Fiber For IBS

Many people are confused about fiber and i understand why. I used to be very confused as well. With all the labels saying dietary laxative or stool bulking agent. What does this all mean in simple terms.

There are two common types of fiber, soluble, and insoluble.

Soluble fiber absorbs water and turns into almost a gel type substance when water is added. So if you have diarrhea this is the type of fiber you want to concentrate most on having in your diet. This can be done by using foods such as rice, potatoes, ect. This can also be achieved by using a fiber supplement. If you are going to use a supplement(which you should use both a supplement and food) then you need to start gradually by using 1/6 of the daily recommended dose each time 3 or 4 times per day(morning evening, and once or twice with big meals). If you jump in all at once and your body is not used to having the fiber then you will most likely run into the opposite effect. It will give you MORE diarrhea.

TIP-Remember soluble fiber is water soluble so there must be water in your diet equation. try drinking 7-10 8 ounce glasses per day.  Spread the water out and don't drink within a half hour of each meal. The water can dilute your digestive enzymes and you don't want that.

Insoluble fiber is just the opposite of soluble, it is not water soluble so for those of you that are having constipation then you need to try to incorporate more of this in your diet. Don't worry this is very easy to do. Almost all Green veggies have insoluble fiber as well as nuts and legumes. You can find full lists online. 

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER- You MUST have both types of fiber in your diet. It is like a balancing act. You have to find the right soluble to insoluble ratio for you and try to stick with one that gives you 1-3 good bowel movements a day. Don't give up because this can take some time. Increase you dose 1 time per week until you reach the full daily 20-30 grams of total fiber usually closer to 30 is better.

TIP- If you find yourself going pee alot with drinking all this extra water try two things. Do some kind of exercise for 20-60 minutes per day. Usually starting with light stretching or yoga is good. Also put just enough celtic sea salt in your water that you can't taste it too much. This will slow the movement of water through the body because your body will try to extract all the minerals from the water. ALSO get your sleep 8-9 hours per day if not more will help in fighting ibs.

ANY QUESTIONS OR NEED MORE TIPS JUST ASK IN THE COMMENTS

SHORT LIST OF TEAS FOR IBS-IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME

THESE ARE THE TEAS I DRINK TO HELP COPE WITH IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME

So I use the following teas to help with my IBS these are the most common and most helpful.

-Peppermint-This is a great tasting tea that has been used forever to calm the stomach. Those of us with IBS can use it to calm the cramping or soothe the stomach. I find it very helpful to drink a few cups a day with meals(small meals of course)

-Fennel -This tea taste like black licorice just not so strong. It is so so helpful in the category of gas cramping and bloating.

-Ginger-This is one of my favorites I use it on a constant basis. I will drink a cup in the morning after soluble fiber and breakfast and then another cup after all meals. It has a great digestive enzyme in it that if you have over indulged will help with the full tummy.

-Chamomile-This tea is used to calm you down after a long day and get you ready for a good nights sleep. I use it when it is late and I know I am going to have trouble sleeping.

All of us with Irritable bowel syndrome should try to utilize these natural gifts as much as possible to help Tame Our Tummy.

If you have any ideas or comments about what works best for you when trying to control your IBS symptoms just feel free to leave a comment. Thanks

Safe Snacks for IBS Irritable Bowel Syndrome recipe exchange

SAFE SNACKS FOR IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME

I am sometimes at a loss for things to eat as a quick snack or things to buy that are easy to prepare or cook and that are reasonably quick so i am asking all of the readers out there to share some snacks that they prefer. I will start and then let you guys and gals take it away.(please include brands if you know them...thanks)

I like

• english muffin(sourdough) with a little peanut butter(very little) and a banana for breakfast
• For lunch some instant rice with smart balance light(it is dairy free the reg is not)and a little salt or with a little light soy sauce (Thai kitchen is good)
• for dinner some white fish with a little lemon and a potato or some rice with it

