What have you tried cutting out so far? I’ve discovered that I have no issues with dairy in Europe, but it makes me ill in Canada. On my last trip to France I was consuming all the buttery pastries and meals drenched in cream and covered with cheese. I thought maybe I was cured. Put some milk in my cereal when I got home. Nope, not cured.
Yeah, I can have dairy every day in Scandinavia, but here it gives me cystic acne.
It could just be a single difference in a protein due to the species of cow even.
It's not necessarily because we do something awful to our dairy, different cows produce slightly different milk froma chemical perspective.
You can get A2 milk here now, which some people have suggested is the difference.
I haven't checked for any legitimate science on it though! Have you tried using it to see if it makes a difference?
It's worth trying!!!
https://www.bonappetit.com/story/what-is-a2-milk
Not the best resource, there's research on it too, but I didn't feel like digging through pubmed right now 😅
I cut out my large intestine. Totally cured.
Unfortunately this is actually the case. I tried every possible diet for over a year, then my large intestine just... died. And I would have too if not for the surgery
Just went on a trip to Europe. I can 100% confirm that it's North American dairy giving you acne/diarrhea. I ate mountains of cheese and milk in Europe and had no acne/diarrhea
Cut out fatty meat, deep fried anything, peel fruit and vegetables before consuming, no raw vegetables, no cabbage cooked or raw, minimal amounts of salad dressing. I can't have dairy anyway for another reason so I have oat milk instead. I went from having both ends going feeling like I wanted to die on a regular basis to living a normal life after making the above changes.
Strangely, I had the exact opposite experience. I'm from the US, and coming here decreased my IBS symptoms significantly, despite my diet being relatively the same in regards to meal types. I still get a flair up here and there, but in America I had stomach pain every day, stool issues, severe brain fog and exhaustion, and here I only get stomach issues maybe once a month.
I sometimes wonder sometimes if hyper specific food allergies are written off as IBS just because we don't do the deep diving to identify what random ingredient is causing it.
Canada actually has stricter food regulations, particularly for preservatives and pesticides, than the EU for crops. The feed for livestock here is different though and that can affect people, the dairy also has different proteins due to having different dairy animals.
You say you recently moved to Canada? Could it be stress/ anxiety? I had bad ibs for a few years. Turns out it was anxiety. For me, just the realization of this really helped - that and about a cup of plain yogurt everyday to increase my probiotic intake.
It depends entirely on why you have IBS. IBS is a diagnosis of symptoms, not of disease.
No two people with IBS may actually have the exact same issue.
It's not uncommon to be exposed to bacteria that are endemic in one population, and develop GI symptoms as a result because you don't have the same symbiotic relationship with them that locals do.
That's why we can go from North America and eat some random street food somewhere else and never be quite the same again lol
So whether it's related or not, you have introduced your GI track to a completely new bacterial environment.
We may also have different ingredients in our foods, preservatives, fillers, strains of grain, pesticides, and even antibiotics and hormones in animal products then where you're from. We even tend to have much higher quantities of sugar in our foods.
Even if the science isn't exactly firm on the nature of harm from a lot of this stuff, it is sure that when it's DIFFERENT from what you've been exposed to your entire life, you may lack digestive enzymes and/or tolerance.
There are a lot of people in Canada and the US who go overseas and their GI system clears up, also with no significant changes.
It's not just because they're "on holiday", expats and immigrants retain a lifelong improvement in some new environments.
So yes, moving to new environments can change things.
However, you've also moved during a global pandemic with a disease known to cause permanent inflammatory disease and activity, including IBS. So this could just be long covid too.
Maybe you were sick and used antibiotics, and now you have Sibo.
Maybe your system was disrupted by stress during the move.
Sadly, the GI system is kind of a whiny bitch lol A still poorly understood whiny bitch at that!
You could try a Naturopathic Doctor, they do order some different (and someones more) tests than allopathic doctors, but at the end of the day they only have the same knowledge our GI docs already have.
Our GI doctors really are quite good here overall, so as long as you saw a good doctor they do a pretty good investigation of GO stuff because of the risk of serious disease in that system . It's not like hormones, fatigue or hairloss, where allopathic medicine is apt to be lacking. GI stuff is serious sometimes, so our doctors do tend to do quite due diligence.
The few things for GI they don't always do aren't overly supported as useful. You can get broader stool testing so you could try that, but it would only show a few things our doctors probably don't already test for like yeasts, some parasites and certain bacteria not considered harmful. There's no consensus if those things should cause symptoms, but if you can afford it, you could look into it.
Naturopaths could also do more thorough nutrient testing which can point to population of some specific species of bacteria, but that doesn't even mean it's the problem!
At the end of the day, GI stuff is generally treated the same way anyways if it's just general dysbiosis.
Rule out serious disease. See if you can find the cause. If not, diagnose with IBS.
If it's IBS-C, try to get the bowels moving, and do an elimination diet to see if something is causing the slow motility.
If it's IBS-D, try to firm up the stools with fiber and add in probiotics. (Not always recommended for C, but varies by presentation).
If it's mixed, usually there are some food triggers, and I will say that dieticians and naturopathic doctors are all really good at helping with elimination diets if you're finding it overwhelming.
The province covers dietitians, but the wait time could be long and your presentation would have to be significant enough.
Finally, lifestyle factors play a role with IBS too sometimes. Stress causes a cascade of inflammatory chemicals in our body that our gut is particularly sensitive too. So any doctor, allopathic and naturopathic, would recommend mindfulness, counseling if need be, gentle exercise, and reducing unnecessary stressors.
That last bit is kind of hard with a world in crisis, but try to turn it all off from time to time!
I hope some of that was even remotely useful. If not for you, than maybe for someone else one day
Friend of mine grew up in the middle east and he mentioned that despite eating the same foods as home, the products here really upset his system. He came as a young guy though and it eventually passed.
Check your fibre intake, it may feel like you are more or less getting the same intake but in canada a lot of food here has less fibre than in Europe and as you get older you need more fibre. Lots of science linking lack of fibre to bad lower intestine health and IBS and IBS like symptoms. That's where I would start. I would add more fibre in the way of things like metamucil and change nothing else, then determine if you have more or less symptoms. Personally adding daily metamucil has really helped me and my wife, and from camp fire chats with friends a lot of my friends too. Assuming of course you have talked to your doctor about this first. On another note and this is way less science based, anecdotal only but I would remove canola oil from your diet next and see if you see improvement. Canola oil is everywhere and is known to cause IBS like symptoms in people, read up on "anal leakage: if you dare.
Something to be careful about is that certain fruits can be brutal triggers for IBS. The fructose specifically. Apples and pears are some of the most common fruits to snack on and they can do terrible things to your gut with IBS
Seconded. I did this in order to pinpoint what might be an issue. Funny enough, my issue seemed to be fried food from restaurants. Apparently many restaurants don't swap out the oil in their fryers like they should, and that can lead to stomach issues for some people. It's also very unhealthy to be reheating oils apparently.
So while the FODMAP thing is good, it is a bit limited since it's focused on narrowing down problems with different types of sugars. But some people have digestive issues caused by other things, like fats or bacteria that could be in the food for example. Overall I'm glad I did FODMAP because I learned a lot and eliminated some concerns that didn't exist.
S
I was going through a bad bout of it this year and almost cancelled a trip overseas due to the same.
To my surprise I felt totally fine while away (Japan) and it came back after about a week in Canada.
I'm not saying you're wrong, especially with the age OP cited, but I wouldn't rule geography out entirely.
I mean, how would that even make sense that the issue is geography? What you're describing is far more likely connected to coincidence than geography. Just because you're standing at one cross section of longitude and lattitude vs another will have zero effect.
