On Wednesday, Oct. 9, assistant professor of physical education and human performance Cassandra York stopped by Central Authors to share some of her tips for a healthy gut and promote her new book “The No Bloat Diet: 50 low FODMAP recipes to flatten your tummy, sooth your gut and to relieve IBS.”

FODMAPs are carbs that do not digest easily, and sensitivity to them is common in people with IBS. FODMAP is an acronym that stands for fermentable oligo-, di-, mono-saccharides and polyols. Fructose and lactose are common examples of FODMAPs.

“IBS stands for Irritable Bowel Syndrome,” York said. “It’s essentially what you’re [diagnosed with] when you don’t have Chrons, Colitis, Celiac disease etc. You have a functional gut that responds abnormally to food.”

Professor York struggles with IBS herself, which is why she wanted to speak on the topic. She has dealt with the symptoms of her whole life and struggled to realize the connection between her IBS and food until she was older.

This is York’s fourth book, which she co-wrote with Lesley Rotchford. York worked with Rotchford on a previous book called “Take it Off, Keep It Off” which was published in 2006. Her newest book, however, is the one she is most proud of. 

“I believe the message in it can help a lot of people,” York said.

Despite the complications that come along with IBS, York does not let her condition get her down. She adds humor to the things most people shy away from talking about. 

“I actually had a foot of my colon removed, not because I wanted to, but because some things were going on in there that weren’t right,” York said.

She continued on by talking about which foods might set off a person’s gut and why they need to be aware of it if they want to avoid any issues.

Through this explanation, York highlighted the struggle people with IBS deal with every day. They should avoid certain fruits, vegetables and dairy altogether. While foods in those categories are normally good for the human body, they are detrimental for someone with IBS. The same goes for gluten.

“A lot of people are very excited about gluten-free options nowadays but not everyone is gluten sensitive,” she said. “What we found actually, is the science has shown that it’s not necessarily gluten intolerance that people are reacting to when they eat bread and flour products, but [rather, it’s] the fact that we don’t make bread and we don’t make our flour products like we used to.”

York helped all in attendance understand the importance of a healthy gut. You can find “The No Bloat Diet” at the CCSU Bookstore.