For Lisa Marie
#347950 - 07/10/09 09:47 PM
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Zara
Reged: 06/07/06
Posts: 883
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Hi Lisa Marie, I have been trying to see if the vegetarian/vegan approach would work for me. I've stayed away from meat products for two weeks now (last week's BBQ was a challenge but I did it  ). I think it's working a little so far (even before I mostly ate white chicken and fish only). I'm less bloated which I find interesting as I always thought meals such as lean chicken with rice would help with bloating, not contribute to it  .
I know you are, as you say, "almost vegan", and more importantly (to me) you are someone who used to be a C and is stable now. Most people on here who are stable seem to be D. I've been trying to search your posts to find an example on the foods you eat but haven't had much success. Could you please provide me with an example of your daily menu, and also which foods you avoid (such as oatmeal, I read it gave you gas)? Gas and distention are my biggest problems, along with constipation. Do you eat wheat, and if you do, is it whole wheat, white, or a combination?
Also, you said when you started you couldn't digest soy, what was your source of protein then? It's hard for us IBS folks since we can't have all the beans like healthy people.
I've head pretty bad couple of days lately, the C hit back ( I was able to keep it at bay with Mg supplements, unfortunately I can't get Natural Calm here) but I hope to get back on track over the weekend.
Anyway, thanks for your response!
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IBS-C, bloating, cramps
pregnant
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Hi there! I'll try to help as much as I can.
When I first started the IBS diet, I did a LOT of pureeing. We would make soups that had cooked beans and veggies, and then we'd puree it in a blender to make it easier on me. I eventually found that digestive enzymes (Gas Stop, in particular) has helped me with soy, beans, and veggies. My favorite cookbooks were Sarah Kramer's three Vegan cookbooks. You can look her up on Amazon. There's lots of great soup recipes in those books!
I eat a lot of the same things every day. I always have a smoothie for breakfast: soy yogurt, acacia, frozen berries, and ground flax. Easiest way for me to get my fruit every day. Then I have a PBJ sandwich mid-morning. My afternoon snack is usually soy yogurt with some home-made trailmix or cereal. If I don't have leftovers for lunch, I like the Amy's frozen meals, and tofurkey sandwiches with lettuce and tomato. Lately, we've been using the "Vegan with a Vengeance" (VWAV) cookbook a lot.
Since I've been breastfeeding, I'm able to eat a lot of things I couldn't before. Things like salads, nuts, seeds, I couldn't touch with a ten foot pole before. But now I can eat them just fine. Hmmm....
Unfortunately, I still have a few things to avoid. I recently tried brown rice and it gave me horrible cramps. Still can't do that at all. Oatmeal is a no-no. And green onions for some reason. who knows??? For dinners, we will do things like black bean fajitas, and we like a lot of the fake meats that are out there. Field Grains brand is awesome, you can find them at Whole Foods if you have one. I also love the tofu scramble recipe in VWAV as well as the fettuccini alfredo recipe. We make pizzas using the Gimme Lean sausage (in a tube). Morningstar crumbles are great for adding to spaghetti sauces. We also have a "burger night" every week, and I really like Amy's Texas Burgers and Boca's spicy chick'n patties. we also will do black bean burgers with tomato and avocado.
I do not avoid wheat, but whole grain stuff still seems to give me problems so I stick to white rice and sourdough bread. I'm sure you could order Natural Calm online; Whole Foods carries it so you could probably order from them, or any other website that sells supplements like that. NC has been my "miracle cure" for C. Luckily breastfeeding has also helped with C, but I've noticed that if I take the NC regularly, it prevents my baby from the uncomfortable agony of not pooping every day! Crazy!
Good luck, and let me know if you have any other questions!
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Lisa, IBS-C (Vegan)
Stable since July 2007!
Mommy to Rhiannon Marie (Dec. 13, 2008)
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Thanks for your reply!
That's weird that you cannot eat brown rice, I would think RB would be pretty safe, same with oatmeal. I guess that just proves how wicked this IBS is.
I made this meal with soy meat two night ago and I've been bloated the whole weekend. I don't know if it's from the soy but I will probably freeze the rest and then try it again once I feel better, just to find out.
I'm glad you eat wheat, it's so encouraging! I still don't know if wheat's my trigger or not. For now I'm eating it, I think it'd just be too hard giving up meat, dairy, wheat...if I stayed home and could cook every meal, than it'd be manageable, but a lot of times I need to be able to grab something on-the-go so being able to buy fresh rolls definitely helps .
Thanks for the meal suggestions! The brands are different here in CZ but I can always find something similar  .
That's interesting that the NC even helps you baby. I ended up ordering it, my husband's in the US now so I can have it shipped to his family now and then he'll bring it to me next week. That way I can avoid the expensive international shipping charges .
I baked fresh bread today and had it as a sandwich with "butter" and sliced cucumber and a bit of salt. Mom used to make it for us when we were little, I almost forgot about it.
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IBS-C, bloating, cramps
pregnant
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I think I read you saying you were a vegetarian prior to finding this site. I'm curious, did you go vegetarian for health or other reasons? Did it help with your symptoms? I'm trying to be a vegetarian for health reasons, I haven't had any meat (not even meat flavorings, gelatin, nothing) for two weeks now and I'm still not feeling any better. I've actually been very bloated today (could be the soy or too much wheat). I just expected to feel a lot better within a week or so. That gets me down, it's hard to stick to a diet if I don't see results...(sigh). 
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IBS-C, bloating, cramps
pregnant
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Good luck! It all takes time...