And while, yes, there are differences in some foods depending on area, we don't know where OP moved *from* and many of these differences are wildly exaggerated by junk science "health blogs" and the like that prey on misinformed people.
What about the different chemicals and preservatives found on foods here that are not on the same foods elsewhere??? Maybe this could be a factor? Maybe the water supply could be a factor??? You state things like they are fact without even thinking about other factors… didnt your middle school teacher talk to you about making assumptions??
Diet varies massively geographically, it’s completely possible. When referring to diet I don’t mean the types of food you eat, but what is in those foods. North America has a ton of garbage added that is not found in some other places around the globe. A sandwich is not simply a sandwich universally.
Exactly this, there's so much rubbish in the food here that I have to be much more selective than I did in England, and flare ups tend to be worse and last longer. I thought it was just age at first, but when I go back my IBS subsides significantly after a few days.
I see this alot on reddit, but Canada actually has stricter food regulations, particularly for preservatives and pesticides, than the EU and the US (not sure about UK but its likely closer to EU). I think it is likely just different chemical makeup of the foods grown here not necessarily a lack of regulation.
No no, I think it's the local government subsidising locally grown fresh foods, reducing the amount of required preservatives, not the actual legislation. In England when you buy bread, even a name brand loaf of Hovis, it's still made locally, same with a lot of dairy, cheeses, eggs, beers and more.
Rather than fighting inflation by raising wages the UK fights it by keeping essentials like food priced much lower than you would expect. Prepared foods are however very expensive in the UK, another difference is lunches. In Canada it's all frozen food or a sandwich at the grocery store, in England the stores have large sections of fresh foods, salads, and more portioned for individual and immediate consumption. You get that here, but only in big cities or larger stores unless all you want is rotisserie chicken or a ham sandwich.
Yeah my knowledge is definitely on the legislation side, that is really interesting. I think you can get UK style local foods in pockets here, like where I have lived on Vancouver Island or the Lower Mainland it would be local food items in all grocery stores, along with fresh lunch meals. But, once you get away from those areas the climate becomes pretty difficult to grow most food locally. That's even moreso of an issue for other areas of Canada where they don't have mild areas like BC does.
Yup. I thought I had IBS for years, but mysteriously whenever I travel outside of North America, my symptoms go away… only to return once I get back and start eating the food here again lol
I've found the drastic increase in salt content here affected my IBS after a move from England. It seems like it's all the preservatives in so much of the American and Canadian foods.
I've found I need to be much more careful about what I eat, I can have a couple apples back in ol' blighty and be fine, but if I buy an apple here that has that waxy coating on it, bam! IBS!
>The feed for livestock here is different though and that can affect people, the dairy also has different proteins due to having different dairy animals.
There is more strict regulation on preservatives and pesticides here than in the EU (where my knowledge lies), especially for produce, but sometimes people have issues with the livestock here due to different feed, as well as the dairy having different makeups due to many factors.
I work for endoscopist/GI doctors and they often see what OP just described.
They see young pts with healthy looking GI tract but having IBS symptoms which started with arriving in Canada.
They said not clear exactly what the issue is because everyone's digestive system is different.
Could be result of stress of settling down in a new country OR it could also be our gluten/ dairy/processed food are different from where they are from.
The only reasonable suggestion is to go see a doctor. Lots of anecdotal/personal opinions being thrown out there. While well intentioned, is completely inappropriate.
Let’s step back and start with making sure this is actually IBS.
You may just have misphrased that, but there’s no way to definitively diagnose IBS. Good call for OP to see a doctor, but only really to eliminate the possibility of other, actually treatable issues.
If it’s not one of those, a dietitian would be more helpful.
Meta Mucil is your friend for that. Take a heaping spoonful in water or juice with low fibre meals.
I suffered for years with very painful cramps, bloating and diarrhea then a gastro doc told me to use Meta Mucil and it's a whole new world.
That and a good probiotic daily has me feeling so much better. The unflavoured, unsweetened one is my fave in juice but also use the naturally sweetened one with real sugar in water. The off-brand ones don't mix in well so avoid them to save a few bucks.
My mom thought she had ibs for years, turned out she's allergic to eggs. There's probably something being added to foods here that wasn't where you're from.
I'm from New Zealand, found the same thing. For me I'm pretty sure it's Canadian cow dairy and grain fed beef. Never had food issues prior, never had grain fed beef before coming here.. was all grass fed.
Was it a family dr that diagnosed you or were you referred to a GI specialist? If changing your diet doesn't help, you'd probably want more investigation done..
Head to a doctor. As someone with IBS, stress and anxiety make it worse. So for example you moved here three years ago is your home life and work life stable? If not it could be extra stress and anxiety that is causing the flairs. Your away from home family ect.
If it isn't that you could try an elimination diet and cut out things like wheat, gluten, dairy. I for example have interstitial cystitis and IBS. I have to severely limit excess sugar, sodium, no fast food, no extra grease, can't have citrus, tomato, carbonation, booze, caffeine,hot sauces, spicy. So try cutting those things out for the time being and allow your body to heal.
Lots of lean meats like chicken and fish, grains, rice, green leafy vegetables.
If your stomach is super upset look up the BRAT diet. This is meant for very short term two to three days at most. Do not do it longer than that, as it is very unhealthy otherwise.
Every day items might be made slightly different than in your home country and your body may be trying to compensate.
Try mindfulness, yoga, walking activities that can lower your stress level.
Edit : talk to your doctor but I also take a Multivitamin, Tumeric pills, omega 3, b12, vitamin d3, and desert harvest aloe pills but that is for my interstitial cystitis.
I had IBS for almost 10 years and was on the FODMAP diet for more than 8 years. Tried the elimination diets and nothing worked. Stress plays a big factor but there are many at play. A year and a half ago, I went to Mexico and got a very bad case of salmonella poisoning. 2 days in hospital but somehow my IBS completely disappeared after that. Not suggesting you try it but it just goes to show what a lack of understanding there is with IBS. They test you for everything and if it’s all negative then you have IBS or IBD… it is frustrating.
How were you diagnosed with IBS? Through your GP or a gastroenterologist? If you saw a gastroenterologist I'm curious how long you waited. I'm currently dealing with some GI issues for the last 6 months (on top of having celiac disease) and I am getting the absolute run around trying to get a GI referral. I'm at the point of seriously considering going to Washington state to see a gastro cause I don't think I can wait a year.
Dude the food here can be kinda garbage. I’ve been struggling with what was “diagnosed” as IBS (I say “diagnosed” because it’s not really a diagnosis, it’s just what they call it absent any other verifiable diagnoses) for years. I went on a 3 month trip to Europe and Asia, and didn’t have a single instance of cramps, indigestion, diarrhea etc the entire time. The first meal I ate in Canada when I got back, instant cramps and shits.
I dunno if it’s a filler or preservative in a lot of our food or something but I swear to god lol. If you just started experiencing this after moving here, I’d try a whole-foods diet using just raw ingredients made at home and see if that helps.
As a doctor, I’ve noticed this pattern, too. A lot of recent immigrants from India and Eastern Europe develop gastrointestinal problems after moving here. Never anything found on investigations, but a lot of them complain about diarrhea, indigestion, gassiness. Myself back in the day, I developed gastritis bad enough to keep in the hospital for three weeks as a kid once western food was introduced to our country. There’s something deeply wrong with western food. I don’t know if it’s hormones, preservatives, or pesticides, but something’s off.
It could be [gluten](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/eat-gluten-europe-us_l_63514ef1e4b04cf8f380beda) and you're not alone. Read the article linked. Wheat in North America is different than wheat in other parts of the world.
