IBS Food | For My Tummy

Birthdays and Holidays Strategy - Foods for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

In this Holiday season, I wish you the best outcomes in managing your IBS! May the “merries” and “happies” that you hear, all apply to you!

This is the time of year that lots of families and groups exchange wish lists.

When you want some special items to control your IBS, and are not in control of the grocery shopping, one strategy is to put Amazon gift certificates on your wish list, so you can order items and try them out, or order items that you keep apart from the regular groceries. Gift certificates from all one place can be combined into a “shopping for my IBS” budget.

Best,
Tummyblogger

December 3rd, 2007 Posted by tummyblogger | general, IBS food | no comments

Digestive Advantage-IBS: Second and Third Weeks

reminder: In addition to using the following probiotic, I also follow a diet free of known triggers for IBS (except caffeine in small amounts), exercise, and especially important, take 20 grams/day of Heather’s Organic Acacia Tummy Fiber ™ and another 20-25 grams of fiber/day, most of it soluble fiber. This fiber is “prebiotic”–it supplies a suitable growing medium for the “probiotic” that is the subject of this report.

Second Week on Digestive Advantage-IBS
During the second week on Digestive Advantage-IBS, I got adventurous. As you may recall, I had had an upset stomach late one day in the first week, and discovered that if I took another DA-IBS caplet, I soon felt fine–translated into IBS-speak, that means my tummy was soon mellow.

So in the second week, because I felt more control over symptoms, I tried adding more fruit to my diet. That is, more than the ever-present bananas. Kiwis worked well; I came a cropper on a new fruit called “pluot,” a cross between a plum and an apricot. I skinned it, and sliced the fruit into bits that were a cross between a slice and a chunk. Pluot pie might be interesting, but the raw fruit–not so much. That was also a night I took a second caplet of DA-IBS. I don’t know for sure that my body wouldn’t have handled the pluot by morning, but I really did not want to wake up with an aching gut. Other fruits that worked: watermelon, raspberries, and seedless grapes!

Third Week on Digestive Advantage-IBS
The second week on Digestive Advantage-IBS had gone well in exploring fruits, basically. For the third week on DA-IBS I decided to try more vegetables. The problem with vegetables is, often, that I buy them fresh and then don’t want to take the time to prepare them. So they go bad and have to be thrown away. But this week I got enough that there was always something I could fix.

The vegetables that were easy successes were summer squash and tiny tiny carrots, both steamed. I also steamed broccoli florets, right in the bag, and they were soft and delicious and great! I steamed carrot chips (Bolthouse Farms); a big bag gave me enough for several days of carrot snacks and carrot side dishes. With carrots, be sure to chew thoroughly any carrot pieces or tiny carrots that are still pretty firm, not almost mushy.

Coming Up Next
I have not yet done the packaging, delivery, and convenience kinds of commentary for Digestive Advantage-IBS that I did in the reviews for Align. So one of the next posts will be a review of that aspect of the Digestive Advantage-IBS experience.

Also, look for me to switch, and spend the second 32 day period reviewing a slightly different DA-IBS product, the chewable tablets that are what you would frequently find on the shelves of your friendly neighborhood large chain drugstore, like CVS or Walgreens.

Comments Wanted
And, just below this post, there’s a link to a comment form, if you would like to tell us about your experience with DA-IBS. Click on the “No Comments” part of the tags to be the first to add your comment. If someone else is weighing in, the tag will say “1 comment” or “2 comments” and so forth. Shall we try for “5 comments” on this post?

October 9th, 2007 Posted by tummyblogger | Probiotics, Food for IBS, IBS, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Digestive Advantage - IBS | 3 comments

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Pizza?

Is there any kind of pizza that a person with IBS can have?

I can answer this, I think, but you have to read to the end of the post. These are the suggested rules for pizza:

I don’t believe you can eat the whole thing. Eat pizza only when you are sharing it with someone else.
Order a pizza without cheese.
Most pizza makers are used to such order, from people who keep kosher, and from people who are lactose intolerant, so it’s unlikely that they’ll question your order.
Pizza is not for breakfast
Pizza is for one day a week, not four, five, or seven!
Mushrooms are a safe topping; if you must, order a vegetarian pizza and pick and choose your toppings.

So you *can* have pizza, within limits.

Bottom Line
Order a mushroom pizza without cheese, and with extra mushrooms.

September 28th, 2007 Posted by tummyblogger | Food for IBS, IBS, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, IBS food | no comments

Window Shopping for IBS Products–Now Available

For some time there has been a Page Title — in the upper right hand corner of the header menu — called “Window Shopping.” If you clicked on it, you would see a browser window that goes directly to the Best Life International website, and their “Soy Amazing” ™ Meal Replacement shake.

