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i am in a limited area with 2 grocery stores, there are only 2 brands of soy milk, continent premium soymilk and silk, i drank the continent one, that one gave me bad trapped gas, spasms, and made my stomache hurt some, but maybe it was because it was chocolate(still don't think i can handle the white, this brand looked kinda cheap), i told my dad i didn't want it, and silk organic, stuff here is expensive and limited. Was it 8th Continent? I actually liked it much better than Silk, but I stopped drinking it because they use Splenda (sucralose) to sweeten the low-fat/fat-free milk, and artificial sweeteners are a huge IBS trigger. That might have been your problem. They also use plain fructose -- too much of that can also be problematic for people w/ IBS. And, of course, soy in general can be rough on your stomach at first if you're not used to drinking it. If you're new to the diet, I would definitely not just drink a whole glass of it plain -- try it on cereal, or in recipes first. I would especially not drink it on an empty stomach. Rice milk is found in 32-oz cartons -- it's not in the refrigerated section, so it's easy to miss. Is your Wal-Mart a Super Wal-Mart? If so, they should have Rice Dream. I find it can be difficult to find at Wal-Mart -- it's usually shelved in the same spot as Atkins diet and South Beach diet stuff, typically somewhere around the cereal aisle. Sometimes it's carried in the baking aisle, next to powdered milk, cans of condensed/evaporated milk, etc.

I didn't see any other brands of rice cakes except quaker and all they had was funky flavors. The Quaker Oats rice cakes are made of whole-grain brown rice, so I'd be careful (i.e. don't eat on an empty stomach, cushion with SF first). Otherwise, the Apple Cinnamon ingredient list looks okay (does list fructose if that ends up being a problem), but the other flavors all seem to have dairy.

What kind of potatoes are ok to eat, all of them? Potatoes are a great source of soluble fiber -- they should all be safe. The skins are insoluble fiber, however, so if you prefer to use the skins as well go easy on them at first.

Are black beans ok? Beans in general are iffy. Canned beans are mushy enough that most people can tolerate them. Having said that, beans are notorious for causing gas even in non-IBS people, so go slow with them -- eat a very small portion at a time after a soluble fiber base, and gradually increase your intake each time. I think some people on the boards also use Beano to help w/ gas.

That Jennies O's bacon, i've never seen that in the grocery store here. I can find it at many stores here (I live in Iowa), so take a look next time at the store -- could be they carry it and you just haven't noticed.

All i have is white minutes rice, and a lot of it. Is brown minute rice ok? Minute rice is fine. It's more expensive, which is why I don't buy it. Brown rice is OK ... BUT, it's insoluble fiber, so while it may be "OK", you need to be careful in the manner in which you consume it.

So i hear wheat is good, then i hear wheat is bad, How do i know when i walk into a grocery store and picko out some wheat item, if i can have it or not? Should i eat white or wheat stuff? Actually ... "white" bread IS wheat bread. What you need to be careful with is *whole* wheat. Whole grains are insoluble fiber, and while IF is NOT BAD and in fact necessary for good health, IBS-ers need to take care in the manner in which they eat it. Don't worry about being able to tell the difference -- these days if it's at all whole-grain, the manufacturer will brag about it! So, the bread or product will be labeled "whole grain bread" or "whole wheat bread". If it just says "wheat bread", look at the ingredient list and if "whole wheat flour" is listed anywhere in the ingredient list, you'll probably want to take a pass on it, at least for now.

No health food store, unless i can go drive 4 hours to another town, nope. Maybe there is a healthstore online i can shop at? I'm sure you can find some stuff online, but you don't HAVE to have a health food store to use Heather's diet. I hardly ever used to go the HFS, only when I had a wicked craving for Soy Decadent ice cream. You can definitely eat IBS-safe without having to frequent health food stores.

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