Wendy Leung: To meat or not to meat?
That is the IBS question I'm answering today, so stay tuned to find the answer.
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Wendy Leung: If you're not sure what meats are safe for your IBS, by the end of this
video, you'll have a few tips to help you plan your meals.
I'm Wendy Leung: Holistic Health & Happiness Coach, Licensed Acupuncturist, and Powerhouse
IBS Conqueror.
I used to struggle with my food triggers too.
I teach my clients how to avoid flaring IBS symptoms without losing nutrients, and now
I'm sharing with you too.
Wendy Leung: Meat.
If you're watching this video, then you're probably not a vegan or a vegetarian, but
you might be trying to figure out if you need to be in order to help calm your IBS.
You'll be happy to know that the answer to that question is no.
Wendy Leung: When I was struggling with my own IBS back in the day, I did a deep dive
into my diet and I cut out a lot of trigger foods, but I didn't need to eliminate meat
altogether in order to get better, and neither do you.
Before you go running off to the deli counter, you need to remember that not all meats are
safe in all circumstances.
Wendy Leung: You might have already noticed that some meats tend to aggravate your symptoms
more than others.
Why is this the case?
How do you avoid these carnivorous flareups?
Have you noticed which meats trigger your IBS symptoms?
Let me know what they are in the comments below.
Wendy Leung: There's a wide variety of foods that fall into the meat category.
Red meats like beef, goat, lamb, pork, poultry like chicken, turkey duck and seafood.
All different kinds of fish, shell fish, octopus, squid.
All of these foods don't just taste different.
They have different textures and they cook differently too.
Wendy Leung: Why is this important?
You might remember me saying that from a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective or TCM for short,
our digestive system is like a campfire.
We need to feed at the right food to fuel your body and avoid eating the wrong foods
that might flare it up or make it sluggish or put it out altogether.
Wendy Leung: With IBS, we have two main goals for your food.
The first is to create nutrients for energy for your body and to support your gut healing.
The second is to avoid damaging your gut further.
Your digestive fire is already burning low, so you need to make sure that you choose foods
that are easy to digest so that your weak gut is able to process them into nutrients
to give you more energy and also to help heal your gut.
Wendy Leung: How does this apply to eating meat?
Let's go back to earlier when I said that different meats have different textures.
This is important because some meats are tougher and harder on the digestive system than others.
Wendy Leung: Imagine the difference between chewing on a piece of steak versus a piece
of fish.
A good tip to follow is if it's harder on your teeth, it's also harder on your gut.
Generally speaking, chicken and fish are easier on your IBS gut than red meats are.
Wendy Leung: Now, you might be wondering about eating clean, organic, non-GMO foods.
Yes, these are things to consider.
With IBS, it's already super overwhelming to try and even figure out which foods you
can eat, so you want to start at the most basic level, and that's taking a look at the
properties of the foods themselves.
Wendy Leung: Remember, that our two food priorities with IBS is to make sure that we're not weakening
your gut further and that we're also eating foods that can create nutrients and energy
that can help heal your gut.
It's like the difference between a beginner and an advanced swimmer.
The beginner needs to learn how to float first before training for the individual medley.
Wendy Leung: Your IBS gut is a beginner swimmer that's in danger of drowning.
Once it's stronger and knows how to float, then we can consider food sources.
Think about it this way.
Beef from no matter what source will be tougher to digest than chicken or fish.
Wendy Leung: Now, don't get me wrong.
I'm not saying that red meats are an absolute no-no.
If they're stewed, then they can be more tender and easier on the digestive system, and that's
why how you cook your foods is equally important too, which brings us to the last tip.
Wendy Leung: If you've been watching my channel, then you know that the TCM golden rule of
thumb for IBS is to eat warm, simple, cooked foods.
That's because these foods are the easiest to digest.
When it comes to meats, it's important that they're cooked and that they're served hot
or warm.
Wendy Leung: Steak tartare and sashimi are delicious, but they are both IBS no-nos.
If you want to learn more about this golden rule, check out the episode, IBS Foods to
Eat, where I explained a little bit more about why this rule is so important.
Wendy Leung: Remember though that everyone's food triggers are a little different, which
is why I can't just give you a list of meats that are safe and not so safe, but if you
want a few more ideas for simple, warm cooked meals, sign up for my newsletter and I will
send you a mini recipe book right to your inbox.
The link is in the description box below.
Wendy Leung: I know that it can be frustrating and discouraging to try and navigate your
IBS symptoms, your food triggers and you're healing all on your own.
That's because sometimes you just don't know what you don't know.
That's why I created Conquer IBS Reignite Your Life mentorship program so I can guide
you through that process and teach you everything you need to know to put your IBS behind you
for good.
Wendy Leung: If you want to learn how to work with me, the link is in the description box
too.
If you like this video, let me know by liking it below, drop a comment with the word helpful.
Let me know what your biggest takeaway was.
Also, make sure that you share all this information, my channel, my videos with all of the fellow
IBS Conquerors that you know, because I want to be spreading the word that IBS is not a
forever thing so that I can help you guys beat this together.
Wendy Leung: I have so much more to share with you about all things IBS related, so
make sure that you stay tuned, subscribe to my channel and hit that bell so that you're
getting those notifications every time a new video is posted.