Picture the scene…
It's the first day of primary school and you're feeling overwhelmed, overstimulated and a little afraid. Too afraid to raise your hand and tell the pretty teacher in the 80's pussy-bow blouse that you need to "go." Eventually, spurred on by the imminent feeling of dread and the pains in your stomach you pluck up the courage to squeak, "Please Miss, may I?"
Stumbling out of the classroom, clenching your little cheeks as you go, you search the unfamiliar hallway in a blind panic. Finally, you see it. Bursting through the doorway and into the closest cubicle, frantically pulling at the buttons and straps of your new pinafore dress. Pants around ankle socks, you made it, you're safe.
Then 2 plops, one as your poop hits the porcelain and the other as your arse hits the water and you slide backwards, unceremoniously into the bowl of the big girl toilet. But the humiliation doesn't end there. In your rush to mount the throne, you forgot to lock the door. At home, bathroom doors stay unlocked, "just in case" and now luckily, or unluckily, there's no way now to jam it shut.
After an eternity of sweating and heaving to hoist yourself free you hear a little voice from the other side of the cubicle, "Erm are you ok? Miss sent me to find you because you've been gone for a long time". Intrigued by the splashing and grunting, the door opens and the girl with the pigtails steps in. Into the foul smell of your shit, into your private space, into your nightmare.
Welcome to the beginning of my IBS story. That was 1983 and the only way to go from there was up.
Fast forward to today
If we've met at all in the years since you'd be forgiven for not realising that the girl in the story was me. On the face of it, I've lived a fairly ordinary life with a few highs and lows along the way.
Other than a few more than average sick days I've attended college, travelled and worked various jobs from cruise ship photographer to hospital dinner lady to massage therapist. I ran two very different self-employed businesses, got married to the love of my life in Mexico, lost both my parents, became a full-time step mum and turned vegan, all whilst keeping my struggles with IBS to myself, for the most part.
Those in my closest circle will tell you that I often need to be gently coerced out of the house, I fart like a trooper when I eat ALL the bread and when I've gotta go, I've gotta go! So for me, multiple bathrooms are a must and wild camping is usually a hard no!
In 2015 after doing a bit of research and reading I stumbled upon the concept of Veganuary and decided to give it a try. Although since childhood I'd always been a big animal lover and fussy about eating meat, dairy and eggs it never really occurred to me to go vegetarian, never mind full-on vegan. After a few months of keeping my switch to a vegan diet to myself, I realised that after everything I'd learned, I didn't want to go back.
I finally felt that I was living in alignment with my core beliefs. I began cooking vegan meals for my family, talking about it with friends and colleagues and identifying with all the vegan memes. I'd never felt better spiritually but physically things were going downhill fast.
My health was slowly deteriorating
By 2017 my IBS symptoms were at their worst. It was increasingly affecting my work and social life and I began to turn to "Dr Google," in fear that I was really, really ill.
Eventually, I pulled up my big girl pants and went to see my doctor. Due to several red flag symptoms, he decided it was best that I have the appropriate tests to rule out any serious underlying medical conditions. I was referred to a gastroenterologist for further, more involved investigations. Numerous blood tests, stool samples, an MRI scan of my small bowel, a rheumatology referral for associated chronic back pain and widespread tendonitis, a colonoscopy and a few biopsies later and I was given the "all-clear".
To most people being told you don't have a terrible disease would be a reason to celebrate. However, when you've been dealing with health issues stretching back as long as you can remember being told there's nothing physically wrong with you can feel like a sucker punch right in your bloated gut. As grateful as I am every day not to deal with the horrors of cancer, Crohn's or coeliac disease there's a small part of me that felt like if only I could give it a name I could take away some of its power. So give it a name we did.
The result of all the prodding and poking was a diagnosis of IBS-D
On the advice of my gastroenterologist, I was referred to a dietitian to begin the low FODMAP diet. After waiting months for my appointment to come through the three tiny leaflets I was given on that day became my bible. But I soon realised that being vegan and low FODMAP was a bigger challenge than I thought.
