What are you supposed to eat if you have IBS? Aren't supposed to have fatty foods,

[raccoon]

or too much fiber--read on the Net that bran is TM fiber.

So, what's worked for some of you?

[democraticinsurgent]

1. Check with health food consultant

I had a horrible case of IBS about 15 years ago, and the prescription medicine I got made it worse.

After that, my wife went to a health food store and got a list of vitamins and supplements to take. It got better almost immediately and within a week my symptoms were almost gone, never to return.

I don't remember the mix but acidopholus was a key part, and I think B vitamins.

Good luck!

[zazen]

2. bland, bland, bland. . .

I don't know what's officially supposed to work or not, but apples and high fiber vegies are the worst. It's so frustrating. No, the worst is Activia. The Activia Challenge was trying not to keel over from IBS-D-induced dehydration.

There's that school that thinks IBS is often related to acquire gluten sensitivity . . . but I know bread, cheese, and avocadoes, and more bread, and more cheese, at least let me function socially. Most raw vegies and many raw fruits are off limits for me.

What works for you?

[raccoon]

3. That's what I'm trying to figure out. I'm going to start keeping an account of everything I eat. nt

[TexasProgresive]

4. Some foods are a trigger.

My wife was diagnosed with spastic colon (IBS back then). The doc told her to avoid fatty and spicy foods- the ironic thing is that she would eat a broiled eye of round which is very lean and have an event, but if she ate tamales no problem. turns out her IBS was not aggravated by fatty spicy foods but was triggered by beef and bovine dairy products.

I would make use of probiotics like lactobacillus and yogurt especially Greek yogurt with live cultures. That will help restore balance to the colon after an event. The other thing is to do an elimination diet. Remove one item from your diet until you have an attack. If after a week of no events try it and see if your colon whacks out. Keep at this and you may find a food that is the trigger.

The cause of IBS gets blamed on a lot of things, stress, bad diet you name it.

Then you have to become a label reader- it is amazing the things that have beef in them- like Lipton onion soup mix.

A friend of mine has celiac spru (sp) gluten intolerance. Boy that is a tough one to deal with. Recently he got a prescription for cold sores that nearly put him in the hospital. It was a generic of a drug he had taken successfully. Our health plan requires the dispensing of a generic whenever possible.

[MineralMan]

5. It varies from person to person, really.

I have occasional bouts of it. What works for me is to take one ibuprofen every six hours and increase my fiber intake. However, that's not advice, and your particular issues could require a different solution.

The bottom line is that every person with the condition has to experiment to find the combination that works. There's no single solution, and even doctors can't predict what will or won't work. It's a very annoying condition.

[Lochloosa]

6. 34 recipes here....

http://www.food.com/cookbook/ibs-safe-recipes-84497

Tons more here:

http://www.helpforibs.com/messageboards/ubbthreads/recipe_index.php

[eilen]

7. I stopped grain, dairy, legumes and sugar.

I took vitamins, and probiotics. Haven't had an incident since. I eat meat, fish, eggs and even sometimes bacon, fresh or frozen veggies, usually cooked, and a little fruit & nuts. Occasionally I have a little dairy-- when my selection is limited such as work cafeteria, cottage cheese and if there is cheese on the salad or the hamburger patty. I guess I stick to it 90% of the time. I don't worry about fat so long as it is good fat (avocado, in grass fed meats, coconut oil, etc.).

[poopfuel]

9. agree here

Check out the Paleo diet online, many who follow it have ended battles with "leaky gut"
Probiotics are key, you might check out transfer factor, also known as colostrum. Medical News Today recently ran something on its benefits for those with leaky gut.

[JustAnotherGen]

8. Try

Carol Sinclairs IBS Anti-Starch diet.

As well- do some research on anti-inflammatory diets. For me - IBS subsided when Ankylosing Spondylitis took over. IBS like A.S. - is an inflammatory disease.

When I eat zero starch? I feel better.

[HuckleB]

10. I'd say talk to your MD, nutritionist, specialist, etc...

[Warpy]

11. I just eat what I want to

and if it's running toward constipation, I eat a nice dish of ice cream. It works within hours.

It is, however, one of the things that improved once I stopped eating wheat, along with the rash and wheezing. YMMV depending on your own triggers.

Fiber and pectin are actually both your friends, the former getting it moving when things slow down and the latter firming it up when things go too fast. Eat apples.

[cpompilo]

12. Specific Carbohydrate Diet

see BreakingTheViciousCycle.info
The SCD eliminates all polysaccharides. People with bowel disease don't have the enzymes necessary to break apart long chain sugar molecules (food is absorbed molecule by molecule in the gut), so those sugars remain in the gut and are food for bacteria that produce toxins as a waste product.
You are welcome to pm me for my experience with Crohn's and SCD.

As a disclaimer, I am no doctor, nor do I have any monetary connection to the SCD.