Haven't been around for a bit..question about fat
#344439 - 04/13/09 08:42 PM
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hey guys
since my colonoscopy ive been seeking some help for my other problems, seeing a therapist and a dietitian. I hope to help some of my underlying things with anxiety and depressive symptoms (cant sleep, lethargic, withdrawn). I think my screwed up mind is causing my IBS, and since I've gotten diagnosed, ive become a lot more reclusive, not been able to sleep, more anxious, more family problem. I've got a lot of ground to cover.
So then I also saw a dietitian, and told her about how Eating for IBS has affected me, and about how ive cut out a lot of fats in my diet. I've been told by every physician I talk to that fats aren't proven to worsen IBS, but you guys seem to have a mental hook on me. Anyway, she the dietitian started talking about how not having enough fat can cause a deterioration of the mind, because of the myelin sheaths that cover neurons (from biology class)
I've been trying to incorporate good fats into my diet, like from nuts and avocados. I used to eat peanut butter all the time. Anyway, one day I had a peanut butter sandwich with ~3 tablespoons peanut butter. Didn't go well for me. I had D that night, and then the day after that C, and today some cramps and quasi D.
I guess my question is, I remember reading somewhere that undigested fat makes light brown stool. Ive notice that whenever I eat peanut butter, my stool is light brown and not dense (I guess its a pun on light). I remember this from before my diagnosis of IBS too, but not as frequently. I'm worried that this is somehow a problem, maybe that I've lost some ability to digest fats.
And for whoever it may interest, Ive been kinda keeping my weight up. Its still lower than before my IBS, but at least I haven't lost weight for a few months. Definitely lost fat though, my muscles are more defined.
Thanks for reading,
Matt
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Welcome back,
Here is a link to the Mayo Clinic site with a short description of stool color and fat. It doesn't sound like you have loss your ability to digest fat  If you did loss the ability to digest fat you would notice many more symptoms than just a change in stool color. Light brown is a good color
I don't know why physicians tell you that fats aren't proven to worsen IBS when it is common knowledge in the medical community that high fat meals can make IBS symptoms worse. For example in section 7.1.3 of the reference below prepared by the UK Gastroenterology society on the management of IBS it says "It is also worth remembering that IBS patients often show fat intolerance and it has been shown that lipid [fat] can induce greater gas retention and increase visceral hypersensitivity in patients with IBS than in healthy controls." You can find dozens of references to the effect of fat on IBS if you do a Google search. However, it is important to note that most reference talk about 'high fat' meals such as fried foods. Most IBS experts suggest keeping daily fat intake to a FDA recommended daily intake of 25-30 percent of calories. For some your age who should eat about 2,500 calories per day then the daily intake should be 625-750 calories from fat or 70-85 grams of fat per day (using 9 calories per gram of fat). For IBSers it is best to keep the fat content of each meal to 25-30% of calories which is still a considerable amount of fat.
Reference
Spiller, R., Q. Aziz, F. Creed, A. Emmanuel, L. Houghton, P. Hungin, R. Jones, D. Kumar, G. Rubin, N. Trudgill, and P. Whorwell, 2007: Guidelines on the irritable bowel syndrome: mechanisms and practical management Gut, 56, 1770-1798.
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STABLE: ♂, IBS-D 50+ years - Science of IBS
The FODMAP Approach to Managing IBS Symptoms
Evidence-based Dietary Management of Functional GI Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach
FODMAP Chart & Cheatsheet
The Role of Food & Dietary Intervention in IBS
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Before my diagnosis I had eaten about a jar of almond butter a week, easily I would put it on everything from blueberries, to oatmeal....I would also mix walnuts in my oatmeal when I didn't use the almond butter...and I always added olive oil to my chicken...but I was always bloated and rarely had bm. I had to substantially reduce my fat intake and for me that made a world of difference, although I do miss my healthy fats. What I do and it seems to work is instead of having a serving of 2T of almond butter, I have 2t at a time that seems to alleviate any problems but I am still getting my servings of healthy fats in and it diminishes my cravings for the nuts. Also, you may have an intolerance for peanuts. That is entirely possible as peanuts are a major allergen and can cause digestive problems if you are intolerant to it....peanuts are not actually a nut, they are a legume (like beans and lentils) so this would make sense as those cause me discomfort and whenever I have peanuts I am super screwed up for about 3 days after....try subbing almond butter in small quantities...steer clear of cashew butter as that is also not really a nut (it's in a classification all it's own) and is also hard to digest.
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Thanks for the responses
First, I used to eat peanuts all the time, so rebecca, I don't think I have some sort of sensitivity to them.
