getting enough protein on an IBS diet
#313945 - 08/26/07 06:17 AM
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Hi everyone,
I am new to this site and new to IBS. I have not been medically diagnosed but I have suffered from IBS pain my whole life and have just started realizing why. As a kid, I ate an IBS diet just because kids seem to have a better idea of what they (and their tummies) like.
I was looking at the IBS food chart and I realized that most protein sources are trigger foods and I was wondering how people get enough protein? Is it just about eating small amounts of protein at one time?
Also, I've been trying to do an elimination diet to find out what triggers my particular IBS. I think that I'm ok with yogurt but than again, I've been bloated all my life so I'm not sure if it's good for me.
Is there a general rule of thumb about what works for you and what doesn't? My rule so far has been if there is no pain, it's ok, but I know that digestion is more complicated than that!
Thanks for your help everyone and by the way, this is an amazing site!!
Rachel
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Quote:
I am new to this site and new to IBS. I have not been medically diagnosed
It's really safest to get a firm medical diagnosis. Since this has been a problem your whole life you almost certainly don't have anything like colon cancer but there are other chronic conditions that can mimic IBS.
I was looking at the IBS food chart and I realized that most protein sources are trigger foods and I was wondering how people get enough protein? Is it just about eating small amounts of protein at one time?
Egg yolks are a trigger but egg whites are fine and the white contains at least half the protein found in an egg. You can substitute ground turkey breast for ground beef in most recipes. All seafood is fine as are skinless chicken breasts. You may be able to tolerate nut butters in reasonable quantities. And some people get their protein from vegetable sources like beans and soy.
As for small amounts, overeating anything can trigger IBS attacks for some people and most IBSers do better if they eat frequently throughout the day so somewhat smaller meals/snacks are a natural result of that.
Also, I've been trying to do an elimination diet to find out what triggers my particular IBS. I think that I'm ok with yogurt but than again, I've been bloated all my life so I'm not sure if it's good for me.
Under Heather's guidelines, all dairy products are considered triggers.
Is there a general rule of thumb about what works for you and what doesn't? My rule so far has been if there is no pain, it's ok, but I know that digestion is more complicated than that!
Sometimes I react to trigger foods and irritants immediately, sometimes it takes a while. For me, the safest thing to do is stick to Heather's guidelines and if I do stray from them figure I'm cheating and will pay for it eventually. You might take a look at this old post for an explanation of why it's important to eliminate all triggers food to begin with.
Thanks for your help everyone and by the way, this is an amazing site!!
Welcome to the Boards. HTH.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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Welcome to the boards! Sand just gave awesome advice. I would definitely read Recipes for IBS to give a good overview of the diet and isn't as convoluted as this website. I would definitely stay completely away from all dairy, beef, and fatty foods these seem to be the largest triggers for everyone.
It does take time to get used to the diet but you can certainly get plenty of protein with skinless chicken breasts and turkey breasts. It seems at the beginning that you're soooo limited but the longer you stick with it the more you realize how creative you can be. There are so many recipes and I generally take simple meals and just substitute where needed (like egg white only, soy or rice products instead of dairy etc.)
I kept a journal for three years to figure out my triggers. Hang in there - it is worth it to feel better.
Good luck,
Leigh
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I was going to suggest the same foods as Sand. I get my protein through ground turkey, turkey breast, chicken, egg whites and tuna.
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Microscopic Colitis, IBS-A, GERD, Hiatal Hernia
Bethany, Ontario, Canada
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Protein is even harder when you're veggie. My protein sources tend to be the Barilla Plus pasta, some cheese (yes, I know it's a trigger, but I can't give up everything); a little soy and I think that's it. I was never really into eggs, so I'm having difficulty getting jazzed about egg whites (as a meal). It sucks that I've had to cut out soy milk. I started reacting too it in larger quantities. I have yet to be able to work back in any type of bean. The couple of times I've tried having been disasterous.
I've been following the diet (except for the 2 or 3 oz. of lactose free cheese) for about 4 months. Still waiting to find stable. Still p*ssed off for not eating all kinds of foods that I love and not feeling much better.
