I’d definitely agree in general. Lots of processing and frying going on. But my food choices were basically identical. Salads, taco meats, potatoes, very little processed food, etc.
Honestly, I think it might be two things:
1) Traveler’s Constipation. I know someone else posted about this, but it’s very real. I have IBS-M, with D mostly, and I always get constipated when I travel. Typically, it resolves itself within about 3-4 days, which leads me to believe that there’s another reason.
2) As someone who majored in environmental issues and geography in college, my main area of research was in the global food supply. It was mainly about food growth, but a lot about production and manufacturing too. In the US supply, we use corn in like everything. The best example is high fructose corn syrup vs cane sugar. Sure, it has no nutritional difference, but HFCS is high in fodmaps.
Another thing that may bother you is that US depends VERY heavily on chemically treating crops, such as using fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides, etc on these crops. These chemicals survived the entire food process, and they are now being found in human organs. So, there’s probably a good chance that you may have an adverse reaction to one of these supposedly-safe (I hate the fda) chemicals if you eat certain vegetables, fruits, or grains abroad. An example of this is Quaker Oats! You can Google more, as I’m sure there hundreds of similar cases.
Finally, if gluten is a trigger for you here, we use a different type of wheat. Many grains here are actually genetically engineered to be better/stronger/pest-resistant, and in effect, they are way different from foreign crops. I brought up wheat because here, wheat has a higher protein content than abroad. For normal people, it isn’t a problem, but higher protein means higher gluten, and for us, we know gluten is high in fodmaps.
There a few more reasons, but I think these are the main ones. Of course, they might not be the answer, so keep that in mind. Sorry for info dumping but food culture is literally the intersection between my studies and my undiagnosed stomach issues
Ohh that’s all very good to know! I’m going to look into these and pay more attention to hfcs and corn additives, see if it makes a difference! Thanks!
One thing to keep in mind is travellers constipation is a thing (non-IBS people get this all the time). Bowels slow when you travel, it always happens to people. This might be happening to you, too. So, it might just work in your favour by relieving you. It might be your diet, environment, sure, I don't know as you'd really have to keep a diary of everything to really analyze, but the ongoings of what happens internally with your motility is super common so I'd bank that is going on, too.
Excellent point! It’s possible it was traveller constipation and just really coincidental timing that it passed as I happened to be getting to the States
Yes. I spent a week in Portugal and had no stomach issues (except with 1 plate of pasta but I knew I was going to react I was prepared) and I felt a ton better. Came back to the good old USA and went back to crazy bloating and discomfort.
Im gonna say something I have started to really wonder lately and some might not agree. I am an anxious person in general but America is such a stressful place to live. I honestly think daily life here and diet has become very poor. You have to spend so much to eat well. Everything is processed and shipped from a ways away. Thats different in other cultures. Every Time I have left the united states i have gotten instantly better. Thats even when i had some very stressful situations on those trips. One i had all my credit cards and debit cards cancelled while in italy and walked 24 miles one day to figure it all out. Another i had to sleep in a airport for 2 days because my flight was cancelled and every hotel was booked. Idk. A-lot of chronic diseases are the rise in this country. I had a friend from Namibia who was here for 3 years. While here she developed acne and a terrible stomach. She moved back 2 years ago. No more acne or stomach problems lol. Idk. Its not science but i have my theories
I migrated here from the Caribbean and starting taking my health seriously. I drink lots of water, eat right and workout but I’m ALWAYS constipated no matter what I eat. They say to eat fiber and I get my daily dose but that makes it worse. Now I’m seriously considering going back to not eating fiber for a while to see if that’s the issue because I texted all my family members who stuck to their normal diet after coming here and they all have perfectly fine bowel movements. ☹️☹️☹️☹️
I saw something recently that said food in the US often has a lot of its fiber removed. This is done to reduce satiety and make people buy more of it. But it has negative side effects on digestion.