That was it. No blurb, no explanation, just the browser window.

I have now added several more browser windows, for products mentioned here that are not available at Amazon.com. The full list of products:

Soy Amazing Meal Replacement Shake, ™ from BestLife International–high soluble fiber content, high protein
Revival Soy ™ Chocolate Daydream Shake — no fiber content, high protein.

Ganeden Digestive Advantage - IBS ™: currently serializing a review.
Align. ™ Series of reviews, completed.

Use the Google site search, or the Category listings, for more information.

September 25th, 2007 Posted by tummyblogger | Breakfast, fiber, Chocolate, Revival Soy, Probiotics, Food for IBS, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, IBS food, Align, Soy Products, Soy Amazing, Online sources, BestLifeInternational, Digestive Advantage - IBS, IBS Diet | 2 comments

Organic and Gluten-Free Foods for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Policy Decision
I wanted to add a link or two for spelt to ForMyTummy’s Amazon Page. Is spelt gluten-free? I had thought so, but a little research revealed that it is not. Because gluten in spelt is different from the gluten in wheat, I will include some spelt products on the Amazon Pages.

Gluten
Most of what are mentioned here as IBS-diet-worthy foods are free of the known triggers that affect us. In the case of spelt, which contains gluten, I am making an exception.

Spelt, as a grain, is similar to wheat; therefore it has gluten.
Spelt, as a grain, has a different kind of gluten in it.

People with celiac disease are completely unable to process anything with gluten; most of us with IBS find that restricting foods with gluten in them make our tummies happier. So if I (with IBS) can keep my diet down to 10% to 25% of
the usual gluten “load” in the average American diet, I will generally do ok. Your mileage on gluten may vary. (That’s abbreviated YMMV, in forum-speak.)

Information on Spelt
I stumbled upon a fascinating and informative web page from Doves Farm in doing research on the spelt + gluten issue. They are in the United Kingdom (UK), so their products will not make it into my Amazon Page(s). Nevertheless, their web site has a great deal of information about grains and special diets, about organic and gluten-free products.

This is important why? –Because earlier I published a recipe for tuna melt for IBS, that was built on bread made of spelt. I had assumed then that spelt was gluten-free, not classed with wheat. It turns out that it is a cousin of wheat, with differences in flavor and kind of gluten. To recap; while people with Celiac Disease are completely unable to tolerate gluten in any form, that doesn’t (necessarily) apply to people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome who are wheat intolerant.

Also a voice for organic foods
The Doves Farm site mentioned above is also an advocate for organic foods. If you are negotiating a food budget to deal with IBS, the higher cost of organic foods versus traditionally farmed foods may add a point of disagreement. Therefore, I’m not going to come down on both feet with a strong recommendation for organic foods.

Feedback
Do you agree with the policy on foods containing gluten for this site? If not, would you suggest a complete ban? A stricter ban? Let me know with a comment. Your comment will count toward the September Top Commenter award. This is a good thing.

September 9th, 2007 Posted by tummyblogger | IBS food, IBS Diet | no comments

IBS Food: What Can You Do with Hummus?

Hummus: What is it?
Hummus is a food of Near Eastern origin that is traditionally used in a filling “sandwich” of pita bread, falafel balls, shredded lettuce and perhaps other vegetables. Hummus has the function of holding all these elements together, or at least flavoring them. The thicker the hummus the more it holds together; the thinner the hummus, the more it flavors–and drips.

It is made of mashed or ground chickpeas (=garbanzo beans), often with ground sesame seeds (tahini); in general, hummus serves as a dip for pita bread or vegetables. It may contain lemon juice or garlic flavoring, so reading labels is advised.

Where to find it?
The best hummus I have had recently came from a small neighborhood Near Eastern store. In the very varied neighborhood in which I live, hummus can be found in the two big grocery stores, also. I would think that Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods chains would carry it. It comes in cans and in dip containers. You could also find it in Hispanic-themed groceries, or make it yourself from canned garbanzo beans (=chickpeas).

Why is it good for IBS?
The packaged hummus without lemon juice or citric acid is good for building alternative meals for (us) people with IBS. You can use it directly as a substitute for mayonnaise–no eggs, no oil. I use it with a 3 oz. can of tuna as a quick lunch, or put it on rice cakes to moisten the dry chew.

How would you use it?

Let me know how you do use, or would use, hummus. No reward this time, except that sending a comment will count toward “top commenter” recognition for September.

September 9th, 2007 Posted by tummyblogger | Food for IBS, IBS food, IBS Diet | no comments

Recipes for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Diets - Where on the Web to Find Them?

