Please help ! Unbalanced Diet ?
#344519 - 04/15/09 07:00 AM
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At 43 I have lived with IBS for many years. My concern is that there are so many things I can't eat that I fear having a daily diet devoid of many things - fruit, dairy, raw veggies, some grains. I am at a great weight, an athlete and have major energy but when I look at what we are supposed to eat on the Food Pyramid or a doctors advice I am woefully short. I almost feel like IBS is the bar I have to build my diet on and not adhere to the other 'rules'. I have suffered such pain with this that catering to my GI system seems paramount.
Does anyone else feel the same ?
Janice
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Hi Janice, I'm sorry to hear about your concerns. First, are you IBS C or D? That can make a big difference on the types of foods you eat. I am C and I have a fairly well balanced diet (until i get an attack and have to go back to all starches) Once you get "stable" or your IBS is under control, you can add the fruits and veggies. The dairy you can live without, we are the only species on earth that drinks milk from another animal, and the only species that drinks milk when we get older. You can find great alternatives to dairy that provide the same nutrients. Soy milk, if tolerable, can be fortified with calcium, riboflavin, and vitamin D, along with iron and many other health benefits. If you cook your fruits and veggies, they should be safe to eat, and you still get the nutrition from them. Just make sure to have a SF base for your meals. I eat Whole grains like oatmeal, barley, brown rice, and rye, fruits like berries, grapes, bananas, apples, melon, mango, pomegranate, and veggies like mushrooms, carrots, green beans, greens, tomatoes, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, peppers, and many more fruits and veggies can be eaten if you take the proper precautions. I know it is frustrating, but you will get the hang of it. Cooking veggies and fruits makes it alot easier on the digestion. Also, there are many other fruits and veggies that I didn't mention that would be great! Please don't give up on this, and I promise you will eventually figure out how to get the balanced diet you are looking for. One more thing, fish is an awesome super food and it is great for IBS'ers, and chicken is also another great form of protein!
I hope that helps!
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IBS-C, Gas, Bloating, HURTING!
I'm married and it's so wonderful!
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Thank you so much for writing Kappy ! You did give me some new ideas.....fish might be a good thing for me to try more of. Sometimes it feels like everything is a trigger food !
And as you wrote - I am also "IBS-C, gas, bloating and hurting!" Prayers that your wedding day will be IBS free !!
Thank you !
Janice
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I know how you feel, I am very active as well and was always eating a diet high in lean protein (1gr per pd), tons of fruit veggies and the only complex carb I would have was the occasional sweet potato and oatmeal. I am fairly new to the site as well, after my diagnosis roughly 3 weeks ago I was determined to avoid taking meds to help with the symptoms so I figured I would see my options pertaining to dietary changes that could be made.
For me oatmeal still seems to be bothersome, so I replaced that with brown rice....and I refuse to eat refined carbs, so I won't even bother with the breads (although i did try sourdough bread and it actually gave me some probs)...everyone seems to be affected by different things but I feel the basis of the plan has helped me greatly...for the first time in about a year my stomach is flat, you can see my abs once again lol (i'm not so depressed about putting the hard work in at the gym now lol)..and I have curtailed my protein intake to about 60 grams a day, I still look lean and my stomach upset and bloating has subsided....I still consume about 1 1/2 c of blueberries and cherries mixed daily and about a banana and a half. I split that into three "mini-meals" mixed with brown rice and cinnamon. That doesn't affect me. Also, I still have my veggies, usually cauliflower and brussels but I only have that twice a day with dinner and lunch. I also make sure to have about 2T of almond butter throughout the day to get my good fats in. Funny thing is I am eating more complex carbs now and I look leaner than I have in a long time!  I also will have spaghetti squash quite often which I seem to tolerate well.....I don't know if coffee is a big thing for you...(it was for me) I tried the low acidity simply smooth coffee and I seem to tolerate that well too, but we are all different 
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I am IBS-C but having been recently diagnosed am still learning what foods work and which ones don't (most of them). However, I am a nutrition freak and use the website (thedailyplate.com) to track my calories and nutritional intake. And I've found that I'm fine. I avoid things like bran and whole grains, but eat enough soluble fibers to fill the gap. Here's a standard day for me:
Breakfast: Egg white, rice milk, banana, strawberry smoothie
10am Snack: A handful of nilla wafers or a baguette with some jam
Lunch: Boar's head chicken on english muffin with some cooked veggies on the side like carrots or peppers or green beans
4pm snack: Honey glazed snack mix (from the IBS Cookbook) or some other easy to snack
Dinner: Piece of salmon or tuna or chicken, baked potato or jasmine rice or spaghetti, veggies like squash or zucchini
10pm snack: Bowl of cream of wheat or cream of rice with some blueberries thrown in
I think that's fairly balanced. But if I'm missing something, let me know. I miss eating nuts and other foods high in good saturated fat, but I can't handle them. So be it.
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Scott G
#344543 - 04/15/09 02:11 PM
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Rebecca1013
Reged: 04/05/09
Posts: 144
Loc: Catasauqua Pennsylvania
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Have you tried sweet potatoes? I manage those fine and they are more nutritious than the english muffin...If I was to have bread I would have bread made from brown rice flour, only because that is more nutritious and you at least have some whole grains going on there....My body seems to tolerate brown rice extremly well, even though that is a whole grain....have you tried nut butters to see if you can tolerate them? I have problems with walnuts even if they are crushed but I can tolerate almond butter (2t at a time, 3x's a day). Either way I would steer entirely clear of peanut/peanut butter, and cashews/cashew butter, both not really being nuts as they are extremly hard to digest even for ppl without ibs.
