Adding Insolubles
#125369 - 11/25/04 08:28 AM
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Augie
Reged: 10/27/04
Posts: 5807
Loc: Illinois
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I am IBS-A (mostly C) with pain. How long should I stay on the pretty safe soluble diet before adding in an insoluble fruit or vegetable? Do I need to be at a certain level of my SFS? Right now here is my diet. Does this look safe? I've been doing this for almost 2 weeks.
Breakfast: Cooked Quinoa and 3 oz of cooked papaya (I think papaya is a soluble fruit, right)?
Lunch: 2 pieces of gluten free white rice bread, 2 oz of deli sliced chicken or turkey,
Snack: either 1/2 banana or a whole banana, but usually dry corn cereal
Snack: rice crackers
Dinner: chicken or fish,white rice or rice noodles, or potatoes, 3oz cooked carrots or cooked (or cooked carrots combined with cooked squash), gluten free white rice roll.
Snack: toasted bread and maybe a glass of rice milk
I'm up to 7 grams fiber from citrucel.
So, two questions.
1. Does this diet look safe for my first 2 weeks on the diet or should I cut something out?
2. How long before I can add an insoluble like cooked spinach or green beans or a cooked apple? Or should I stick to this diet for a while? And how much insoluble should I start with if any?
Some people don't do insolubles for months or even a year into the diet. Is there a good time to wait?
Thank you all in advance.
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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One more question, how do your puree green beans or spinach or zucchini? That's probably a stupid question, but I know I'm suppose to mash and puree veggies, so how would I do that with these?
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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Augie, adding insolubles is something that only you can decide when it's right. If you've been on those foods for 2 weeks, I think a change might be good for you! It seems like you're doing a great job with the solubles. Cooked carrots is a great way to start. Soinach and Zucchini don't necessarily need to be pureed. They go pretty mushy when cooked so you may find that if you chew them thoroughly, you should be just fine. Green beans? Well, if you cook them REALLY well, you might not need to puree them either. There's no strict rule saying you must mash and puree. It's how you feel. Reintroducing them into your diet - you may decide to puree for a while. Just throw them in the food processor on pulse for a few seconds. That should do just fine.
As a rule, you shouldn't stick to strictly solubles for any length of time. Not more than a day or two. Try adding insolubles back one at a time, and in small well cooked quantities. You'll find that you'll be able to tolerate some better than others. Since you have a lot of pain, I would avoid things htat produce a lot of gas such as broccoli, onions, etc. for a while. They can be some of the harder foods to tolerate.
Add the insolubles, and most importantly, listen to your body. The rest is up to you!
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Formerly HanSolo. IBS, OCD, Bipolar, PTSD times 3.
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Looks pretty safe to me!
I agree with what Han said, if you are feeling OK then add, if not then be cautious. Only add one food a day so you will know what to blame if you are sick!
I added peas and greenbeans without mashing them, I just make sure they are VERY well chewed before I swallow them! I also added tomatoes easily which was great as it got rid of bland flavours and I could make sauces etc. FF mayonnaise was another thing that didn't bother me and added a lot of flavour to my food.
Augie, Only you can tell how you are doing and how your body is reacting to foods. Are you feeling better on the diet? It took me about four weeks before I felt a lot better, but it depends with people. How are you doing?
Sinead
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S.
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Re:Cailin
#125392 - 11/25/04 01:21 PM
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Augie
Reged: 10/27/04
Posts: 5807
Loc: Illinois
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So for those first four weeks what did you eat? I'm still not feeling well, so I am unsure as to whether I have added something too fast (such as papaya or banana or squash, even those are all soluble) or if I'm not feelin well because I don't have any insolubles?
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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I don't trust myself because I'm not feeling well yet. As I told Cailin, not sure if it's because I added something, like the cooked papaya or squash or banana too fast and I should remove them. Or if it's because I nee to add insolubles. Like I said, it seems like others have move much slower than I and I am worried that I am trying to push this. But if C is a problem do I still go slow or does my body need insolubles now. I don't understand if Heather's breaking the cycle diet is for D or for both C and D or for pain or for all of them. I could only handle that diet for a few days. Guess I'm not as disciplined as others who have stayed on that diet for a month or longer, but I do want relief as much.