When it became obvious that I would need to complete both the 8-week elimination phase and the reintroduction phase before an NHS follow-up appointment with my dietitian was available, I knew I needed more help.
I began researching and reading every low FODMAP scientific study, book, and blog I could get my hands on. Despite the fact that there was limited information specific to vegans out there I was becoming familiar with the basic ins and outs of the diet.
The final piece of the puzzle fell into place when a few months in I abandoned my leaflets and downloaded the Monash app. It was the first app I'd ever paid for and as I reluctantly hit the buy button I sent up a silent prayer to the universe, "Please make it be worth it."
Within the first few hours of losing myself in the app, I knew this was going to be a game-changer! Finally, all those fragmented bits of info, random recipe quantities, and confusing blog posts made sense. I could see list after list of foods and quantities that I hadn't realised I could eat.
Unusually for me (I'm a glass half full kinda girl,) I focused on all the things I could have rather than the things I would have to eliminate for the time being. Just like that my little foodie brain took over and ran with it. I started experimenting and reconnected to my love of vegan cooking again. I saw the limited quantities and ingredients as a challenge to get more creative with my recipes. My anxiety at wondering if I'd got every meal 'right' was rapidly diminishing and it all seemed so much more doable than it had before.
These days I eat a typical vegan diet
Since the beginning of 2018 when I started to get serious about the low FODMAP diet, I've completed my elimination and challenge phases and reintroduced every food I want to eat. Over the following years, I've gradually increased the amount and variety of high FODMAP foods and portion sizes that I can eat and enjoy without issue.
There have been no miracle cures to get me to this stage. My journey has consisted of a lot of self-exploration and significant diet and lifestyle changes. I've been in the privileged position of being able to make my health a priority and take steps towards reducing the impact and hold that my IBS has on my life. Things which have worked for me so far include:
- Accessing medical tests to rule out serious conditions and get a clinical diagnosis of IBS. This had a huge impact on my mental health and overall health anxiety
- Being referred to a dietitian and working through each phase of the low FODMAP diet. This gave me confidence in my ability to help reduce and control flare-ups which had previously seemed random.
- Reducing then slowly reintroducing and increasing my high FODMAP trigger foods. Slowly bringing back my favourite foods and realising that it was possible to enjoy them was a huge boost to my mindset and my culinary adventures.
- Limiting my non-FODMAP trigger foods which include caffeine, alcohol and spicy foods. I've been a coffee addict with a 10 cups a day habit since I was a pre-teen! I realise now this significantly contributed to my IBS symptoms. I now drink decaf, have reduced my alcohol intake considerably and keep my meals on the lightly spiced side.
- Recognising and changing eating habits and patterns that don't serve me such as skipping meals, not drinking enough water, ignoring hunger cues and substituting sugary coffee for food, eating too quickly, not chewing properly and eating late at night.
- Redesigning my work and lifestyle to address my stress and anxiety levels. I did this by leaving stressful employment, closing the self-employed wedding photography business I ran with my husband alongside working full time, moving to a quiet village and paying off our mortgage to allow for a slow, simple lifestyle that prioritises lifestyle over income. I know this one is a huge privilege, not open to many but it's had such a hugely positive impact on my IBS that it didn't feel authentic not to include it.
- Working on my mental health to address the trauma and anxiety my health has caused me over the years. Using tools and techniques such as gut-directed hypnotherapy, CBT, yoga, relaxation and deep breathing exercises.
I have more good days than bad and when the bad days do inevitably come I can recover from them more quickly and easily than ever before.
The Irritable Vegan is born
Sharing my recipes and experiences on this blog and my YouTube channel are the best ways I know how to help people just like you and me. I'm not a dietitian, so I can't tell you what or how to eat. I'm not a doctor so I won't tell you what's wrong or how to fix it. I'm just a girl, standing in front of a stove, offering to cook with you.
This is my way of reaching out to people struggling to eat plants and poop right. People that are living in a state of pain, embarrassment and anxiety every single day. People who doubt if it's possible to show love for the animals and themselves at the same time. People that want to thrive rather than simply survive. If this is you then you are my people and together we can try and get this done, one delicious meal at a time.
Welcome to the family, you're home.
