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May 22, 2003

Italian Chicken & Artichoke Pasta

4 Servings

Dressing:
4 T olive oil
4 T fresh lemon juice
2 T honey
2 t garlic, minced
1/2 t dried thyme
1/2 t salt
1/2 t red pepper flakes (optional)

Combine all dressing ingredients and set aside.

4 skinless deboned chicken breasts
1 13.75-oz. can artichoke hearts
1 lemon, peeled, thinly sliced
Chopped fresh parsley
Cooked orzo or elbow macaroni, for serving

Season chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper as desired. Saute in a large nonstick pan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until lightly browned on both sides, 3-5 minutes per side. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook 5 minutes. Add drained, halved artichokes and dressing. Simmer uncovered and reduce sauce for about 3 minutes. Top chicken with slices of lemon; cook 2 minutes or until dressing thickens. Top with parsley and serve over cooked orzo or macaroni. Thanks TessLouise!

Hello to everyone -

Here's a wonderful, light and delicious dinner recipe from TessLouise on the IBS Recipe Exchange Board. As with all of the fabulous recipes on the exchange (and there are tons of them!), it's not just tasty but also digestion-friendly. For a whole kitchen full of  fantastic IBS-safe recipes, come visit us on the boards.

This fast and easy chicken dinner comes together in a matter of minutes. It has a high soluble fiber base from orzo (a rice shaped pasta) or elbow macaroni, which provides digestive stability. The chicken breasts are quickly sauteed and topped with a zesty dressing that has just a bit of heart-healthy olive oil, so the fat content is low but the flavor level sky high. Fresh lemons provide a nice tang but their tartness (and acidity) is mellowed as the sauce cooks, and artichoke hearts add a deliciously different accent.  This recipe is also a lovely way to ad a bit of fresh garlic to your diet. Garlic is wonderfully healthy but can cause digestive distress in some IBS folks - unless, that is, the garlic is well-cooked with a low fat, high soluble fiber basis, which makes it much more tolerable.

As a great bonus, almost all of the ingredients in this recipe are common kitchen staples. So, if you're feeling hungry try something deliciously new for dinner tonight!


Best Wishes,
Heather Van Vorous

For more recipes, click here for the IBS Recipe Board!

NOTE: For all article links, please refresh your browser page if the article does not appear when you click on the link. For Medscape and Cardiosource articles you may have to register in order to view articles (registration is free).

A special thanks to Danie for several of these articles!


A Systematic Review of Alternative Therapies in IBS
A recent study conducted by the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, IL found that irritable bowel syndrome is a common disorder associated with a significant burden of illness, poor quality of life, high rates of absenteeism, and high health care utilization. Management can be difficult and treatment unrewarding; these facts have led physicians and patients toward alternative therapies. They explored a variety of treatments that exist beyond the scope of commonly used therapies for irritable bowel syndrome. Guarded optimism exists for traditional Chinese medicine and psychological therapies, but further well-designed trials are needed. Oral cromolyn sodium may be useful in chronic unexplained diarrhea and appears as effective as and safer than elimination diets. The roles of lactose and fructose intolerance remain poorly understood. Alterations of enteric flora may play a role in irritable bowel syndrome, but supporting evidence for bacterial overgrowth or probiotic therapy is lacking.   To order the full text of this study click here for more information...

Be Choosy About Your Carbs
Carbohydrates have once again become a battleground in debates about healthy eating. They're what you're supposed to fill up on when you cut down on fat, says one side of the table. Or they're what's making you fat, according to the other side. Yet most people don't really know what "carbs" are. Many of the boosters and haters talk as if all carbs were the same (not true). This refresher course on carbohydrates from the UC Berkeley will help you out.

The Irritable Bowel Syndrome - Fibromyalgia Connection
As many as one-third of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients have described extra intestinal symptoms such as rashes, tension headaches, and muscle aches and pains. Research has shown that as many as 60% of IBS patients also suffer from fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). Conversely, as many as 70% of FMS patients have reported experiencing symptoms of IBS. Could there be a common cause for the two conditions? Click here for more information...