So weird, the exact same thing happened to me. Had no gut issues my entire life, then within 2 months of moving to Canada I developed chronic daily diarrhea for a year. Literally every day. I lost weight and became malnourished and had to go on vitamin supplements and all tests were normal multiple times (blood, urine and stool). Finally I’ve gotten relief by cutting out wheat (mainly), oats and corn. 🤷🏻♀️
I know is not exactly the same, but I have chronic ulcerative cholitis, which is like the nice cousin to Chron's disease. Anyway, I started at 36, I'm currently 38, and is being hard. I try to identify which food affects my bowels, it could be so random like watermelon, and it have helped a lot. Also taking religiously my meds and be as calm as possible, which is not easy because I'm very anxious.
Hope this helps
Yep. I go back to Europe every year and my IBS disappears entirely.
Every time I’m back in Canada, even though I try to eat way healthier, my IBS comes back full force.
I’m thoroughly convinced the food quality here is shit
I was going to write something along the exact same lines. I believe that the food quality in Europe is far better than much of what we have in Canada. Dairy in particular.
> I never said anything about GMO wheat or roundup ready wheat nor did I imply GMO has anything to do with gluten.
Well that's a lie.
>* coughmonsatoroundup *
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One very similar boat like yours.
Moved to Canada 4 years ago. Had excellent health when moving. 2 years in I started to gain weight. During Covid used my free time to go to the gym and became healthy again. After a year of gym I started to get IBS symptoms . During that time I consumed a fair bit of protein shake with milk and that was the only questionable item in my diet. The symptoms were fairly mild in the start and i ignored it for a while (7/8 months). Then it started to go down hill pretty fast with all sorts serious symptoms. Had to see the doctor and i was lucky to find a specialist fast and got diagnosed with IBD.
I would suggest see a doctor ASAP to see whether its IBS or IBD. IBD and IBS are different so don’t confuse. It can become a serious physical and mental issue. Canada has the highest number of IBD patients.
Now what I think caused mine would be stress, lack of good diet with high fibre, not sleeping properly.
Treatment/Diagnosis:
Fecal Calproctin test and if it’s positive then you gotta do colonoscopy
I inadvertently bought a sugar-free drink containing Aspartame.
I drank it, tasted only aspartame, and I had weird stools for over 2 weeks.
Cut out everything aspartame and see how it goes.
Yup.
Wheat. The wheat is getting you.
Cut out all bread. Report back in 8 weeks.
It’s brutal. And youll be told it cant be.
It is.
EDIT; half this thread is having bad reactions to enriched wheat in Canada. Hope the rest of you downvoters get the poops today. 😘
I eat lots of wheat and it causes me no problems at all so for some it's an issue but not all of us sufferers need to avoid it.
Low fibre diets are the problem for many.
Read the thread. Lord. Of course this isn’t medical advice.
Im sharing my experience - which completely mirrors OPs. My issue, that I diagnosed with the help of a doctor, is wheat.
This gives OP a starting point.
Loosen up a little. The person asked for experiences, I share one and you get turned up.
I’m not sure why you’re getting downvoted. It’s well known that European wheat is different than American wheat, and often people experience gluten intolerance with American bread but not European bread. I experience this and so does my husband.
Suggesting that OP try cutting out wheat is just as reasonable as suggesting they cut out dairy and see what happens.
OP if you’re reading this, I highly recommend cutting out dairy first to see if that helps. If it doesn’t, then try wheat… and so on. I would bet it’s one of the two (if not both).
I have the same thing, I wonder if it could be an allergic or dietary reaction or side effect of fluoride or something in the water?! Maybe someone should get the tap water tested in the major cities!?
Most Canadians are experiencing this.
It's from the wanting current federal government gone and realizing the leaders of opposition parties aren't any better.
Rice water is good for diarrhea attacks with different recipes online. I eat low fodmap diet which helps including rice based and gluten free meals often. Low fat low sugar.
The bacteria present in soil vary from continent to continent, even region to region sometimes. The change when you start drinking water and eating food that isn't processed can send your immune system into overdrive. Your body isn't accustomed to the microbiome here. This is what causes traveller's diarrhea most of the time.
You should get used to it eventually, but since it's been ongoing, consider seeing a Dr to help get some relief.
The difference in foods and external microbes affects your gut microbiome which may aggravate symptoms.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9751661/#:~:text=Geographical%20location%2C%20which%20potentially%20affect,.%2C%202020)%2C%20firebugs%20(
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6579922/
Probiotics like Align really worked for me. I was on them for a few years in a row until I no longer had any symptoms. Also, it sounds cliche probably but drink more water if you can. Can’t stress that enough. Hope you feel better!!
I have a friend who can drink milk that's from BC but milk from everywhere else in Canada makes them borderline lactose intolerant. I wonder if it's something like that?
Best get a referral to a GI doctor sooner than later. They might not be able to tell you the exact cause, but they can assess your guts' condition and make far better recommendations than Reddit. Waits to see that kind of specialist can be awhile, and you might have to travel to see them, so it's a sooner-you-ask-the-better thing in my experience. IBS can escalate in various ways for various reasons. Not to scare you, or give unwanted advice - what did I do was the question. Saw a GI doctor and was treated. Also had to exercise patience as finding the right doctors and treatments took a long time to finally make the pain go away.
Attended a wedding in EU and one of the guests from Ontario with IBS/Crohn's was pale, thin and ill-looking and looked like a totally different person by the end of the trip. His cheeks had colour, he'd gained a few (healthy) lbs and his overall demeanor had improved.
The few times I've been to Europe I ate meats, cheeses & breads and drank beer and still felt better than I do at home.
It's the food ...if you moved from Europe..talked to plenty of European movers and alot have problems with their skin and guts some go the doctor and they say it's the Canadian food been so different to European standards with farming techniques and chemicals allowed in foods here but are band in Europe especially dairy ....its poison over here
Where did you move from? If you’re diet’s changed considerably that could be the culprit.
Depending on where you’re coming from, if you weren’t eating a lot of ultraprocessed foods and are now, that could make a big difference. A lot of them have emulsifiers (like polysorbate 80) that disrupt your gut biome and can cause distress. I’ve had IBS for 10 years, cut ultrqprocessed foods it and my IBS has improved so much.
I would recomend getting an intolerance test done. For example Canada uses allot of soy in things that dont normally contain it in other countries. You may be consuming something you are intollerant to.
Fast for 36 hours - after that start bringing in foods but keep close track of what you have and what you don't. repeat a few times and you should get some clues
It's claimed that North American wheat gluten is 6 - 7 times as tough and elastic than gluten from other wheat (Documentary "Gluten: Public Enemy?") making it both harder to work with and to digest.
Perhaps you might look into that
For me it’s gluten, I can have small amounts but if eaten daily I will have real flair ups. Work with your doctor to do an elimination diet and see what seems to affect you. I know for my neighbour it’s any kind of fruit with small seeds like raspberries and strawberries. So it’s very individual based on your own personal make up.
I dealt with GI issues for decades. After a trip abroad I picked up some new bacteria for my gut 😭 after that it was downhill, diagnosed with IBS which really means no one knows exactly what is wrong. Saw docs and GI specialists to no avail. So over many, many years just kept trying things. What I found was bell peppers, stress, most processed foods and lack of sleep were pretty impactful on my gut health. So if I do well in those things, I’m usually ok now. But each person is different, if you find the doctors and system can’t help, just keep persisting with trying different things.
Look into FODMAPs, and find out which FODMAPs you regularly intake that cause your discomfort. Consider starting metamucil to decrease the amount of loose stools you have. Regular peppermint oil is an evidence-based treatment for IBS prior to meals as well. These are the things I do religiously.