NOW ITS YOUR TURN....just leave your favorites as comments thanks

ENEMA AND COLON CLEANSING FOR IBS-VERY BIG NO NO

ENEMAS AND COLON CLEANSING FOR IBS

I am going to try to make this short and very straight forward. DO NOT FOR ANY REASON(unless an enema is needed for immediate severe pain removal) TAKE PART IN SELF ENEMAS OR C OLON CLEANSING. They are very addicting/habit forming and are the worst thing for a hyper sensitive gut(this is what you have if you have IBS) Try slowing adding an Acacia based soluble fiber(1/2 teaspoon just to start double the dose slowly say every week or two/whatever your body adapts too. There is no such thing as moving too slow with the soluble fiber but there is with moving too fast so take your time.) instead of using these harsh methods. If you decide to start on the soluble fiber try to stay away from fibers that are not acacia based because most on the market can cause gas pain and bloating in IBS patients.

I hope that was short enough :) I would love to hear comments from you

IBS dont be fooled by all the GENTLE LAXATIVES!!!!

IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME

Hey its me again with another little helpful hint. This is something that I thought about delving into many a times and for some reason or another decided not to. Now I am thankful that i did not go this route. The route I am talking about is Laxatives. Now I'm sure you have all seen the articles or advertisements that things like senna aloe just to name a couple, are the magic all natural tools you need to relieve constipation or in the long run help IBS-D by improving bowel tone.....This is nothing but a lie...This DOES NOT HELP FOR IBS. These things can become addicting and very hard to get off of. It will shortly turn into a situation where you have to have them to have a bowel movement and this is definitely not what we are shooting for. My advice and I think anyone you knows the truth about stabilizing IBS is that you need to slowly introduce a completely soluble fiber supplement. My favorite is an Acacia based soluble fiber. Most if not all of the others can cause gas and bloating in IBS patients.

Well This is just my little word for the day. Once again please feel free to comment :)

Irritable bowel Syndrome-Trigger Foods

Irritable Bowel Syndrome Triggers

The trigger foods for IBS are vast and many people are not on the right track from the beggining. Many people tend to think that only the bland foods are ok to eat. This statement couldn't be farther from the truth. The reality is that the triggers, or foods you want to stay away from are all of the things that are hard to digest. Most of these are insoluble fiber. Insoluble fiber is the fiber in foods that is not easily digested. This is not to say that you cant have any insoluble fiber at all. You just need to watch you intake heavily and eat these items in small quantities. When eatin in moderation patients usually feel the differrance within a couple of weeks, sometimes within a couple of days. I have compiled a list of trigger foods which is shown below. If you have any questions please leave a comment and I will do my best to address it.

• Foods high in fat-usually anything greasy or fried
• Red meat-this one kills me. That includes anything that comes from pigs, cows, goats, deer, sheep and so on.
• pultry is ok BUT the dark meat and skin are not- i ate chicken thighs for a while wondering why I had to run to the bathroom afterwards. There was a deffinate reason.
• All Dairy products-this may surprise you but even the ones that are made with dairy but are lactose free can cause GI distress.
• The Whites of eggs are ok BUT the yolks are not. In my case thay make me especially sick and bloated or gassy.

All of these foods tend to wreak havok on the intestinal tract for us IBS'ers. They can cause anywhere from just some minor gas to a complete attack of colon spasms and contractions at amazing rates. So I dont really need to say it but stay away from these. You do not need any of these. I mentioned above that some insoluble fiber you should eat in moderation those I will talk about in my next post, but for these listed above just stay away completely. You will thank me and your toilet will thank you.

There are many other foods that are high in fat that can also cause unwanted GI stress many of which you may not think of off hand. While i am going to provide a very short list reading labels on the food you order or purchase is a good habit to get into.

• Coconut milk
• Shredded coconut
• All oils, fats, spreads, dressings, or added toppings may be very high in fats and oils.
• watch out when eating food that could have been cooked in oil(you can order otherwise to be safe)
• Mayonnaise
• Olives
• doughnuts or any pastries
• Potato or corn chips but the baked variety is usually a great alternative. Just watch for flavor enhancers like modified food starch or MSG(this one is a complete Tummy killer)

Please feel free to leave comments I would love to hear what you have to say. Thank you