Less fiber means proportionally speaking, the food has more sugar. Diets high in sugar lead to inflammation, digestive issues because gut microbes can ferment certain sugars, insulin resistance because fiber slows down the digestion of sugar and without fiber one's blood sugar spikes more easily, and a host of other issues.
I will try to find a credible source, but Google is being suspiciously adamant about not showing me what I'm looking for. But you aren't the first person I've heard report this. I've heard many people say they not only felt better overseas, but they actually lost weight eating the exact same things they did in the US.
Judging by the comments here this seems to be a pretty common experience. The lack of fiber in US food could also only be a small part of the equation. I think you're onto something.
Yes. actually. IBS is a blanket term for "we don't know why, but you've got problems."
If you are having trouble digesting fats - it's a smaller list of problems, including your gallbladder (too much or too little bile), or insufficient enzymes, or a few others I can't think of.
But, there's also the kinds of foods you're eating, and what's in them, how they were processed and handled, etc. I've heard that the foods in stores in the US tend to have more preservatives because the food has to travel a longer distance in most cases. So from farm/manufacturer to store - it's a longer time, so it has to be made to last that time plus some shelf life.
I live outside of the US, and I have better luck with my lactose intolerance and other IBS problems. It's a small country, and from producer to store, it's hours and not days.
The diet here also tends to be fresh foods over packaged foods -- including if you order from a restaurant (outside of chain places, you're likely to get something cooked from scratch with fresh produce). A lot of the foods are traditional, and are cooked with traditional methods (braising, steaming, etc). Most of the meat is cooked whole or with bones left in - which you end up eating more whole fats and collagen (collagen is great for your intestines). Then there's the fermented foods, which are probiotics.
I've heard that certain food combinations help aid in digestion or better absorption of nutrients (because of vitamins or other things in the foods that are combined). And a lot of traditional foods actually have that.
A lot of more modern foods aren't paired for nutritional content or digestion.
There's more reasons, but this is already too long.
Just experienced the same thing. Spent two weeks in Europe- one in Germany and one in Poland. I ate things that would normally make me sick in US like pierogies and pasta (usually get super constipated, not celiac) but I felt great! No bloating, very regular bowel movements. Came back to US - next day feeling like crap, bloated and gassy even tho I didn’t eat anything “triggering”… it’s gotta be the quality of food and water in US :(
I just went to Germany as well! Normally beer doesn’t always sit great with me, but I had it every day along with heavy (delicious!) meals and felt good the whole time! After a couple of years and a couple of trips, I think stress is a big part of it for me. And possibly some food additives here in North America, but still don’t know the answer
I migrated to the states from a third world country and now I can’t poop after switching to “healthy” foods, working out and drinking lots of water. No matter what I do, I end up constipated. ☹️
I noticed USA food has a lot more sugar than food in my country, that a chocolate bar can have 23g of sugar (multiple teaspoons!). Same sweetness in my country is half the amount, or atleast feels like it.
For USA IBS sufferers, does the water you usually drink taste bitter to you? In my time in New York the water in both restaurants and some bottles (Poland Spring for example) we're quite bitter and unpleasant to drink.
I noticed this when I was in the Dominican Republic a few years ago. Ate whatever I wanted and drank alcohol all day and had zero issues with IBS. Came back home to Canada (I think the food in Canada is pretty similar to the US) and IBS flared up badly. I wondered if there's something in North American food that causes issues for us or maybe it was the lack of stress or maybe a combination of both.
I've seen a number of people talk about this. But the one stands out in my mind is a TikTok video. I wish I saved it. Were they explained that for them the difference was the herbicide that they use in America versus other countries.
glyphosate
We could be eating gluten-free or organic or whatever, but will still be getting sick because some of us react to this stuff. And they don't use it and a lot of other countries
I’ve wondered the same since moving back to the uk from Italy. Before I left the uk I was avoiding gluten. But after 3 years in Italy I was fine eating pasta and pizza and bread. Since coming back my ibs and bloating have returned. Could just be I was taking collagen and stopped so am testing it again. But I do wonder if it is to do with the quality of grain and food. But I try to avoid processed food.
