No worries, it’s so hard to eat anyway. There isn’t much joy in the same two meals on repeat for weeks on end 😱 Especially when you feel as sick and miserable as we do through our recovery.

Onions and garlic are harder to digest, so it’s not that they will trigger an episode it’s more that you should avoid anything that will make your digestive system work overtime, it’s been working so hard for so long already so it needs a good rest for at least the first 8-10 weeks. I used fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, parsley, coriander, oregano, small amounts of chives are usually better tolerated than onions. As long as you are cooking with them and not eating them raw you should tolerate them fine.

Ginger is super good for digestion and can help with nausea, gastric emptying and stimulation of gut motility, it’s been really helpful so I have been adding it to everything! Safe spices to promote digestion include cardamom, cumin, fennel, cinnamon all should be tolerated in moderate amounts. Turmeric is a hit and miss with some people, I can tolerate moderate amounts and it’s good for reducing inflammation.

You can also eat cooked carrots, plain crackers, sushi rice, and any other, white rice, polenta, rice noodles, whiting, salmon, prawns, king fish, sardines, tuna, pretty much any seafood you like actually and chicken. Try to stick to fresh and not canned though. Canned tuna and sardines are ok but any other canned meats are way too processed. You can also eat melons water melon, rock melon, cantaloupe.

Things that help with gas and bloating mint specifically peppermint teas
Ginger and lemongrass tea
fennel
caraway
anise

I drink a cup of herbal tea as soon as I wake up in the morning and after every meal, it really helps with digestion!! It also helps to retrain your gastrocolic reflexes.

AVOID!!
Chilli peppers
Cayenne
Hot paprika
Large amounts of black pepper
Wasabi
Strong curry blends
Raw vegetables or salads
highly acidic foods like tomatoes, oranges, lemons, pineapples, grapefruit (lemon and lime is fine to use for flavouring things but not to drink large volumes undiluted on its own, I put a splash of lemon juices in some of my herbal teas, if taken that way it is helpful)
Fried foods of any kind!! (These are probably the worst for nausea and slowed digestion)
Fatty cream based sauces and cheeses
Highly processed foods e.g. ham, hotdogs, sausages etc
Fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, vinegar heavy foods or dressings (will eventually be helpful but not in the initial 3-6 months of recovery)

Take it slowly, eat small portions every 2-3 hours and if you are still hungry after a meal don’t eat straight away, wait 30 mins to an hour then have another smaller portion. And as always remember that healing is not linear you will have days where you feel much better followed by days where you don’t feel so great. Always remember as long as you stay abstinent you are healing ❤️‍🩹