Growing up I've always had some gastrointestinal (GI) issues. Bloating, gassiness, diarrhoea, constipation came and went regularly.

They slowly became "one of those days".

I was getting used to them as if they were a normal thing. As the symptoms were never very severe and were more of an inconvenience, I accepted it as a bad gene.

Diet wise, I went through a cycle of different kind of phases. (Name any diet, low fat, juice-cleanse, fasting, I have done it all)

As a child and adolescent, I was one of those who licked the plate clean at every meal, full of healthy, hearty appetite. My regular (almost) weekly indulging meal at A&W fast food chain was rice with 2 pieces of fried chicken, a burger and fries on the side.
Plus a strawberry milkshake and coke to wash it all down.
Not exactly a picture of a healthy lifestyle. But I didn't know any better.

Fortunately, most of the time I ate home-cooked meals full of vegetables (cooked or raw), rice, meat and soup. Fruits were always abundant. And I consumed plenty and a variety of them (more than I would recommend anyone now).
I snacked on cookies, chocolates, ice cream and sweet/salty bread as I feel like. Nothing was really off limits.

Since I mostly ate when I felt hungry, I did not turn out to be a pudgy teenager (though I did hit 65kg at some point). I was never one of the skinny ones either. This pattern continued even when I was in college, when I started baking desserts and cooking my own meals.

Things slowly changed when I joined the workforce: I grew a passion for triathlon. I was more conscious of what I ate and bought into the high carb, low fat way of eating.
That's what I read in health and sports magazines, so I followed.

I consumed plenty of wholemeal bread as my source of carbohydrates, lean (with hardly any fat) meat, mostly raw or steamed vegetables. And I snacked on even more fruits.

Eating 8-10 servings of fruits per day was normal. They were my 'go-to' snack whenever I felt peckish. Milk was my water, and I still indulged in chocolates, sweet bread and ice cream as I used to.

As I started doing more running, the digestive "problems" that I grew up with were exacerbated. It all started with a few unpleasant runs which always led to a walk in pain till I get to the nearest toilet. The cycle repeated for the rest of the "run".
A few occasions turned into common occurrences, especially in races. (I can tell you all the embarrassing stories in my races but I'll spare you the details:))
The GI distress was so severe that I only either ran on treadmill or in loops with toilets nearby, with a pack of tissue paper in my pocket.
As a result, I never dared exploring new routes/areas when I ran.
Every run day I was worried, stressed out and wondered if the GI distress would happen that day.

I hated running so much because of it.

I have tried all medications to cure my problems. I visited an established MD who recommended a colonoscopy to no avail. I was not tested for any allergy or gut inflammation, nor did I do any stool test. Most of the doctors I have encountered were not the proactive kind to recommend such tests.

In the end I was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and had to live with it.

I was prescribed the drug called Librax (apparently it was a very common prescription for IBS). I lived on it for almost a year.
The drug was mainly effective to mask the symptoms instead of eliminating the core of the problem. Symptoms were still sporadic and I had many hits and misses in experiencing less bloating and stomach pain. Let alone happy runs.The doctor said there is no cure for IBS, the only thing I could do was to alleviate the symptoms.

One day, I had the opportunity to live in Sydney, Australia. I was more exposed to the many healthy food options and variety of food allergies. I got to know a Naturopath/Sports Nutritionist (who eventually became my most valuable Mentor) who introduced me to Naturopathy and Nutritional Medicine courses. I was hooked in learning more about the human body. Four years of learning including a short stint back in Sydney for the best clinical practical sessions with Nature Care College I never look back.
More additional continuous learning and mentorship programme later, I can say I am hooked and slightly obsessed with devouring all knowledge related to nutrition, especially sports nutrition.

I won't say I know everything.
It's still a learning process and will always be. The body is a complex yet amazing thing.
It knows what's best for itself.
If you start to listen carefully, you'll know what's best for you too.