Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: Airline Pilot: needs help

Hello Luke:

Your situation is definitely challenging, but not insurmountable. I was involved in a long-distance relationship for 10 years, flying back and forth Toronto to California and I had to deal with the same type of issues as you.

I was lucky though to have access to "safe" food sources at each end. You, on the other hand, go away for days at a time and are at the mercy of restaurant and hotel food. This is very tough because, with IBS, you need to have much of your food special made.

Here are some things you will need for your journeys:

- lunch cooler (soft, insulated)
- to keep food like packed sandwiches cool you will need to take frozen packs of peas or frozen food of some sort that is safe to take into other countries (you can't carry frozen ice packs because of restrictions carrying liquids onboard flights)

IBS-safe snacks with long shelf life that don't require refridgeration:

- Kettle baked potato chips salted (contains only potatoes, oil and salt, no additives)
- Yehuda matzoh (check ingredients ... buy the one that contains only flour and water ... matzoh great substitute for crackers that contains IBS-unsafe additives)
- Nature's Path organic instant hot oatmeal original (ingrediants are rolled oats and sea salt only, no additives)

IBS-SAFE DRINKS:

- peppermint tea, chamomile tea and fennel tea are the only safe herbal teas
- cranberry juice containing no additives (for example, don't drink Ocean Spray, that stuff is garbage)
-bottled spring water (stay away from non-spring water like Dasani)

Some of the foods you are consuming now (Corned Flakes, Lipton sweetened iced lemon tea decaf, etc.) will severely aggravate your IBS.

If you want more info, e-mail me at belinda958@yahoo.ca and I will help you get onto a better diet. Unfortunately, though, there is no magic solution. I follow Heather's diet and I go a few steps beyond -- eating organic as much as possible and staying away from anything that contains additives.

If you want to be well and pain-free, you will probably need to stay away from 95 per cent of all prepared foods and switch to making most of your own foods so you can control the ingredients and ensure they are IBS-safe.

I hope this helps.

Belinda

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