Can Pure Honey and Other Foods Cause Bloating?
#173800 - 04/26/05 08:58 AM
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I feel I had an excellent breakfast this morning.
I had a banana, potatoe bread with non dairy butter, bowl of Rice cereal, and scrambled egg whites.
With the scrambled egg whites I had pure honey, which did not list high fructose corn syrup or for that matter any ingredients on the container.
I feel bloated, similar to how I get when I had maple syrup, which I can't have because it contains high fructose corn syrup in it.
The question I pose is, could my bloating be from the pure honey, are people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome not supposed to have pure or any honey due to this?
For that matter, why don't I make a chart below of all the foods I am not sure I can have, all on one topic, and you answer me this way it is organized, consolidated, and we all can refer to this too.
Lamb
Light mayonnaise
I am knowledgable that Irritable Bowel Syndrome prevents eating red meat, but some person told me that lamb is not considered red meat. I always thought lamb was red meat, so maybe somebody here can clarify, I figure better to ask then eat and get bloated. Thanks.
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I think there could be two problems with your breakfast.
1. It seems like it was too much food at one time. Most IBS people do better with little meals, eating more often.
2. Honey IS a natural form of fructose. So it doesn't need to list fructose as an ingredient. It would be like sugar listing sugar as an ingredient. Fructose Intolerance is very common with many IBS people. I would skip it for a day or two and see if it helps. Perhaps you are intolerant to high amounts of fructose.
Also, no, lamb in not allowed. And low fat or fat free mayo is fine as long as the brand does not contain dairy. I know Kraft Miracle whip (and maybe even the mayo, not sure) contains dairy, I think in the form of cream.
I suggest you use the search button and type in the name of the food you are questioning (with no time limits) to see past posts on individual foods. And please read Heathers Intro posts at the top of the Eating Board. They are filled with great info for the new posters.  They provide safe foods, brand names, trigger foods, and a great "cheat sheet". They also help explain how to best use the board and the search button before posting.
Welcome, btw! 
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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Hi and welcome to the boards!
That *does* sound like a really good breakfast!  It seems like an ok amount of food to me, but everyone's different. With food amounts you just want to avoid that really over-full feeling after a meal. It's usually pretty obvious to me if I've eaten too much but it may take some getting used to as to how much is too much if you're just starting out.
Re: honey - yup, Beth is right. The problem with honey is the same problem with fruit juices and with HFCS (high fructose corn syrup): fructose. HFCS contains more fructose than sugar and this fructose is more immediately available because it is not bound up in sucrose. Same goes for fruit juices and honey. I'm ok with small amounts of honey but some people can't tolerate it at all. Generally fructose in whole fruit is ok though it is fairly common for some people to have fructose intollerance along with IBS. Not that I'm suggesting you might have this though! Just IBS
And yes, lamb is a red meat so it's a definite no no. Anything that was a mammal is a red meat. Pork is red, for that matter too, no matter what the farmers say. Light mayo is ok just watch the fat content and make sure you hae it with lots of SF and low fat foods. What's important is the fat content of your whole meal, so just have a little bit and make sure at each meal that 20% or LESS (especially if you're just starting out 10-15% is a much safer range) of the calories come from fat. I think you can also find fat free mayo too.
Hope that helps
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Pure honey is also a natural laxative. Thus it can cause more than just bloating for the IBSer.
Just a thought...
Feel better 
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Formerly known as Ruchie
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Let me ask you -- are you taking a soluble fiber supplement yet? Are you taking a probiotic? How about food enzymes to help you digest your food?
I had gas & bloating that hung on until the probiotics -- and then it took 3 - 4 weeks after taking them for it to stop. Now I have no gas & bloating at all. Some people just need the enzymes. A good one is made by Natrol -- it has special anti-gas ingredients in it.
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The easiest way for me to think about meat is to remember what I can have: white meat chicken, white meat turkey, seafood.
As for light mayonnaise, check for egg yolks. I've found light and even non-fat mayonnaise with egg yolks in them. I tolerate this fine, but if you're super-sensitive this might be a problem. Also, if you're just starting on Heather's diet, you may need to be extra careful while you stabilize, then find you can add back in some iffier foods (like light mayonnaise) once you're doing well.
One last thing - don't you love this, watching your whole menu go right out the window - for the first few months I was on Heather's diet, I found that any fat other than olive oil and canola oil bothered me, whether it was dairy-free or not and regardless of how little of it I ate. I'm just now getting to the point where I'm trying a little IBS-safe margarine and branching out into light mayonnaise.
