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I think it's really important for those of us with IBS to find a balance between mangaing our diets and managing our anxiety - and often the former can directly contribute negatively to the latter. For example, a person could follow the diet to a tee but be stressing so much and have so much anxiety - either about the diet or about something else going on in her or his life - and therefore still be suffering. On the other hand though, I think most IBSers could work really hard at getting their anxiety under control but if they completely stopped paying attention to their diets they would be suffering too.
Again, I think a personal and indivudal balance is really important here. We all know how severe our individual cases of IBS are and how much foods are a trigger and how much anxiety is a trigger for us as individuals - and the answers to all three things are going to really vary among us: some of us, like Tinkerbelle may be able to eat whatever we want as long as we don't stress out about it, while others may be able to safely handle terribly stressful sitautions as long as they eat ok. Most likely though, most of us are somewhere in between those two extremes.
Because of this, I think it's really crucial that we all listen to our bodies, as has been said, to find a way of managing our IBS that pays heed to our bodies needs BOTH with regard to anxiety and diet, in a way that doesn't exascerbate either of them.
Anyway, just my 2 cents. Hope that made sense...
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I think that when you listen to your body you should hear what it says. I know that I am low in protein or something when I crave meat as I really could live without it.
In the old days when I ate red meat there would be days that I would crave liver of all things...the thought of that makes me gag now! 9 times out of 10 it would be somewhere around my menstrual cycle as if I needed the iron or something.
It has been 4 years since I have eaten red meat and I occasionally crave prime rib. I think if I ordered it and looked at it I would barf...
Listening to your body is a good thing. 
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Have a blessed day!...Rachel
stable and sooooooo thankful!
I have IBS but it doesn't have me!
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Yes I agree people should wait until they are stable I stuck strickly to the IBS diet for 2 months and still had bad days but they werent as recurrent .I dont know if I ever stabilized and I think peoples IBS cases are different from others. I had cut out red meat and everything like mac and cheese, limited my gluten,only ate ezekial bread, but I was losing so much weight, still having problems on top of being a pain in the ass for everyone who ate with me. I was full blown anemic and getting sick with colds and stuff while on the diet and my gastro told me to listen to my body because it will help me sort out what I need because I was restricting my body of needed vitamins and proteins.
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So.... I just said I"m going to eat like a normal person, but restrict on things like fast food and highly greasy foods. I dont do ice cream or milk shakes either, nor coffee, but I eat eggs and ham..yep ham.. and to be honest my attacks come every once in a while, but at least I look and feel healthier. I am happier and dont feel like a slave to food. I"m in college and live on a college student budget and college student time (full time school and work, and Girl Scout Volunteer). I couldn't afford to make the recipes.
Bottom Line... Every one is different what works for you might now do anything for me and what works for me, might not do anything for you 
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Keep Smiling
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hmmm...liver, ehh?
don't laugh. i am hugely craving liver. yes, liver. i know--holy gross-o-rama. i am really really craving chicken liver (not pate or liverworst) just chicken livers, chicken guts and lamb, too. i'm not really craving poultry/fowl.
i'm probably low in something that's in red meat and meat in general. i'm prone to pernicious anemia. i've had bouts where it's taken months to recover, even with b12 shots and lots of folate in my diet. i know, even more now that my immune system is weak and literally attacks me--my diagnosis of alopecia aerata reinforces that (it's basically the manifestation or result of an immune system attack/assault and i have most of the vulnerability causing factors). i just found out the verdict a few days ago. i'm probably craving the b12 and the zinc.
i'm really happy to say that the hair prognosis is awesome--my immune system seems to love me lately. could it be because i'm listening to body re: feeding?
i think so. intuitive eating. the hair doc says that i seem to be in remission with the aloepecia. hair regrowth appears to have started in 2 phases--5 months ago and 2 months ago. i started EATING (not supplementing) with the foods i'm craving as safely as possible at both of those times. i started really eating the silica versus supplementing. ditto for the calcium/magnesium and selenium and well...now the flesh. plus i doubled the protein in my diet.
and the doc. said to eat it versus supplementing. as i tend to have absorption challenges, i'm supposed to eat more proteins.
anyways, i'm just babbling. but truly, i think there's something to intuitive eating. however, i also know that Heather's diet is very helpful and effective. my verdict/summary? after stability strike a balance. different things work for different people at different times.
kate, ibs-D.
Edited by Wind (10/06/05 07:40 AM)
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Yep....that is where I am. Stable so I can add a little variety. I do believe that my stability has much to do with my choosing not to be fixated on this diet...just by listening to my body.