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Quote:
I've been following the diet (except for the 2 or 3 oz. of lactose free cheese) for about 4 months. Still waiting to find stable.
Well, if you cut out the dairy completely you might get the results you'd like. I understand that you don't want to give it up, but there are some really tasty substitutes, such as almond cheese. You might also find that once you remove that trigger, that you'll be better able to tolerate foods higher in IF, such as beans and other vegetables. Anyway, I totally understand how hard it is to give up certain foods. I still dream about eating real cheese! 
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I did cut out dairy completely for the first two weeks. Then tried cheese. Waiting a while. Tried it again. Had no reaction directly to it that I could see. Maybe it's a building up factor. But there's so many weird things, I know we're all different. Like I try to eat a banana every day. However, when I made Heather's banana bread, I reacted to it. And yes, it was the bread. I even tried skipping a couple of days and then having it again and every time, I had D.
I decided last night to try calcium carbonate. This better help or I swear I'll go crazy.
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maybe if you stopped eating the cheese, you might feel better? i was vegetarian for 4 years and tried to go vegan many many times but could not give up cheeeese! So I ate some cheese with just casien in it but when I found out I had IBS i cut it out completely and its fine. Cheese (even vegan kinds) is bad for you anyways, a lot of artificial crap and preservatives. I TRY to stay away from those whenever I can. Things taste fine even though I haven't had cheese and I would eat cheese 5 times a day before! I guess I just don't think of things like "buuuh i cant eat anything" because in reality that attitude isn't going to do anything and I know thats not true, there are TONS of foods out there...with no cheeese!
and maybe your reaction to the bread was all the oil in it? maybe it was too much fat for you. have you tried replacing the oil with applesauce?
Edited by eyesofchina (08/29/07 10:13 AM)
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Are you still vegetarian? If so, where do you get your protein?
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For anyone who finds too much soy in one day causes constipation, do you find the same for other protein sources like tuna? Just wondering if it would work to sub one soy serve for tuna, but I already always eat salmon in the evenings... is it protein that constipates, or soy beans???
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So, in the world of protein; how much fish do people eat? I find myself eating tuna at lunch and salmon at dinner, every day; now I love fish and could live on boney salmon but apparently 14 serves of oily fish a week could be a bit of an overdose and I might be eating too much mercury (so my friend warns me). As Tatyana has mentioned, soy seems to constipate...
But then the idea of chicken every day seems dodgy too because aren't they full of hormones/ antiobiotics ?? (if you can't afford the organic stuff).
I just feel so wobbly if I don't eat protein at lunch and dinner... what to do?? Is there something I'm missing.. egg whites, soy, fish, poultry, nuts... is too much fish really bad for you or am I getting worked up over nothing???
So many rules! So little time!
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The issue of consuming mercury in fish is something you should be aware of but not something to put you off fish forever. Different types of fish have different levels of mercury - crudely put, larger predator fish have more of it than smaller prey fish. So swordfish, for example, is high in mercury but flounder is not.
Here's a link to an old post I did. It contains links to some Websites that explain which fish are high in mercury and which aren't and provides guidelines for how much of the different kinds of fish you can eat and still be okay. The link to the American Heart Association website is particularly helpful because it gives specific recommended amounts per week to eat of the various fish - even the ones that are relatively high in mercury:
web page
(I strongly believe that if you are pregnant or nursing or planning to become pregnant, you should discuss this issue with your doctor regardless of what the various guidelines say. Similarly, these issues should be discussed with a child's pediatrician.)
So, no, eating fish 14 times a week is probably not a good idea even though the ones you're eating - salmon and tuna - are relatively low in mercury (assuming your tuna is light rather than white/albacore). Try some other fish especially ones like sole and flounder and don't forget about shellfish like shrimp and scallops.
I have never really worried about hormones in my chicken and when I checked around I discovered it has been illegal to use hormones in chicken production since the 1950s. Antibiotics are used but purportedly:
Quote:
Because the antibiotics used are not absorbed by the gut, they do not put antibiotics into the meat or eggs.