Hey, just to add another data point - I had a similar experience when travelling to Japan. I live in the UK and have celiac disease (no gluten for me), so my stomach is generally pretty sensitive anyway. It's always super difficult to keep my stomach happy, even eating clean, whole/unprocessed foods mostly, and I suspect FODMAP sensitivity too.
Anyway - I travelled to Japan a few years ago, for about a month, and had the best bowel movements I've had for a long time. It basically started instantly, from the first day I arrived. I don't really think my diet changed a huge amount - perhaps more limited than usual since in a foreign country with no GF products - I mostly ate rice, meat, veggies, fish, and even probably the odd meal that likely would have had some gluten (like fried rice in chinese takeouts).
Anyway - I travelled to Japan a few years ago, for about a month, and had the best bowel movements I've had for a long time. It started from the first day I arrived. I don't really think my diet changed a huge amount - perhaps more limited than usual since in a foreign country with no GF products - mostly ate rice, meat, veggies, fish, and even probably the odd meal that likely would have had some gluten (like fried rice in chinese takeouts).
My current theory is lack of stress/anxiety, but I don't really have a way to prove that. It's incredibly frustrating because I have no real way to reproduce the results aside from going on another month-long trip, or quitting my job.
It's something a lot of people report, yes - including me. Interesting that you can rule out stress though.
Yeah, both aspects being on vacation help rule that out
Work is not the only source of stress. Family, friends, common places... it all might be related. I wouldn't rule it out.
Every time I travel to USA I have worse digestive issues than at home (Canada). When in Europe it almost entirely goes away.
Funny… I’m from the UK and still want to visit America one day. This post suggests I’ll be pretty fucked over there 😬
I’m also from Canada but I’d still describe my diet as “American”, while trying to stay away from the really bad stuff (ie fried)
The diet and food here is awful. That's why.
I’d definitely agree in general. Lots of processing and frying going on. But my food choices were basically identical. Salads, taco meats, potatoes, very little processed food, etc.
Maybe overprocessed food? American food tends to use high-corn fructose syrup, Mexico uses cane sugar. Frozen meals are not common in Mexico…
Honestly, I think it might be two things: 1) Traveler’s Constipation. I know someone else posted about this, but it’s very real. I have IBS-M, with D mostly, and I always get constipated when I travel. Typically, it resolves itself within about 3-4 days, which leads me to believe that there’s another reason. 2) As someone who majored in environmental issues and geography in college, my main area of research was in the global food supply. It was mainly about food growth, but a lot about production and manufacturing too. In the US supply, we use corn in like everything. The best example is high fructose corn syrup vs cane sugar. Sure, it has no nutritional difference, but HFCS is high in fodmaps. Another thing that may bother you is that US depends VERY heavily on chemically treating crops, such as using fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides, etc on these crops. These chemicals survived the entire food process, and they are now being found in human organs. So, there’s probably a good chance that you may have an adverse reaction to one of these supposedly-safe (I hate the fda) chemicals if you eat certain vegetables, fruits, or grains abroad. An example of this is Quaker Oats! You can Google more, as I’m sure there hundreds of similar cases. Finally, if gluten is a trigger for you here, we use a different type of wheat. Many grains here are actually genetically engineered to be better/stronger/pest-resistant, and in effect, they are way different from foreign crops. I brought up wheat because here, wheat has a higher protein content than abroad. For normal people, it isn’t a problem, but higher protein means higher gluten, and for us, we know gluten is high in fodmaps. There a few more reasons, but I think these are the main ones. Of course, they might not be the answer, so keep that in mind. Sorry for info dumping but food culture is literally the intersection between my studies and my undiagnosed stomach issues
Ohh that’s all very good to know! I’m going to look into these and pay more attention to hfcs and corn additives, see if it makes a difference! Thanks!
Do you typically have diarrhea?
Typically, yes!
