Eating fruit and vegetables
#347176 - 06/14/09 11:33 AM
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kgj
Reged: 01/02/09
Posts: 4
Loc: Orange County Indiana
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I have IBS-D. I am taking 3t of Acacia a day and it has helped. If I eat carefully I don't have D but my intestines are still very active. I am a long time vegetarian and while some vegetables and fruit such as cabbage and grapefruit make me very ill, it just seems that any vegetables or fruits can cause me problems. Bananas are the exception. I have started eating salmon which seems to digest quite well, any other meat is a definite strong trigger no matter how it is prepared. The reaction borders on the allergic, my diaphragm gets stiff and I have difficulty taking a deep breath. (Milk products, Advil, alcohol also cause this reaction.) For some reason I can eat whole eggs, on a diet of eggs, French bread, white rice and bananas I am just fine, close to normal.
I am wondering if increasing the Acacia will help me broaden the range of things I can easily eat. Is there any relationship between amount of Acacia that a person can take and a person's weight? I am very thin. (My parents, grandparents, great-grandparents were also thin.)
I will also appreciate advice from anyone on adding and increasing fruits and vegetables in the diet.
Thanks.
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Hi there,
I would continue increasing the amount of acacia you are taking. It sounds like you're still not completely resolved. We recommend starting with ½ teaspoon twice a day (daily dose of 1 teaspoon). You can split the daily dose up as many time as you like throughout the day, just divide it by 2 or 3 depending on the frequency you prefer. Try to increase the dose every 4th day or so by a teaspoon (add this to the daily dose). If you get increased gas and bloating by jumping the dose up by a teaspoon, try cutting this in half. Some people with IBS are so sensitive they have to go up at ¼ teaspoons every 4th day. Keep stepping up the dose every 4th day or so until you find a dose that resolves your constipation and/or diarrhea. Constipation is usually resolved with a daily dose of 4-5 tablespoons/day and diarrhea/loose stools usually resolves at a lower dose of 1-3 tablespoons/day. You shouldn't take more than 5 tbsp/day. The maintenance dose is different for each person depending on their specific symptoms. Dietary changes are often necessary to make lasting changes. In the beginning until you stabilize, it works best to take the acacia before each meal to minimize the effect of trigger foods in the meal and to calm the intestines before the food arrives.
I would suggest reading both of Heather's books so you can thoroughly understand all the ways to help stabilize IBS. The diet and soluble fiber will work more with the cause and help to stabilize you. Acacia helps people with diarrhea to have formed bowel movements and people with constipation to have softer and easier to pass bowel movements. People often experience significant improvement within a couple weeks when they make the dietary and fiber changes at the same time; although, constipation does take longer to resolve than diarrhea. It is not uncommon for constipation folks to increase the acacia very slowly because they are more likely to have trouble with painful gas and bloating. It can take 1-2 months to work up to the daily dose of 4-5 tablespoons/day sometimes. It will only make you miserable if you increase the dose too quickly. Important changes are taking place inside the colon as the body adjusts, so just be patient and let your body gently adjust to the acacia. Constipation folks will often need to continue to use whatever methods they were using previously to keep things moving until they are able to work up to the 4 tablespoons/day dose or so. Please don't stop everything cold turkey and make yourself sick because this will take some time. The overwhelming feedback I hear from people is that once they reach this dose it is a magical experience and they are able to stop relying on the other medications etc they have always needed to have a normal movement at least once a day.
Go ahead and print up the IBS Patient Handout by clicking on this link. http://www.helpforibs.com/diet/cheatsheet.asp. This gives a list of soluble/insoluble fiber foods and trigger foods to stay away from.
I hope this helps!
Erin
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Erin Dudley, MS, CN
Certified Nutritionist
Heather's Tummy Care / Heather & Company for IBS, LLC
IBS Education, Support, & Products
Toll Free: 866 640 4942 Direct: 206 264 8069 Fx: 206 264 8072
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LEGAL DISCLAIMER - This email is not intended to replace the services of a physician, nor does it constitute a doctor-patient relationship. Any application of the recommendations in this email is at the reader's discretion. Heather Van Vorous and Heather & Company for IBS, LLC are not liable for any direct or indirect claim, loss or damage resulting from use of this email and/or any web site(s) linked to/from it. Readers should consult their own physicians concerning the recommendations in this email
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It is a lot harder to tolerate fruits and veggies when you have D. The best thing to do is puree them and make smooth soups that way. Have you tried mashed root vegetables/squash? Those are easiest. Try mushy peas next then maybe well cooked, mashed baby spinach. Also try apple sauce, mangoes and then canned peaches if those go ok.
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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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