Over the past year, we’ve really changed the way we eat, and its affected me in so many ways including my mental and digestive health. I know I’ve talked a lot about how gluten was affecting my husband, my kids and even my own anxiety. But in the process of removing gluten and dieting to get my baby-weight off, I cut down considerably on carbs for many months and that threw my digestive system out of whack.
YES, I lose weight when I don’t eat carbs. And YES I have less anxiety when I eat less carbs (which is BIG for me.)
BUT I also have more constipation. And after being low carb for many months, I’ve discovered that when I do eat them, I get really gassy and bloated. Upset stomach city! BOO. 🙁
So yeah, that’s pretty conflicting information. And while I love losing weight and having less anxiety, I don’t love constipation, gas and bloating.
I’ve tried a few things for both my occasional constipation and gassy, bloated-ness but was looking for some easy expert advice. Because seriously, I hate having digestive problems. Its this huge balancing act for me. I’m naturally prone to constipation. I have been my whole life, but then when I do eat more grains as is recommended I’m just uncomfortable.
For over 7 years, Walgreens has been where my family regularly shops for our prescription medication and other medical needs. We’ve been Balance Rewards members since the program started. (Its their free rewards program.) But until recently I wasn’t aware of their Answers at Walgreens 24/7 online pharmacy chat feature for members. So last week I checked it out and asked a few questions about my digestive health. I actually ended up doing two separate chats because I realized I had more questions to ask after the first time around.
Of course I could have talked to my local Walgreens pharmacist in-store, but honestly I’m a bit shy about talking in person about my medical issues. So having that online option to get some answers was really helpful for me. It took a lot of the pressure off when it came to asking sensitive questions. The pharmacist seemed knowledgeable and I didn’t have to wait at all to chat with him, which was so nice. I’d definitely recommend trying it out to discuss your digestive health or other health needs. It was easy and quick. I could do it from my phone in between rushing around with the kids, a truly a no-hassle experience, and I wasn’t embarrassed at all!
Yep, I asked the gassy/bloated question and didn’t feel uncomfortable doing it! 🙂 Pretty sweet.
Then I went in store to check out the products that my pharmacist recommended. And when I hit the digestive health aisle I found these placards with more info that was right inline with a lot of the answers the Walgreens online pharmacist gave me.
“Probiotic supplements can help restore the digestive system’s ‘good’ bacteria, which can help maintain digestive balance.” SOLD!
“A high fiber diet that includes nuts and whole grains can help maintain digestive regularity.” Yep, that sounds good too.
It was reiterated to me how important drinking lots of water and eating a high-fiber diet can be for my digestive health. And when uncomfortable symptoms like the gas or bloating strike, there are also medications that can be used for just those instances. Of course if symptoms like these never go away, its time to see the doctor. But for my occasional issues, I picked up some probiotics and anti-gas medication. And wouldn’t you know it, we hung out with some friends Saturday night and ate a ton of gluten-free s’mores YUM YUM YUM. But afterwards I was definitely in need of both supplements. I’m definitely a work in progress.
And now let me tempt you with some chocolate! 🙂
For more information about getting your digestive health Answers at Walgreens, check them out on Facebook and Twitter.
Thanks for sharing your experience with Walgreens Answers! I had no idea carb and anxiety were related. We do off and on paleo, but I’ve never heard that! I am off to check out your other posts about this! Thanks!
Thanks Karissa, Yes its something we’ve discovered in our family. I absolutely see a difference with my anxiety when I eat too many carbs and my son has night terrors when he gets gluten. Its definitely something to check out. 🙂 Thanks for dropping by!
This is so amazing to hear. I have never considered cutting carbs for anxiety reasons (for bathing suit season, maybe) and will have to give this a try.
I didn’t know about the Answers program, that’s pretty great. We need to do less carbs too, it’s just taking the leap. I’m thinking we will notice a difference!
OK, now I am hungry for gluten free S’mores! Yum!
I would definitely utilize the chat feature. I’m shy about talking about digestive issues AND it’s that much harder when you’re a parent trying to control two small children. I hope you feel some relief soon!
That’s exactly how I felt! Anything online is so much easier for me. 🙂
Everyone actually loses weight on low carb diets–which is why they were so popular in the 2000s–but not everyone keeps it off, so it’s good that you can reduce what bothers you AND keep the weight off.
I have IBS and eat tons of carbs. If take it easy on the carbs for a few days, I plug up. I was told to eat a lot of whole grains for the fiber content to help bulk up stool and make it retain enough water to pass easily. I’m still playing with it, 5 years later, to find the balance between enough whole grains and fiber with hitting the sweet spot with the stool consistency. Yeah, I know, that’s kind of weird to talk about. But you brought it up. 😉 So I figured it was ok to leave a little bit of a personal story.
Anyhoo, one my doctor’s recently recommended a probiotic as well. Name brand Ally, I picked it up and took it for two weeks. In that two weeks it actually sent my system off the rails compared to how consistently it was functioning before. That irks me. :-/
So, yeah. Um. That’s my carb, poo, probiotic story.