a lot of brown rice porridge over the next three weeks! 

But, thankfully, we still have at least one cool Wellington cafe we can go to. 

Ti Kouka is one of our all time favourites. It prides itself on being able to cater to a range of dietary requirements (Sarah's husband is head chef and co-owner). We have always found it excellent for gluten free. 

So we were delighted to discover that Ti Kouka also has a low-FODMAP menu (!!). Anyone who has tried the low-FODMAP diet for more than five minutes will know how unbelievable this is!

Ti Kouka's low FODMAP brunch menu.

The food at Ti Kouka is always stunning - high-quality and nourishing, yet gourmet and delectable. 

But yesterday it was super moreish and FODMAP friendly. 

I had the special (not on the menu) -  a potato rosti, poached eggs, spinach, bacon, and hollandaise 

My tummy-friendly treat.

A delicious experience on my journey in pursuit of digestive health. 

I think the staff at Ti Kouka might be seeing quite a bit of us over the next wee while!