Me and food sensory

Following from my last post, I am going to mention other foods that I don't like because I feel that they taste raw to me. Thinking about potatoes made me recall these.

Avocado – I know that some people do like these, but I don't. The only time I tried one, years ago, I didn't like it because to me it tasted too raw to me. I know it is a raw food but I just don't like them.

Asparagus – Again I have tried this only once, when I was at a writers' dinner and I thought let's just try it to see what it's like. Nope. Didn't like it. Tasted of nothing to me. Maybe it has that raw feeling for me too.

Broccoli – I tried this once as well and didn't like it. Too bitty for me. I now believe that it had that raw taste to it too.

There are other raw foods that I can't eat such as apples and pears, but that is because they are high in FODMAPs which give me IBS. In other words, they are too much fibre for me. A lot of foods that they say are healthy and good for you, I can't eat because they are too much for me, namely dark green and leafy vegetables. I can eat Brussels but only a few at a time, otherwise they will give me stomach pains. I think this is a reaction against the warfarin I have. Brussels contain vitamin K, and too much of that can have an effect on the warfarin and change the INR levels (blood clotting levels). 

ASD and IBS

April is Autism Awareness month, and IBS and Stress Awareness month, and all three of these can be closely connected. People with autism often have gastro problems, which IBS is one of, and stress from autism can cause IBS, and this is why I am posting about all three now.

I have autism and IBS. My IBS started when I was an adult in the 90s. Most of the time it is caused by foods. Other times it is from nerves, anxiety and stress.

My tips if it is due to foods is to work out which ones cause the problem and eliminate them for a month, then add them back in to your diet one by one with a few days in between. That way you will get to know what the foods are to avoid. My foods are many. I'm intolerant to dairy, gluten. I can't eat raw apples, carrots, or dark green veg, except a few Brussels. I can't eat too much fibre either. I have since found out that many of these are high FODMAP foods. (Fermented, Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monos and Polyols (sweeteners ending in 'ol')).

If you know for certain that a particular food causes a problem eg stomach upset, then avoid it altogether. I avoid all dairy and gluten foods, esp butter which makes me v ill, except Marmite. I esp avoid wheat as I know that does give me IBS flare ups.

So that is what to do if food causes you gastro problems. What if it's anxiety and stress? Read my next post for that topic....

IBS and FODMAPs

I have read that some children with Asperger's/autism have digestive problems, and I am one of them. For years I have suffered with IBS on and off and most recently it has flared up. So, I have been trying a new food regime. I have also read about FODMAPs, and don't ask me what they all mean as I'm not sure. I know the F stands for Fermentable (things like apples, honey), and the P stands for Polyols which are foods, mainly sweeteners that end in 'ol' like sorbitol. I know that I can't eat apples and I sometimes can't eat lots of sweeteners, also dark green veg, which are meant to be good for you, not me.  I read others on the list are wheat (which I can't eat too much of in a day) and onions. So, I have cut out wheat and onions for the last couple of weeks to see what happens. My IBS has been up and down since, but not as bad as it was when I ate onions. I have cut out chives, which I usually have nearly every day. I am away this coming weekend and will prob be eating wheat then, so shall see what happens when I do, having not eaten it for a while now.

I shall blog the results next week when I come back.