I suffer from mild IBS, and tend towards gastritis. At its worst I can be quite sick if antagonised with poor diet or beer.

I have started to amend my diet accordingly. When I did some research on trigger foods, I was also surprised to see that I ticked all the boxes big time.

Can anyone check what I'm now doing and see if it is the right way of going about things, and any suggestions welcome.

I gave up alcohol a few weeks ago, and (unfortunately) this has greatly helped.

I'm now organising my diet around complex carbs, fruit and veg, eg, porridge, potatoes, brown rice, bananas, pappaya, mango, greens and beans. And I'm cutting out a lot of the rubbishy sugary stuff.

Because I suspect I can only handle small quantities of lactose, my first 'testing' food is lactose products, and so I have cut out ice cream and yoghurt, and thai style tea, which I used to indulge in big time. I am still taking a dash of milk in my tea. I must say I feel quite a difference in just 3 days although it's too early to tell.

I suspect my incredible tea intake also needs to be limited so I am holding it down to 8 cups (4 lipton tea bags)

A friend of mine suggested I might derive great benefit from bicarb of soda, so I am taking it twice a day, about a quarter of a teaspoonful dissolved in water. Is this ok?

I don't know if it is a combination of all the above, or the bicarb on its own, but I am suddenly flying up the stairs to my flat and sometimes go up to the top just for the fun of it, and I'm pushing weights in the gym I stopped doing 10 years ago.

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I am moderately lactose intolerant -- a glass of milk (or a bowl of ice cream) makes me gassy and my intestines gurgle -- but I have no problems with cheese or yoghurt.

There are also chewable lactase enzyme tablets (LactAid) that will allow you to consume lactose without dire consequences if you want to indulge now and then. I'm not sure if a steady diet of LactAid has any adverse effects?

Baking soda is supposed to alkalize, neutralize the stomach (to prevent over-acidity) So a teaspoon of it in a litre of water would be enough. But 1 teaspoon in a glass of water has a quicker effect of course.

Cutting out sugar is always good. Honey for the honeys. Or melasse.

You could try not to eat fruit during or after a meal, but 30 minutes before a meal of when your meal has been digested.

Or find out what yeast and certain grains (wheat e.g.) do to you. I am a big breadlover with good cheese, but I rarely eat it.

Same with dairy, ricemilk has become my favourite.

Flying up the stairs for ...euhm...FUN? Jeez...baking soda has never had that effect on me... sadly...

I think your new lifestyle has turned you into Kent Clark

Cheers, with a glass of baking soda water ...!

I have very high stomach acid (always have--even when I was a young child). I routinely--usually every evening about bedtime take some baking soda in water. I don't think there is any health risk as long as you don't have problems with blood pressure. Fortunately, I have no blood pressure issues.

Be careful of too much sodium in your diet.

Bicarb would give temporary relief from upper GI distress like heartburn, but would not be likely to do anything for IBS. And it is not the best for upper GI upsets either given it's sodium content and other concerns. A simple antacid would be better for that

OP - sounds like (1) your prior diet was extremely unhealthy from every point of view and (2) food intolerance of some sort may be behind your bowel issues. Lactose and gluten intolerance being the 2 most common culprits, but any type of food allergy is possible.

Plan to test the introduction of suspect foods, one by one, is a good one.

If it turns out you are lactose intolerant, you've got plenty of company in SE Asia and there are many soy-based milk substitutes as well as lactose-free milks on the market.

Thanks for all the advice and discussion. Yes it pretty much can be summed up as Sheryl states, and ironically all the good food I eat, eg, whole grain bread, yoghurt, and  beans  may be compounding the problem. I can eat up to half a loaf of bread a day, and see off a few pots of yoghurt albeit organic.

Thinking about it my greater energy may be  because I no longer have acid reflux it disappeared as soon as I quit beer, and I feel more confident about exertion and don't suffer from shortness of breath caused by the mucous coming up.

My angle on the bicarb was simply this: bicarb creates a more alkaline environment, thus less yeast and bacterial growth in small and large intestines, so one potential problem cured/averted, but I suppose I can just as easily get the same effect from lime/lemon juice and helpings of fruit and greens, without the problem of sodium.

I also like the idea of spacing between meals and perhaps eating a bit of fruit before or  after.

Obviously, you must be doing something right...that's why you're feeling better.

