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I've found a stable symptom free dietary point eating very low fat fish and scallops and white rice with occasional beef.

However this diet isn't very tasty.

Whenever I introduce more fat, I get fatigue, extra sleep, mood effects and IBS. It's not an allergic reaction; it's all being driven by the mechanical IBS-D cycle.

Fat malabsorption is the biggest problem I would like to solve about my body. If I could do that, I would enjoy a lot more freedom. Maintaining a relatively flavorless low-fat diet requires continual exercise of willpower and may not even be possible if fat cravings eventually develop.

The causes of my fat malabsorption could be genetic or microfloral or due to medication.

  1. Genetic - My father had IBS, although he is now cured with a far less restrictive diet.
  2. Microfloral - I took many courses of antibiotics during childhood through college due to allergies and sinus infections.
  3. Medication - I took an accutane course in college for acne, and wasn't getting much sunlight at the time, which can exacerbate the negative effects.

My hypothesis is that some kind of enhancement of my microflora can improve my ability to digest fat.

I do not believe that methods like bone broth or GAPS diet will work. Gradual reintroduction is not effective for me. I have been on a relatively stable symptomless diet for a long time with only minor infractions and no corresponding increased ability to digest forbidden foods. It is not an issue of lingering inflammation.

I am looking for 1. Scientific literature regarding what specific bacteria I may be missing (or perhaps what's overgrown) 2. Low impact ways of ingesting said bacteria without triggering my IBS. 3. Alternate hypotheses and evidence that contradict my theory and interpretation of the facts.

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 your liver may have problems digesting fat, that is you could have a sluggish liver which isn't used to fat. Did you try milk thistle extract? – Primordial Sep 17 2011 at 17:40
No I haven't, thanks for the tip. That's the kind of thing I'm looking for. – Joseph Buchignani Sep 17 2011 at 17:53
Since by far my best vitality results are with scallops, logic dictates that I eat scallop risotto going forward. That reflects my commitment to maximimum performance for the kingdom, regardless of flavor. To address the flavorlessness issue with scallops, I can get a non-stick small frying pan. Rice will be cooked in the rice cooker and then transferred to the frying pan with a batch of scallops and cooked until the rice absorbs the juices and "fries" and the scallops brown to crispyness. That should be sufficiently delicious and satisfy the craving for carmelized carbs and meat. – Joseph Buchignani Sep 17 2011 at 18:13
This will also resolve my issue with excess fat consumption, since that is a temptation arising from choices in cuts of fish meat. There are no scallop cuts that have excessive fat. So I will simply stop eating fish to avoid the problem. – Joseph Buchignani Sep 17 2011 at 18:13
However I will also try the ideas suggested here, and I found a great post by qualia here that has many ideas: paleohacks.com/questions/19876/… – Joseph Buchignani Sep 17 2011 at 18:14

6 Answers

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What fermented foods have you tried, as Dragonfly commented on?

Have you tried digestive enzymes?

http://www.iherb.com/Now-Foods-Pancreatin-High-Potency-4x-500-mg-250-Capsules/716?at=0

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i haven't simply because most purchasable ones contain sugar or other chemicals that I react badly to. I'd have to make it myself. I was thinking fermented fish maybe. Seems risky though. I haven't tried probiotics and enzymes in a looong time, since long before I found out that food intolerances were a problem. I'll pick some up, they might help. – Joseph Buchignani Sep 18 2011 at 7:58
NOW brand is really good but Thorne and Ness are also excellent (typically dye-free, gluten-free, soy-free, blah blah) but obviously if you have super high chemical sensitivities, watch for reactions. Personally I've been dealing with metal related gut dysbiosis. Very few things work and it is frustrating. The enzymes help to control SIBO -- when FOOD is broken down to useful parts, means less to putrify, ferment and annoy/irritate the gut! Digestion is a GOOD THING whether it is assisted temporarily or not. Wish you luck and hope to hear of your wonderful experiences in an update! – grace Sep 18 2011 at 20:12
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I would try cutting out the carbs (rice) entirely in favour of fats (coconut oil, mostly, as it had gut healing properties). If you don't ask your body to use the fat, it will compete with the carbs for absorption and lose. It will take the body some time to adjust, so you may have fatty stools for the first week or so. You could try cutting down the rice and upping the fat simultaneously until you have reached a low-carb (1/2c of rice daily) high fat (100 grams or so) diet.

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My fat tolerance is unchanged even on a purely ketogenic all-meat diet. – Joseph Buchignani Sep 17 2011 at 17:34
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how long did you try that all meat diet?

and why are you opposed to trying the gaps diet?

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As I understand it, bone broth and GAPS involve eating liquidized fat and well-cooked veggies. I avoid both because they give me IBS-D. It seems to be a non-starter. – Joseph Buchignani Sep 17 2011 at 17:51
I think I've gone a few months max, usually a month or several weeks. – Joseph Buchignani Sep 17 2011 at 17:53
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Can you tolerate kombucha? (Non-fat) kefir? Both have helped me heal my gut flora.

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the non-fat option sounds interesting, thanks. – Joseph Buchignani Sep 18 2011 at 7:55
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Have you ruled out problems with bile? Sufficient bile is required to emulsify fats so they can be absorbed (why it's an issue for those w/o a gallbladder). Liver is responsible for bile production ... and it's unfortunate that some of the best sources for the nutrients the liver needs (like choline) are in healthy fats (like beef liver, pastured egg yolks, etc). You can supplement bile salts, so that may be worth an experiment, though it's worth being cautious with that if you have a functional gallbladder; I've heard the liver can become dependent on them.

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that's a good angle, I haven't ruled it out. Judging by the daily value tables I might be a little low on choline with a diet of scallops and fish, although it doesn't seem like that should happen, theoretically speaking. – Joseph Buchignani Sep 18 2011 at 7:57
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i took bile salts from starndard process along with kefir and it helps alot.

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