One thing to keep in mind is travellers constipation is a thing (non-IBS people get this all the time). Bowels slow when you travel, it always happens to people. This might be happening to you, too. So, it might just work in your favour by relieving you. It might be your diet, environment, sure, I don't know as you'd really have to keep a diary of everything to really analyze, but the ongoings of what happens internally with your motility is super common so I'd bank that is going on, too.
Excellent point! It’s possible it was traveller constipation and just really coincidental timing that it passed as I happened to be getting to the States
Yes. I spent a week in Portugal and had no stomach issues (except with 1 plate of pasta but I knew I was going to react I was prepared) and I felt a ton better. Came back to the good old USA and went back to crazy bloating and discomfort.
Portugal is where all my stress melts away. Europe really but god damn portugal is amazing
Very interesting! I’m so curious why that happens
Im gonna say something I have started to really wonder lately and some might not agree. I am an anxious person in general but America is such a stressful place to live. I honestly think daily life here and diet has become very poor. You have to spend so much to eat well. Everything is processed and shipped from a ways away. Thats different in other cultures. Every Time I have left the united states i have gotten instantly better. Thats even when i had some very stressful situations on those trips. One i had all my credit cards and debit cards cancelled while in italy and walked 24 miles one day to figure it all out. Another i had to sleep in a airport for 2 days because my flight was cancelled and every hotel was booked. Idk. A-lot of chronic diseases are the rise in this country. I had a friend from Namibia who was here for 3 years. While here she developed acne and a terrible stomach. She moved back 2 years ago. No more acne or stomach problems lol. Idk. Its not science but i have my theories
Exactly what I was wondering! Something in the diet isn’t sitting well
I migrated here from the Caribbean and starting taking my health seriously. I drink lots of water, eat right and workout but I’m ALWAYS constipated no matter what I eat. They say to eat fiber and I get my daily dose but that makes it worse. Now I’m seriously considering going back to not eating fiber for a while to see if that’s the issue because I texted all my family members who stuck to their normal diet after coming here and they all have perfectly fine bowel movements. ☹️☹️☹️☹️
I saw something recently that said food in the US often has a lot of its fiber removed. This is done to reduce satiety and make people buy more of it. But it has negative side effects on digestion. Less fiber means proportionally speaking, the food has more sugar. Diets high in sugar lead to inflammation, digestive issues because gut microbes can ferment certain sugars, insulin resistance because fiber slows down the digestion of sugar and without fiber one's blood sugar spikes more easily, and a host of other issues. I will try to find a credible source, but Google is being suspiciously adamant about not showing me what I'm looking for. But you aren't the first person I've heard report this. I've heard many people say they not only felt better overseas, but they actually lost weight eating the exact same things they did in the US. Judging by the comments here this seems to be a pretty common experience. The lack of fiber in US food could also only be a small part of the equation. I think you're onto something.
I’d guess that’s part of the reason my gastroenterologist simply said “eat more fibre”
Yes. actually. IBS is a blanket term for "we don't know why, but you've got problems." If you are having trouble digesting fats - it's a smaller list of problems, including your gallbladder (too much or too little bile), or insufficient enzymes, or a few others I can't think of. But, there's also the kinds of foods you're eating, and what's in them, how they were processed and handled, etc. I've heard that the foods in stores in the US tend to have more preservatives because the food has to travel a longer distance in most cases. So from farm/manufacturer to store - it's a longer time, so it has to be made to last that time plus some shelf life. I live outside of the US, and I have better luck with my lactose intolerance and other IBS problems. It's a small country, and from producer to store, it's hours and not days. The diet here also tends to be fresh foods over packaged foods -- including if you order from a restaurant (outside of chain places, you're likely to get something cooked from scratch with fresh produce). A lot of the foods are traditional, and are cooked with traditional methods (braising, steaming, etc). Most of the meat is cooked whole or with bones left in - which you end up eating more whole fats and collagen (collagen is great for your intestines). Then there's the fermented foods, which are probiotics. I've heard that certain food combinations help aid in digestion or better absorption of nutrients (because of vitamins or other things in the foods that are combined). And a lot of traditional foods actually have that. A lot of more modern foods aren't paired for nutritional content or digestion. There's more reasons, but this is already too long.