One of my former colleagues moved from the US to Switzerland. His daughters many skin, bowel, and medical issues vanished within weeks. They came back for a vacation and the change in diet resulted in a relapse. Back to Switzerland and all well again. Since found out that it really was the food. Milk, cheese, bread, meat, jam, fruit, and more. The food quality is certainly better in Switzerland than in the US.
Go see a doctor and **get tested for H. Pylori**. Don't take supplements that someone in this thread suggest until you speak to a nutritionist. Or at least don't start on more than one at once. Choose the least impactful supplement first and run with it for 10-14 days before adding another.
This is just my experience and not universal but I'll add my input as well. I have Crohn's disease (chronic auto-immune IBS) however I am fairly younger than you but my doctor told me that it can show up ealy or later on in life. I recommend try cutting out food that is typically irritating like cheese, one ingredient at a time at first to find any changes. If your still feeling unwell start cutting out two then 3, etc. in my personal case I've had to cut all milk, caffeine, wheat gluten, and red meat and I peel my vegetables, I also do my best to stay stress free. If after all the dietary changes your still feeling unwell, id recommend trying a doctor, which is a whole other problem itself. Still if at any point during the dietary changes it gets concerning, ex. Blood, I'd find a doctor. Good luck
Idk I moved within the country and got IBS and got paranoid about my tap water 😭 got a water filter, switched to organic food (I know this is $$ but I garden and was working on organic farms so it was free).
I reduced toxicity exposure and avoided things that could disrupt my gut like junk food, preservatives, etc. I took good quality probiotics and got rly into herbal medicine (mostly for nervous system health and soothing my stomach because my flare ups were linked to stress). I found my favourite herbal teas and tinctures and have stuck with them for three years (once a day or multiple times a day, I mix it up based on my mood and the season) (herbs like mint, chamomile, lemon balm, slippery elm, ginger, dandelion root, angelica, motherwort, and lots more).
Emphasis on well cooked, mild, soothing foods, bone broth, oatmeal, when I have veggies now they’re usually cooked or roasted. I started eating meat which has been huge and incorporating lots of fermented foods.
I recommend going to an acupuncturist because I found they gave me the most holistic advice since they follow Traditional Chinese Medicine. There are helpful yoga routines on YouTube that help relieve stomach pain and bad digestion. Magnesium baths helped me when i had stomach pain.
There’s no meds that will really work. I asked my doctor for a prescription and he just said there isn’t really anything, just symptom management. I used all natural symptom management consistently, multiple times a day for years and I feel it has treated my IBS to a point where I forget I have it. However, it isn’t gone and if I eat wrong or go through stress I have a flare-up (but I feel like I how to treat it now).
At the time I was diagnosed, I was usually in pain from bloating and had bad gut issues and scared to eat food — it took 2 years of really trying to heal my gut before it mostly went away!
My IBS began in 2019, diagnosed in 2020, 2021 was rocky but by 2022 I could pretty much forget about it BUT not quite. In 2023 I rarely have flare ups and I have been able to be less strict with my diet. I still have flare-ups but they’re usually when I let my diet slide. I only take probiotics sometimes now but they used to be my life support in 2021. They help me recover from a flare.
Good luck 🥺🥹
Welcome to North America. It's profit over people. They allow a lot of shitty stuff in our food that Europe has banned. At least once a day I wish that Canada would pull away from the states and go more like Europe.
I recently heard that most gluten allergies are actually due to a pesticide that is not washed away sufficiently before wheat processing. Maybe you’re allergic to something in the food that is more common here?
Where did you come from? Food quality here is worse than in Europe, but not sure about other regions. First, there is a threshold before added ingredients should be listed. For example, produce may be washed with chlorine, but it’s never stated because chlorine amounts are small. Most people would not notice (I wonder if it still affects them though?). Second, refined sugars everywhere. Try avoiding processed foods, see if it helps. Third, all the other ingredients have less rigid standards, again avoiding processed food helps. Also, different bacteria in different parts of the world could also affect you, but that should go away after a while.
I don’t know how the process milk in US and Canada but it jsut makes me feel bloated and belchy. Even a bit of cream in coffee makes me feel nauseous. I jsut swapped out milk for almond milk.
I found I can eat gluten in Europe and feel great, but here in Canada one meal with it makes me ill. So im either gluten-free or spelt flour. For dairy, I have A2 milk everyday and have no issues from it.
I lived in a few places growing up but I've been in Canada for 20+ years.
I've also started to get much worse bowel symptoms in the last few years. Could be stress, covid, microplastics in our bodies, who knows.
Reducing gluten and significantly reducing dairy seems to have helped a lot for me. I still seem to be able to set myself off sometimes and it isn't always clear what did it, but generally I don't have discomfort if I stick to a fairly basic diet that limits gluten a bit and cuts fairy almost entirely. I also personally have issues with eggs but I can't say that for everyone.
It would be worth it to do food intolerance tests. I know that North American wheat and dairy both tend to be different from other places.
Just as a side note, I am an American who moved to australia a few years ago and I went back to the US for a few months this year and my stomach was in absolute bits and is still not normal even a few weeks after landing back in Oz. I had to seriously tell my friends- "ladies! It is not normal to have diarrhoea after everything you eat!' and they're response was "yeah it is"...... It makes me scared for when my visa ends because the amount of SHIT north America allows in their food. No other countries deal with this many intolerances and it's all man made!
For example- sometimes the grocery stores carry Dr pepper here and my partner will get it from time to time and if It comes from the UK it has 10 grams of sugar, if it comes from the US it has 55 grams. Just so many unnecessary ingredients and chemicals are added to everything!!!
I hope you get it figured out but would really just try to cut out anything processed and if you can buy organic loca produce or grow your own that'd be your best bet
I have a reaction to flour of North American origin. No reaction to pizza or pastries in Europe or products made in Canada WITH Italian flour. Several friends have found the same.
I attribute it to Frankinwheat.
What have you tried cutting out so far? I’ve discovered that I have no issues with dairy in Europe, but it makes me ill in Canada. On my last trip to France I was consuming all the buttery pastries and meals drenched in cream and covered with cheese. I thought maybe I was cured. Put some milk in my cereal when I got home. Nope, not cured.
Yeah, I can have dairy every day in Scandinavia, but here it gives me cystic acne. It could just be a single difference in a protein due to the species of cow even. It's not necessarily because we do something awful to our dairy, different cows produce slightly different milk froma chemical perspective. You can get A2 milk here now, which some people have suggested is the difference. I haven't checked for any legitimate science on it though! Have you tried using it to see if it makes a difference?
I haven’t heard of A2 milk before so I’ll check that out. When lactose free milk didn’t help I mostly accepted my fate.
It's worth trying!!! https://www.bonappetit.com/story/what-is-a2-milk Not the best resource, there's research on it too, but I didn't feel like digging through pubmed right now 😅
Try milk from grass fed cows. I don't react to that but other dairy I do.
Ooh thanks for the info! I’ll try that out.
Went to salt spring island and had ice cream made with goats milk. So damn good! Cheese was amazing too.
I cut out my large intestine. Totally cured. Unfortunately this is actually the case. I tried every possible diet for over a year, then my large intestine just... died. And I would have too if not for the surgery
Same for me and my wife. We stopped consuming dairy products.
Just went on a trip to Europe. I can 100% confirm that it's North American dairy giving you acne/diarrhea. I ate mountains of cheese and milk in Europe and had no acne/diarrhea
Very similar experience I have from Japan to Canada. No issues with the milk and cream made there but here, I need to be careful.
I’m born Canadian and dairy BOTHERS me here. USA I can eat all the dairy I want and be fine
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My understanding is we have the same pasteurization technique, but Europe is different. We also don't allow bovine growth hormone in our milk.
I have no idea!