I know everyone keeps telling me to listen to my body, but I don't hear anything! It's not saying anything. My tummy is saying it doesn't like any food most of the time. 
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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augie
#125402 - 11/25/04 02:41 PM
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cailin
Reged: 08/12/04
Posts: 3563
Loc: Dublin, Ireland
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You ARE eating some insolubles, chicken and fish for example. I ate pretty much what you are eating but also peas,green beans and soy youfurt and dessert, oatmeal and raspberries, and a LOT of rice, potatoes and pasta. And marshmallows 
I felt awful for a while but everyone here encouraged me to keep adding foods and suddenly I had one day and then a second with no cramps. Admittedly this was about 3 days after I came OFF the antispasmodic and onto my AD (citalopram) but straying from the diet hurts so I am sticking to it. I also drank LOADS of water and peppermint tea.
It is hard going until you stabilise Augie and you will feel discouraged, but stick with it with no cheating and you will come out the other side. I registered here on August 12th,and by 15th September I had had seven cramp free days. (then I made a bad restaurant choice)
On26th September I posted here saying how great it was to feel normal again.
Take hope from that story.
Keep the faith, add some more insolubles, and take it slowly, you will get better on this diet. The rest of us have, that's why we stick around!
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S.
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Re: cailin
#125407 - 11/25/04 03:51 PM
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Augie
Reged: 10/27/04
Posts: 5807
Loc: Illinois
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I am probably totally dense on this, but I need to clarify something. You were encouraged and actually added new foods even though you were still not stabalized and still had cramps and pain?
Sorry I am such a pest with this, just trying so very hard to get this going in the right direction and to feel some relief and optimally to reach the place you and so many of you have reached!
Excellent post about the wedding! Thanks for sharing it with me.
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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augie..
#125408 - 11/25/04 04:10 PM
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cailin
Reged: 08/12/04
Posts: 3563
Loc: Dublin, Ireland
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Augie
I found the post where I got that advice
Have a read of it Hopefully it will help you too.
If you want reassurance read some of my old posts which I have posted links to here, you'll realise how I managed to get better, and how bad I felt. Hopefully it will encourage you.
30 August 2004
9th September 2004
I did have a relapse after that, due to MSG but I kept a food diary all along for the first two months so that I could keep track of what I was eating. I also ate TONS of pretzels!
Good luck and keep trying, I remember how frustrating it all is, August isn't that long ago!
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S.
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I noticed that you are eating corn cereal....isn't corn an insoluble. That might be giving you problems at this stage. Why not try a rice cereal for a bit instead?
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I don't know. I thought corn meal was on the soluble list. Maybe the cereal is not a good idea. I'm not sure about this one.
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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Augie
#125459 - 11/26/04 07:56 AM
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bellshel32
Reged: 10/28/04
Posts: 371
Loc: Kansas, USA
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I just want you to know that I understand how you feel. I'm an IBS-C and have been confused & frustrated on this diet. I've come to think that I need lots more insolubles in my diet than IBS-D'rs. When I eat too many starches without many insolubles, I really get bound up. I've been incorporating more salads, fresh fruits, dried fruits, & veggies into my daily diet. I've also increased my SFS intake. I'm now up to 10g per day. I've been taking 1 T (5g) acacia in the morning, 1 1/2 tsp acacia at noon, & 1 tsp (4g) of psyllium fiber either before dinner or before bed. My goal is to work up to around 15g per day.
I've had more gas lately, so have been taking Gas-X tablets once or twice a day. Alot of the gas was caused from taking Miralax daily last week. It didn't make me "go"-- it just gave me horrendous gas. I'm back to trying Zelnorm every other day in small doses. For some reason the Miralax stopped working on me.
So far I think I'm feeling a little better. I've been on this diet for almost a month. Like you, I'm a bit skeptical that this will improve things because I've had this problem my entire life. However, I think this way of eating is healthy, so I'm gonna stick with it for a while & see what happens with my IBS.
Keep it up! We should keep each other updated!