But also...I don't know what your blood pressure is like...but for me Sodium (and espicially salt in many foods) is a trigger for my high blood pressure problem (controlled).

You would probably be surprised if you read the actual incredients of the labels of many "healthy" foods...bread being one of them...how much salt and sugar is added to even "whole-wheat" bread you buy in a supermarket. I've been there before, so I know.

Also regarding Tea. If you don't mind the slightly bitter taste, Japanese GreenTea is available here in Bangkok and I assume most places in Thailand. I like the taste, but I can understand some people might not. But there also, be careful. What you want is the real Green Tea...no salt or sugar additives. Just Tea leaves or teabags.

As a footnote perhaps, people don't confuse baking powder, baking soda and bicarbonate of soda, soduim bi-carbonate.....

Yes don't mix up bicarbonate of soda with anything else.

About sodium : my understanding was that the important relationship is the balance between sodium and potassium, and so I was working on the assumption that an increase in sodium is ok providing it's backed up with an increase in potassium. Is this erroneous?

Also, as I do a lot of exercise and clearly get dehydrated I thought again taking extra salt might be beneficial. When we sweat a lot do we lose sodium?

I think I'll cut back on the bicarb anyway.

About sodium : my understanding was that the important relationship is the balance between sodium and potassium, and so I was working on the assumption that an increase in sodium is ok providing it's backed up with an increase in potassium. Is this erroneous?

yes, it is (erroneous). Taking in more potassium will not compensate for excess sodium intake. The healthy level of potassium in the body is a very narrow range your kidneys will simply excrete the excess anyhow (unless you seriously overload on potassium in which case it is quite dangerous). Your kidneys will also maintain sodium levels where they should be but the task of handling too much sodium triggers hypertension in susceptible people (that is a great oversimplification, the mechanism by which sodium intake affects BP is very complex).

Allso, as I do a lot of exercise and clearly get dehydrated I thought again taking extra salt might be beneficial. When we sweat a lot do we lose sodium?

yes, you do, but the best way to replenish it is with a balanced electrolyte solution such as coconut water and various sports drinkes. Orange juice or lemonade as sold in Thailand also works as they add a dash of salt to it normally. Bicarb has way more sodium than you eed to replace losses from sweating.

The dangers of excess sodium intake do vary greatly by individual. Fior younger people with no BP, heart or kidney problems, not a biggie. As one gets older and/or starts to have problems in those areas, need to start being conscious of it.

BTW the very worst offenders in terms of sodium are processed foods of any kind.

Sodium bicarbonate used as an anti acid has no real benefit. It will neutralise stomach acid for a very short period but the body usually reacts by producing more acid; rebound effect. This is why anti-acids are buffered to act over a longer period of time.

As a health benefit on its own, doubtful; certainly not to the level of having anyone 'fly' up the stairs!! Large amounts may have an impact on blood pressure over time.

Sodium bicarbonate used as an anti acid has no real benefit. It will neutralise stomach acid for a very short period but the body usually reacts by producing more acid; rebound effect. This is why anti-acids are buffered to act over a longer period of time.

As a health benefit on its own, doubtful; certainly not to the level of having anyone 'fly' up the stairs!! Large amounts may have an impact on blood pressure over time.

Maybe I just was exceptionally clear of snot and sinus problems had abated to such an extent that I felt unusually fit and well. I think bicarb is pretty good for clearing mucous, so I'll go back to nasal rinsing with it, previouly I just used saline solution.

Those sinus problems are now back with full force, and I have had a very bad throat/tonsil infection, it also caused gastritis and a couple of episodes of vomiting. It just seems to me that my whole digestive tract upper and lower is very easily irritated, and indeed it starts right at the nose and ends up where the sun doesn't shine. is it possible that my sinus problems can cause such a knock on effect? is it possible that pollution alone can cause my health problems?

I reckon now for sure I am lactose intolerant, but can handle milk in tea, foodstuffs, etc, 1 large ice cream is a different matter and I get bloating, gas, IBS symptoms. As I have added this in, taken it out, and added it back in, I think I can feel fairly sure this is a trigger food.

For sure porridge oats is a very, very stabilising meal for me. Now I heard that this has a lot of gluten, so I guess it is safe for me to assume I am not gluten intolerant. Needless to say I will be adding grain cerals to the shopping list one by on.

Any comments, thoughts gratefully appreciated. I am particularly interested in more bulking foods.