Dietary Fibre in Food and Protection Against Colorectal Cancer
Dietary fibre is thought to protect against colorectal cancer but this view has been challenged by recent prospective and intervention studies that showed no protective effect. This recent study by the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition found that in populations with low average intake of dietary fibre, an approximate doubling of total fibre intake from foods could reduce the risk of colorectal cancer by 40%. Click here for more information...

New and Important Insights Into IBS
At this year's meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology, a number of important new findings in IBS emerged regarding epidemiology, impact, diagnosis, prognosis, potential mechanisms, and treatment. This excellent article discusses the new knowledge and places it in appropriate clinical context. Click here for more information...

"Are Meal Replacement Drinks Safe for IBS?"

Unfortunately, most meal replacement or supplemental nutrition shakes have ingredients that can seriously worsen IBS. Among the most common brands, virtually all Boost drinks contain dairy, and most varieties have artificial flavors, artificial colors, and can be very high in fat as well. Ensure brand drinks contain dairy, most are fairly high in fat, and some varieties have caffeine and artificial flavors. Both Boost and Ensure also typically use corn syrup as a sweetener, which can cause problems for IBS folks who are sensitive to fructose. Even Modulen, a nutritional drink marketed for inflammatory bowel disease patients, contains casein (a dairy protein), milk fat, and a fat content that is far too high for maintaining digestive stability in IBS. Modulen also contains Transforming Growth Factor-ß2 (TGF-ß2), from cow's milk, which doesn't sound like something I'd like to drink.

The best choice among the canned drinks, though not a great one, seems to be SlimFast soy fruit shakes. These contain no dairy and are very low in fat, and they also have a decent amount of soluble fiber. Unfortunately, they're sweetened with fructose. This means that while they may be a tolerable drink for some, for others who are prone to diarrhea, gas, or bloating from fructose, they're not a safe bet.

The optimal solution for a meal replacement beverage is to simply make your own. While this isn't as convenient or quick as buying a canned drink, at least you can control the ingredients and ensure that your digestion stays stable. Try whipping up a fast fruit smoothie in the blender with soy, rice, oat, or almond milk (and additional soy powder for extra protein if you like), bananas or mangoes, peaches, cherries, blueberries, or strawberries. Choose whatever combination of fruits you find most tolerable, and add a bit of sugar, stevia, or honey for extra sweetness. No drink will ever really replace the complete nutrition you should get from a full meal, but if you're trying to add extra calories to your diet or simply need some fast energy, a homemade smoothie is a much healthier and safer choice than any of the commercial canned beverages. Heather & Company is dedicated to serving people with IBS. Our mission is to offer education, services, and products that allow people with IBS to successfully manage their symptoms through lifestyle modifications. We currently offer the books
Eating for IBS and First Year IBS, web site resources, seminars and classes, and Heather Cooks!, a healthy cooking show on the internet and television. We also host the only patient-expert moderated IBS Bulletin & Message Board on the internet with forums for diet, recipes, hypnotherapy, and yoga. We will soon have other IBS services available. Heather Van Vorous, an IBS sufferer since age 9, is the company founder and president.

Our websites receive over 700,000 unique visitors each year, and our newsletter is sent to over 13,000 people twice monthly. Every month over one thousand new people join our mailing list. Heather & Company and Heather Van Vorous offer the following...

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Dietary information featured in Today's Dietitian 2003 cover story, "IBS: Suffering in Silence"

Information requested by gastroenterologists, family physicians, and dietitians across the USA, Canada, UK, and Australia for IBS patient distribution

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LEGAL DISCLAIMER - This email is not intended to replace the services of a physician, nor does it constitute a doctor-patient relationship. Any application of the recommendations in this email is at the reader's discretion. Heather Van Vorous and Heather & Company are not liable for any direct or indirect claim, loss or damage resulting from use of this email and/or any web site(s) linked to/from it. Readers should consult their own physicians concerning the recommendations in this email.

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