I'd love it if you would share your IBS story with us in the comments below.
Daisy Rimbaut says
Michelle's story is such a relief....I am struggling so long now to do the low fodmap diet and being a vergetarian. I hope she has a blog to share her knowledge.
Thank you Michelle
Michelle @ The Irritable Vegan says
Thanks so much for being here Daisy, I really hope you find the blog helpful and that you're getting the professional help that you need. Let me know if there's anything in particular you'd find useful to see here.
Karen says
Hi Michelle I never had the issues you had so young but as an adult looking back there were flags. I became a vegan going on 4 years now and within the last year exhibiting signs of ibs . Sore stomach, nausea not interested in eating. I work in the health food industry over twenty years. I found a probiotic that works great but stress or overtired can be a trigger for me. I would appreciate any advice to begin that you have. Thanks for your story.
Michelle @ The Irritable Vegan says
Hi Karen, sorry to hear you're not doing too well. I also found that my IBS symptoms increased when I switched to a vegan diet. Even in people without gut issues, this can be a typical reaction to the increase of beans, legumes and fibrous veggies in the diet. The first step should always be to get a medical diagnosis to be sure that you are dealing with IBS. In the meantime, please take a look through the resources here https://www.theirritablevegan.com/start-here/ and here https://www.theirritablevegan.com/low-fodmap-faqs/#vegan-and-low-fodmap-faqs. I'll be happy to help with any specific questions you might have that haven't already been answered. Take care, Michelle
Susie says
I'm excited to find your site. I've just finished the elimination and reintroduction phases of the low fodmap diet, which I've somehow managed to stretch out over nearly a year. I'm not a vegan, but I found even before my IBS-D diagnosis that I couldn't tolerate dairy. I haven't eaten much red meat for decades, but now, as the result of a tick bite, I have the alpha-gal allergy to mammalian meat. Because of no dairy and no mammalian meat, many low-fodmap recipes don't work for me. And the vegan butter I had been using for several years is cashew-based and so probably creating it's own problems. I'm looking forward to exploring your site!
Michelle @ The Irritable Vegan says
Hi, I'm so happy that you found your way here! Just wanted to let you know that there are many more recipes on my YouTube channel that I haven't got around to writing up here on the blog. I've never heard of the alpha-gal allergy before, that sounds really awful to deal with. Did you have IBS before this or is this also an effect of the allergy?
Selena Lethbridge-Carr says
Hi, loved your 'heart on your sleeve' style article about your journey I have made a similar one myself after reading 'Auto immune fix' by Doctor O'Bryan. I have basic nutritional training as I was a Personal Fitness trainer for 25 years in my 'former life' I'm now 'reinvented' as a gardener after a knee replacement op and failing health made me step back. I should have put two and tow together back then, but sometimes you really don't see the tree for the woods. I was diagnosed with IBS along with HyperThyroid, unexplained weight gain and terribly low energy, later on reflux problems. For me, after trying Fodmaps and nightshade free food plans, it didn't work. Only recently did I revisit some of my notes and later, after reading Dr O'Bryan's book did I have a lightbulb moment. I haven't looked back since. The unexplained anti bodies in my bloods over 30 years ago were never recognised, now I suspect they were wheat peptide markers. so now I'm not only gluten free but on a completely wheat free food plan. Wow...what a difference, my energy returned, weight dropped (it was mostly water retention) able to come off most of my meds - Opremazole/Quinine/T3 - and take a much smaller dose of Thyroxine. BUT most marked of all was the absence of constant joint pain which was really getting me down and meant I was living on pain killers. the stiffness and pain has completely gone even though I know I need another knee replacement. So, to anyone with IBS, yes Fodmaps may work for you, but if symptoms persist I would suggest reading Dr O'Bryan's thoroughly researched book and trying his protocols for yourself, it could literally mean the difference between life and a very slow death. GP'S are all to ready to fill the big Pharma coffers and hand out more meds, but, in the end you would be better to take responsibility for your own health. Have a healthy one people, and take of you!
Michelle @ The Irritable Vegan says
Thanks for sharing your story. I'm so glad that you found something that works for you.