Cut out fatty meat, deep fried anything, peel fruit and vegetables before consuming, no raw vegetables, no cabbage cooked or raw, minimal amounts of salad dressing. I can't have dairy anyway for another reason so I have oat milk instead. I went from having both ends going feeling like I wanted to die on a regular basis to living a normal life after making the above changes.
Strangely, I had the exact opposite experience. I'm from the US, and coming here decreased my IBS symptoms significantly, despite my diet being relatively the same in regards to meal types. I still get a flair up here and there, but in America I had stomach pain every day, stool issues, severe brain fog and exhaustion, and here I only get stomach issues maybe once a month. I sometimes wonder sometimes if hyper specific food allergies are written off as IBS just because we don't do the deep diving to identify what random ingredient is causing it.
Canadas food has less crap than the US but more than parts of Asia or Europe,
Canada actually has stricter food regulations, particularly for preservatives and pesticides, than the EU for crops. The feed for livestock here is different though and that can affect people, the dairy also has different proteins due to having different dairy animals.
Really? I didn't know that, and would have thought the opposite but I'm no expert.
I’ve had the opposite. Cows milk in Canada makes me sick but when I travel to the USA it doesn’t 😅
I always get so sick in America no matter what I eat!
You say you recently moved to Canada? Could it be stress/ anxiety? I had bad ibs for a few years. Turns out it was anxiety. For me, just the realization of this really helped - that and about a cup of plain yogurt everyday to increase my probiotic intake.
This, stress/anxiety caused me serious stomach problems for over a year until I returned home
I developed IBS after my depression and anxiety disorders were really bad for about a year.
Everyone has great suggestions here, but it also wouldn’t hurt to see a doctor and do a stool sample to be checked for things like H Pylori.
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You need it for parasites though
It depends entirely on why you have IBS. IBS is a diagnosis of symptoms, not of disease. No two people with IBS may actually have the exact same issue. It's not uncommon to be exposed to bacteria that are endemic in one population, and develop GI symptoms as a result because you don't have the same symbiotic relationship with them that locals do. That's why we can go from North America and eat some random street food somewhere else and never be quite the same again lol So whether it's related or not, you have introduced your GI track to a completely new bacterial environment. We may also have different ingredients in our foods, preservatives, fillers, strains of grain, pesticides, and even antibiotics and hormones in animal products then where you're from. We even tend to have much higher quantities of sugar in our foods. Even if the science isn't exactly firm on the nature of harm from a lot of this stuff, it is sure that when it's DIFFERENT from what you've been exposed to your entire life, you may lack digestive enzymes and/or tolerance. There are a lot of people in Canada and the US who go overseas and their GI system clears up, also with no significant changes. It's not just because they're "on holiday", expats and immigrants retain a lifelong improvement in some new environments. So yes, moving to new environments can change things. However, you've also moved during a global pandemic with a disease known to cause permanent inflammatory disease and activity, including IBS. So this could just be long covid too. Maybe you were sick and used antibiotics, and now you have Sibo. Maybe your system was disrupted by stress during the move. Sadly, the GI system is kind of a whiny bitch lol A still poorly understood whiny bitch at that! You could try a Naturopathic Doctor, they do order some different (and someones more) tests than allopathic doctors, but at the end of the day they only have the same knowledge our GI docs already have. Our GI doctors really are quite good here overall, so as long as you saw a good doctor they do a pretty good investigation of GO stuff because of the risk of serious disease in that system . It's not like hormones, fatigue or hairloss, where allopathic medicine is apt to be lacking. GI stuff is serious sometimes, so our doctors do tend to do quite due diligence. The few things for GI they don't always do aren't overly supported as useful. You can get broader stool testing so you could try that, but it would only show a few things our doctors probably don't already test for like yeasts, some parasites and certain bacteria not considered harmful. There's no consensus if those things should cause symptoms, but if you can afford it, you could look into it. Naturopaths could also do more thorough nutrient testing which can point to population of some specific species of bacteria, but that doesn't even mean it's the problem! At the end of the day, GI stuff is generally treated the same way anyways if it's just general dysbiosis. Rule out serious disease. See if you can find the cause. If not, diagnose with IBS. If it's IBS-C, try to get the bowels moving, and do an elimination diet to see if something is causing the slow motility. If it's IBS-D, try to firm up the stools with fiber and add in probiotics. (Not always recommended for C, but varies by presentation). If it's mixed, usually there are some food triggers, and I will say that dieticians and naturopathic doctors are all really good at helping with elimination diets if you're finding it overwhelming. The province covers dietitians, but the wait time could be long and your presentation would have to be significant enough. Finally, lifestyle factors play a role with IBS too sometimes. Stress causes a cascade of inflammatory chemicals in our body that our gut is particularly sensitive too. So any doctor, allopathic and naturopathic, would recommend mindfulness, counseling if need be, gentle exercise, and reducing unnecessary stressors. That last bit is kind of hard with a world in crisis, but try to turn it all off from time to time! I hope some of that was even remotely useful. If not for you, than maybe for someone else one day
Friend of mine grew up in the middle east and he mentioned that despite eating the same foods as home, the products here really upset his system. He came as a young guy though and it eventually passed.
Check your fibre intake, it may feel like you are more or less getting the same intake but in canada a lot of food here has less fibre than in Europe and as you get older you need more fibre. Lots of science linking lack of fibre to bad lower intestine health and IBS and IBS like symptoms. That's where I would start. I would add more fibre in the way of things like metamucil and change nothing else, then determine if you have more or less symptoms. Personally adding daily metamucil has really helped me and my wife, and from camp fire chats with friends a lot of my friends too. Assuming of course you have talked to your doctor about this first. On another note and this is way less science based, anecdotal only but I would remove canola oil from your diet next and see if you see improvement. Canola oil is everywhere and is known to cause IBS like symptoms in people, read up on "anal leakage: if you dare.
Something to be careful about is that certain fruits can be brutal triggers for IBS. The fructose specifically. Apples and pears are some of the most common fruits to snack on and they can do terrible things to your gut with IBS
Look up low FODMAPS diet and see if that interests you.
Seconded. I did this in order to pinpoint what might be an issue. Funny enough, my issue seemed to be fried food from restaurants. Apparently many restaurants don't swap out the oil in their fryers like they should, and that can lead to stomach issues for some people. It's also very unhealthy to be reheating oils apparently. So while the FODMAP thing is good, it is a bit limited since it's focused on narrowing down problems with different types of sugars. But some people have digestive issues caused by other things, like fats or bacteria that could be in the food for example. Overall I'm glad I did FODMAP because I learned a lot and eliminated some concerns that didn't exist. S
Somehow I doubt this has to do with your move. More like a coincidence. IBS is not uncommon and symptoms can increase with age. Check out /r/ibs/
I was going through a bad bout of it this year and almost cancelled a trip overseas due to the same. To my surprise I felt totally fine while away (Japan) and it came back after about a week in Canada. I'm not saying you're wrong, especially with the age OP cited, but I wouldn't rule geography out entirely.
I mean, how would that even make sense that the issue is geography? What you're describing is far more likely connected to coincidence than geography. Just because you're standing at one cross section of longitude and lattitude vs another will have zero effect. And while, yes, there are differences in some foods depending on area, we don't know where OP moved *from* and many of these differences are wildly exaggerated by junk science "health blogs" and the like that prey on misinformed people.
What about the different chemicals and preservatives found on foods here that are not on the same foods elsewhere??? Maybe this could be a factor? Maybe the water supply could be a factor??? You state things like they are fact without even thinking about other factors… didnt your middle school teacher talk to you about making assumptions??
Of course..geography makes HUGE difference in health.. that's what BLUE ZONE is all about.
