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I am posting this in the hopes that you all will have answers to some of the questions this diet raises for me. I'm about to raise several issues here and perhaps they'd be better as separate threads, but...

I have severe (on disability, sleep a few hours a night b/c of pain, etc.) IBS-C, with intense pain and cramping and ridiculous amounts of gas/bloating. This all started after a severe episode of amoebic dysentary and parasites while I was living in Asia six years ago. Also now dealing with CFIDS and FMS.

1. Processed foods: everything I know about nutrition (which is a fair amount) tells me that the more processed a food is, the more unhealthy it is. Several of the foods (including "staples" like bread, crackers, etc.) are highly processed (and could make my CFIDS and FMS much worse). Sugar is beyond debate in terms of its health destroying properties. How do you all reconcile this?
Heather recommends breads to be as unprocessed as possible, if you can get bread at a bakery made with good natural flour. I eat a lot of french style bakery bread. A person can always bake and cook their own food, even pasta. Sugar, I don't think sugar destroys your health at all- teeth maybe. Try natural honey etc. No one says you have to eat sugar. In fact several people here do not for other health reasons.
2. Protein: my doc wants me on 80+ grams of protein/day to increase energy (I'm male, active, 170 lbs.) I'm allergic (ELISA test) to soy and egg whites, and can't tolerate beans/legumes at all. Too much fish/chicken triggers me. I'd like to do protein shakes but wonder what options I have that have no whey or soy. I don't know any specifically, I hope someone does. Otehrwise search around. Try to get stable and add back in proteins like chicken/fish as much as possible. Things you can't handle now might be fine later. Research what other foods have protein that you might not be thinking about.

3. Constipation vs. pain/spasm/gas: eating a lot of bread, rice and SF foods reduces pain/spasms/gas but makes me MORE constipated. Eating cooked veggies, oils, etc. improves BMs but triggers pain/spasms/gas. Has anyone else had the same experience? What have you done about it?
I think everyone has this to some extent. There is a balance needed because insolubles and other things are harder to digest and cause cramping (and that is why Heather's diet works) and solubles that are starchy sometimes cause C so you have to find the balance with throwing in good insolubles. Also a SFS is essential!
4. Vitamins/minerals/nutrition: My gut is so sensitive right now that I can't tolerate any fruits and vegetables except sweet potatoes, bananas, papayas. I'm concerned I'm not getting the health benefits of eating fruits and veggies. What about "green foods" powders/supplements? Any other solutions?
I don't know anything about health supplements. You would have to search and find dairy free and natural supplements. Try eating baby food fruits and veggies since they are so digestable. Lots of people find that it takes weeks of bland diet to get on track and that isn't ideal in any way. But take heart, I know someone who lives on bananas and potatoes and says that is all he needs and in Papillion that guy lived on coconuts all those years.
Thanks for your help. I really want my life back.

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