Q. I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). I have tried several pharmaceutical medications including anti-anxiety which made me feel like a zombie, but nothing relieved my discomfort and ongoing symptoms. I have been fortunate to cross the path of a naturopath nutritionist who has finally brought symptom relief to my life. I wanted to share some information with others who may be suffering from IBS and other GI symptoms.
A. Americans have been brainwashed for years to count calories in an effort to lose weight. We have been consumed to look at food labels for calorie content. Then we focused on the amount of fat. We shifted our focus to carb counting. No wonder we have been confused about how to eat.
How much thought did we give to the ingredients? If a product is labeled ice cream but you can eat an entire pint for only 350 calories, is that really ice cream? What makes that “ice cream” only 350 calories?
So I apologize in advance to all you HALO TOP lovers. Halo top and fracking fluid. What do they have in common? Guar gum.
Guar gum is a thickening agent (what makes halo top “ice cream” appear like ice cream). It’s used in fracking fluid to help break up the rock, it’s used by advocates to convince those against fracking, since it’s found in so many common grocery store items. In small doses it has little effect, in large doses it can lead to harmful digestive issues. If you have IBS (like I do)or leaky gut, even in small doses guar gum can cause immediate issues. I knew something was wrong when I got very sick when I ate it.
I get it, 350 calorie ice cream sounds like a dream. But that’s just what it is. Eat real food. Eat real ingredients, even fats are okay in small doses. Don’t take my work for it though, do your research. Read labels. There might not be artificial ingredients but that doesn’t mean there aren’t harmful ones.
Take charge of your health. Fast food is fast for a reason. What is in that food? Do the words “Canola Oil” sound healthy? Yes they do until you start reading. Canola oil is processed to death. Almost all canola crops in North America are GMO. Canola oil consumption has been linked to vitamin E deficiency and a shortened life span in animal studies.
I could write volumes about what we are doing to our bodies by the food we ingest. The one big reality for me was the inefficiency of the pharmaceutical drugs. As long as I continued ingesting toxins and poisons I was going to be sick.
Educate yourself. Please.
Vicki L Mayfield, M.Ed., R.N., LMFT Marriage and Family Therapy Oklahoma City
If you would like to send a question to Vicki, email us at [email protected]
