Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

I'm sorry to hear you are in constant pain.

First of all, it's very important to stick to the diet although it may take awhile to figure out exactly what in Heather's diet is safe for you and what is not.

Not everything that is supposedly safe will be okay for you and not everything that is supposedly unsafe will be unsafe for you. That just seems to be the nature of IBS -- each of us is a little different with varying tolerances.

However, some trigger foods are pretty much universal so you should probably stay away from them (as you already are) -- at least for the time being.

Secondly, you need to consider your food supply. If you are eating poor quality food (an apple is no longer an "apple" anymore -- it can be some pesticide-riddled, genetically modified version of an apple!), then this could affect your IBS. I have long held that additives, preservatives and other chemicals used by mainstream food manufacturers, etc. in food can irritate some people with IBS. For example, I suffered ongoing pain and nausea until I switched over from conventional to organic produce.

Thirdly, I have found that even the most minute amount of an irritating food or ingredient can trigger an IBS attack. So for some people controlling IBS can be like walking on a tight rope. Other people are not as severe and don't have to be so careful. Unfortunately I am in the former group and must be very careful.

Yesterday I tried some soya milk for the first time. I finally found a brand of soya milk at our local Wholefood store that contains absolutely no additives ... just the pure soya milk. (I had been looking for an additive-free soya milk for a long time.) To start I just had a quarter of a teaspoon after a meal containing lots of soluble fibre. I have to be THAT careful! Luckily I was fine so tonight I will try a half-teaspoon and gradually increase day by day if I am okay. Again, this illustrates how careful some of us have to be in order to avoid pain and attacks.

Despite this caution (which is very much second nature for me now), I am happy to say that I lead a good life that is virtually IBS pain-free. I only get pain once in a blue moon when I happen to eat too much of a "challenging food" such as a particular vegetable. It took me a long time to reach this point, but I figure if a severe case (like me) can do it, then there is hope for you and everyone else on this message board. I hope you find your way to feeling better very soon.

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