Last but not least, welcome. As you can see, you've come to the right place for advice.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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I'm not going to attempt to eat extra safe, I'm just going to be carfeul with what I eat now. I've been tracking Heather's suggested diet, and I have followed it about 75% which I figure should be solid.
I have noticed that my bloating is mildly lower, but last night I couldn't resist, I had chocolate cake, and I wonder if my bloating today which has been back and fourth is from the cake.
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Are you kidding me, you were able to eliminate the bloating?
As a matter of fact I am taking Digestive Advantage Irritable Bowel Syndrome tablets, which take 7 to 14 day to work.
I don't know if this is a prebiotic or probiotic, but I was told this stuff really works, and it better, because I am going insane with the bloating.
I don't understand why I get bloated, but it is severely damaging my ability to be a normal person. I can't participate in regular fitness activites that all the other children can because of the bloating, and I have had it with ignorant doctors who are less useful each time.
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Thanks for the advice, I thought I had read that honey was ok to eat, are there any types of maple syrup or honey that are safe?
As for mayo, is miracle whip safe?
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Thanks, the reason I ate that amount of food is because I am trying to gain muscle and I have a big appetite. I have to eat a lot.
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"I have followed it about 75% which I figure should be solid."
Nope. When you first start the diet, you must really adhere to it 100% or you will not get better. I was totally strict for about a year. Now that I am stable, I can get away with some cheats like nuts or raw fruit, but I'd die if I ate an unsafe chocolate cake. If you are not following the diet whole-heartedly, you are cheating yourself out of a chance to feel better.
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Amanda
I live in the Big Apple, but I don't eat the skin
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What about probiotic pills, if those work couldn't I cheat with those?
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Not likely. You really need to get your bloating under control before you can start playing around. Any those of us who "cheat" generally stay away from really severe triggers like dairy. You need to take this seriously if you are going to feel better -- otherwise you are just restricting your diet to an inconvenient level but not actually accomplishing anything. It's pretty much all or nothing.
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Amanda
I live in the Big Apple, but I don't eat the skin
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Nothing less than 100% will cut it, if you really want to get stable. And I'd wager that that chocolate cake you had last night is playing a HUGE role in today's bloating. The only way to manage IBS is to do it with diet and lifestyle changes, not for a few weeks but permanently - sadly there is no magic drug that will let you safely eat anything you want, and there isn't a cure  But you CAN manage it - and this diet is the best way that I've found yet.
Miracle Whip Light or Fat Free are generally ok, again in VERY SMALL amounts. Just check the fat content (of EVERYTHING!)
PS If you're looking for some discussions on gaining muscle on this diet, check out the fitness board, there are a few of us there with the same goals.
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I'll do it, but the last thing I want is to sacrifice and not get better. I am in tears right now because of the bloating. Do you know people have asked me in public why I hold my stomach, and that I now am missing out on events because of my stomach? Yes, it's be easier to follow the diet, but I mean I am eating better now then I was a month ago, and the problem remains. If I give up more foods, and I still have weeks of bloating that would be worse, I am skeptical, but you're correct. I drank peppermint today, it helped me for 20 minutes, then it went back to the way it was, flucating bloating.
How long does it take to get stable, and what do you mean by stable, no bloating and a consistant body shape?
I heard there was a pill at the health stores you could buy that does a lot of help and the Digestive Advantage Irritable Bowel Syndrome pill I started this week are too, provided you stay off dairy.
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I'm really sorry you're feeling so bad right now {HUGS}, BUT the fact that you're getting such good results with the diet so soon is a really good sign! For the peppermint tea - glad to hear it helped! You might try drinking herbal teas - peppermint, chammomile and fennel are all really good choices here - all day long, as in 4 or 5 cups a day, and this may over a few days start to help prevent the bloating to some degree. Worth a try anyway.
When people say they are stable on these boards they usually mean that they are not having D or C or pain, and some mean that they are bloat free too. However even stable people occassionally get bloated - but certainly not constantly. Generally people's definition of their own stability is some level of normalcy, like you didn't have IBS (although you obviously still have to keep following all diet and lifestyle stuff).
Do a search for Digestive Advantage - it's come up a lot simply because it's so appealing and promising as a "cure". Unfortunatley it's no wonder drug - just a probiotic and a digestive enzyme. It would probably help as much as taking those two things separately would (and people definitely do find help with those things) - but it's not a cure.
