Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

Sugar and most refined foods, like rice and white potatoes, are not GI stimulants - that's why they're okay to eat. However, just because you see a lot of recipes posted here, like recipes for cakes and bread, doesn't mean that the EFI diet promotes eating nothing but sugar. If you look at any of the EFI recipes, you'll see that they're really healthy in addition to be safe for IBSers. You don't have to eat cake, sugary desserts, or white bread to get better; but you should choose whole grains and vegetables that are easier to digest and combine them with soluble fiber. For example, a healthy and safe meal could be a mix of brown rice and white (if brown rice alone bothers you or you don't want to only have the refined white rice) as your SF base, with salmon or chicken (meats that are easier to digest) and a variety of steamed vegetables.

The "Breaking the Cycle" diet is one part of this diet. It's the first step and should only be done for a few days. This is to stabilize your GI tract. I don't know if "Breaking the Vicious Cycle" diet is diffferent?

Digestive Advantage has been discussed here before. Some people have found it helpful, some haven't. I think it's just a SFS (like acacia and Benefiber) with some other stuff added it in. You don't have to take it, especially if it contains articial sweeteners like aspartame or sorbitol. I find Benefiber to be a good SFS, and it's the one I use. However, Heather's acacia is organic and doesn't contain any additives.

If bananas bother you, don't eat them. Bananas are one type of food that doesn't produce much gas, but each person has his or her specific intolerances. That's why you start with the BTC diet, to stabilize, and then after a few days you start adding food back in to see what bothers you and what doesn't. This is where a food journal comes in handy: you keep track of what and when you eat, what types of symptoms you experience and when, consistency of BMs, supplements you try. This wouldn't be something you'd have to do forever (or at all), but I feel it helps you see what's going on with your body and deduce what the triggers may be.

Well, I hope I haven't confuse you any more! It really helps to have a print out of the Cheat Sheet and keep it as a quick reference guide. Also it may take some re-reading before you grasp the basics of the diet guidelines and understand how to safely incorporate IF foods into your diet.

Edited by Maria!Maria! (02/09/06 01:21 PM)

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