In addition to the sporadic items in the category I have called “IBS Food” on For My Tummy, there are some other sources for food recipes. Heather’s Newsletters at HelpforIBS.com offer a large selection, as does her book Eating for IBS. I have just added an appetizing website with recipes for people with food intolerances–gluten as well as others–http://surefoodsliving.com/

August 30th, 2007 Posted by tummyblogger | Food for IBS, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, IBS food, IBS Diet | no comments

“Is Soy Yogurt Good for IBS?”

One-Way Dialog
One way to have a dialog with readers of this blog is to look for the questions people are entering into search engines, where the search engine decides ForMyTummy has something to say on the question. Sometimes I doubt that the questioner found an answer here. When I answer these questions, it’s after the fact, but another reader may have the same question.

This one, “Is soy yogurt good for IBS?” caught my eye, because I just had a cup of soy yogurt for breakfast, and brought it to the computer with me, so it’s right here. I don’t even have to get up! I had Soy Live! (Soy Yogurt) made by Silk, in peach flavor. Here are the ingredients:

Ingredients of Silk Soy Yogurt

Organic soymilk
Organic evaporated cane juice
Peaches
Rice starch [a possible PREbiotic]
Dextrose
Natural flavors
Tricalcium phosphate
Cultured glucose syrup solids (this may be the growing medium for PRObiotic “good bugs”)
Citric acid (a preservative)
Pectin (a possible PREbiotic)
Locust bean gum (PREbiotic - the word “gum” tells us this)
Ascorbic acid (vitamin C)
Annato [sp?] and turmeric (for color)
Yogurt cultures - Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillous acidophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus rhamosus

PREbiotic and PRObiotic = SYNbiotic
This soy yogurt has all the ingredients of a SYNbiotic (PRObiotic and PREbiotic). For a more general and technical view of the ingredients of soy yogurt, go to this site.

Oh, yes, you wanted to know about protein and sugar content and that kind of thing? This soy yogurt list of contents is from the Silk soymilk website This is for one container of peach.

Nutrition Table

Calories 160
Calories from fat 20

Total Fat 2 g., no saturated fat, no trans fat
No Cholesterol
Sodium 25 mg.

Total Carbohydrates 32 grams
Fiber 1 gram
Sugar 25 grams (which you want, for the culture to grow)

Protein 4 grams

Is it Good for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?”
Now, to the question “Is it good for IBS?” Everything in it except citric acid is well-tolerated by people with IBS. It is not good in the sense that if one a day is good, four per day is even better. No! That’s because of the relatively high sugar content and relatively low protein content. One a day is the equivalent of one Dannon Activia per day, in terms of following the advertising for Activia. If you can tolerate lactose in the form of yogurts and cheeses, as I could once upon a time, then the Silk Soy Live! yogurt increases your options. If you are completely lactose-intolerant, as I am now, then you still have a yogurt alternative in Silk - and there may be other brands I don’t find in my local grocery stores.

In Conclusion
Incidentally, I note from my web searches that according to this blog, Wal-Mart has Silk Soy yogurt for $.89 for an 8 oz. cup! It’s an engaging post, from February 2005, so take it for what it’s worth.

“Just one more thing.” Use a supplement for a daily probiotic, rather than relying solely on soy yogurt.

August 17th, 2007 Posted by tummyblogger | Probiotics, IBS food, Soy Products, Prebiotics, Dannon Activia Yogurt | one comment

Planet-saving Brew - Soy Coffee or Coffee for IBS–Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Source of the Recipe
This “recipe” is something I have adapted from a New York Times post six weeks ago or so about making coffee without using fossil fuels. The writer wanted iced coffee, and learned the following method of making it.

Reason for this Post
Also, in blog statistics I noted that someone came here on a search looking for cold-press coffee for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). I don’t quite know what s/he came away with, though I hope this post will provide a belated answer.

Coffee and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
No. I am NOT going to tell you can have coffee if only you brew it this planet-saving way. I AM going to tell you that you can have a good tasting morning drink. And if you want to live dangerously on your otherwise well-kept IBS diet and use genuine coffee for a quarter of the brew, I’ll tell you how.

RocaMojo Soy “Coffee”
Yes, this is a product endorsement. I do more of this endorsing stuff than I like, but some things work, and some things don’t. Some things taste good, and some things don’t. RocaMojo makes three kinds of product in the range of

No coffee, only soy beans are used
Half-coffee, half and half soy beans and coffee beans
All coffee, using only coffee beans

All three kinds come either unflavored or with the following flavors added: chocolate-flavord mocha, vanilla, and hazelnut. Amazon.com has a terrific deal. If you order three one-pound cans at a time, you pay $18.20. For those who are not Amazon Prime members, shipping is $7.06 (or free if your total order is over $25). Just enter “Rocamojo soy coffee” in the Amazon search box on the Amazon page here.