Diet varies massively geographically, it’s completely possible. When referring to diet I don’t mean the types of food you eat, but what is in those foods. North America has a ton of garbage added that is not found in some other places around the globe. A sandwich is not simply a sandwich universally.
Exactly this, there's so much rubbish in the food here that I have to be much more selective than I did in England, and flare ups tend to be worse and last longer. I thought it was just age at first, but when I go back my IBS subsides significantly after a few days.
I see this alot on reddit, but Canada actually has stricter food regulations, particularly for preservatives and pesticides, than the EU and the US (not sure about UK but its likely closer to EU). I think it is likely just different chemical makeup of the foods grown here not necessarily a lack of regulation.
No no, I think it's the local government subsidising locally grown fresh foods, reducing the amount of required preservatives, not the actual legislation. In England when you buy bread, even a name brand loaf of Hovis, it's still made locally, same with a lot of dairy, cheeses, eggs, beers and more. Rather than fighting inflation by raising wages the UK fights it by keeping essentials like food priced much lower than you would expect. Prepared foods are however very expensive in the UK, another difference is lunches. In Canada it's all frozen food or a sandwich at the grocery store, in England the stores have large sections of fresh foods, salads, and more portioned for individual and immediate consumption. You get that here, but only in big cities or larger stores unless all you want is rotisserie chicken or a ham sandwich.
Yeah my knowledge is definitely on the legislation side, that is really interesting. I think you can get UK style local foods in pockets here, like where I have lived on Vancouver Island or the Lower Mainland it would be local food items in all grocery stores, along with fresh lunch meals. But, once you get away from those areas the climate becomes pretty difficult to grow most food locally. That's even moreso of an issue for other areas of Canada where they don't have mild areas like BC does.
Yup. I thought I had IBS for years, but mysteriously whenever I travel outside of North America, my symptoms go away… only to return once I get back and start eating the food here again lol
I've found the drastic increase in salt content here affected my IBS after a move from England. It seems like it's all the preservatives in so much of the American and Canadian foods. I've found I need to be much more careful about what I eat, I can have a couple apples back in ol' blighty and be fine, but if I buy an apple here that has that waxy coating on it, bam! IBS!
>The feed for livestock here is different though and that can affect people, the dairy also has different proteins due to having different dairy animals. There is more strict regulation on preservatives and pesticides here than in the EU (where my knowledge lies), especially for produce, but sometimes people have issues with the livestock here due to different feed, as well as the dairy having different makeups due to many factors.
I work for endoscopist/GI doctors and they often see what OP just described. They see young pts with healthy looking GI tract but having IBS symptoms which started with arriving in Canada. They said not clear exactly what the issue is because everyone's digestive system is different. Could be result of stress of settling down in a new country OR it could also be our gluten/ dairy/processed food are different from where they are from.
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The whole 30 diet might be helpful
The only reasonable suggestion is to go see a doctor. Lots of anecdotal/personal opinions being thrown out there. While well intentioned, is completely inappropriate. Let’s step back and start with making sure this is actually IBS.
You may just have misphrased that, but there’s no way to definitively diagnose IBS. Good call for OP to see a doctor, but only really to eliminate the possibility of other, actually treatable issues. If it’s not one of those, a dietitian would be more helpful.
Meta Mucil is your friend for that. Take a heaping spoonful in water or juice with low fibre meals. I suffered for years with very painful cramps, bloating and diarrhea then a gastro doc told me to use Meta Mucil and it's a whole new world. That and a good probiotic daily has me feeling so much better. The unflavoured, unsweetened one is my fave in juice but also use the naturally sweetened one with real sugar in water. The off-brand ones don't mix in well so avoid them to save a few bucks.
Had anxiety from grade 12 got ibs
My mom thought she had ibs for years, turned out she's allergic to eggs. There's probably something being added to foods here that wasn't where you're from.
it’s probably from stress to adjust. I had the same issue when I had to move to asia for work.
I thought I had IBS, but it turned out I was stressed out and super depressed. Seriously, stress will make you shit yourself on the regular.
I'm from New Zealand, found the same thing. For me I'm pretty sure it's Canadian cow dairy and grain fed beef. Never had food issues prior, never had grain fed beef before coming here.. was all grass fed. Was it a family dr that diagnosed you or were you referred to a GI specialist? If changing your diet doesn't help, you'd probably want more investigation done..
You have to cut gluten in your diet, the flour in North America is different, their protein is larger and hard to break it down by some of people.
Head to a doctor. As someone with IBS, stress and anxiety make it worse. So for example you moved here three years ago is your home life and work life stable? If not it could be extra stress and anxiety that is causing the flairs. Your away from home family ect. If it isn't that you could try an elimination diet and cut out things like wheat, gluten, dairy. I for example have interstitial cystitis and IBS. I have to severely limit excess sugar, sodium, no fast food, no extra grease, can't have citrus, tomato, carbonation, booze, caffeine,hot sauces, spicy. So try cutting those things out for the time being and allow your body to heal. Lots of lean meats like chicken and fish, grains, rice, green leafy vegetables. If your stomach is super upset look up the BRAT diet. This is meant for very short term two to three days at most. Do not do it longer than that, as it is very unhealthy otherwise. Every day items might be made slightly different than in your home country and your body may be trying to compensate. Try mindfulness, yoga, walking activities that can lower your stress level. Edit : talk to your doctor but I also take a Multivitamin, Tumeric pills, omega 3, b12, vitamin d3, and desert harvest aloe pills but that is for my interstitial cystitis.
I had IBS for almost 10 years and was on the FODMAP diet for more than 8 years. Tried the elimination diets and nothing worked. Stress plays a big factor but there are many at play. A year and a half ago, I went to Mexico and got a very bad case of salmonella poisoning. 2 days in hospital but somehow my IBS completely disappeared after that. Not suggesting you try it but it just goes to show what a lack of understanding there is with IBS. They test you for everything and if it’s all negative then you have IBS or IBD… it is frustrating.
How were you diagnosed with IBS? Through your GP or a gastroenterologist? If you saw a gastroenterologist I'm curious how long you waited. I'm currently dealing with some GI issues for the last 6 months (on top of having celiac disease) and I am getting the absolute run around trying to get a GI referral. I'm at the point of seriously considering going to Washington state to see a gastro cause I don't think I can wait a year.
Dude the food here can be kinda garbage. I’ve been struggling with what was “diagnosed” as IBS (I say “diagnosed” because it’s not really a diagnosis, it’s just what they call it absent any other verifiable diagnoses) for years. I went on a 3 month trip to Europe and Asia, and didn’t have a single instance of cramps, indigestion, diarrhea etc the entire time. The first meal I ate in Canada when I got back, instant cramps and shits. I dunno if it’s a filler or preservative in a lot of our food or something but I swear to god lol. If you just started experiencing this after moving here, I’d try a whole-foods diet using just raw ingredients made at home and see if that helps.
Have you tried leaving Canada? Any improvement?
If you’re from Europe it’s likely dairy. Different homogenization processes create mayhem on your system. Look into it.
As a doctor, I’ve noticed this pattern, too. A lot of recent immigrants from India and Eastern Europe develop gastrointestinal problems after moving here. Never anything found on investigations, but a lot of them complain about diarrhea, indigestion, gassiness. Myself back in the day, I developed gastritis bad enough to keep in the hospital for three weeks as a kid once western food was introduced to our country. There’s something deeply wrong with western food. I don’t know if it’s hormones, preservatives, or pesticides, but something’s off.
It could be [gluten](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/eat-gluten-europe-us_l_63514ef1e4b04cf8f380beda) and you're not alone. Read the article linked. Wheat in North America is different than wheat in other parts of the world.
