Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

WordField has done a great job of reconciling what you were eating for IC with what you can eat for IBS. A couple of followups:

At least when people are still starting out, even relatively safe fruits like apples will still need to be eaten with some SF as a cushion. Seems weird, I know, but I learned to love a few pretzels with my apples - something about the whole salty-sweet thing. Applesauce is always safe and you can make your own with whatever apples you like. There are even crockpot applesauce recipes.

Whole wheat is an IF so it should be "eatable" if accompanied by an SF cushion. I have to say, though, that I still don't tolerate it well.

Brown rice is one of those foods on the Soluble Fiber list that is about half SF and half IF but still often tolerated well by IBSers. Cornmeal, oatmeal, and (I think) barley are the others. A lot of IBSers can tolerate some or all of these as an SF base; others can't. I do fine with cornmeal as my SF base; don't do well with oatmeal; hate brown rice; and have never tried barley.

Quinoa is on the SF list. It's a grain that's high in protein and fat (for a grain) but not high in fat in comparison to other protein sources. I've never tried it but there are some recipes for it on the Recipe Board.

Refried beans are a great idea. I can easily find low-fat canned ones in the grocery store. Also, try beans mixed with rice - start with just a few and work up if they're well-tolerated.

Be careful with fruit juices. They deliver a huge load of fructose very quickly which can be problematic especially on an empty stomach. Heather recommends treating fruit juices like IF.

I agree emphatically. Since chicken and turkey are - let's face it - pretty much blank slates, herbs and spices are a Godsend in making them flavorful. I was able to eat spicy foods from the very beginning but even those who need to let their tummies settle before managing the spicy foods should do well with milder herbs.

When you say:

What do you mean by an intolerance? Do they produce symptoms or can you just not stand the sight of them any more?

If you want some more specific help with your recipes you could post one on the Recipe Board with a link back to this post or to an IC foods list on the Web and ask for help modifying it to be IBS-safe. Be sure to note you're trying to avoid sugar.

HTH.

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

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