This quote is from Wikipedia which has a whole write-up on chicken production.
I get my morning protein from an egg white. For lunch, I eat a tuna sandwich, a pasta chicken grape salad, some type of hummus or other bean dip, soup with beans or chicken or milk substitute, dinner leftovers. For dinner, I'd say I eat fish once a week, shrimp once a week, something with ground turkey (burger, spaghetti sauce) twice a week, and chicken the other three nights of the week.
Don't forget about beans as a protein source. You could try a rice and bean dish. I've been told this is the perfect food because the nutrients in the rice "complete" the protein in the beans. I can't vouch for that but I do find rice and beans to be a most satisfying meal.
HTH.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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Sand, thank you so much for this clear information.. You're a real goldmine for info and ideas! Thank you again. 
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Hi, Rachel, welcome to the board. 
Most of my protein comes from boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Very soon, I will just morph into a chicken, that's how much I eat it, lol.
I don't always watch my protein intake... but I can almost always handle beans, and sometimes I eat beans such as in turkey chili.
Sorry, guess I wasn't much help there. 
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XOXO from lil' ol' me. (IBS-C, mood disorders, etc., etc.)
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Hmm, nevermind, I'll actually soon morph into a Soy Chicken, if that makes any sense. Most of my diet consists of soy something and white meat chicken. I love tuna but don't eat it often. I hate salmon. I like other seafood like crab, lobster, scallops, and shrimp, and other whitefish like cod, tilapia and sole. I can't afford fish or seafood often, so I don't always get to eat it. I also can eat lean pork, and I eat ground turkey, lean pork, or boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
I have not really noticed if soy constipates me, to be honest, but I usually eat 1-2 servings of soy in some form or another.
I also enjoy white rice and rice noodles, sourdough and french bread, white bread, dried fruits, smoothies, soy yogurt, oatmeal, a variety of veggies, granola, and Multigrain Cheerios and multigrain hot cereal.
I think the bulk of my diet may consist of SF, lean or close to lean meat, veggies, fruits, fish/seafood... sort of in that order as to the ratios.
Dunno if any of that helps anyone.
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XOXO from lil' ol' me. (IBS-C, mood disorders, etc., etc.)
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XOXO from lil' ol' me. (IBS-C, mood disorders, etc., etc.)
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Quote:
Quote:
I've been following the diet (except for the 2 or 3 oz. of lactose free cheese) for about 4 months. Still waiting to find stable.
Well, if you cut out the dairy completely you might get the results you'd like. I understand that you don't want to give it up, but there are some really tasty substitutes, such as almond cheese. You might also find that once you remove that trigger, that you'll be better able to tolerate foods higher in IF, such as beans and other vegetables. Anyway, I totally understand how hard it is to give up certain foods. I still dream about eating real cheese!
Lactose-free doesn't mean milk or dairy free either. And lactose intolerance isn't the same as IBS, although an IBS sufferer can also have lactose intolerance. I too, dream of real cheese, and my bf still eats it around me.
But I can handle Soysation soy cheese in small amounts at a time, although iirc, that one might have milk derivatives like casein in it.
Almond cheese is fantastic. (Just my opinion.)
But, I, too, have stuck very stubbornly to a few habits that are devastating to an IBS sufferer - smoking and drinking alcohol. I've cut out nearly every other huge trigger like caffeine and carbonated beverages to name but a few I've been trying to strictly stay away from (the list is long).
No one here is forcing anyone to stay on a certain diet or eating regimen. It's up to us to make that decision on our own, for our own good or bad. So if you choose to keep eating the lactose-free cheese, you can, but just realize that it's possible that it may be causing you to not get completely stable. Not trying to sound like I'm lecturing, just saying that this IBS board/website and the books and everyone's advice and experiences are here for us to learn from, but we don't have to take the advice if we are unable to or just don't want to. We just have to take responsibility for what we do/don't do in how our choices make us feel. That's what I say to myself sometimes when I'm debating whether to eat something I probably shouldn't.