“Coffee” Maker Needed
Okay. The next thing you need for this environment-sparing method of preparation is a French Press coffee maker, which–you guessed it–you can also order from Amazon for between $10 and $20 for a single-serving size.

Environment-saving Method of Making “Coffee”
I make strong “coffee” substitute. You may have to experiment to get the strength you like. With a clean French-press coffee maker, do the following. The night before you want your morning coffee, or six to eight hours before you would usually drink your soy beverage/ soy-coffee combination drink/ coffee (Rocamojo) do this. Measure out the recommended amount into your French press coffee maker. Add water. Stir. Add the press gadget. Sleep or do stuff. Wake up, or come back. Press. Pour. You will have room temperature “coffee.”

Enjoy!
Take your morning–or evening–dose of soluble fiber. Eat something. Zap your “coffee” in the microwave for a few seconds if you want it warmer than room temperature. Don’t add ice! But you could make double strength brew and add cold water.

Environmental Impact
This drink was prepared without using the gas burner on the stove to heat the water. OK, it uses electricity if you zap it in the microwave. However, we will (have to) develop methods of generating electricity that don’t use fossil fuels and don’t contribute to global warming. So I’m willing to continue using electricity.

What do you think? Do you have another recipe?

August 11th, 2007 Posted by tummyblogger | Breakfast, coffee, Chocolate, Amazon, IBS, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, IBS food, Soy Products, Online sources | no comments

Digestive Health Brief (lots for IBS)

FMT featured in DHSB

For My Tummy was featured in the August 1st issue of Digestive Health Smart Brief, a newsletter that is distributed to the offices of Gastroenterologists for their patients, including those with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). It is also available in electronic form, by subscription. You can either email a particular issue to yourself, or subscribe, just below the header.

Locating FMT in DHSB
The place to find the For My Tummy reference is down the right hand side below the fold, in the colored box with the title Patient Perspectives. They excerpted my recent post of the recipe for tuna melt.

The Feature
That feature in the colored box, Patient Perspectives, is not just about irritable bowel syndrome (ibs). The feature editor finds various blogs, and perhaps forum posts, on a number of different Gastroenterological problems, so, no, I’m not going to appear every week/month. Ah well.

August 6th, 2007 Posted by tummyblogger | Food for IBS, IBS, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Digesting Information | no comments

Giving It Up for IBS

Read the following in conjunction with the Page on this blog called IBS Triggers.

I’ve just added the blog “Confessions of a Bathroom Dweller” to the list of links. The author has a post on not going the extra mile, “Sprite is an Essential Food Group!”

In part, she says:

Someone found my little corner of the blog word by typing in:

“is sprite bad for people with IBS”

ahhh….someone after my own heart. You see, I know carbonation is “bad” for people with IBS. My brain knows that it is not smart to intentionally consume something that will add air to my system. But of everything I have had to give up or modify to deal with my IBS, Sprite is the ONE thing I REFUSE to give up.

For me, it’s coffee–well, at least some coffee. Not very much. About 1/4 of a cup, mixed with mocha soy, but some.

OK. We all do it, we all pay a price.

What we could do:

Cut down the amount - just one Sprite, ™ less than one cup of coffee spread throughout the day
Diminish the effect - let the Sprite ™ go flat before you drink it, mix the coffee with non-coffee compatibles
Share it so you eat or drink less
Make it with substitutes - soymilk instead of milk,
Chew it carefully (pecans, almonds) or grind it up
Use it in powdered form - powdered cocoa, not chocolate, not even dark chocolate with no dairy and no sweetener
Give it up for IBS control?

What’s your favorite dodge on the “essential food groups” plaint?

August 5th, 2007 Posted by tummyblogger | coffee, Chocolate, humor, Food for IBS, IBS, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, IBS Triggers, IBS food, IBS Diet | 2 comments

Crunchy & Chocolate for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

If you are struggling to stay on a diet that avoids triggers for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), and miss crunchy foods like nuts and crispy chocolate bars, try this.

Drink hot chocolate made with Hershey’s Cocoa ™(unsweetened), not water, and Stevia — at the same time you are eating crunchy, cruchy Mariani Banana Chips ™. Lots of crunch, lots of chocolate flave

Or, if you are fairly stable, you can substitute Kosher dark chocolate coins from Manischewitz, no more than one bag. Or you could make a cup of Rocamojo mocha soy drink.

Mariani Banana Chips have less fat than ethnic banana chips I’ve been able to buy, which accounts for their preference here.

August 4th, 2007 Posted by tummyblogger | Chocolate, Snacks, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, IBS food | no comments

For My Tummy

Self-Help for IBS