Any success with just diet changes?
#55301 - 03/29/04 05:58 AM
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crc
Reged: 03/01/04
Posts: 161
Loc: Maine
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After reading some recent posts I was wondering if anyone has been able to control their IBS with just the changes in their diet, no meds and no extra fiber?
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I did have success for a while just doing that, but then I got stressed out and it didn't "take."
That's my two cents. 
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Nope not me. Needed all three.
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Laura
Keep it simple!
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yes my ibs is entirely controllable by diet (and exercise helps and lot!). To have my bowels in perfect working order (hardly any gas etc) the diet is sooooo boring. If I want to add more yummy cooking, I get the old farts, but no more really then my fiance who is normal!
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Feel the fear, and do it anyway
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though when I'm under stress or traveling, I add in soluble fiber supplements several times a day. Lately I've been trying to just habitually take Acacia every day no matter what, just because I think the all-around benefits of extra fiber in the diet are worth it, even if my IBS is rock-solid at the time and I'm getting plenty of soluble fiber from my diet. And at restaurants I take peppermint caps before meals. I also drink really strong hot peppermint tea every day, and do yoga, and I think those things help tremendously. But in terms of not needing prescription meds, then yes, diet changes definitely allow me to avoid those 99% of the time.
I guess I'd say that if I had to pick just one single thing to manage my IBS, I'd pick diet, because I think that has the single greatest impact. But I do find it more successful to buttress the diet with supplements, and yoga, and stress management, etc. Funny thing is though that I consider a lot of those things to just be tools for healthy living, and I'd do them even if I didn't have IBS. But then I also look at the diet that way, as I'd eat the way I do whether I had IBS or not, as I really love great food and I feel like that's what I get to eat! Call it positive thinking, or just plain delusional....
- H
- Heather
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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I changed my diet abruptly (no fats, red meat, oils, caffine or soda)(but I have a sweet tooth, and have an occasional chocolate cheat) and started taking Citrucel at the same time. My IBS-D improved immediately, but I still have a lot of grumbling going on, but so far no D for about 1 month. I have never taken more than 3 Citrucel tablets in one day, so I believe that is a minimum dosage.
I think diet, soluable fiber supplementation and peppermint tea + Altoids contribute to the wellness, and I'm not ready to experiment with adding and deleting yet. However, I would probably start with expanding my diet b4 giving up on the soluable fiber supplementation.
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I agree, I would threaten bodily harm to anyone who tried to take my fiber supp away from me!! 
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Laura
Keep it simple!
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the supplements (soluble fiber, peppermint tea, etc.) can allow you to expand your diet and still stay safe, and this can be a really good thing. I don't mean that taking the supplements will let you get a Big Mac for dinner, but they will let you add in healthy fats from olive oil or fatty fish, and insoluble fiber fruits, veggies, and whole grains. This is really crucial for good health, and it's just a whole lot easier to eat the nutritious potential triggers if you've got the supplements to back you up.
- H
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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What brand of liquid vitamins do you like? What to look for in them? 
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Hi- yes, I have found great success in controlling my IBS-D through just using Heather's diet. I
don't take any fiber supplements or meds,except if I have extreme stress I may take immodium
that day at the first sign of a flareup. But otherwise, I have been attack-free since last July, which
corresponds to when I began Heather's diet. Good luck to you!! Oh, and exercise helps I believe.
I do Pilates, walk, ski, and bike, depending on the season.
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"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." ~ Groucho Marx
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I'm FINALLY managing to stabilise without meds. I still take Acacia - can't and won't do without it - and I take a SSRI for depression but that's it. Acacia is so natural, good for you and easy to take, why not take it? It's good for people who don't even have IBS. But taking meds definitely helped me get the IBS under control. I just don't need them regularly now.
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Thanks I got alot of good feedback. I have been just doing the diet for the past month with no fiber supplement but drinking peppermint tea. Had a good first 5 days then back to the usual D. I did order the acacia but wanted to see how I would do without it and just the diet first. Guess its not enough. I do exercize(yoga and rowing) almost every day as well as keeping up with two kids. I am still drinking green tea (not decaffeinated) is this OK? I have 3-4 cups/day.
Thanks again for the responses.
