Several people have emailed us to say that they can’t eat apples whether peeled or unpeeled because they trigger IBS symptoms or other digestive problems. Perhaps you’re one of them. Chances are, if you can’t eat apples, you have trouble with some other fruits as well, like cherries, apricots, plums, pears, mangos, nectarines or watermelon.
I don’t know about you, but I’m not willing to spend my whole lifetime avoiding cherries. Or apples. So, in a minute, I’m going to tell you about a technology I recently experienced that let me enjoy eating fruit again.
Why is fruit a problem? According to Dr. Sue Shepherd, who developed the FODMAP diet over 10 years ago in Australia, it’s the excess fructose and/or polyols in certain fruits that make them so hard to digest, especially when you have IBS.
Guess what else is on her hit list? Avocado, inulin, wheat and mushrooms, to name a few. I picked these four because they are sources of soluble fibre like several of the fruits listed in the first paragraph. Usually, soluble fiber foods are helpful for people with IBS, but you may have had trouble with them. (Actually you might have trouble with wheat for additional reasons, but that’s a subject for another blog post.)
The point is, from the FODMAP perspective, there is a long list of foods that are problematic when you suffer from IBS. (Curiously, many of the foods on Dr. Shepherd’s list – though not all of them – are foods that you would avoid if you followed the Paleo or Primal diet, which could be a reason Paleo helps some people heal from IBS.)
A few of these problem foods are best avoided by everyone – high fructose corn syrup and dairy products are two examples. But there are other foods that would usually be considered part of a healthy diet. Garlic and onions, asparagus, dandelion greens (for centuries, these were used for “spring cleaning” the body), and, yes… the humble apple.
Okay, so we know from Dr. Shepherd’s findings that when you eat apples and the foods on the FODMAP list, if IBS or other digestive symptoms are triggered, you’re better off avoiding them.
But what if you like cherries – or apples – and you don’t want to spend your whole life avoiding them? Is there a way to eat them without paying a horrible price?
Well, maybe…
Recently I came across a new technology called BIE. Bioelectric Intolerance Elimination uses a simple muscle testing process to quickly check for food sensitivities (it can also check for other imbalances, but let’s stick with food here.)
Practitioners claim that within four sessions or less, you can increase your tolerance for foods that were former challenges. Like cherries. Or apples.
The treatment process involves stimulating acupressure points with electricity. No, it doesn’t hurt! In fact, when I went for my sessions, I couldn’t even feel it.
Now, I don’t know that I would rely on BIE treatment if I had a throat-closing, anaphylactic, all-out allergic reaction to a certain food – I mean, let’s not get too crazy here. But I found out my body was intolerant to all fruits and I didn’t even know it! Of course, I was reacting poorly to fructose, too.
When I went in for my treatment on fruits, I had eaten some cherries an hour earlier and was feeling nauseated and fatigued as a result. The treatment soon had me feeling better, and the upshot is that I can eat apples, cherries, and other fruits now without symptoms.
So maybe it will work for you. I can’t guarantee that, of course, since it’s your body, but it worked for me.
The BIE literature points out that there are three things that will slow down how well you do with BIE:
• Your stress level,
• The level of toxins in your body, and
• The strength of your immune system
If you have been using The No IBS Program or taken the action steps in our ebook about the 3 crucial secrets to getting better, you will already be way ahead in these areas, so you’ll tend to have better results with your BIE treatment.
If you’re like me and you can’t bear the thought of avoiding apples, cherries, and maybe even garlic for the rest of your life, look into BIE. It could help you bring those delicious foods back into your diet!
Please leave a comment below and let us know if you have…
– tried BIE and what happened for you
– had good luck with apples
– used the FODMAP system and found it helped
– anything else you’d like to comment on in this discussion!
Like this content? Want more? Sign up on the upper right for regular updates and receive a copy of our report on the Top 5 Hidden Triggers of IBS. It’s free!
Need more help with IBS? Check out our ebook: Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome IBS: 3 Crucial Secrets to Getting Better.
Hi there:
Where do you go for this BIE. I can eat bananas a few blueberries and canned peaches. I can not eat apples even in applesauce. I haven’t tried eating anything with wheat in it ever since I was diagnosed as I was told it was not good for you. I, however know that Dr’s just diagnose and send you on your way.
Hi Dianne,
Here’s a link to find practitioners. Apparently, they are only in Canada and the US at this point.
http://www.inht.ca/Practitioners/Practitioners.aspx
I’m one who can’t eat apples, or the avocados you have in your pasta recipe. Not everyone can afford to go to a practioner/specialist for IBS. It is especially difficult when you have a spouse who is totally unsympathetic about IBS. That causes just as much stress as trying to figure out just what I can eat.
Look into zinc carnosine to heal the gut and digestive track. Look into LDN for your immune system and proper motility.
I think I have signed up; but I don’t know if I have the e-big. Where can I get BTE? I have very bad IBS; everything I eat, even the safe foods bother me. Please can you help.
Hii – You’ll need to google Bioelectric Intolerance Elimination practitioners and see if there’s one in your area. If not, you can also look for someone who does electro-dermal testing for food reactions. When you’re that sensitive to foods, you may need to do some EFT Tapping on your symptoms, fears and stresses. There’s plenty of information on this site and you might want to buy our ebook for more help – see the Products page.