Rather those who are stable (and I would consider myself pretty much stable at this point) got there with a combination of things: diet, stress management, medications for some, soluble fiber supplements, plus enzymes, probiotics, herbs etc. How long does it take? It's taken me about a year. It takes some people less time, some people more. However while I'm on my way to stability now, I did see progressively positive results after a few weeks and as long as I stayed strict with the diet things just keep getting better.
These are your signs that it's working, remedies for your skepticism. We KNOW that IBS can be terrible and embarassing and cause you to miss out on social events. How do we know? By the very fact that you are on an IBS discussion board you should simply assume that we all know what you're going through because we're all going through it too.
And we're dealing with it. If you're looking for a miracle cure, you need to change your outlook or you will never be satisfied. Instead, rejoice in the small gains you make each day - in those 20 mins you felt great today, and each day those 20 mins will grow until soon you'll have whole days when you feel good. Don't consider it a sacrifice - you'll only fail if you look at it that way. Consider it doing something really good for your body and your body will give you results.
I can't make any promises here obviously and clearly this all depends on you - your commitment to this and your willingness to change. And in that I wish you all the best of luck.
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That's such an eloquent and compassionate reply. I've been doing much better on this diet, but it's just really reassuring to hear someone else say the things I've been feeling. That's why these boards are so important! After a while you need someone who understands, who knows exactly the right thing to say. I know you were responding to notadoctor, but what you said and how you said it really moved me.
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Note...
#174196 - 04/27/05 02:22 AM
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Linz
Reged: 09/01/03
Posts: 8242
Loc: England
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...probtiotics are not enzymes, but bacteria. Digestive Advantage contains both enzymes and a probiotic. It is NOT a miracle cure for anything....you have to work hard at beating IBS and it will still take time.
I did the diet 100% for 6 months before I felt that I was stabilising.
If you are extra sensitive to fructose (not HFCS but the regular natural stuff) then honey could be a problem as it's pure fructose. Most people are fine with the relatively small amounts of honey we eat, but it's possible to be extra sensitive, especially at first. Sugar is safer.
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I follow the diet first -- I take a soluble fiber supplement -- about 12 grams of fiber and was stable with nearly no attacks on that before I tried to tackle the gas. Then I take Digest Support - which is an enzyme with anti gas properties. I also take Natrol Bio Beads which have probiotic mix in them -- and a product called My Defense which has a standard amount of Vitamin C and a few other things and is supposed to increase healthy gut microflora.
Still if I do have a problem - it's usually the gas that comes back... like if I have something I'm not supposed to eat... like tomato sauce... too much fat... something like that. I haven't had a full attack in a long time. I think it was last September or so when I had my last big huge painful D attack.
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Microscopic Colitis, IBS-A, GERD, Hiatal Hernia
Bethany, Ontario, Canada
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Aw thanks! I'm so glad it helped.
Getting all misty eyed over here...
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I think the reason why the bloating went away for me with the probiotic was because I had a pretty bad round of infections that had left me on antibiotics & steroids for about 6 weeks -- I think that probably took out all the good bacteria in my gut -- and allowed the bad stuff to flourish -- thus the gas & bloating. I had gas & bloating nearly all the time. However -- beano and all that didn't work for me hardly at all. The rest of the diet helped my other symtoms -- but didn't touch the gas. Then I took the probiotic -- (and it has to be a good one) -- and at first it didn't seem to be doing anything... but after 3 weeks I noticed I was good. At four - I didn't seem to be having any trouble at all. Now if I eat the wrong foods (dairy -- too much fat -- too much food etc) - I will still get gas & bloating & remind myself not to do that again -but all in all I don't have any problems.
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--------------------
[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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Peppermint
#174313 - 04/27/05 08:23 AM
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Stephie
Reged: 03/10/04
Posts: 2696
Loc: Vancouver, Canada
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Hiya,
I just had one quick suggestion. If that peppermint tea helped you, but only temporarily you might want to try taking Peppermint capsules.
I think the capsules are stronger, and they are convenient to take as often as you need.. Assuming you don't have any problems with acid reflux (indigestion, heart-burn, etc).
I know that Heather has made some peppermint oil capsules that she swears by, and they also have fennel and.. um.. something else in them. I'd try ordering them and giving them a try and see if that prolongs your relief. Otherwise, you can usually find peppermint oil capsules in health food stores.
