Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Diet Info For Newbies, Sort of Newbies, And The Confused

You really can't learn Heather's Eating For Irritable Bowel Syndrome Diet (the EFI Diet) simply by reading the Message Boards. You have to do some reading outside the Message Boards to truly understand the concepts behind it: what foods are trigger foods; why Soluble Fiber (SF) should form the basis of every meal and snack; why a Soluble Fiber Supplement (SFS) can be helpful; why you must eat Insoluble Fiber (IF) but do so safely; and so on. If you don't understand the basic concepts of the EFI Diet, then a lot of the advice people give you is not going to make much sense and may even make you angry or upset.

I think the simplest way to learn the basics of the EFI Diet is to read the book "The First Year: IBS". I'm very linear and this book lays out Heather's approach in simple step-by-step fashion which was great for me. Your local library may well have it. If not, you can buy it from this Website or from any large book seller.

However, all of the information in the book is also on this Website. I know it's possible to end up in the middle of the Message Boards after an Internet search and never even realize there's a whole Website attached, so here are some pointers on what to read.

First, on the main Message Boards page, Heather lists the reading you should do before posting. These links give you the basics of the EFI Diet:

The Eating for IBS Dietary Guidelines - After you read this page, be sure to follow the links, especially the ones you see at the top of the page that take you to "Irritable Bowel Trigger Foods", "How to Eat for Irritable Bowel Syndrome", and "Soluble vs. Insoluble Fiber for IBS".

The Irritable Bowel Syndrome Diet FAQ

Breaking the Cycle of IBS Attacks

All About Soluble Fiber Supplements

Heather's IBS Cheat Sheet

Also on the main Message Board page, Heather recommends the following for general information on IBS symptoms and how IBS is treated

the Irritable Bowel Syndrome essential guide - This is the beginning of "The First Year: IBS"

What is IBS?

Once you get into the Diet Board, there are some very useful sticky posts at the top of all the postings. If you have set your Display Preferences to show only recent posts, you will not be seeing all of those. The ones that you really should read are:

New folks, please read this post first! Lots of helpful info....

Common Abbreviations and Explanations

There are also sticky posts on:

- Fiber charts and the IBS diet
- IBS and Pregnancy
- Brand Name Recommendations for IBS-Safe Foods
- Snacks, Quick Foods, and Good Grub to Grab in a Hurry
- All about Atkins, High Carb vs. Low Carb Diets, etc.
- Frequently Asked Questions about the IBS Diet....
- Acacia dosages - starting, increasing, switching from other fibers, and more...

If you're not seeing all of these, go to "My Home" and under "Main Configuration" ask to Edit "Display preferences, number of shown threads, languages, colors..." Once you're into that page, make sure that "Default aged threads to be displayed" is set to "Show all threads".

It's included in the reading above, but I want to emphasize that I personally highly recommend reading:

Irritable Bowel Syndrome Diet & IBS Recipes

When I read this page, I was so relieved. Finally, someone who understood my frustration over the fact that eating something one day seemed to be fine while eating the same thing a few days later brought on a terrible attack. The fact that Heather understood that gave me hope that her approach might really work. It certainly has for me and I trust it will for others who try it also.

HTH.

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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]

Edited by Heather (04/05/10 04:20 PM)

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