In a typical day this is what i have:
1/2 c brown rice (cooked)
1/2 c frozen blueberries defrosted
cinnamon
1/2 banana
egg white
3oz chicken baked with sundried tomatoes, zucchini and celery shredded
5oz baked potato
1/2 c cauliflower
1/2 c brown rice
1/2 c frozen cherries defrosted
cinnamon
1/2 banana
2t almond butter
3oz chicken (or 6oz haddock) baked with mushrooms, shredded onions
5oz baked sweet potato
3/4 c spaghetti squash with mediteranean(sp) seasoning
baked apple (skin removed) w/half a banana
2tbrown sugar
spray of butter flavored cooking spray
2t almond butter
Now I am active, about an hour of cardio a day, and either 30-45 min of Yoga or weight training daily....so you may look and think good god that's alot of food
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I'm glad I could help! Thank you for your blessings! I feel like I have a good chance of making it through with no bumps in the road (or the colon lol  )
I meant to tell you that Ginger tea is an EXCELLENT digestive aid for bloating. I have made it my miracle herb of choice. I get the fresh ginger from grocery store and cut a chunk and peel it, then I boil it and let it steep, then drink the hot tea! It's pretty good, and oh so good for the belly!
I might have mentioned that in the previous post, but it's so good, I figured it wouldn't hurt to mention again!
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IBS-C, Gas, Bloating, HURTING!
I'm married and it's so wonderful!
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as long as your diet is balanced in nutrients you should be fine. most American's are NOT getting what their bodies need but what they think they need.
We only need at most 20% of our calories to be protein. A healthy adult needs approximately 1 gram of protein to Kg of bodyweight. Thats it..
We need about 20-30% of our CALORIES to be fat- fat is 9kcal/gram (protein and carb are 4 kcal/gram).
The balance of 50-60 percent should be carbohydrates.
That includes fruits and vegetables, but then again, you can get the nutrition in other ways.. and btw- as a LONG time IBS sufferer (and member here since 04), I can tell you that there are some veggies I can't have at all, but others I can have if they are well cooked. Each person has their own triggers, experiment. Also- if you are C, you can normally deal with more insoluble fiber than if you are A or D.
BUT some veggies and fruits are soluble. those include carrots, apples, bananas, and other things... and many IBS'ers can handle JUICES.. so that or pureeing things can be another option..
Amie the dietetics student
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Dietetics Student (anticipating RD exam in Aug 2010)
IBS - A
Dairy Allergic
Fructose and MSG intollerant
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Can I ask why you aren't eating fruits and veggies? I practically live on them. There are so many ways to eat them safely.
Don't worry about the dairy part of the pyramid. If you have calcium fortified milk alternatives or calcium rich non dairy foods or take a cal/mag supplement you are fine.
Sounds like you might need to experiment with ways to eat grains, and fruit/veggies safely. I hope you can!
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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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Fruits and veggies are my diet, too!!! The only thing I add is grains and some protein. (And of course the milk alternatives)
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IBS-C, Gas, Bloating, HURTING!
I'm married and it's so wonderful!
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I have an MS in Nutrition which you'd think would be helpful in this situation but it has actually served as my biggest mental block against getting my IBS under control. For years I was torn between what I thought I "should" be eating and what I knew was "safe" for me. Over the last year or so I've finally started to deal with this by realizing that when it comes to IBS, the "normal" rules don't apply.
After many years of experimentation, the only fruits and veggies I can take more than 1 bite of are: bananas, pineapple, carrots (cooked only), sweet potato, squash...probably a few others that are escaping me now. The vast majority are totally off limits, no matter what I try. I just make sure to take my vitamins and not to eat a lot of overly-processed foods so everything I do eat has as much nutrition as possible. I don't know if it's enough, but it's the best I can do.
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IBS-A and GERD since 1983
Low FODMAP since 2012
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I had stopped taking my vitamins for fear they may be causing discomfort, what kind of vitamins do you take tha are "safe?"
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Don't laugh - the only multi I can take are Flintstones. (I think there is only one variety that doesn't have artificial sweetener in it, so read the label carefully!) I also take calcium/magnesium and vitamin D.
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IBS-A and GERD since 1983
Low FODMAP since 2012
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Nope I won't laugh at all!! That works to my advantage I have a cabinet full...my son takes them
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Thank you for sharing this! Do you eat the skin on the potato? I do. I think it helps. I eat it on both baked potato and sweet potato!
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IBS-C with pain and bloat
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This has been very helpful for me to see what other people are eating. I also am C with extreme bloating. Nothing fits right now and I have been trying to drop weight but as soon as I think I have something that works I end up C and very frustrated. I have lost and relost the same six pounds all month!
I fight feeling like I am not eating a balanced healthy diet. The white flour and white breads bug me, but they also work. How can that be?
When you make your morning smoothie, is the raw egg white a problem since it is not cooked? Your smoothie sounds good, thanks for sharing it.
I find myself so frustrated lately that I dont think I am moving ahead in a positive way. Thanks for sharing what works for you. I will give it a try.
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