When I said light brown I wasn't being descriptive enough..usually my stool is more solid, but after I eat fat/peanuts, it becomes fluffy, almost like the look of diarrhea but more solid. Anyway, I'm just not happy that I have less tolerance to fat now.
By the way, on an unrelated note
Do you think heather's book is geared toward IBS-D? I just think her emphasis on avoiding insoluble fiber really doesn't correlate with constipation
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hmm well it is possible to aquire food allergies when you age that you didn't previously have, your body chemistry changes every 7 years. It is possible that you may have acquired a food sensitivity-that doesn't mean the same as an actual allergy.
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I am guessing you mean stool type 6 on the Bristol Stool Scale which is described as "fluffy pieces with ragged edges, a mushy stool".
In other words, when you eat peanut butter you believe your stool becomes more D-like. How do you know it is the fat in the peanut butter and not the insoluble fiber from the nuts that is changing the consistency? 1 tablespoon of peanut butter contains about 1 gram of dietary fiber most of which is insoluble fiber. And are you sure it is peanut butter and not other things in your diet?
I believe Heather tries to accommodate both D and C. Essentially she follows the generally accepted approach of removing all cereal bran from the diet and eating as much insoluble from fiber vegetables/fruits as possible but always with a good soluble fiber base. This requires some experimenting to find out what ratio of soluble to insoluble fiber works best for you. For example, in my case I am IBS-D. I need to have more soluble fiber than insoluble fiber in every meal or snack. If I get just a bit too much insoluble fiber within 12-16 hours I start moving up the Bristol scale towards D.
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STABLE: ♂, IBS-D 50+ years - Science of IBS
The FODMAP Approach to Managing IBS Symptoms
Evidence-based Dietary Management of Functional GI Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach
FODMAP Chart & Cheatsheet
The Role of Food & Dietary Intervention in IBS
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I don't think its the IF in peanut butter, because I have many other sources of IF in my diet and I don't get that reaction. As far as the bristol stool chart, what I'm describing is like that, but formed into normal sized pieces, not separated like diarrhea.
anyway, thanks for the input
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Make sure to clarify to people that a fat free diet is NOT recommended by EFI. Some fat is crucial and it is best to get it in the healthiest ways. So IBSers don't skimp on the omega 3s in general, but we have to be careful with total fat and most especially grease. I don't know if fat would worsen IBS per se (as in hurt the tract longterm) but it is the number 1 cause of digestive upset! Greasy food will have many of us in the bathroom in 5 minutes. If I eat at a greasy restaurant (sometimes you don't know) I will be having D before the check arrives!
Doctors and dieticians are so stupid and narrowminded. They think of diet as so rigid and patients as so ignorant. When you tell them you don't eat dairy, red meat and limit fat they freak out about your not getting enough calcium, iron and good fats. People on EFI are way healthier because of being proactive about their diets and health. Would they rather us eat hamburgers, fried food and Blizzards than the lean and natural way we eat?  Next time tell the doctor/dietician you eat like normal teens do: mac n cheese, pizza rolls, candy bars and wash it down with coke, but you eat colon blow for breakfast every morning; they would probably tell you that is just fine!
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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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I think Heather's diet can be used just fine for IBS C. BUT it is much more difficult to cure and it takes much longer than D. I think much of people's agony from C and the diet not working is that they get too scared off of IF. No where does Heather say to not eat IF, but many people don't get enough. I pity new ones with C more than those with D because it is generally more difficult to become stable. And much of the time people have actually made their tract non functional through years of laxatives.
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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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Fats in moderation are needed, in too small amounts they cause issues with the myelin sheath, and with all other cells in the body- every single cell is surrounded by a liid bylayer membrane! lipid = fat!
On the other hand, fats in excess can trigger IBS.. so finding which ones are your own triggers and avoiding those specific fats can help too...
I avoid dairy, fried foods (unless I'm deep into a C phase, then they are safe)... dark meat of chicken... and too much oil straight without something else. I can handle up to a small handfull of most nuts, etc..
even most of the desserts here at helpforibs aren't fat free...
I do replace butter with coconut oil in almost all recipes that need the solid fat... same with vegetable shortening, I seen to be able to handle the coconut oil better...
A healthy adult needs about 20% of calories from fat. Fat is 9 calories per gram. ANY other type of protein/carb, etc is 4 calories per gram.. so figure about 8-10% BY WEIGHT of what you eat should be fat.. this should be averaged over a 3-4 day period...
Amie
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Dietetics Student (anticipating RD exam in Aug 2010)
IBS - A
Dairy Allergic
Fructose and MSG intollerant
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