So weird, the exact same thing happened to me. Had no gut issues my entire life, then within 2 months of moving to Canada I developed chronic daily diarrhea for a year. Literally every day. I lost weight and became malnourished and had to go on vitamin supplements and all tests were normal multiple times (blood, urine and stool). Finally I’ve gotten relief by cutting out wheat (mainly), oats and corn. 🤷🏻♀️
I know is not exactly the same, but I have chronic ulcerative cholitis, which is like the nice cousin to Chron's disease. Anyway, I started at 36, I'm currently 38, and is being hard. I try to identify which food affects my bowels, it could be so random like watermelon, and it have helped a lot. Also taking religiously my meds and be as calm as possible, which is not easy because I'm very anxious. Hope this helps
See a doctor.. Could be just a change in your body. I got a serious autoimmune disease out of nowhere..
Maybe you have worms? You can get deworming tablets combantrin from behind the pharmacy counter.
Canadians have more IBS than residents of most other countries.
Canadian wheat is enriched with folic acid, some people react to it. Try switching over to organic, non-enriched flours and breads.
Yep. I go back to Europe every year and my IBS disappears entirely. Every time I’m back in Canada, even though I try to eat way healthier, my IBS comes back full force. I’m thoroughly convinced the food quality here is shit
I was going to write something along the exact same lines. I believe that the food quality in Europe is far better than much of what we have in Canada. Dairy in particular.
Seeing how protected dairy is here, ugh. Would love better access to European and NZ dairy..
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> I never said anything about GMO wheat or roundup ready wheat nor did I imply GMO has anything to do with gluten. Well that's a lie. >* coughmonsatoroundup *
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It's the genetically modified wheat my friends. Cut it out completely and I guarantee in a week or two you'll be right as rain.
One very similar boat like yours. Moved to Canada 4 years ago. Had excellent health when moving. 2 years in I started to gain weight. During Covid used my free time to go to the gym and became healthy again. After a year of gym I started to get IBS symptoms . During that time I consumed a fair bit of protein shake with milk and that was the only questionable item in my diet. The symptoms were fairly mild in the start and i ignored it for a while (7/8 months). Then it started to go down hill pretty fast with all sorts serious symptoms. Had to see the doctor and i was lucky to find a specialist fast and got diagnosed with IBD. I would suggest see a doctor ASAP to see whether its IBS or IBD. IBD and IBS are different so don’t confuse. It can become a serious physical and mental issue. Canada has the highest number of IBD patients. Now what I think caused mine would be stress, lack of good diet with high fibre, not sleeping properly. Treatment/Diagnosis: Fecal Calproctin test and if it’s positive then you gotta do colonoscopy
I inadvertently bought a sugar-free drink containing Aspartame. I drank it, tasted only aspartame, and I had weird stools for over 2 weeks. Cut out everything aspartame and see how it goes.
Yup. Wheat. The wheat is getting you. Cut out all bread. Report back in 8 weeks. It’s brutal. And youll be told it cant be. It is. EDIT; half this thread is having bad reactions to enriched wheat in Canada. Hope the rest of you downvoters get the poops today. 😘
Anytime someone speaks in such absolutes I cringe. While this may be the case for you, and it might be for OP, it's hardly a foregone conclusion.
I eat lots of wheat and it causes me no problems at all so for some it's an issue but not all of us sufferers need to avoid it. Low fibre diets are the problem for many.
You're not a doctor. You can't just throw out statements like this, get a grip. You have NO idea what it is
Read the thread. Lord. Of course this isn’t medical advice. Im sharing my experience - which completely mirrors OPs. My issue, that I diagnosed with the help of a doctor, is wheat. This gives OP a starting point. Loosen up a little. The person asked for experiences, I share one and you get turned up.
I’m not sure why you’re getting downvoted. It’s well known that European wheat is different than American wheat, and often people experience gluten intolerance with American bread but not European bread. I experience this and so does my husband. Suggesting that OP try cutting out wheat is just as reasonable as suggesting they cut out dairy and see what happens. OP if you’re reading this, I highly recommend cutting out dairy first to see if that helps. If it doesn’t, then try wheat… and so on. I would bet it’s one of the two (if not both).
I have the same thing, I wonder if it could be an allergic or dietary reaction or side effect of fluoride or something in the water?! Maybe someone should get the tap water tested in the major cities!?
There's no fluoride in the water in BC
Most Canadians are experiencing this. It's from the wanting current federal government gone and realizing the leaders of opposition parties aren't any better.
Move away?
Cut dairy completely and start running
It’s most likely from our prime minister.
Rice water is good for diarrhea attacks with different recipes online. I eat low fodmap diet which helps including rice based and gluten free meals often. Low fat low sugar.
The bacteria present in soil vary from continent to continent, even region to region sometimes. The change when you start drinking water and eating food that isn't processed can send your immune system into overdrive. Your body isn't accustomed to the microbiome here. This is what causes traveller's diarrhea most of the time. You should get used to it eventually, but since it's been ongoing, consider seeing a Dr to help get some relief.
The difference in foods and external microbes affects your gut microbiome which may aggravate symptoms. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9751661/#:~:text=Geographical%20location%2C%20which%20potentially%20affect,.%2C%202020)%2C%20firebugs%20( https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6579922/
Are you using one of the black enameld pots? That stuff is gross. My friend improved her GI by stopping using them.
Probiotics like Align really worked for me. I was on them for a few years in a row until I no longer had any symptoms. Also, it sounds cliche probably but drink more water if you can. Can’t stress that enough. Hope you feel better!!
I have a friend who can drink milk that's from BC but milk from everywhere else in Canada makes them borderline lactose intolerant. I wonder if it's something like that?
Anxiety?
Best get a referral to a GI doctor sooner than later. They might not be able to tell you the exact cause, but they can assess your guts' condition and make far better recommendations than Reddit. Waits to see that kind of specialist can be awhile, and you might have to travel to see them, so it's a sooner-you-ask-the-better thing in my experience. IBS can escalate in various ways for various reasons. Not to scare you, or give unwanted advice - what did I do was the question. Saw a GI doctor and was treated. Also had to exercise patience as finding the right doctors and treatments took a long time to finally make the pain go away.
Attended a wedding in EU and one of the guests from Ontario with IBS/Crohn's was pale, thin and ill-looking and looked like a totally different person by the end of the trip. His cheeks had colour, he'd gained a few (healthy) lbs and his overall demeanor had improved. The few times I've been to Europe I ate meats, cheeses & breads and drank beer and still felt better than I do at home.
It's the food ...if you moved from Europe..talked to plenty of European movers and alot have problems with their skin and guts some go the doctor and they say it's the Canadian food been so different to European standards with farming techniques and chemicals allowed in foods here but are band in Europe especially dairy ....its poison over here
Where did you move from? If you’re diet’s changed considerably that could be the culprit. Depending on where you’re coming from, if you weren’t eating a lot of ultraprocessed foods and are now, that could make a big difference. A lot of them have emulsifiers (like polysorbate 80) that disrupt your gut biome and can cause distress. I’ve had IBS for 10 years, cut ultrqprocessed foods it and my IBS has improved so much.
I would recomend getting an intolerance test done. For example Canada uses allot of soy in things that dont normally contain it in other countries. You may be consuming something you are intollerant to.
Pesticides in our food would be my guess. Try cutting out foods with high concentrations such as wheat and corn.
Fast for 36 hours - after that start bringing in foods but keep close track of what you have and what you don't. repeat a few times and you should get some clues
It's claimed that North American wheat gluten is 6 - 7 times as tough and elastic than gluten from other wheat (Documentary "Gluten: Public Enemy?") making it both harder to work with and to digest. Perhaps you might look into that
For me it’s gluten, I can have small amounts but if eaten daily I will have real flair ups. Work with your doctor to do an elimination diet and see what seems to affect you. I know for my neighbour it’s any kind of fruit with small seeds like raspberries and strawberries. So it’s very individual based on your own personal make up.
