Hello world!

I gave up meat when I was 10 because I felt strongly about animal welfare. However, I was a fussy child and not very adventurous when it came to food. Age 12, I was told I wasn’t consuming sufficient protein so I tucked into a mixed jar of nuts and ended up in hospital due to anaphylaxis. I was then advised to avoid all nuts due to this serious allergy. I went from vegetarian to pescatarian.

I’ve had a sensitive tummy for as long as I can remember and was diagnosed with IBS when I was about 20. My doctor told me it was just one of those things that some people have and have to live with. I was given both laxatives and Imodium (!) and told to eat lots of fibre and ‘relax’ as stress triggered IBS symptoms. I’ve always been mindful about food and continued to eat a healthy balanced diet.

When I first went vegan, I was embarrassed that I felt terrible. I had always prided myself on being healthy and knowledgeable about food yet I was piling on weight and feeling unwell.

I was frustrated because, in spite of my reason for becoming vegan (animal welfare), I felt better (and was slimmer) when I ate eggs and fish.

Vegan friends leaped at the chance to offer their opinions: I should eat more fibre, go raw, juice, detox, fast, quit carbs, eat more protein. The advice was endless. I tried a lot of it too.

Nothing worked. The healthier I ate the worse I felt. I was uncomfortable, bloated, cramping and tired.

I went to my doctor who sent me to a gastroenterologist who ran dozens of tests and supplied me with dozens of pills.

After becoming ill and having monthly bouts of vomiting lasting anywhere between 24-48 hours I grudgingly reverted back and become a dairy free pescatarian. I was not happy about this decision but I was desperate and I did start to get better.

I decided to research like crazy; luckily this is something I’ve always enjoyed. However, in my early days, a lot of the research was suggesting similar things to what my friends had said.

I decided, after 19 years of abstinence, that I had to get retested for my nut allergy as I was determined to be vegan once more. To my huge relief I was cleared to eat all nuts bar brazil nuts (my kryptonite).

I instantly became vegan again and decided this time I would find a way to make it work.

Eventually, after exhausting all other options, my gastroenterologist confirmed my IBS diagnosis and agreed to send me to a dietician. I told her I’d researched the Low-FODMAP diet and wanted to try it. She was dubious. As a vegan she thought it was too much. She gave me all the FODMAP literature and told me it was really important, crucial even, that I continue eating beans because I would never get enough protein otherwise.

During the first week, I didn’t feel great. Then, around day 10, I woke up with a flat tummy!!! I didn’t look 3 months pregnant and I didn’t feel bloated and uncomfortable. Eureka!

It was a little nerve racking entering the reintroduction phase but I was keen to expand my diet and missed sweet potatoes more than I ever thought possible! It is important to reintroduce higher FODMAP foods as it helps to have a varied diet, and really helps when eating out. However this should be done with advice from a registered dietician. There are high FODMAP foods that may be fine for you but not everyone.

Suffering from IBS is hardly something one wants to shout from the rooftops! However, it’s surprising how many people have IBS and how little understood it’s been until relatively recently. I keep hearing stories of people who’ve tried to go vegan and were so bloated, uncomfortable and tired that they couldn’t stick with it. The low-FODMAP diet may not be the solution for everyone but in my experience it’s certainly worth a try.

It is possible to have a happy, healthy diet as a low-FODMAP vegan.

So here we are…

I want to share with you my recipes and hope that whatever your reason for visiting my blog, you enjoy them and feel great about yourself!