Any hikers out there?
#331492 - 06/24/08 09:05 AM
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Hey all, I'm new to this site and new to the ahem, joys, of IBS-D as well. I have been on Heather's diet for about 3 months now and have been feeling pretty good for the most part. My problem is that I love to hike and it's prime time for hiking in my section of the world (Adirondacks, NY) but I recently had a full blown attack about .3 miles from the top of a mountain. I'll spare you the details, suffice it to say, it was not fun and luckily I always bring TP! haha Does anyone have any suggestions for good hiking food? Before I got IBS I would always bring staples like beef jerky, a trail mix of peanuts, raisins, and M&Ms, PB n J sandwiches, granola bars, dried fruit, etc, all for their lightweight, energy boosting properties. But obviously, those are all problematic foods now. Has anyone successfully hiked attack-free, and if so, do you have any food suggestions that would help me? Thanks and I look forward to learning about all this.
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Zone bars and Luna bars are usually agreeable. I also try to make my hikes leisurely - going too far too fast tends to "rile things up". 
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IBS-A and GERD since 1983
Low FODMAP since 2012
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I take Odwalla bars and a banana with me when I go hiking. I always eat a good breakfast, (this includes yogurt with cereal, a small piece of toast with honey or jam and a banana). I always have water with me and maybe I'll take TP now that you mention it!
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Turkey jerky & pretzels for a day hike. Are you planning on camping over night or just doing day hikes?
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 Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow”. Mary Anne Radmacher
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Yes, it can be done, for sure! I absolutely love hiking and could never give it up, although I do have those fears like you that I will have to run for the woods, but I have been hiking for seven years and have never had such an experience. Only once was I in utter pain toward the end of a hike. I am also IBS-D and I find that eating a good soluble fiber breakfast before you leave your house really helps a lot so that you fill up your stomach and won't need to eat as much on the trail. I am also able to use the bathroom then before I leave which is always helpful, to get that out of the way. I tend to pack mostly soluble fiber foods. One of my favorite snacks is the crispy rice bars made by Envirokidz...yummy! and perfect for hiking. I also usually pack pretzels or baked chips, a turkey sandwich with honey mustard and maybe avocado or tomato on it, sometimes rice cheese. Always on white bread, for sure! I might pack some carrots. I never pack any fruit because it's more likely to make me have to go.
I've also just recently started taking a small dose of immodium, as needed. I've found it helpful to take one immodium before I go hiking as my recently new boyfriend loves long hikes (well so do I really) and knowing I've taken an immodium keeps me calm and more at ease about hiking such long distances. You do have to be careful with immodium so that you don't get constipated. It takes a while to find the amount that works for each person. I try to take it as little as possible.
I don't know if you mentioned taking a soluble fiber supplement, but I take Acacia (1 3/4 tsp at breakfast and 1 tsp before bed). It seems that is correct dose for me but I have been trying to figure that out for a couple years so we'll see. But yeah, you might want to try that also.
Hope this was helpful. definitely don't give up hiking...it's therapy in itself. a good way to calm and relax yourself, which ultimately will be good for your stomach.
Good luck, and happy trails!
Peace,
~Kat
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yep
#331587 - 06/25/08 04:32 PM
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I backpack and do day hikes in the mountains. Luckily I haven't had D in the backcountry yet. I take acacia fiber and I really recommend it to you. Also take pep caps and/or immodium as needed. I always take one or the other at lunch. I try to not pack neat but unsafe stuff, even a little bit. I stick to the safe food and a little chocolate for dessert. I try to drink often in smaller amounts. Most important is to cool down somewhat before eating lunch and dinner! Sit down and relax a few minutes at lunch. Have your immodium or pep cap and then eat lunch slowly. You have to be more careful the hotter it gets.
That is all I can think of now but I do have a list of safe backpacking foods.
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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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Always bring stuff you are used to eating at home. Hiking is not time to alter your diet.
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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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Thank you so much for those suggestions! I think the day I had an attack I had packed pretzels, pita with hommus, and some fruit, but it may have been the heat that got me since those foods alone usually are fine for me. I will definitely look into Acacia fiber; I have been taking Benefiber since I started this diet in March and that seems to help in my day-to-day, but it might be time to try the Acacia that everyone seems to be raving about! Thanks again for your suggestions!
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Thank you so much for responding! It's nice to know that other people with IBS can continue hiking because I definitely don't want to give it up! I have stayed away from Immodium and those kinds of meds since I learned I had IBS because I was taking it so often before I learned what was going on and it was really messing me up once the meds wore off! (Obviously!) AND I've been kind of stubborn about wanting to control my symptoms with diet alone...but I'm learning that's not entirely possible all the time. So maybe I will try that out. Anyway, I really appreciate your kind words of encouragement also, since I am kind of having a hard time with fighting off feelings of helplessness, depression, anxiety, and fear...so thank you very much. Luckily I have a great support system and a good, patient hiking buddy (my boyfriend), so I guess I'll just keep at it! Happy trails to you too!!
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Turkey jerky...I never thought of that! I'll have to look for it. I do both day-hiking and camping overnight, depending on weather, etc. But it's funny because my boyfriend and I went on a long hike, (2 high peaks of the Adirondacks, about 8 miles or so) and then we drove to another site, hiked in with some luxury foods (shrimp and rice, soy milk, wine for him, etc) for about 1.3 miles and I was totally fine the entire time. Then a few weeks later I went on just a day hike and had a bad attack. So I was just trying to figure out what I can do, and what I need to prepare in order to have a good time. I appreciate your suggestions! Thank you!
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Good idea about hiking leisurely. Maybe that was what did it for me that day; I was pushing myself kind of hard...hiking with two boys and wanting to keep up. Oh well! Thanks for the advice! I really appreciate it!
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Thank you for the suggestions! I actually almost always have a banana on me just in case! I will have to try Odwalla bars, too. I appreciate your response! Thank you!
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