I became vegetarian for humanitarian reasons (thank you, PETA ) and then learned about all the wonderful health benefits. My skin cleared up, I had more energy, lost a little weight... I saw a huge improvement.
It takes C'ers longer to stabilize, so don't give up! It took me a good year. If you haven't tried the hypno program, I strongly suggest you try that as well. I did the program twice and saw improvement both times!
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Lisa, IBS-C (Vegan)
Stable since July 2007!
Mommy to Rhiannon Marie (Dec. 13, 2008)
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Thanks! Wow...a year...well, I'll try to do my best . My problem is that I need to stick to a diet, whether it's Heather's, GF, low-carb... I need to see improvements soon . The longest I've tried was Heather's (about 1/2 year) and GF (5 months) but I quit after I didn't see a long-term improvement. I ditched the GF one because I missed wheat, and the Heather's one because I wanted to try something else. Other approaches never lasted longer than a few weeks.
You were right about the soy - it just isn't for everyone, especially at the beginning. I'm still feeling today, and I had it on Saturday. I'm not sure yet if I will stick to being a vegetarian, I already miss meat (just safe meat, of course, just a little). I'll just see how I'm doing.
Thanks again for your advice !
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IBS-C, bloating, cramps
pregnant
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I really encourage you to stick with it! I felt very limited with my diet at the beginning of the IBS diet, but once I was able to add in new foods, it got easier. And I felt worse before I felt better, which is something a lot of people who have stabilized will tell you.
Being vegetarian/vegan is a very personal decision, and you have to do it for the right reasons. I hope you will stick it out, and that you find Heather's diet works for you! I often think I'm very lucky to have IBS, because I dread to think what sort of crap I'd be eating today if I didn't have to pay such close attention!!  I'm definitely healthier because of it.
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Lisa, IBS-C (Vegan)
Stable since July 2007!
Mommy to Rhiannon Marie (Dec. 13, 2008)
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Oh how right you are! I (like you) am thankful in a way for having this dreadful illness just because it really makes you think of what you are putting in your body.
No more heartattacks in a bag!
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IBS-C, Gas, Bloating, HURTING!
I'm married and it's so wonderful!
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I totally agree Kappy! Even with my IBS, I am now the healthiest member of my family. I eat almost all organic foods now, but I have to for most of the wheat and dairy free foods I find are.
But I do feel better knowing what exactly I am putting in my body. I cringe to think at the fact that when I was little I used to eat at McDonald's and Wendy's, no wonder I was so sick for so long!
Today I am slowly figuring out how to stay stable and I try not to worry about my IBS, but in way, yes I am thankful for it. It has made me much more aware of foods and how my body works.
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Quote:
I really encourage you to stick with it! I felt very limited with my diet at the beginning of the IBS diet, but once I was able to add in new foods, it got easier. And I felt worse before I felt better, which is something a lot of people who have stabilized will tell you.
Being vegetarian/vegan is a very personal decision, and you have to do it for the right reasons. I hope you will stick it out, and that you find Heather's diet works for you! I often think I'm very lucky to have IBS, because I dread to think what sort of crap I'd be eating today if I didn't have to pay such close attention!! I'm definitely healthier because of it.
So, I had a piece of fish the other day because I was at a business lunch and it was the only safe thing to eat (with boiled potatoes). So far I haven't really seen a change in my symptoms that would result from a veggie diet so I might have some fish here and there. I'll just play it by ear .
Thanks for your support and encouragement!
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IBS-C, bloating, cramps
pregnant
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what effect does oatmeal have on you? And doesn't the white rice constipate you? Or don't you eat it that often?
Sorry so many questions! I think I'm done now. Oh one more, do you usually only have that one serving of fruit in the morning and then no more? About how many berries can we use? Do you use a whole or half banana? And how much flax? Thanks so much Lisa Marie. You have really helped me to learn that I may not be doing the EFI diet as well as I thought I was. I thought brown rice and oatmeal were safe for pretty much everyone.
How "essential" do you think the Acacia is to your recovery?
Thanks again! 
Okay, I'll leave you alone now! So sorry to be so needy.
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Ask away! I am happy to help, and hopefully I'm being helpful. 
Oatmeal just gave me really bad gas and bloating. I'd eat it in the morning, and by mid-afternoon, I'd be super gassy. I finally made the connection. Took me awhile; since it's considered an IBS-safe food, I never gave it a second thought. Green onions do the same thing to me. White rice does not constipate me. If I eat it, it's because I'm eating a lot of IF with it: mainly beans and veggies. I don't eat it more than once a week or so.
Smoothies are typically my only fruit for the day. You'll have to play with how you make your smoothie, maybe start with less fruit and more soluble fiber things like soy yogurt/soy milk and banana, and slowly modify the ratio as you get more comfortable. I use 2 Tablespoons of flax seeds, but maybe start with less to see if they bother you. Another way to get fruit might be to make some quick breads that have fruit in them, or muffins. There's lots of recipes for these on the Recipe Board. I used to bake breads a lot, and as I got more and more "stable", I was able to add IF to my breads, things like ground flax seeds or finely ground nuts.
Acacia was essential. And it took me a LONG time to get up to my current dose. The recommended starting dose of 1/2 tsp per day was way too much for me and gave me gas and cramps. I had to start at about 1/8 tsp per day. Acacia is very important for C-ers because it allows us to decrease the amount of soluble fiber we need from food, so that we can increase our IF without increasing calories. Make sense?
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Lisa, IBS-C (Vegan)
Stable since July 2007!
Mommy to Rhiannon Marie (Dec. 13, 2008)
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