Comin' Atcha wit da Master IBS

FG-in-training, 1997

I was on a date with a guy and he wanted me to say "FartyGirl." Like out loud. We were at Starbucks. And he wouldn't let it go.

"Say it! Say it! Say it!" he chanted, like a dumb high school kid at a football game.

Literally - in that second - I knew it was never going to work out.

I tried to explain: "I like to call myself as 'FG', y'know... cos I'm a gangsta..."

"Say it! Say it! Say it!" he continued.

People were looking around. So I said it. He cried, "YEAH!" and slapped me five.

Dork.

FG, 2010

What am I doing here?

Am I relishing in the self-empowerment of dropping the F-bomb? Am I reeling you in with classic self-deprecation? Or are you truly interested in understanding how food and digestion affects the fulfilling-ness of our lives?

After three-and-a half years of posting, where am I? Who am I? What is FartyGirl?

Cheesy vegan sausage pie: What I thought was IBS-friendly, circa 2008

As I write this post, I'm watching the man I love on the porch - he's coughing through a cigarette, looking exhausted and hungover.

As I write this post, my friends are updating their Facebook statuses about their crazy monstrous kids, who ALWAYS seem to be sick with colds and stomach bugs, who ALWAYS seem to be eating hot dogs, candy, cereal, pizza, and ice cream.

Over the past three years, I've watched family and friends attempt to fix health problems through medicine, rather than diet - only to fail.

As human beings, we have free will to put whatever food we want into our bodies. But I continue to be confused as to why we choose the food we choose. We choose what tastes good, what is easy, what is popular. And - friends, family - all I ever hear is how tired and shitty everyone feels.

Kale chips: IBS-friendly, circa 2011

I started this blog because I was feeling shitty. Through reading, I learned that how I feel is directly caused by what food and drink I put into my body. By changing my sustenance, I feel better. All I want is to help my friends and family feel happy and healthy.

That's what FartyGirl means to me.

Laugh all ya want about the name.

But really? It's no joke.

Now - get ready for some Master IBS!!!

Over the next two weeks, I'll be consolidating all of my IBS posts into 3 easy-to-access guides.

I'm going to revisit all the "cures" I've "discovered".

I'm going to talk about what I do to maintain digestive health on a daily basis.

I'm going to talk about allergens, superfoods, and herbs.

I'm going to talk about what I've learned over the past six years of trials and tests.

Raw, raw, raw and RAWRRRR!




Initially, this blog was meant to be about IBS.

BUT the center of every body is the STOMACH AND THE GUTS!

So even if you DON'T have IBS,

some of this info could be worthwhile to you.

I hope it helps. I hope you like it.

Btw - Thanks to Meech for the title of this post!