Thank goodness my body hasn't requested liver lately! Ha ha
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Have a blessed day!...Rachel
stable and sooooooo thankful!
I have IBS but it doesn't have me!
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Is it available in the US? You take 3 a day?
What else do you take supplement wise? So, you eat pretty much whatever you want?
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...ability to eat more freely? Do you take anything else besides the DA?
Is Nature's Own fiber bread the brand name? I don't believe I've ever seen it. Is it a wheat bread?
Thanks again!
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I have to admit I'm a little bothered by the advice that if we just chill out and eat whatever our IBS will improve. To me it comes across as saying, "It's all in your head," which feeds into the idea that we're ultimately the ones to be blamed for having this disorder.
I think we've all read enough studies to know that IBS is NOT psychological: this is a disorder that is physiological and neurological, one that has been shown to affect people in a measurable way.
For me, following the diet means eating in a way that is easy for my digestive tract because it IS sensitive and it DOESN'T work properly. Of course, some people are too focused on the diet, which is only a guideline for eating safely, and they forget about the other available treatments for reducing IBS symptoms also mentioned on this site.
I'll admit that I was completely focused on getting control over my IBS symptoms and doing everything possible to minimize my pain while understanding (sadly) that it would never go away 100%. But I don't feel guilty about it because I WAS suffering and, I'm speaking for myself, I realized that in order to get a grip on myself, my IBS, and my life I would have to learn about this disorder, read and compare studies, and learn how to eat to put the least amount of stress on my digestive tract.
I do recognize that for some people such concentration does add emotional stress, especially for those who are dealing with a pre-existing ED. I really feel for those of you who are trying to find a balance between eating safely for IBS and not becoming obsessed with the diet. And I do believe that such stress can exacerbate symptoms--but it is NOT a cause of our IBS. So, simply no longer caring about what we put in our mouths won't make it go away.
Because IBS is a chronic disorder without any cure or specific treatment, this means even if I'm relaxed and without a care in the world, even if my mind is not fixated on SF or eating safely, if eat a hamburger or have the smallest scoop of ice cream, I WILL have an attack. And the reason I'll have an attack isn't because I think I will, but because the proteins in red meat and dairy ARE more difficult to digest.
If you actually read all this, wow! I'm sorry to go off and I hope you know me well enough to realize that my intent is not to offend or hurt anyone's feelings. It's just that after a few years of people telling me it's because of my attitude or personality or anxiety (which I didn't develop until a couple of years after my initial diagnosis with IBS and having D more than several times everyday during that time) and THEN reading all these studies that prove otherwise, I'm just sad when it's suggested (even subtlely and politely) that I just need to relax and I'll feel better. 
Edited by Maria!Maria! (10/06/05 10:04 AM)
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And I'm not as afraid of offending people, so I'll say exactly what I'm thinking: For many people with IBS, the advice to "relax and eat whatever" is not only NOT going to work, but it's potentially dangerous, especially for people with more severe cases of IBS. And as a moderator of this board, I'm very concerned about having a discussion so contrary to the entire purpose and premise of this website here on the boards, but I'll leave it up to Heather to decide whether or not it merits deleting.
I DID try to "eat anything", and do you know where it got me? So sick that I couldn't get out of bed, leave the house, or digest anything except water and rice (and even then, not always). It didn't happen immediately; it happened slowly, over a matter of years, until my entire digestive system just freaked out and shut down. Personally, I think that if you think your symptoms are better because you're eating "whatever", you're either in denial (and it will catch up with you eventually, trust me!) or you don't have IBS.
I agree that the "relaxing" about food part is beneficial, but that seriously can be accomplished without eating things that are known IBS triggers. I've had a variety of eating disorders AND I have anxiety disorders, and I've still managed to get it all under control (yes, some with the help of medication) and learned how to relax and ENJOY eating well. It's totally possible, and well within the reach of anyone willing to put the effort into doing it, so why on earth would you screw around with things that aren't good for ANYONE, much less someone with a touchy digestive system?
IBS is physiological, not psychological. Not stressing about food will NOT eliminate the symptoms for more people. And I'm sorry to go off on this too, but it's a sore spot for me, after hearing that same crappy advice SO many times over the 18+ years I've had IBS.
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because it really is ridiculous to tell someone with IBS to "just eat anything". This does not mean that someone should stress out about everything they eat, obviously, but the whole point of this board is to address questions about the IBS Diet. It's not the forum to encourage ignoring dietary concerns altogether. If that works for someone with IBS, great, but that someone would be in the minority, and that topic is not applicable to this forum.
Best,
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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