Hello! As I write this we have finally recovered from the heatwave which, as usual, has wreaked havoc on my gut. I have stopped my Humira (doctor’s orders not mine!) and am trying to see how I do just on Aza and trying to be healthy but I’ve had a tricky few weeks. I am not sure if I’m flaring or I am just dealing with IBS symptoms brought on by the heat but I gave myself a deadline of today to try a week or two of healthier habits and see how I feel before ringing the IBD team-thankfully, it has worked (for now!) I feel lots better and my tummy has settled so I thought I’d blog about what I’ve tried in case it’s useful for anyone going through something similar!
As always, I’m not a doctor: these are just things I try when feeling unwell but they of course do not replace medical advice or medication.
1. Bone broth
Bone broth is the most helpful thing I’ve tried for my gut health. I know it’s not for everyone but it really seems to help me. The theory behind it is that bone broth is rich in collagen which helps the gut lining repair itself. It may also be because it is a soothing, liquid nutrition drink and that I often use it as a base for soups. If you’re new here, I’d love you to try my gut rest and repair soup which I basically live off at the moment and have most days for lunch. I do a simplified version of this now to save time so usually just get some root veggies (sweet potato, carrot and potato), bone broth, and a bit of almond milk and make soup from that.
I’ve had a lot of questions about which bone broth I use-I have tried quite a few over the years: I now use this one but mainly because it’s available on Amazon prime so it is ideal for gut emergencies. I’ve also tried this one which comes with added turmeric which I loved. I personally find beef bone broth too rich so I use chicken broth.
2. Eating low residue
The low residue isn’t without its problems but it is my go-to when I’m not feeling well. It’s important to note that low residue doesn’t have to mean any vegetables and fruits at all: I still have my soup (cooked sweet potato is fine) and fruit such as banana. A low residue diet is low fat and low fibre so I tend to centre my dinner around things like rice, boiled potato, stuffed dairy-free cheese potatoes or gnocchi, and then lean protein like chicken and beef. Here are a few low-residue recipes you may like!
Low residue bombay potato
Low residue baked oats
Low residue fish pie
3. Trying to stick to 15 minutes of yoga each day
This is a personal challenge I’m trying to stick to! A massive trigger for my IBD is stress and my health anxiety has really crept up again over the last few months so I wanted to take one small action that I could stick to I am trying to do yoga either every morning or every evening. At the moment I am following Yoga with Kassandra’s videos as they’re nice and simple and short!
4. Not having any fizzy and aspartame-containing drinks
Since having Jude, I’ve had a real weakness for fizzy pop and squash-especially in this heat. But drinks containing aspartame just do not agree with me (there’s some evidence this can irritate IBD) and cause diarrhea. I am trying to stick to water but I do use cold brew herbal teas and then the brand Bottlegreen squash which is pricey but doesn’t contain any artificial sweeteners.
5. No gluten and dairy
No surprise there, I’m gluten and dairy free. But if you’re new here, I did find gluten and dairy worsened my IBD. If you’re curious you might like my blog post on the relationship between dairy and IBD or gluten and IBD.
6. Avoiding over-eating
One really negative habit I have is over-eating in the evening. I actually had a gallbladder scan because I was getting nighttime pain and diarrhea and was convinced it was gallbladder issues but no it was just overeating before bed. This is a really tough one to crack as it’s my only free time with Jude off for the summer but I KNOW it makes my symptoms worse.
7. Drinking ginger and mint tea
I’ve stocked up again on herbal teas and try to drink these first thing and after my evening meal-I’m finding ginger and mint the most helpful at the moment. I also sometimes make my homemade ginger and turmeric tea out of pure ginger root and turmeric but there are lots of ginger and turmeric teas on the market now too! Fennel is also really helpful for bloating.
8. Researching the Mediterranean diet
When I recently visited Greece (more here about our trip) I was the healthiest I’ve ever felt. This combined with the research that has shown the Mediterranean diet can potentially help with Crohn’s has made me look more into the diet. There’s no doubt it has some impressive health benefits-but some elements of it (e.g. lots of veggies) are too tough for me. However, I am trying to incorporate elements into it, namely lots of fresh fish, bits of fets cheese (I can tolerate sheep and goat’s milk) and naturally free-from meals rather than processed foods.
9. Eating a smaller breakfast
One thing I noticed on holiday, was that I naturally ate a lighter breakfast and a bigger lunch-as I often have most of my bowel movements in the morning and am more stressed trying to get ready to work, I have also been trying lighter breakfasts first things (e.g. rice cakes and peanut butter, yoghurt and banana) and then something more substantial around 11.30am for an early lunch.
Hi, I suffer from IBS Constipation and I was wondering if a low residue diet would help for ibs flare too or is it only helpful for diarrhoea?
It’s usually recommended for IBS-D as most of the time fibre can irritate the bowel -not always the case for constipation.
However sometimes the type of fibre is important for constipation so you might find soluble fibre, such as sweet potato, carrot etc can help with constipation.
Hi there! First of all, thank you for everything you share, it’s incredibly helpful!
Secondly, would you take sauerkraut during a flare up? My daughter is in flare; she’s doing fine with it, remaining at school etc. We normally have sauerkraut, I’m just debating whether I should not give her it just now. I’m following a low residue, simple diet just now. We’re always gluten and dairy free anyway. Many thanks! X
Ah thanks so much. I wouldn’t personally take during a flare up or if I did I would maybe lower the quantity or even have the juice rather than the fibre of the sauerkraut.
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It’s encouraging to hear how a few dietary adjustments can make such a difference in managing gut health challenges. Bone broth and a low-residue diet seem to offer a gentle way to nourish the body without triggering symptoms, especially during stressful times like a heatwave. Thanks for sharing these practical ideas—it’s great to know there are options that can provide relief when dealing with IBS or IBD flare-ups!