Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

Laura,

I am NOT an expert on this, but I've been living with the EFI approach for over a year now, and I do have some thoughts on how the EFI approach can be adapted to your existing IC restrictions. You may also want to consult a dietitian or nutritionist for a while (I did so, and it helped a little, though I often felt like I was educating her, rather than vice versa, as she was not familiar with IBS). Your comments are below, in quotation marks. My responses are outside the quotation marks.

FRUITS: "gala apples, any pears" This one is easy: peel them and don't eat the cores (I know lots of people do). Same with grapes, and most other fruits & veggies. Also fruit smoothies are fabulous! I still peel them first, just because I don't like little bits of skin. Note: raspberries will need to be sieved after pureeing to get rid of the seeds, which will irritate, but you still get a really yummy fresh raspberry flavour. I also use canned fruits a lot, as they are already cooked, which brings them closer to "safe" for me. (Yeah canned mango for mango smoothies!)

SPICES, etc: "olive oil/corn oil/canola oil, basil, parsley, thyme, garlic, peppercorns, cinnamon, maple syrup, honey, sugar, allspice" The spices shouldn't be a problem. Using oil in very small quantities, and when your meal is balanced with lots of soluble fiber (SF), should be tolerable. For fresh herbs, mince them finely before adding to your meal. Cooked, rather than raw herbs, may also be easier to digest. Until your yeast problem clears up, reduce your sugars.

Veggies: "Green beans, brocoli, spinach, squash/zucchini, and lettuces." Squash and peeled zuchinni should be fine. You may still be able to eat the rest, with the following caveats: cooked, not raw; peeled; chopped or diced; eaten in small quantities with starchy high-SF (Soluble Fiber) food like white rice or white bread.
"Carrots and mushrooms in minimal quantities." These are quite starchy with low insoluble fiber (IF), so they would ordinarily be good on the EFI approach, but if they tend to irritate YOU, then cut them out at least for a while.

Starches: "can't do whole wheat with the IC." - that's fine because whole wheat is also a no-no on the EFI approach. "I eat tons of stuff made from brown rice," YIPES. All that insoluble fiber will irritate your sensitive bowels. Switch to white rice. "a little white rice," Good; make this one of your staples. "quinoa, a little corn meal." Not sure about the quinoa or cornmeal. Anyone else know this one?
"I was eating red beans but couldn't do black beans." The tough skin on beans is insoluble fiber. You could try pureeing them (as in home-made refried beans).

Meat: "Almost all whole meats like a piece of plain chicken, turkey, pork, eggs, or fish/shellfish except smoked meats and meats with stuff like sausage, proscuitto, etc." These are compatible with the EFI approach. But HOW YOU COOK THEM also makes a difference; opt for steamed, broiled, grilled, rather than fried or (even worse) deep-fried. And avoid red meat (beef, rack of lamb, dark chicken or turkey). Smoked and cured meats are often irritants/inflamatory, so best to avoid if you have any kind of autoimmune responses or migraine anyway.

Cheese: "Cream cheese in small quantities, ricotta with low vinegar, and mozerella with no vinegar." You may be able to reintroduce some of these - in small quantities - but try eliminating them for a while, or substitute non-cow sources, such as rice or soy cheese.

Nuts: "cashews, pinenuts, almonds." Nuts are high in fat, so can be an IBS irritant for that reason, especially if eaten on their own out of the bag or jar. However, nuts as part of a recipe MAY be tolerable and are a good source of Omega-3 fatty acid (e.g., a few slivered almonds with your chicken and rice). Again, you should probably go without them for a while, then reintroduce when you feel stable.

Drinks: "milk, rice milk, pear juice, camomile, fennel, marshmallow, and who knows why - coca cola." Rice mlk, juices, and herbal teas are still OK with the EFI approach. The cola is an interesting one. Are you saying that you can drink it without becoming symptomatic? Cola is a strong irritant, not just for your bowel, but for your teeth and stomach. Until you are pain-free, I would recommend cutting it out.

Fats: "pure butter, oils as listed above." Again - best to avoid, but when necessary, keep it to small amounts and balance your meal with tummy-friendly foods.

As you will undoubtedly have learned by now, the early weeks and months are the hardest as you try first to stabilize (which, to me, means I have one or fewer "attacks" per week, and can identify what caused it so I really know that it's my own danged fault!), then learn how to customize your diet for your own personal sensitivities. Customization is the hardest part, as sometimes the symptoms are delayed (e.g., you may not realize that the symptoms you experience in the morning are caused by the alcohol you had the night before, or the cola you had the afternoon before).

One more thought: carb need not = sugar. I realize sugar is a big culprit in yeast infections. So, while you're getting the yeast thing in order, cut the refined sugar. Fruit and veggie carbs are not, to my knowledge, so bad. And sourdough bread, which is a "goody" on the EFI approach, will probably actually help as it is made without yeast.

Good luck - you have a "double whammy" to cope with.

Wordfiend

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