Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

Hi, JaM, and WELCOME!

Now that you have IBS, certainly your family will understand that you can no longer cook like you used to? You need to make so many substitutions to your old recipes and eliminate most of them completely. Have you checked out the recipes in our Recipe Board? They're incredible -- your family wouldn't even know they're "IBS-friendly"!

You don't need to starve yourself, and in fact you SHOULDN'T. You need to keep a little food in your tummy for your gut to work on all day (note that I said "little" food). Generally speaking, practically all of us have to give up such things as coffee, red meat, all dairy, etc. However, trigger foods are trial-and-error because what is a trigger to one person is not necessarily another's. For instance, I can eat whole wheat bread, while most of us can't.

What was recommended to me years ago -- and what stuck -- was keeping a daily food diary, listing each item of food I ate and when, how much, and its reaction. I kept it in my word-processing program on the computer, and I did so religiously. It helped a LOT, because when I had an attack and couldn't figure out why, I'd go back to what I had eaten the day before and practically always was able to find the trigger. I still keep that diary (I'm on volume 6 so far), and it still helps.

I'm assuming you have "The First Year" -- if not, get it. It's our bible. It's helped all of us SOOOO much, and we've helped each other a lot too. I have this Board, Heather and Michael to thank for all the relief I've gotten from my IBS. This will happen for you as well.

Again, welcome to the Boards!

Bev.

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<img src="http://home.comcast.net/~letsrow/smily3481.gif">Bevvy

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