Easy, delicious recipe to beat IBS bloat & discomfort

Irritable bowel Syndrome can be really frustrating, from feeling gassy, bloated, cramping to struggling with constipation, diarrhea or both. It is a syndrome with no defined solution, leaving it up to the person to figure out what triggers their digestive tract to act that way. Some IBS symptoms are minor & a person can adjust to it but some can be severe and interfere with the person's quality of life. There are multiple ways to manage IBS & in this post I want to talk about FODMAP diet. 

FODMAP stands for Fermentable-OLIGO-DI- MONO saccharide-& polyols, which is basically a fancy term for short chain carbohydrates and sugar alcohols that are poorly absorbed by the body. These short chain carbohydrates can feed the bacteria in the intestines causing fermentation and gas release. Symptoms that can occur 

• Gas

• Pain

• Bloating

• Abdominal Distention

• Abdominal pain

• Diarrhea  

Some individuals might experience relief of their symptoms by following a LOW FODMAP way of eating.  Here is the list of foods that are low FODMAP that you can enjoy and high FODMAP that you should avoid https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wGCzREitS4V7KMNYR4_3TkMsdNMgzwxKQIkpj6Ru7JM/edit?usp=sharing.  You can follow this for 4-8 weeks, then reintroduce a food item from high FODMAP list one at a time to see how the body reacts.  Low FODMAP diet is not be all end all solution, there is mounting evidence that IBS sufferers have SIBO. SIBO stands for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, basically saying that there is more bacteria in the small intestines than should be. I will address SIBO is a separate post in the near future. The point is, if you have SIBO and you are following low FODMAP way of eating, then you are doing a good job not feeding that bacteria, but it also means you still have bacterial overgrowth, so the problem remains. There are anti bacterial herbal extracts that can be used for an extended time to help remedy the problem, sometimes specific types of antibiotics might be administered.Now moving on the to fun part 🙂 

This " slow cooker spaghetti squash with meatballs " recipe is delicious and is LOW FODMAP compliant.  If you would like more recipe ideas or meal planning for IBS management, message me by commenting or by visiting my website.
 Servings:4

Ingredients:1 lb Extra Lean Ground Turkey
1/4 cup Brown Rice Flour
1 Egg (whisked)
2 tbsps Extra Virgin Olive Oil (divided)
1 tbsp Oregano (divided)
3 cups Crushed Tomatoes
1 tsp Sea Salt (divided)
1 tsp Black Pepper (divided)
1 Spaghetti Squash (medium)

• Directions: 

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the extra lean ground turkey, brown rice flour, egg, half of the olive oil and half of the oregano. Mix well. Use your clean hands to roll the turkey mixture into small meatballs, about the size of golf balls. Set on a plate.In the bottom of your slow cooker, add the remaining olive oil and oregano. Add in the crushed tomatoes, sea salt and black pepper. Mix well and then submerge your turkey meatballs into the sauce.

1. Very carefully cut your spaghetti squash in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. Place it flesh-side up in the tomato sauce. No need to submerge it in the sauce. (Note: If the spaghetti squash is too big to fit into the slow cooker, cut it into quarters.) Set your slow cooker on low for 6 hours or on high for 4 hours.

1. Before you are ready to eat, use tongs to lift the spaghetti squash out of the slow cooker. Use a fork to scrape out the flesh into a sieve/strainer (or onto a layer of paper towel) and let the excess fluid drain off.

1. Divide the spaghetti squash between plates and top with meatballs and tomato sauce. Enjoy!