Anyways, good luck, and take care.
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XOXO from lil' ol' me. (IBS-C, mood disorders, etc., etc.)
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Quote:
I did cut out dairy completely for the first two weeks. Then tried cheese. Waiting a while. Tried it again. Had no reaction directly to it that I could see. Maybe it's a building up factor. But there's so many weird things, I know we're all different. Like I try to eat a banana every day. However, when I made Heather's banana bread, I reacted to it. And yes, it was the bread. I even tried skipping a couple of days and then having it again and every time, I had D.
I decided last night to try calcium carbonate. This better help or I swear I'll go crazy.
I'm sorry to hear you're still having so much trouble.
It's a true pain trying to figure out what works for you. What's tough is when something that works for one person doesn't work for you and it just makes you feel more out of control and upset and depressed. Believe me, I hear where you are coming from. You are lucky you can handle lactose-free cheese! If I even look at lactose-free cheese I get a tummy ache. And if I overdo the soy cheese, I can end up reacting to that too due to the fat content and milk derivatives. Bleh!
*Hugs* to you. I haven't tried Heather's banana bread yet, but I have to be careful how I eat bananas.
I also have the habit of thinking "Oh, this food is IBS safe, I'll just have a couple more..." Then I realize I just finished off 5 of whatever it is and I'm in almost as much trouble as if I had eaten only 1 of an unsafe food.
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XOXO from lil' ol' me. (IBS-C, mood disorders, etc., etc.)
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I am well aware of the difference between lactose intolerance and IBS. I have both. So the little cheese I do eat is always lactose free so I don't trigger the lactose problem.
Things just don't seem to make much sense. The whole banana bread thing: I used heather's recipe, I've cooked with canola oil before (and I don't even remember if her recipe calls for it) without problem. Bananas are a bit safety food for me (properly ripe). So why couldn't I tolerate the bread! Weird. I've loved the two other breads I made and had no problems.
Does anyone else eat the Barilla plus pasta? It has extra protein and fiber than the regular pasta. It's made from chickpeas, lentils and egg whites, semolina, oats, spelt and barley,ground flaxseed and wheat fiber. Everything is ground - no "whole" listed. I've been eating it since I started the EFI diet 5 months ago.
I'm going to a new GI doc tomorrow and I'm really hoping he can give me some answers, and help with getting my meds straightened out.
I know everyone is trying to help, but if I keep cutting things out, I'll have nothing left to eat and no source of protein. I will not start eating meat again. It's just not something I can do. Regular white pasta and white bread and white rice have almost no protein (or fiber of any kind). I have not been able to work in many foods even at this point.
The calcium carbonate worked like a dream for 3 weeks and then it was over. Cramps and pain full blown just like before. 3 days later, it's calmed down a bit, but I didn't do anything. I hate how unpredictable IBS can be.
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Re: IBSHell
#315351 - 09/20/07 04:08 PM
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K2
Reged: 01/29/06
Posts: 1191
Loc: Canada
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Have you ever had quinoa? I suggest it as a good IBS-friendly protein source. It's a type of grain (seed actually) that is considered a complete protein.
I buy quinoa flakes, and have it as a hot breakfast. 1/3cup quinoa flakes, just under 1 cup water, microwave for 2 mins and add some blueberries. Never had a problem with my tummy with it. You can also cook whole quinoa just like rice and use it as a side dish. And also there is quinoa flour if you're interested in baking with some. I've had no trouble finding all 3 forms of the quinoa at my health food store in the bulk bins and also in packaged boxes.
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Kat
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Re: IBSHell
#315394 - 09/21/07 10:31 AM
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IBSHell
Reged: 05/09/07
Posts: 98
Loc: Connecticut
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I tried it once a while back (before my problems were really bad) and I didn't like it. But I did buy some. I'll give it another chance and try to spice it up to make it taste better. Thanks for the suggestion.
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Re: IBSHell
#315396 - 09/21/07 11:21 AM
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Sand
Reged: 12/13/04
Posts: 4490
Loc: West Orange, NJ (IBS-D)
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There are a half-dozen quinoa recipes on the Recipe Board - maybe one will appeal to you.
