Nuts and IBS Flare Up?

Nuts have become a favourite healthy snack as they have so many benefits for our wellbeing.

Nuts are supportive of good gut health and recommended for persons with IBS – packed with high fiber, protein, healthy fats, as well as vitamin E, magnesium, phosphorous, copper, manganese and selenium as well as antioxidant properties. Nuts alsohelp with many health conditions like keeping bad cholesterol low, reducing inflammation

They are also low FODMAP and a great portable versatile snack to have on hand. Keeps us IBS peeps from turning to less healthy alternatives when we have nuts on hand. Lots of good reasons to enjoy nuts.

Did you know that you should WASH your nuts BEFORE you eat them? If you do not wash them, you may see yourself feeling worse than better!

We wash our fruits and vegetables routinely to clean them of contaminants, pesticides. It is a common sense thing we do to ensure we ingest healthy foods.

But nuts or seeds that are bought loose and packaged? Why?

Nuts are exposed to pesticides, dirt, may have fungus or bacteria on them.  If you have IBS and are concerned about a flare up, imagine ingesting pesticides, fungus, bacteria and other contaminants.

BEFORE you start eating these nutritious snacks, wash them. Let them soak in water for 10 minutes, some recommend a mix of vinegar and water for deep cleaning. Then rinse them totally clean.  Drying can be done on a clean tea towel to air dry or in the oven which gives them a bit of a roasted flavour.

Soaking has shown to make nuts more easily digestible as well. Some cultures will soak their nuts overnight.

Protect your gut, keep the IBS flare ups at bay by washing your nuts before you eat!

 #ibs #ibsawareness #guthealthcoach