Why does coconut and avocado give me diarrhea?

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Hi Stephanie 

I have tried to do AIP once (I have hashimotos and low cortisol). So when I tried AIP I got severe diarrhoea, I am pretty sure it's the fat content, I surmise that  it's because I have been on a diet most of my adult life, all of which have been low fat. 

I cannot stomach anything coconut based or avocado. Just the smell makes my stomach turn and if I try to eat either, I wretch. 

Is there a way I can still do AIP without coconut and avocado, and not end up running to the toilet? 

To add to the mix I am recovering from binge eating disorder. 

Thanks in advance 

Sarah

Thanks for writing in Sarah. I have to say, I think you are right about the fat content of the AIP diet. Elimination diets like that one can be a great option to find out just what foods you are sensitive to and it is okay if it’s not working for you. I’ve got some things I want you to think about:

Do you have pain between your shoulder blades? Maybe not all the time but occasionally? If so this is a sign that your gallbladder is not able to do its job, likely due to not having free flowing bile. If you have thick and viscous bile, it will be even more thick and viscous in your gallbladder because it is concentrated there. This is not a 100% for sure sign as pain there can be related to other things like nerve impingements, frozen shoulder, bursitis and more. Just something to think about.

Sounds like your stomach is getting upset. This is again related to bile production and the ability to digest fats or break them down. It might indicate you need some gallbladder support. Maybe some enzymes with lipase in the formulation or even bile acids- often referred to as ox bile. It will help you break down your fats and allow you to consume some of those healthy fats and then make healthy bile in your liver. When your bile can’t emulsify fats (think of how a dish soap can dissolve grease on a pan- same idea with bile and fat in your gut) that can irritate the small intestine.

Are you seeing greasy or shiny stools in the toilet? If so this indicates that there is a decreased output of bile from the gallbladder which will cause fat to remain undigested in the small intestine leading to greasy or shiny stools or floating stools. Again, bile salts can help get things working again.

As far as the coconut and avocado go- you don’t have to eat them. AIP can simply be about eliminating the required foods and then reintroducing them one at a time to figure out which foods your body doesn’t like. It is not meant to be a lifelong diet. When doing AIP, your vegetable intake should be really high. You should be eating veggies at every meal and a lot of them. You can get your fats from olive oil. In fact, you only need less than a tablespoon of fat daily to get enough fat in so you can easily skip coconut and avocado. Now I have said in the past that some people continue this diet long term and you can as long as you get all your nutrients in. Going low carb on this diet can really mess up your energy levels, especially if your body isn’t processing fat very well right now.

Since you are recovering from a binge eating disorder, you are walking a slippery slope with this diet because it is so restrictive it can trigger old thoughts and feelings. Since I don’t know anything about what your current diet looks like, it is hard to tell you where to start, but- I would consider easing in to this if you do it at all. Before you eliminate a bunch of foods, start adding in some nutrients. Add in bone broth, soups, lots and lots of veggies. Then start by eliminating the big gluten grains- wheat, barley, spelt. Get good at that for some time while continuing to fill your body up with those healing foods- broth and veggies. If you can do organ meats, go for it. They are not my thing but they can be good for you too as long as they are from clean animals raised on pasture- low on chemicals in other words.

Work on getting good rest/sleep and managing stress while eating all the veggies. Did I say you need to eat veggies? You do. Women in general need more carbs, especially at certain times of the month. So honor where you have been with your disordered eating and don’t make your life all about the food. If this diet doesn’t work for you, that is okay. There are other elimination diets out there.

I’d like to say too that eliminating the beans and legumes for a time on AIP may be helpful for some people but those foods are really nutrient dense and it’s okay to eat them. Obviously soaking and sprouting beans is helpful but please don’t feel guilty about eating them.

I’ve learned so much about food in the last 9 months in this masters program and I just want you to know that it’s okay if this diet doesn’t work for you and it’s okay if you find another way to heal. I think so many of us, including myself, get caught up in all the social media personalities telling us what works for them. We need to remind ourselves that what works for some people doesn’t work for everyone.

I did AIP- I didn’t feel good on it because I didn’t eat enough of anything except bacon and a lot of coconut and a lot of avocado and not enough protein and definitely not enough veggies. I crashed hard and had really low energy for years. When you have low energy to begin with you get in to this vicious cycle of not enough energy, not enough energy to make the food, not enough energy to eat and so on. On days where I ate enough protein and carbohydrate (in the form of veggies upon veggies), my energy levels started to come up and I started to feel better. Then when I slacked off, I felt like crap. My body, in particular needs more carbs. I feel better on them. I eat rice and regular white potatoes now and my body loves me for it. I’m able to be active again and it feels really good.

Bottom line- do what works for you. That’s all any of us can do. Find your individual version of AIP and go with it.

I hope that helps you! Thanks for writing in.

Do you have a question you want answered about Hashimoto’s or even about nutrition in general? Please send me a message at either helpforhashimotos@gmail.com or fill out the contact form on my website. OutofThewoodsnutrition.com . I look forward to hearing from you!

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Until next time.