What happens when ADHD, IBS, and gut health collide? My first 4 days on the low FODMAP diet — the chaos, cravings, kids waving snacks in my face, and the shocking benefits I’ve already noticed
Trust Your Gut? Yeah, Right.
Living with ADHD and IBS feels like my brain and belly made a toxic friendship pact behind my back. One’s bouncing off the walls chasing dopamine, the other’s sulking in the corner like a diva with a hangover. And me? I’m the referee stuck in the middle.
ADHD & Food: The Savage Truth
ADHD brains run on chaos fuel.
Forget to eat until you’re starving, then inhale crisps like you’re in training for the Hunger Games.
Hyperfixate on one food (Pepsi Max & hash browns 👋) until your gut calls the police.
Executive dysfunction makes “meal prep” sound like a war crime.
Food isn’t just food with ADHD. It’s dopamine, comfort, rebellion, and sometimes, pure gut sabotage.
IBS: The Diva of the Gut
IBS has one personality trait: dramatic.
Too much fruit? Flare.
Wrong bread? Flare.
Dare to enjoy Haribo? IBS screams like you’ve committed treason.
It’s like living with a toddler that changes the rules daily. Some days cheese is fine, some days cheese = gut apocalypse.
The Gut-Brain Axis (aka The Drama Hotline)
Quick science bit (because it actually matters):
Your gut and brain talk via the vagus nerve.
90% of serotonin (happy chemical) is made in yoWhat I’ve cut out: onion, garlic, apples, pears, mango, wheat, honey, sneaky sweeteners. Basically: joy.
What’s left: rice, potatoes, chicken, eggs, cheese, lactose-free stuff, and fruit in stingy portions (like 8 grapes. Not 9. Don’t get cocky).
The plan: eliminate, then reintroduce one by one, like a police line-up.
“Was it you, onion, who ruined my week? Or you, apple?”
ur gut.
Stress ramps up ADHD symptoms → gut flares → mood tanks → ADHD worsens → hello vicious cycle.
So no, it’s not “all in my head.” It’s in my head and my gut, both screaming at the same time.
The Low FODMAP Diet (aka Beige Food Prison)
What I’ve cut out: onion, garlic, apples, pears, mango, wheat, honey, sneaky sweeteners. Basically: joy.
What’s left: rice, potatoes, chicken, eggs, cheese, lactose-free stuff, and fruit in stingy portions (like 8 grapes. Not 9. Don’t get cocky).
The plan: eliminate, then reintroduce one by one, like a police line-up.
“Was it you, onion, who ruined my week? Or you, apple?”
My First 4 Days = A Rollercoaster 🎢
Day 1 – The Smug Start
Scrambled eggs, bacon, rice, carrots. Felt like a Pinterest mum.
Day 2 – 2am Belly Ache
Googled “how many peas can I eat” like a lunatic. Answer: one tablespoon. Who measures peas?
Day 3 – Magic Stars Are My Villain Origin Story
Kids opened chocolate in front of me. IBS belly said, “don’t even think about it.” Settled for cheese cubes and grapes, glaring like a Victorian ghost.
Day 4 – ADHD vs IBS Smackdown
Cravings peaked. Brain: “crisps for dinner.” Gut: “go ahead, I dare you.” Sulked all night but stuck to plan.
The Unexpected Wins
Here’s the wild bit: it’s actually working.
Bloating? Almost gone.
Eating 3 meals a day (ADHD me is shook).
Diarrhoea isn’t daily anymore.
Had my first proper shit since I was 17. No drama, no tears. Just a functioning bowel like a normal person.
What I’m Hopeful For
this keeps working, I’m dreaming of:
🌙 No more 2am toilet trips.
⚡ More energy instead of food hangovers.
🥗 Actually enjoying meals instead of surviving on beige.
👖 Wearing jeans without pain.
🧠 A calmer brain because my gut isn’t the main character anymore
ADHD vs FODMAP = Kitchen Hunger Games
ADHD says: “Eat the same thing every day.”
IBS says: “Do that and I’ll gut punch you.”
So now I take photos of every meal like a wannabe influencer, except instead of #aesthetic, it’s #IBSInvestigation
The Kids = My Food Villains 😂
They’re not being mean, they’re just kids. But sitting there with rice and cheese while they:
Crunch Pringles two inches from my ear.
Open Haribos I can smell from another room.
Offer me pizza like they’re saints.
…it feels like torture.
My Survival Tactics (So Far)
Safe snacks everywhere (Babybels, GF biscuits, crisps).
Night smoothies to stop me raiding cupboards.
Batch-cooking rice & chicken so future-me doesn’t starve.
Tracking flares like a detective solving petty crime.
Pep talks: “This isn’t punishment. This is data.”2
Things I’d Sell My Soul For Right Now
1. Garlic bread with extra garlic butter.
2. Haribo Tangfastics without the IBS death sentence.
3. A cheeseburger with a fluffy wheat bun.
4. Pizza without needing a will written first.
5. Eating an apple without Googling if it’ll ruin my week.
6. Crunching Doritos without my gut calling 999.
7. Onion rings. Enough said.
Why I’m Sharing This
Because this diet is HARD.
Because ADHD already makes food a full-time maths problem.
Because IBS doesn’t just hurt your stomach — it hijacks your life.
If you’ve ever felt like your gut controls your brain or your ADHD makes food impossible, you’re not broken. You’re surviving a war between two drama queens who both want to be in charge.
Right now I’m 4 days in. Some days I scream over crisps, some days I sulk at rice, and some days I cry over the smell of pizza. But I’m learning. And if all else fails? I’ll be in the kitchen at 11pm making another smoothie, because at least that way everyone shuts up for a bit.
Comments
Post a Comment