Hi StephS!
This is the never-ending controversy between "good" carbs (whole grains, whole wheat, beans , veggies, legumes, etc...) and "bad" carbs (white bread, white rice, sweets, etc...). As you probably noticed, the "good" carbs are those that contain mainly insoluble fiber (tricky for us IBS folks) and the "bad" carbs are those that contain mainly soluble fiber (the safety net for us IBS folks). There are many differences between both, which I will not go into in order to keep this email relatively short, the one that relates to hunger is this: "good" carbs make us feel more full more quickly and leave us satiated much longer than "bad" carbs. Therefore, if you base most of your meals on the "bad" carbs (pasta and white bread, as you relayed), you run into that predictable ritual of feeling hungry shortly after a meal--no matter how big (MSG also mimicks this which is why you will often hear people craving food after eating a big chinese meal). The problem with this is that the "good" carbs are feared by many IBS sufferers. Nevertheless, they are extremely important for both long-term health in preventing cancers and other diseases and in our daily lives for keeping us from overeating. People who consume more "bad" carbs than "good" carbs tend to also consume more calories throughout the day (because they find themselves in your same predicament) and thus gain more weight. That is why you have all of these anti-carb fad diets. I do not recommend any of those (and I am not trying to suggest that you need to lose weight or anything). Again, because we also have IBS, it is difficult sometimes to incorporate all of this successfully. Thankfully, it is not impossible! Make sure that if you do choose pasta or white rice or white bread or any other "bad" carb/soluble fiber that you incorporate many "good" carbs/insoluble fiber like veggies (make sure to steam them and not blanche them otherswise you will lose over 90% of their antioxidants) or brown rice or beans or fruits, etc. There are many different possible combinations and these are ones that should be done for each meal. That is why oatmeal is so perfect. Ever notice why making youself a bowl of oatmeal with milk (in this case, soy) keeps you full much longer even though it is a relatively small meal? It comprises both soluble and insoluble fiber--perfect for satiety and for IBS symptoms (some experience bloating and so I suggest taking a pill before or mixing it with a safe fruit, Heather suggests bananas but they also make me gassy, so...)
Anyhow, I am afraid this email is much longer than anticipated, I am sorry but I hope that this has helped. Let me know how you are doing and if you have any more questions that I may be able to help you with.
Good Luck!
Saralou
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Re: Why am I so hungry??? Anyone know ??
