Tummy Aches, Abdominal Pain, and Stools: What the signs and symptoms might be telling you about your diet

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My professor in grad school spoke about how difficult nausea and abdominal pain is to manage. Think about the last time that your sick childstomach felt extremely upset. Have you ever experienced morning sickness during pregnancy? It is incredibly difficult to function on a daily basis when you are feeling that miserable. In addition, it is nearly impossible when you have to make frequent trips to the bathroom. What if this is how your child feels during the school day?

This is how many people feel almost every day, including children. They suffer from stomach aches, nausea, cramping and irregular bowel movements (diarrhea or constipation). Parents are unsure about what to do about this predicament when there doesn’t seem to be a medical reason for these symptoms.

If this is something that you or your child is experiencing, I would encourage you to speak with your doctor and schedule an appointment to see a registered dietitian. A dietitian can perform a thorough analysis of you or your child’s diet as well as eating patterns throughout the day. Following the analysis, recommendations can be made, symptoms can be tracked and adjustments to the diet can be made.

Here are some dietary factors that may be contributing to digestive issues:

  • Excessive intake of quantities of food
  • Inadequate (and sometimes excessive) fiber
  • Excessive sugary beverages
  • Excessive intake of processed foods
  • Excessive intake of sugar alcohols (found in diet foods and beverages)
  • Eating when stressed
  • Eating too fast
  • High fat diet
  • A diet that is imbalanced
  • Food sensitivities- a negative reaction in the body that manifests in response to certain foods.
  • Food intolerances- result from inadequate enzymes (or enzymes that are overwhelmed with volume) in the gut to digest certain components of foods.
  • Food allergies- an immune response in the body to certain proteins in foods.
  • Imbalanced gut bacteria.

Digestive pain is not normal and it should not be acceptable to suffer with digestive pain or other digestive issues. With the proper guidance, you and your family can be feeling much better while improving the quality of nutrition in your lives life. To schedule an appointment with a registered dietitian at NSPT, click here.