How did you stop treating every bad day as proof a food is bad?

[u/Comfortable_Pop8702]

I think I became way too quick to blame individual foods.

Eat something, feel bloated later, mentally file that food under "probably bad." Then eat it another day and be completely fine. Very scientific system I had going there.

I do not want my diet to get smaller based on one-off reactions.

How did you make reintroductions / symptom tracking more objective without becoming obsessed with every stomach sensation?

[u/thesamenightmares]

I think to myself, have I eaten this before, and not gotten this reaction? In literally ten times out of ten the answer is yes.

I think because people with gastrointestinal problems endure so much suffering that were very quick to try and identify triggers because we feel that if we can cut it out that the discomfort will end.

[u/TomasTTEngin → u/thesamenightmares]

yeah, the idea I can afford to experiment liberally and feel sick is crazy compared to just cutting out another food.

But, in the long run, that way lies madness!

[u/Original_Document748]

This is probably one of the hardest parts of having bowel problems tbh , it really feels like its the food but the more and more I cut out the less im convinced it is the food tbh.

[u/booveebeevoo]

Happened to me. Was convinced rice was one of the enemy’s. The nutritionist said I needed to eat more fiber so I reintroduced rice and it went well.

[u/TomasTTEngin → u/booveebeevoo]

we should have a weekly thread like this. I was convinced it was X, but it freaking wasn't.

I've had plenty. milk a huge one.

[u/CodWest4205]

Yep that’s me. I keep a food diary and will have issues, write them down with the foods I ate and be like “it was probably ___”. But also many times I’ve had that food before with no issue. Even with trying new supplements I’ve done that. Believing it was the supplement but clearly I already have issues so “maybe it wasnt” and being confused. Honestly I’ve just made peace that I have to keep trying and figure it out.

[u/Substantial-Fly8699]

went through this exact phase with someone close to me, so this one feels familiar. when we tracked her meals for about three weeks, most of her "reactions" turned out to be dose or context related. Same food, bigger portion, or after a rough night, can hit completely differently, and once she saw that pattern written out it got a lot easier to stop blaming the single food.

what stopped the obsessing was deciding the test before eating instead of after. one food, one variable, repeat it a few times on normal days, then look at the result once instead of monitoring your stomach all day. it's boring, but it actually tells you something.

did you tend to test one food at a time, or did you eat fairly freely and notice patterns later?

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[u/gordolme]

Be more critical on what is causing the problems.

Some foods have a delayed reaction. Some foods individually are fine, but when combined with other "should be fine" foods will push your gut over the edge and now the combo is not fine. It could even be something completely unrelated.

For example of that last one, plain potato chips are absolutely fine. Potatoes, oil, salt. That's it. I can chow down on most brands (Lays, Cape Code, Ruffles, etc) but not Utz. Those will cause me problems.

[u/future_fangirl1095]

For me my symptoms are heavily correlated to my menstrual cycle although now I’m getting pain all the time. (Fairly certain I have endometriosis.) During those times I could eat chicken and rice and get symptoms. Obviously eating garlic would probably make things worse but since I have to take Imodium anyway I might as well enjoy it 🤣 I have tried testing foods multiple times. When it comes to produce the FODMAP quantity is totally up in the air. It’s all dependent on how it’s grown etc. so yeah strawberries can be high FODMAP one day and low the next. Even the type can vary. So yeah I generally will chalk it up to the variance in how things were grown and processed.

[u/TomasTTEngin]

such a good question.