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I would add some insolubles now to prevent C. As long as you aren't a true D person. But that is just what I think. I would not put raw veggies on my sandwich as that is something I can't do well with, but I would add dried fruit to my breakfast and I would have some of Heather's dessert breads for lunch such as zucchini bread or pumpkin apple bread. I would maybe have canned pears with lunch or a cooked veg on the side. Then after a few days I would add a half cup of other veg with dinner in addition to the carrots. And I might make a smoothie for a snack instead of the milk and toast. Having a small amount of oil and fat is also ok. Going too fat free I believe is not recommended by Heather. So that is what I would do. Good luck.
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IBS-A for 20 years with terrible bloating and gas. On the diet since April 2004. Remember this from Heather's information pages:
"You absolutely must eat insoluble fiber foods, and as much as safely possible, but within the IBS dietary guidelines. Treat insoluble fiber foods with suitable caution, and you'll be able to enjoy a wide variety of them, in very healthy quantities, without problem." Please eat IF foods!
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I think that you should maybe add peppermint tea if you're not drinking it already. I consider it my wonder drug. Seriously, Heather says it works better than some prescription drugs. Go buy some pure peppermint tea (you can even probably find it at the grocery store). Brew several strong cups a day. It not only helps with pain, it actually can stop spasms in the colon. Truly a wonder drug. I can't tell you enough about peppermint. Try some !
For Nausea, try ginger tea. Slice a piece of ginger the size of a quarter and steep in boiling water.
Are you starting a soluble fibre supplement? If so what and how much? That might be the missing link for you to feelingb etter. Especially with the C and the pain. If you need more advice on soluble fibre supplements, post us a question and we'll get you started.
Honestly, sweetie, you WILL feel better. IT just takes a little bit of time. I've gone from where you are now to hardly thinking about my diet and symptoms. It really can do the job. Just be patient and try the peppermint tea!
Hugs, Han.
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Formerly HanSolo. IBS, OCD, Bipolar, PTSD times 3.
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This is the first time I've posted on this message board. I've had IBS for years, diagnosed with no medical help until Heather's book came along. I, too, have followed the diet very closely for several months and am doing better but have lost weight (I guess because of eating fat-free foods). I thought I ate everything right for Thanksgiving dinner--white meat turkey, plain sweet potatoes, mushrooms, one slice of homemade bread and Heather's pumpkin pie with praeline topping and water to drink but I came home last night and was miserable. I can't figure it out. Today I'm okay but just feel like a truck ran over me. Any suggestions?????
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Re:HanSolo
#125543 - 11/26/04 04:16 PM
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Augie
Reged: 10/27/04
Posts: 5807
Loc: Illinois
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Thanks for checking up on me! It means a lot that people want to help me feel better without even knowing me! I think this board has a collection of the nicest people. Maybe mean people don't get IBS!
Anyhow, yes, I already drink one cup of peppermint tea a day, maybe two and I have also tried the pepp capsules, but I think I'm going to stop just to see if my tummy feels better without it. I don't have GERD (at least I don't think so, I do have this air gulping thing going and some belching, isn't that lovely) but maybe the mint is too much for me. I know that it is suppose to be great for IBS so maybe I'm just guessing at what the problem could be and tonight the culprit I'm choosing is the peppermint tea!
Yes, I am taking an SFS (citrucel clear mix three times a day (6g fiber) and two equalactin (1g fiber). I've been on citrucel for over a year but only at 4g and I am trying to increase it slowly now. Actually, the citricel is also suspect in my pain. Maybe the tummy doesn't like it. I chose it because it isn't suppose to cause bloating like metamucil or fiberchoice. Fibercon I don't think did anything for me, and all those pills I would have to take. I know that SFS is suppose to be so important to Heather's diet, but maybe my body just doesn't like it. It's very frustrating. I feel so overwhelmed and just at a loss to what I need to do to get to where you and so many others are at. It would be a dream to not think about my pain and symptoms every hour of every day.
Earlier up on this post someone questioned the corn meal cereal, but isn't that a soluble on Heather's list? Thought I'd ask as long as I'm typing.
So with this new info about the SFS and the peppermint tea, have any ideas for me my dear, or am I a lost cause! 
Thanks again for caring!
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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Of course you're not a lost cause! If you think the peppermint is causing trouble, try chamomile, ginger or fennel. These are also really helpful.
The citrucel could very well be the cause of the pain. Try increasing your equalactin and decrease your citrucel. That could help.
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Formerly HanSolo. IBS, OCD, Bipolar, PTSD times 3.
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