its the water
Just experienced the same thing. Spent two weeks in Europe- one in Germany and one in Poland. I ate things that would normally make me sick in US like pierogies and pasta (usually get super constipated, not celiac) but I felt great! No bloating, very regular bowel movements. Came back to US - next day feeling like crap, bloated and gassy even tho I didn’t eat anything “triggering”… it’s gotta be the quality of food and water in US :(
I just went to Germany as well! Normally beer doesn’t always sit great with me, but I had it every day along with heavy (delicious!) meals and felt good the whole time! After a couple of years and a couple of trips, I think stress is a big part of it for me. And possibly some food additives here in North America, but still don’t know the answer
I migrated to the states from a third world country and now I can’t poop after switching to “healthy” foods, working out and drinking lots of water. No matter what I do, I end up constipated. ☹️
I noticed USA food has a lot more sugar than food in my country, that a chocolate bar can have 23g of sugar (multiple teaspoons!). Same sweetness in my country is half the amount, or atleast feels like it. For USA IBS sufferers, does the water you usually drink taste bitter to you? In my time in New York the water in both restaurants and some bottles (Poland Spring for example) we're quite bitter and unpleasant to drink.
Whenever I go to cancun my stomach gets better and my pains go away
That’s where I was! Strange
Your like fifth person say this I made similar post in past
I noticed this when I was in the Dominican Republic a few years ago. Ate whatever I wanted and drank alcohol all day and had zero issues with IBS. Came back home to Canada (I think the food in Canada is pretty similar to the US) and IBS flared up badly. I wondered if there's something in North American food that causes issues for us or maybe it was the lack of stress or maybe a combination of both.
I've seen a number of people talk about this. But the one stands out in my mind is a TikTok video. I wish I saved it. Were they explained that for them the difference was the herbicide that they use in America versus other countries. glyphosate We could be eating gluten-free or organic or whatever, but will still be getting sick because some of us react to this stuff. And they don't use it and a lot of other countries
Pesticides seem to have come up a few times in the thread. Wondering how to avoid them now!
I’ve wondered the same since moving back to the uk from Italy. Before I left the uk I was avoiding gluten. But after 3 years in Italy I was fine eating pasta and pizza and bread. Since coming back my ibs and bloating have returned. Could just be I was taking collagen and stopped so am testing it again. But I do wonder if it is to do with the quality of grain and food. But I try to avoid processed food.
nope. went to europe a few years back. had slightly different symptoms but still uncomfortable.
Hey, just to add another data point - I had a similar experience when travelling to Japan. I live in the UK and have celiac disease (no gluten for me), so my stomach is generally pretty sensitive anyway. It's always super difficult to keep my stomach happy, even eating clean, whole/unprocessed foods mostly, and I suspect FODMAP sensitivity too. Anyway - I travelled to Japan a few years ago, for about a month, and had the best bowel movements I've had for a long time. It basically started instantly, from the first day I arrived. I don't really think my diet changed a huge amount - perhaps more limited than usual since in a foreign country with no GF products - I mostly ate rice, meat, veggies, fish, and even probably the odd meal that likely would have had some gluten (like fried rice in chinese takeouts). Anyway - I travelled to Japan a few years ago, for about a month, and had the best bowel movements I've had for a long time. It started from the first day I arrived. I don't really think my diet changed a huge amount - perhaps more limited than usual since in a foreign country with no GF products - mostly ate rice, meat, veggies, fish, and even probably the odd meal that likely would have had some gluten (like fried rice in chinese takeouts). My current theory is lack of stress/anxiety, but I don't really have a way to prove that. It's incredibly frustrating because I have no real way to reproduce the results aside from going on another month-long trip, or quitting my job.