I was having a “conversation” (ok, we were twittering) with the very helpful Mark earlier, who also writes for Cyclosport, and as a result of part of our chat, he suggested to me that I could add another string to my blogging bow.  Well you know me, never one to miss an opportunity to blog about something! 😉  So…

It can’t have escaped your notice that I’ve been having some food/diet issues.  I’ll spare you the gory details, not that the details are gory, more painful and/or uncomfortable…but that’s not relevant.  It all started for real on New Year’s Day and has been pretty constant ever since.  Which at least makes it easier to keep track of how long it’s been going on, right?  I’ve had various tests and scans to rule out the sinister, and the current thought is some sort of IBS.  Why?  Who knows?  It may be, apparently, at least partially due to the use of ibuprofen (google the side-effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatories) for my knee problem.  However the why is less important that dealing with the what.

I was referred to this dietetic consultant and as of last week, I’ve been put on a low FODMAP and lactose free diet for 8 weeks.  With, of course, no ibuprofen.  This will show whether or not my symptoms respond to a low FODMAP diet.  If so, we then start re-introducing foods bit by bit and seeing which ones I personally am sensitive to.  If I don’t respond to it, or don’t respond sufficiently, then I guess it’s something else and the investigations continue…

The low FODMAP diet is a way of managing the symptoms of IBS, and FODMAP stands for

• Fermentable
• Oligo-saccharides (fructans & galacto-oligosaccharides)
• Di-saccharides (lactose)
• Mono-saccharides (fructose)
• And
• Polyolds (sugar alcohols)

You have no idea how complicated this is.  I can barely pronounce half of those things, and I certainly can’t remember them when I’m trying to explain it to anyone.  Check out this example of a list of what I can and cannot eat.   The things I have to avoid!   There are many such lists, many opinions…this is the ‘net after all…so to keep things simple I’m going by the books my dietician has given me.  After all that’s what I’m paying her for, right?  I wish it was as simple as gluten free, which would actually be easier.  Buy the gluten free products – job done.  Sadly not.  This is no wheat, rye, barley, flour, pasta, gnocchi, noodles, no pulses, a whole heap of banned veg/fruit, most annoying of which are onion and garlic.  The lists go on, and on, and on…  And that’s before you rule out the allowed things that are not lactose free!

I had to wait a long time to see the dietician, as she’s a busy lady, but I knew low FODMAP was why I was being referred, so I’ve sort of been trying to do it in a haphazard fashion for a few weeks.  The strict diet, all informed, with lists to hand, only started on Monday.  I have to admit to a tendency to being lazy about it, especially when it’s just me.  Rice cakes + ham, or nutella, and I’m fine, so I tend to stick to what I know and eat that.  However, as I’m sure you’ll be keen to tell me, this doesn’t precisely count as a balanced diet!  So I think it’s fair to say I haven’t really gotten the hang of it yet.  On top up that, when I do venture beyond the boring, I keep slipping up.  For example last night’s camembert is FODMAP safe…but it isn’t lactose free – something I am now more than aware of.  Due to the restrictive nature of the diet I am becoming more and more aware of what I eat and what, if any, effect it has on me.  I’d say this was interesting, but to be honest, I’m getting more than a little bored of it all now.  As for explaining myself to everyone else…I’m boring myself rigid even if not my audience!  The last thing I want to be is one of those fussy eaters who bore/annoy everyone in equal measure…

Whether or not IBS turns out to be the diagnosis, sticking to the diet seems to be helping at least partially.  I am approaching this in a similar way to how I deal with a sportive, I am breaking it down into manageable chunks.  I am not thinking about the long-term as yet, since that is, as yet, an unknown quantity.  Right now it’s just about the next 8 weeks.  About fuelling myself for my sportives, eating to recover after them, and getting me up those Dolomites.  There’s no way I’m playing around and re-introducing foods, and presumably their related symptoms, before then.

So I’m now setting about finding out what I can eat, what I can cook.  And to counteract my terribly flawed diet, I’ve got enough vitamin supplements and the like to take that Zipvit now consider me a valued customer and dispatch such things first class.  And I don’t want to hear your opinions as to whether or not they work as if I believe they do, me and the placebo effect will be very happy together ;).

Now I can’t be, and in fact I know I’m not, the only cyclist having problems with diet and fuelling.  So I’m going to be sharing some of my dietary successes and, no doubt, failures with you.  After all, it’s clearly going to be a large part of my cycling, so it might as well be part of my blog too!

Let’s start with my first success – always good to start on a high note right?

This week I made a beef stir fry with ginger, green chilli, strips of beef, carrots, green beans, bean sprouts, rice noodles, oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, and fresh coriander – added in pretty much that order, and not all that precisely.  All “safe” ingredients.

It was quite tasty, though possibly needs something to give it a little more oomph.  Next time…

To follow on, and because we could, we (being youngest and I) made a cake.  A Lemon and Orange Cake, recipe courtesy of BBC Good Food.  Which was, not to put too fine a point on it, totally awesome!  I was a bit worried that the mashed potato wouldn’t work as we were using leftover mashed potato from the night before – ie with lactose free milk and butter in it – but OMG!  It was awesome.  I have to say was, because I ate the last bit at lunchtime today *grin*.  It was moist and fluffy and citrussy and possibly one of the best cakes I’ve ever eaten, let alone made!  I’m really hoping I can duplicate that success again soon.  Well, it’s got mashed potato in, so it’s practically carb loading, right? 😉

The best thing about this meal?  Well, several best things actually.  It had two courses.  I actually ate real food.  There were no serious consequences – though next time it’ll be lactofree butter in the cake and the mash.  And, here’s the real biggie, the whole family could eat it, ate it with me, and liked it.  It was almost like being normal or something! *grin*.

There you go Mark – now look what you’ve started! 😉