Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: questions about heather's diet

I follow the EFI Diet guidelines. I make a number of the bread recipes and appetizer recipes from Eating for IBS and one or two each of the soup, salad, side dish, and dessert recipes. (I have to confess with shame that I may be the only person in the world who doesn't like Heather's Chocolate Peppermint Cake. But her Chocolate Silk Pudding is to die for.)

For main dishes, I rely almost completely on the Recipe Index, although I regularly make Heather's Chicken and BBQ Pizza, although using store-bought pizza crusts. I cooked as little as possible before I found this Website and I, too, struggled terribly when I first started out. I saw results eating this way, though, and that made me persevere. I'm never going to win a Cook of the Year award, but I've found a solid set of dishes I can make and I experiment with new ones from the Recipe Board quite often. I even get asked for recipes from time to time.

My triggers are what Heather said they would be, so I'm a strict constructionist when it comes to the EFI Diet. Eliminate the trigger foods and irritants, make SF the basis of each meal and snack, and eat everything else carefully. The only non-trigger food I've found I simply cannot tolerate is whole wheat. Everything else I can tolerate, although sometimes only in lesser amounts.

You might take a look at this thread to see someone whose approach to cooking is like yours and the suggestions people had for her.

As for fruit, if your doctor feels it's the problem, then of course you should try what he suggests. If that doesn't turn out to be the case, just remember that most fruit is IF plus it contains fructose which can be problematic for IBSers. So eat it safely, with a solid SF base. And avoid juices.

Mornings were always my worst time, too, before I got stable. I found it helpful to have something small and high SF to eat shortly before bed and to take some of my SFS at the same time. Now mornings are better, but I'm careful to start my day gently, with hot decaf tea and applesauce with Acacia before moving onto a mostly SF breakfast. I don't get seriously into IF and fat until lunch.

HTH.

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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]

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