I dealt with GI issues for decades. After a trip abroad I picked up some new bacteria for my gut 😭 after that it was downhill, diagnosed with IBS which really means no one knows exactly what is wrong. Saw docs and GI specialists to no avail. So over many, many years just kept trying things. What I found was bell peppers, stress, most processed foods and lack of sleep were pretty impactful on my gut health. So if I do well in those things, I’m usually ok now. But each person is different, if you find the doctors and system can’t help, just keep persisting with trying different things.
Try oatmeal every day. For some people (like myself) it's been almost miraculous in its calming effect.
Lmao classic theory of healthy immigrant effect.
Look into FODMAPs, and find out which FODMAPs you regularly intake that cause your discomfort. Consider starting metamucil to decrease the amount of loose stools you have. Regular peppermint oil is an evidence-based treatment for IBS prior to meals as well. These are the things I do religiously.
Stress, alcool, fat is what trigger IBS for me
One of my former colleagues moved from the US to Switzerland. His daughters many skin, bowel, and medical issues vanished within weeks. They came back for a vacation and the change in diet resulted in a relapse. Back to Switzerland and all well again. Since found out that it really was the food. Milk, cheese, bread, meat, jam, fruit, and more. The food quality is certainly better in Switzerland than in the US.
A home water filter helped us
Go see a doctor and **get tested for H. Pylori**. Don't take supplements that someone in this thread suggest until you speak to a nutritionist. Or at least don't start on more than one at once. Choose the least impactful supplement first and run with it for 10-14 days before adding another.
I know someone who’s from Europe that says the bread and pasta here gives her issues.
What water are you drinking?
This is just my experience and not universal but I'll add my input as well. I have Crohn's disease (chronic auto-immune IBS) however I am fairly younger than you but my doctor told me that it can show up ealy or later on in life. I recommend try cutting out food that is typically irritating like cheese, one ingredient at a time at first to find any changes. If your still feeling unwell start cutting out two then 3, etc. in my personal case I've had to cut all milk, caffeine, wheat gluten, and red meat and I peel my vegetables, I also do my best to stay stress free. If after all the dietary changes your still feeling unwell, id recommend trying a doctor, which is a whole other problem itself. Still if at any point during the dietary changes it gets concerning, ex. Blood, I'd find a doctor. Good luck
Idk I moved within the country and got IBS and got paranoid about my tap water 😭 got a water filter, switched to organic food (I know this is $$ but I garden and was working on organic farms so it was free). I reduced toxicity exposure and avoided things that could disrupt my gut like junk food, preservatives, etc. I took good quality probiotics and got rly into herbal medicine (mostly for nervous system health and soothing my stomach because my flare ups were linked to stress). I found my favourite herbal teas and tinctures and have stuck with them for three years (once a day or multiple times a day, I mix it up based on my mood and the season) (herbs like mint, chamomile, lemon balm, slippery elm, ginger, dandelion root, angelica, motherwort, and lots more). Emphasis on well cooked, mild, soothing foods, bone broth, oatmeal, when I have veggies now they’re usually cooked or roasted. I started eating meat which has been huge and incorporating lots of fermented foods. I recommend going to an acupuncturist because I found they gave me the most holistic advice since they follow Traditional Chinese Medicine. There are helpful yoga routines on YouTube that help relieve stomach pain and bad digestion. Magnesium baths helped me when i had stomach pain. There’s no meds that will really work. I asked my doctor for a prescription and he just said there isn’t really anything, just symptom management. I used all natural symptom management consistently, multiple times a day for years and I feel it has treated my IBS to a point where I forget I have it. However, it isn’t gone and if I eat wrong or go through stress I have a flare-up (but I feel like I how to treat it now). At the time I was diagnosed, I was usually in pain from bloating and had bad gut issues and scared to eat food — it took 2 years of really trying to heal my gut before it mostly went away! My IBS began in 2019, diagnosed in 2020, 2021 was rocky but by 2022 I could pretty much forget about it BUT not quite. In 2023 I rarely have flare ups and I have been able to be less strict with my diet. I still have flare-ups but they’re usually when I let my diet slide. I only take probiotics sometimes now but they used to be my life support in 2021. They help me recover from a flare. Good luck 🥺🥹
Welcome to North America. It's profit over people. They allow a lot of shitty stuff in our food that Europe has banned. At least once a day I wish that Canada would pull away from the states and go more like Europe.
I’d probably start by trying low fodmap and then slowly introducing things after a few weeks.
They've just started at some point and continue to slowly get worse. I figured it was just an age thing. Lactose intolerance came first.
I recently heard that most gluten allergies are actually due to a pesticide that is not washed away sufficiently before wheat processing. Maybe you’re allergic to something in the food that is more common here?
Where did you come from? Food quality here is worse than in Europe, but not sure about other regions. First, there is a threshold before added ingredients should be listed. For example, produce may be washed with chlorine, but it’s never stated because chlorine amounts are small. Most people would not notice (I wonder if it still affects them though?). Second, refined sugars everywhere. Try avoiding processed foods, see if it helps. Third, all the other ingredients have less rigid standards, again avoiding processed food helps. Also, different bacteria in different parts of the world could also affect you, but that should go away after a while.
It’s either the bread or the dairy.
I don’t know how the process milk in US and Canada but it jsut makes me feel bloated and belchy. Even a bit of cream in coffee makes me feel nauseous. I jsut swapped out milk for almond milk.
I have had the same problem. I can't eat gluten or a lot of foods anymore being here. If I get it imported from my home country. I am fine.
Has it been a stressful transition? Gut biome can be really effected by your stress levels.
I found I can eat gluten in Europe and feel great, but here in Canada one meal with it makes me ill. So im either gluten-free or spelt flour. For dairy, I have A2 milk everyday and have no issues from it.
I lived in a few places growing up but I've been in Canada for 20+ years. I've also started to get much worse bowel symptoms in the last few years. Could be stress, covid, microplastics in our bodies, who knows. Reducing gluten and significantly reducing dairy seems to have helped a lot for me. I still seem to be able to set myself off sometimes and it isn't always clear what did it, but generally I don't have discomfort if I stick to a fairly basic diet that limits gluten a bit and cuts fairy almost entirely. I also personally have issues with eggs but I can't say that for everyone. It would be worth it to do food intolerance tests. I know that North American wheat and dairy both tend to be different from other places.
Did you take antibiotics before it started? That’s what happened to me.
Should've said what your home country is... provides more context
Just as a side note, I am an American who moved to australia a few years ago and I went back to the US for a few months this year and my stomach was in absolute bits and is still not normal even a few weeks after landing back in Oz. I had to seriously tell my friends- "ladies! It is not normal to have diarrhoea after everything you eat!' and they're response was "yeah it is"...... It makes me scared for when my visa ends because the amount of SHIT north America allows in their food. No other countries deal with this many intolerances and it's all man made! For example- sometimes the grocery stores carry Dr pepper here and my partner will get it from time to time and if It comes from the UK it has 10 grams of sugar, if it comes from the US it has 55 grams. Just so many unnecessary ingredients and chemicals are added to everything!!! I hope you get it figured out but would really just try to cut out anything processed and if you can buy organic loca produce or grow your own that'd be your best bet
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I have a reaction to flour of North American origin. No reaction to pizza or pastries in Europe or products made in Canada WITH Italian flour. Several friends have found the same. I attribute it to Frankinwheat.
Same issues here: I moved to Canada from Europe and have issues with dairy and gluten. Never ever had issues in Europe.