Daisy says
Thank you so much for this blogpost. IBS and cooking is hell. But IBS and cooking vegetarian....no words for...I go crazy. Thanks for your support and maybe it will help me to have a 'real' meal in such a long time..
Michelle @ The Irritable Vegan says
The struggle is real. I hope you can finally find some relief and begin to reintroduce more foods and enjoyable meals. Are there any particular recipes you'd like help with?
Natalie says
Hi Michelle,
I had IBS too. I actually went the opposite way while sick. I was mostly a carnivore because almost all veggies except spinach and celery caused problems (and I love veggies! especially broccoli and cabbage which unfortunately caused the worst problems). I see you must have had a fructose or fructan intolerance for you to offer garlic-free and onion-free recipes. 🙂 Those would have been helpful when I was sick (I'm now tolerant to them - after several years).
Anyway, I really wanted to ask you about cake.
How do you celebrate your birthday?
I didn't have cake for the 7 years of my IBS because it seemed impossible to find something that fit all my needs. I'm not vegan, but I found that being low carb, gluten-free and dairy-free helped to keep me off the toilet.
So, I'm trying to come up with a vegan recipe that is also all these things- healthy, low-carb, low-sugar, low-fodmap, non-gut irritating or trigger foods for IBS people, and now-- vegan, for those who choose to be.
While I was able to develop all the requirements mentioned above with a cake, I'm not able to take the eggs out. Flax causes gas in some people because it feeds bacteria, too much tapioca and potato starch is no longer low carb, and can feed bad bacteria if too starchy (it also doesn't work well as an egg substitute for me). Psyllium husk causes gas in many people not just IBS people. Applesauce is a trigger food for many IBSers due to high fructose. Banana can be a trigger food as well as its high fructan. So there goes Dr. Google's list of vegan egg substitutes.
Out of all these, which would you prefer? which would work for you? Would the potato starch, tapioca starch substitute work for you? If you help me out, I'll send you a free sample (assuming it ships well frozen)! I'm hoping I can create a commercial option for us IBSers to be able to celebrate our birthdays more easily...
Michelle @ The Irritable Vegan says
Hi, sorry for the delayed response, I've been away on holiday and today is my first day back. It sounds as though, with all your testing and recipe development, that you're much closer to answering your own question than I would be able to. I don't crave, eat or bake cakes, or any desserts really for that matter, hence the fact that I don't feature them heavily in my recipes. I'm actually pretty nervous about baking, it's too mathematical for my brain to handle! As you've mentioned I've discovered that the more you try to take away, dairy, eggs, gluten, high FODMAP, high carb, sugar etc the harder and more unstable baking becomes, yet another reason why I don't really explore it. The only recipe developer that comes to mind for inspiration and getting you closer to your goal would be http://www.minimalistbaker.com but again probably won't tick all the boxes for you. Thinking long term, purely as a recipe developer looking to develop a product, the one ingredient I'd be inclined to compromise on would be the low FODMAP restriction. I say this because the low FODMAP diet should only be strictly followed in the short term, so most people will be looking ahead for recipes they can enjoy as they progress and reintroduce foods back in. Low FODMAP is also of the least importance to the general public. I think ticking a lot of the free-from boxes would still make the cake appealing and suitable for a wider audience. Sorry I couldn't be more help. Good luck in your efforts!
Halina says
Hey Michelle,
Just following up on my question on cake. I didn't see any cake recipes in your recipes section, so that is why I thought I'd ask the question on what kind of cakes you eat on your birthday/celebration event or which ingredients would you find acceptable for egg substitution. Right now, I can make Bob's red mill egg replacer work as a low carb solution (I'd add only a little to a very low carb cake ingredient recipe) . But that egg replacer has psyillium husk. Psyllium husk used to give me gas all the time. So I stay away from it.. Idk, what's your take?