One way to get egg whites down is to put them in smoothies. You can make a smoothie that ranges from mostly SF (rice milk, banana, peeled peaches) to more IF (throw in berries, for example) - whatever you can tolerate. You can then add dried egg whites which you can find in the baking aisle of your grocery store. (There are also egg based protein powders - I don't know anything about them but they've come up on the Boards before so you could do a Search and see what comes up.)
I'm going to second Maria on the cheese. I know it's awful to give up one of your few sources of protein but for me a food that bothers me doesn't always do so immediately so if you can find a substitute you like - like almond cheese - please do consider removing the cheese from your diet and see if that helps.
HTH.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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Re: IBSHell
#315400 - 09/21/07 12:10 PM
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IBSHell
Reged: 05/09/07
Posts: 98
Loc: Connecticut
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Thanks. I'll look for the recipes. I'll also definitely try to find the powdered egg whites. I did finally make scrambled egg whites with toast and jelly and they were still disgusting to me. So the powder sounds like a great idea for smoothies.
As for the cheese, I'm going to hold off for a few week. I saw a new GI today. Even though he didn't know about this program, he was definitely more informed than my prior GI. He has prescribed Questran. I have thought of this before and I know it's helped a lot of people that have had their gallbladders removed. I've decided that to be safe, I'm not changing anything on my diet for the first two weeks to see what this new medication does. If it helps, but not as much as I want, I'll then try cutting out the cheese again and see what happens. If I could only be positive, then I would give it up as it's not worth feeling this way. But I've cut it out and added back in several times without any obvious difference. Maybe it is a long delay factor or a building up factor or maybe I'm not reacting to it.
I truly appreciate the suggestions.
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I get my protein from soy and mushrooms. I also like to eat grilled salmon, whenever I can afford it.
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IBS-C since 2006. No signs of IBS now, it's been 4 yrs. Only dairy allergy now.
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I like imitation crab too- it is made from white fish- has almost no mercury and it's loaded with Protein- 2 sticks equals 9 grams (equal to a small chicken breast!!). To cook it- or not to cook it!! It's the perfect snack or meal. The brand I buy is called Kanimi Crab Smart. Make sure if you buy another brand that you read the label first- I got caught with Sorbitol in the last one that was on sale.
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IBS-D, with Coloitis from surgery
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There's a recipe on the Recipe Board for Black Bean Brownies. I haven't tried them but they've gotten good reviews and maybe the beans would be more tolerable well-pureed and wrapped in flour.
Black Bean Brownies recipe - Be sure to read the whole thread to see how to modify these
HTH.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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Cast away - where do you get these?? in the freezer section? or a specialty shop??
Thanks!
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This site gives you some protein ideas and helps you figure out how much you need.
http://www.vegancoach.com/foods-with-protein.html
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Susan
IBS-A, Gas, Pain, Reflux
"The first in time and the first in importance of the influences upon the mind is that of nature. Every day, the sun; and after sunset, night and her stars. Ever the winds blow; ever the grass grows."
Emerson, August 31, 1837
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Thanks for the link to the black bean brownies. It sounds disgusting, but the reviews are good. I've been afraid to try beans again (since I've had not good results since starting this diet), but completely pureed, mixed with other things, I'm willing to try again.
I also managed to find the egg white powder to add to smoothies.
And thanks for the link to the vegan site. I know part of why I'm so tired is that I'm not getting enough protein.
I had an absolutely horrible weekend. Stress IBS attack. One of the worst I've ever had. I just started the new medication. Given I switched to C with the last attack, the the new medication is supposed to prevent D, I decided to start off at a lower dose than my doctor recommended.
This post has been fastastic. I'm so glad that everyone shared their protein sources. I know a lot of people eat meat, but there were some really good suggestions for us vegetarians.
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I shop at Publix- which seems to be a Southern grocer- like Kroger is up North. They have a seafood counter and you can find it there.
Good luck! LJ
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IBS-D, with Coloitis from surgery
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