The ABC's of IBS

March 31, 2021 0 Comments

Welcome to April and to our first ever blog post here at Neo!

April is an important transition month for all of us who live in the North. We often see better weather and the land starts to shift from covered in snow to slowly blooming with new growth. April is also an important month for health and wellness because it marks the international month of awareness for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). This makes it a perfect month for us to start our new blog and share with you important knowledge and tools for juicing for health!

Why do we care about IBS? That’s a good question. One of the most common conversations we have with our customers is around digestion and digestive health. Many of our regulars enjoy our products because of the digestive relief they feel when they consume fresh pressed juices on a regular basis. A surprising 13-20% of Canadians suffer from diagnosed IBS, and an even larger proportion of Canadians suffer from IBS-like symptoms that negatively impact their quality of life. One of the many reasons we dove head first into the juicing business is because we believe quite strongly in the power plant-based organic juices have on healing and supporting the body’s natural maintenance systems. Let’s be real, we ALL eat not-so-great at least sometimes, and developing new dietary habits is not an easy task. We believe that if we can offer a product that is easy to consume, highly nutritive and easily accessible, it can get our community one step closer to digestive bliss and optimal health. So, IBS Awareness Month is the month we shout extra loud from the rooftops that you ought to take care of your digestive system! Throughout this month, we hope to provide you with valuable information about IBS and IBS-like symptoms and how plant-based foods and juice can help you manage and hopefully overcome those digestive challenges.  

What’s incredibly challenging about IBS is the fact that the disease affects individuals very differently, and symptoms are not consistent. In fact, they come and go in waves and in different intensities from day to day. Individuals with IBS consistently experience what experts call the ABCs of IBS: Abdominal pain, Bloating, Constipation and/or Diarrhea. The good news is that these symptoms are avoidable and manageable, for the most part. To kick off this month of awareness and knowledge sharing, we’re launching a special IBS Support Pack to help you manage these symptoms and support the long-term healing of your digestive system using organic fresh-pressed juices from your favourite Juicery. 

Our IBS Support Pack is a 5-pack: one each of BUNNIE DOON, HAWRELAK PARK, WATERDALE BRIDGE, BLACKMUD CREEK and MY WAY OR THE HENDAY. All of these juices have a 5-day self life. This package helps support your digestive system in the following ways:

• Waterdale Bridge offers immediate hydration from natural spring water; a quick replenishment of essential minerals that tend to be lost after an episode of diarrhea; and 4g of soluble dietary fiber to help slow down digestion to maximize absorption of nutrients and lesson the excretion of water prematurely.
• Bunnie Doon offers a pretty decent amount of fermentable short-chain carbohydrates from carrots that are found to support digestion especially for individuals with IBS symptoms. Additionally, Bunnie Doon contains a little bit of ginger which has been shown to reduce intestinal cramping and the abdominal pain that is consistent with most IBS episodes. 
• May Way or the Henday is our house-made digestive elixir that is designed to help soothe the inflammation and support the healing of the intestinal tract. Its key functional ingredients are aloe vera, ginger and raw honey which are ingredients that have been shown to reduce inflammation and stimulate digestion and enzymatic activity in the stomach and small intestine. You need this healing effect after experiencing IBS episodes that tend to be inflammatory and damaging to your digestive system over time. 
• Hawrelak Park is our cucumber-based green juice that offers a concentrated amount of essential vitamins and minerals to replenish your body particularly after an episode of IBS. Cucumber has been shown to improve bowel movement and is a soothing food for an inflamed digestive tract. For episodes of constipation, this juice is wonderful! 
• Blackmud Creek is made with activated charcoal which can be quite helpful in reducing bloating after a meal. It’s a light and sweet juice because it’s made with Granny Smith apples which also offer a considerable amount of soluble dietary fiber that helps relieve constipation and slow digestion. Note: apples are controversial for individuals with IBS. Some experts highly recommend it and others find that some patients experience discomfort from apples. 

Do you have any tips or tricks to manage your IBS symptoms? Comment below; we'd love to hear from you!

In health, 

Kareema

For additional reading, visit:
Canadian Society of Intestinal Research. (2006). Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and diet: The foods you can eat. Retrieved from: https://badgut.org/information-centre/health-nutrition/ibs-the-foods-you-can-eat/
International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders (iffgd): https://www.aboutibs.org/
Bodagh, M.N., Maleki, I., & Hekmatdoost, A. (2019). Ginger in gastrointestinal disorders: A systematic review of clinical trials. Food Science & Nutrition, 7(1), 96-108. doi: 10.1002/fsn3.807 

---

Also in From the Blog