Good luck!
--Steph
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~~I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell-I know right now you can't tell~~Matchbox 20
IBS-D,pain.
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Just how old are you?
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I agree with the other posters on this issue who have said that following Heather's diet 75% is not going to eliminate your symptoms. You mention fitness activities in one of your posts, so let's try a sports metaphor, here, and see if that will give you a different way to think about this.
Let's say you had a specific goal in some sport: bench press 200 pounds; bat .325; run for a hundred yards a game; or get a triple double every time out. If you went to a coach, told him your goal, and asked him what you had to do to achieve it, you wouldn't think you could follow 75% of his advice and succeed. (If you did, you wouldn't have a coach for long!) You have to think about managing your IBS the same way.
And please think about the people on this Board who are trying to help you the way players who know they need help think about their coaches: treat them with respect, follow their advice, and value their time.
One last thing: Your main complaint is blaoting, so drink that fennel tea no matter how much you hate it. Search on "fennel hate" and you'll turn up at least one thread about what you can hide it in to mask the taste. Or search on "fennel nose" and you'll find a post by someone who just holds her nose and drinks it. Brew it in really hot water - that makes sure the goodness gets out of the seeds and into you. Drink it 3 times a day and if you get bloated have 2 cups one right after the other. Try this for a month. This is the equivalent of that one part of your fitness routine that you just hate, but know you have to do to achieve your goal.
HTH. Good luck.
--------------------
[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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Thanks retro for the reply, you truely made me feel better.
I want to ask is taking pepppermint capsules instead of peppermint tea the same, it is easier for me to take capsule then to brew tea.
As for fructose, let me ask, does pure maple syrup contain fructose? If I have wheat free waffles with pure maple syrup, should this be safe food? What if I am sensitve to fructose, should I not have pure maple syrup?
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I'd guess that as maple syrup comes from trees (doesn't it? ) it would be fructose. Stick to small amounts and not everyday would be my advice. You have to be REALLY sensitive to fructose to not be able to eat any...most of us are fine with small amounts (i.e. don't eat a jar of honey at one time! ).
Peppermint capsules and the tea aren't the same...for one, the heat of the tea helps along with the peppermint.
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Linz has a great answer re: maple syrup.
For the tea, yup the heat of the tea *definitely* helps, however taking the peppermint caps in addition every day (i.e. not just when you're bloating) can also help prevent bloating and cramping in the first place. I take them 2-3x a day, but I also drink helpful herbal teas like chammomile and peppermint everyday too.
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If pure maple syrup has fructose, then why is it healthier to have than maple syrup? Thanks for the information, I guess when I have pure maple syrup having smaller portions can make a difference.
I notice that when I have had peppermint capsules, they have not relieved me as good as peppermint tea, I wonder if as you said they really aren't as good for this, which is too bad because the capsules are much easier to take.
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Peppermint caps tend to be one of those prevention things rather than an immediate remedy like tea. As Linz said, the heat of the tea is very soothing to the digestive system, which has an immediate effect. The peppermint caps work slowly through your stomach and intestines to soothe it over time, so you take them a few times a day and generally notice that you're getting less spasms after a few days. You'll still want to keep the tea around though to help you out when your feeling bad.
The heat seems to help you - have you tried a hot pack??? I find this works wonders to soothe a bloated tummy within a few mins.
I don't know much about the fructose content of maple syrup but I think those things are best in small amounts (honey, maple syrup), as in around a tbsp at a time tops. If you're looking for something to put on pancakes, I like applesauce and cinnamon even better than maple syrup
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Thanks retro, I can't explain how helpful your answers to me are.
I notice with peppermint tea that it does relieve me, but this lasts for about 20 minutes, is there a way I can make it so the effect of the tea lasts more, should I drink 2 cups, I want more than 20 minutes when experience bloating.
The only problem with cinamon is that it doesn't come in a sauce you can dip wheat free waffles in. I imagine whipped cream is good on this too.
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Quote:
The only problem with cinamon is that it doesn't come in a sauce you can dip wheat free waffles in. I imagine whipped cream is good on this too.
When you make a joke like this one, put a after it. It's one of the Instant Graemlins right below the box you compose your posts in. That way everybody knows you're joking about the whipped cream. It's a little easier on the blood pressure than thinking you're serious. Thanks.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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I thought you were serious!!
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Keep on keepin' on...
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