Have you ever eaten something and felt bloated, gassy, or had an upset stomach afterward? If so, you might have some level of carbohydrate intolerance. This means your body has trouble digesting certain types of carbs, leading to uncomfortable symptoms like bloating, diarrhea, or stomach cramps. But don’t worry, by making some simple food swaps and adding probiotics to your routine, you can feel a lot better!

What is Carbohydrate Intolerance?

Carbohydrate intolerance happens when your body struggles to break down certain sugars found in food. This can be because of missing enzymes, an imbalance of gut bacteria, or even too many bacteria in the wrong place (like in small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, or SIBO). Common types of carbohydrate intolerance include lactose intolerance (trouble digesting dairy), fructose malabsorption (issues with certain fruits and sweeteners), and difficulty digesting high-fibre foods.

How Your Diet Can Help

One of the easiest ways to ease symptoms is to follow a low-FODMAP diet. This means reducing foods that contain fermentable carbs, which your gut bacteria love to feast on—causing gas and bloating.

Here’s how you can adjust your diet:

• Avoid high-FODMAP foods like onions, garlic, beans, wheat, certain dairy products, and high-fructose fruits like apples and cherries.
• Introduce foods back in slowly after a short elimination phase to see what you can tolerate without discomfort.
• Choose easy-to-digest carbs like white rice, potatoes, and bananas if fibre-rich foods tend to cause issues.

Why Probiotics Can Help

Probiotics are good bacteria that help keep your gut balanced and support digestion. Some strains have been shown to help with carb digestion and reduce bloating and stomach issues.

• Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium: These are great for breaking down lactose (the sugar in dairy) and reducing bloating.
• Saccharomyces boulardii: A beneficial yeast that can help with IBS and gut health.
• Prebiotics: These feed good bacteria in your gut and come from foods like bananas, asparagus, and oats.

Combining Diet & Probiotics for Better Digestion

To feel your best, try combining a mindful diet with probiotic support:

1. Track your symptoms to figure out which foods cause issues.
2. Follow a low-FODMAP diet for a short time, then reintroduce foods gradually.
3. Take a probiotic supplement with gut-friendly strains.
4. Consider digestive enzymes to help break down certain carbs.
5. Eat gut-friendly foods like yogurt, kimchi, and bone broth to support digestion.

Microdosing

Avoiding carbs is only a plaster over a broken bone

My philosophy is: getting to the root cause of the problem! And that means rebalancing the gut, lowering the inflammation (also caused by gut dysbiosis), and healing.

If you did follow FODMAP, start with microdosing – a slow re-introduction of beans, pulses, nuts and seeds back into the system

There are ways of doing this, and I am more than happy to guide you

On top of nutritional changes, let’s work on inflammation too – start with the GOLDEN DROPS