Cindy
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I used to just do the diet. It helped so much. I was having D nearly every day. Then the diet made it more like once a month or so. I still had problems with gas though --- some bloating, burping and farting.  So, I have started trying to work out more frequently -- and add some fiber in my diet. I still haven't figured that part out totally though. I never took any meds.... none were offered to me until just recently -- and it only works when you are starting to get an attack -- and then only for 50% of the people - 50% of the time. I have taken it a couple times - but not regularly or anything.
I do drink peppermint, green mint, and a mix of peppermint & fennel teas. I also now take the peppermint caps, Usually once a day.
I can usually go about two months or so between attacks -- and can usually relate the attacks to either eating too much - the wrong thing -- or stress.
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try switching to something without caffeine or else you're sure to have tummy trouble!! 
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I know that caffeine is bad, but I thought that in Heathers book she mentioned that green tea was OK because the caffeine levels are pretty low. Am I correct about this or just being delusional because I love green tea and it is supposed to be so good for you?
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okay...my bad...I was under the impression that caffeine was super terrible for IBS...but I don't drink green tea and am not sure how much caffeine is in a cup!!
However, if you're drinking 4-5 cups/day then the caffeine will add up.
If Heather says it's fine then I'm sure you're okay with it...I just try to stay away from caffeine as much as possible cuz it doesn't agree with me at all!!
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Thanks Kimm. It might be worth a try to use the non-caffeinated stuff.
Cindy
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Hi Cindy,
How's everything in God's country? (** heavy sigh **)
Caffeine is bad. I've had a hard time with withdrawals since giving up my coffee, so I have ONE CUP of Constant Comment tea in the morning -- only ONE. It doesn't bother me at all. But my goal is to wean myself away from it in time. The tea I have the rest of the day is all herbal. You might try doing a tea test -- I LOVE taste tests! -- just buy a small box of various herbal teas (I think some brands even offer a variety-pack) and see which ones you like. You're right, green tea IS very healthy, but don't they have a green decaf?
BTW -- how about a pic of yourself? You could have someone take a pic of you standing in front of a Maine balsam pine or a beautiful white birch ..... (** sigh **)
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<img src="http://home.comcast.net/~letsrow/smily3481.gif">Bevvy
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I've been doing better since Iv'e watched what I am eating and still learning is FUN. LOL
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if God brought you to it. He will bring you through it.
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Thanks I think I will try mixing in some decaf. Okay Bevrs see if you can remember this...Maine...end of March...MUD SEASON!!!! Bring back any memories?
I will try toget a picture going. I am the photo taker in the family so I find it hard to get me in there, but I am working on it. I'll promise to get the beautiful country in it just for you.
By the way I row too, let me know in the LR what machine you have.
Also, I had just read in Natural Health magazine that High blood pressure can be a cause of AM headaches.
Cindy
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since it sounds like your goal is to stabilize just through diet, and avoid supplements. It's going to be easier to go about this "backwards" - start with absolutely everything that can help you (diet, fiber, herbal teas, peppermint caps, meds, yoga, IBS hypnosis). This will really, really increase the odds that you'll get yourself completely stable, and once you're stable it's much easier to stay that way. At that point, you can try gradually eliminating the options that you don't want to continue, and see if it's possible for your gut to stay stable with just the diet. It may not be, and you may end up deciding that you don't even want to try. You might also end up liking the other elements, since they're all healthy for you anyway and most of them enjoyable as well. But the odds of really taking control are better if you go all out, get stable, and then carefully back off, instead of trying one small change at a time and never quite tipping the scales towards stability.
- H
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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I've been able to avoid any meds, just diet changes has been enough (usually) to control my C. Once I had to go to the doc as I hadn't pooped for over 2 weeks (not even rabbit poops!), and he gave me a suppository to clear things out, and once had such exquisitely painful cramping that my doc had to give me a shot of Buscopan to settle things down. Those are the only times I have had to resort to meds, but the most important thing for me is getting enough sleep . . . 
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Every cloud has a silver lining!
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If it's a low caffeine variety, or decaf, then yes. The thing is, there are tons of different kinds of green tea, and some of them (especially the Japanese powdered versions) are very high in caffeine, because you're basically eating the whole leaf instead of just brewing it. I'd stick to a decaf version just to be safe - that type of green tea shouldn't bother your IBS at all, and it is really good for you.
- H
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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