Hello all,
I have been messing around with using digestive enzymes before eating. I take "Now" Plant Enzymes to help digest grains and fats, generic Beano from the grocery store or drug store, and lately I have started taking "DAOHist" when I eat foods that can create a histamine response (histamine intolerance for some) in the body. I have also tried one called "Fodzyme" that contains the generic Beano has (alpha-galactosidase enzyme), lactase enzyme for dairy, and fructan hydrolase for breaking down fructans, which are found in foods like wheat, onions, and garlic. I have tried "Gluten Digest" as well.
I noticed that the Now Plant Enzymes helped with energy and bloating, the fake Beano helped with post-prandial alertness while digesting things like cruciferous veggies, beans, and peanuts, and the DAOHist has helped me feel markedly less bloated from eating things like nuts, pineapple, etc. Fodzyme decreases the gas experienced with garlic and onions. I haven't had many opportunities to test the Gluten Digest. I think that will come later. But y'all, I'm pretty happy about these results so far. My output looks much less like my input than it used to. The psyllium keeps things moving slower so that the enzymes have a chance to act and I get more nutrition from my food. Friends say I seem healthier and happier than I did before I started all this. My guts are certainly a lot happier!
It's freaking expensive to get all these enzymes from supplements, but I think my body has continually decreased it's production of these enzymes due to aging, and the surgery really kick started a big reduction. Some of this may have been in effect when I had the UC, in fact, I'm not sure it didn't contribute to or cause the gut issues in the first place! Nobody seems to know!
Many of us are looking to ease gut issues and we often have to find out by experimenting on our own bodies since there are no tests for these types of things, or if there are, they are not widely done. Multiple factors can be at play for conditions like ours, so this may not be the route for everyone, but just in case it helps someone, I'm sharing my anecdotal info.