Michelle @ The Irritable Vegan says
Hi, I've tried to answer as best I can on your first post but just wanted to say I'd love to hear what solutions you eventually come up with and how it works out for you. I don't actually remember the last time I had a birthday cake! I'm much more inclined to treat myself with a bar of chocolate. I know a lot of people with gut issues avoid psyllium but there's a lot of conflicting info out there to suggest that it can also be beneficial. This blog post by Monash about fibre supplements and IBS suggests psyllium may be well tolerated by many people with IBS and that studies show it to beneficial for IBS-C. But I know many people avoid it. I hope the rest of your recipe development goes well and that you find a workaround that you're happy with.
Zuza says
I am so pleased I found your blog as I would love to include more plant-based recipes in my diet. Being intolerant to chickpeas and many beans I always find it so hard! I am watching documentary on Netflix stating that vegan diet (to my surprise!) is the best for physical performance and that even athletes can benefit from making the switch.
Regarding ibs, I have had mine for years!! About 20 years of bad, debilitating ibs with alternating C and D... even as a young child I had those problems, I just didn't think about them then, plus I think that the nervings in my gut weren't as sensitive then as they are now. It really lowered my quality of life so much! I wanted to share my experience with you as I feel better these days, but it took me all those years to get to improving my condition and it really didn't have to! I also had extensive tests, biopsies, what not... it all led to yet another antibiotic being prescribed... I refused to take it... I came across an article online saying that ibs in the majority of cases is linked to Sibo. (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) This was something that I thought was the case with me as I always seemed to have weaker digestion and everything seemed to sit heavy in my stomach. I took a lot of antibiotics as a child, which I think wiped out my intestinal flora completely and made my whole digestive tract a ground for bad bacteria. If your food doesn't get digested properly in the upper digestive system, it goes down lower and the baddies in your lower digestive tract can party on it causing diarrhoea, constipation, cramps, etc. We need sufficient stomach acid and enzymes to digest food properly. So my first thing to do was to start taking digestive enzymes and betaine hcl at least twice per day before every meal that had some protein (always found those hard to process) , I also added a very strong probiotic ( 75-100 bln bacteria) on empty stomach every morning. This reduced my gas and cramps dramatically after several weeks. As I was suffering a lot from constipation, I needed something to help me go on a regular basis. I chose magnesium supplement , particularly magnesium oxide as it really draws water to intestine, but is gentle not to cause cramping . All these things have helped SOOO much. The most relief from my ibs I had in all those years!! Plus one another surprising thing ... raw garlic... I thought that I was intolerant to garlic, but I have read that raw garlic is natural and very potent antibiotic, great for intestinal issues. I ate 3 cloves of garlic on empty stomach for several days ( until my husband really started to complain :D) and I was shocked how much better I felt. I wanted to share this as I started being dubious about FODMAP diet, it never had any permanent effect on my condition. Finding this supplementation (which is right for my case) helped with the condition so much, but my GP or gastroenterologist would never be able to come up with this . I am feeling at my most comfortable and 'normal' I have felt in years and avoid only my worst trigger foods which for me is corn, chickpea ( I think that both are actually low FODMAP) and some vegetables when uncooked (like raw broccoli) and some type of beans. I don't eat a lot of gluten and dairy, but still eat some as I enjoy them. I just wanted to share this and encourage anyone who suffers and feels hopeless about their condition ( like I did) to do your own research into your own symptoms as I believe there is a way to alleviate them 🙂
Michelle @ The Irritable Vegan says
Thanks so much for sharing your story. It's great to hear that you've been able to find a variety of approaches that work for you. I agree wholeheartedly that there is not a one size fits all approach to IBS and that we must be willing to be our own scientist, do our research and find what works for us. Like you I have found that only by trying and implementing a variety of diet, lifestyle and mindset changes have I managed to achieve a balance that I'm happy with and that serves me well most days. I'm certain your story will give hope, comfort and motivation to many, thanks again for sharing.
Christine Feldpausch says
I think I am so glad I found you! I am in the thick of it after a life long battle, somewhat similiar to yours. Thank you for providing all this!
Michelle @ The Irritable Vegan says
Welcome! So pleased you found your way here.
Ylva Leite says
Thanks 🙏🏻 this sounds very similar to my life ☺️
Michelle @ The Irritable Vegan says
Sorry this is your reality too but it's nice to hear that we're not alone. Big hugs xxx