What is the paleo diet?
The Internet describes the Paleo diet as a common remedy for IBS. But does it work? Will a Paleo diet help or hinder my IBS symptoms? You may be surprised with the answers. In this blog I will cut through the hype surrounding the Paleo diet and give you the low down on whether a Paleo diet will help you manage IBS symptoms.
The foundation of the Paleo diet is to eat meat, seafood, eggs, poultry, seafood and unlimited amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables. You eat fats including nuts, coconut oil, lard and tallow.
If we look at a sample menu for a Paleo diet, it might look like this.
Paleo daily menu plan:
Breakfast: Omega-3 or free ranging eggs scrambled in olive oil with chopped parsley. Fresh fruit salad, herbal tea
Snack: Sliced lean beef, fresh fruit and vegetable juice
Lunch: Caesar salad with chicken (olive oil, garlic and lemon dressing), Cacao, almond meal and coconut oil “bliss ball” treat, herbal tea
Snack: Apple slices, raw cashews
Dinner: Tomato and avocado slices; grilled marinated chicken breast; steamed broccoli, carrots, and artichoke; bowl of fresh blueberries, raisins and almonds.
The foods that have the strike-throughs are high in FODMAPs, and therefore could trigger IBS symptoms.
The poor IBS sufferer who followed this daily meal plan could end up suffering much worse symptoms that they had before!
So, why is it that some people who “go Paleo” report that their IBS symptoms reduce? The food groups that are cut out do contain some high FODMAP foods. If you cut out all grains then you would not be eating high FODMAP wheat, barley, rye. If you cut out dairy then you would be eliminating lactose containing milk and dairy foods.
If you were a big wheat and dairy eater, and then cut these foods out of your daily diet, it is possible that your symptoms would reduce, and you might think that “going Paleo” was the right choice. But don’t be fooled. There are lots of Paleo foods that are triggers for IBS, and lots of grains and dairy foods that are low FODMAP.
What do I do?
The dietary management of IBS is tricky. For full support and management of your IBS symptoms get in touch by booking an appointment online.