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Introduction
I would like to clarify the underlying principles to the IBS food recommendations that I make on ForMyTummy (FMT). When I first started ForMyTummy.com, over a year ago, I thought the principles were the same as, or similar to, those of Heather Van Vorous, of the HelpforIBS.com web site. Upon reflection, after a year of writing tips and recipes and articles, there are some specific features to my approach which can be stated as, ta-da!, the following Principles.
Principle 1
NEVER EAT ON AN EMPTY STOMACH
This means that when you wake up, the first thing you put into your mouth is a soluble fiber, such as Heather’s Organic Acacia Tummy Fiber ™ or FiberSure ™. Later in the day, the first thing into your mouth will be either a small amount of gentle starch like rice or soy crackers, or another part of your daily dose of a Soluble Fiber Supplement (SFS).
Principle 2
GET ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN FOOD SHOPPING
This is because you are in a learning process yourself. To try to tell someone else who is buying or preparing your food what it is that you want/need, and what has to be or not be on the food label is to create more interpersonal stress than you really need. Negotiate to be part of shopping trips, or change your food service (lunch place, wherever) to “vegan,” or ask for gift certificates to Amazon and lay in your own stock of oatmeal or soy noodle soup or something else that you like.
Principle 3
READ ALL FOOD LABELS IN THE STORE!
This means take your reading glasses with you to the grocery store, or read the food labels online–Amazon is pretty good at publishing the labels, and many product web pages have them available. You want to know two things:
- The list of ingredients, and
- The nutrition information, particularly carbohydrate and fiber content
Principles 4 and 5 are to be applied in sequence.
Principle 4
START WITH AN ELIMINATION DIET
This means that you begin by eliminating all foods that occur on the List of IBS Triggers. In addition, at the beginning you will avoid most fruits and vegetables, unless they are pureed (as in baby foods), or starchy, such as potatoes and sweet potatoes without skins and butter. In cutting out caffeine, cut your daily intake in half, in half again, and in half again if you are a heavy user. Then cut out all caffeine.
This also means that you will have to switch to available foods that are based on soy beans or rice. Rice is both binding and calming to the tummy; that means that if you have IBS-C, base your NEW diet on soy, and add small amounts of rice.
Principle 5
EMPHASIZE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES FOR ADDED FOODS
This means that you build your NEW diet up from the “rescue” diet that eliminated fruits and vegetables, by cautiously adding new fruits and vegetables, preferably one at a time. Fruit should be skinned and cut up; vegetables should be steamed. Maybe you will try out steaming fruit as well–that’s my next experiment. See the New Food Pyramid for more information about a pyramid built on fruits and vegetables.
Principle 6
MOVE AND GROW
This means several things:
- Get off your duff and do something about your IBS, or
- Include physical exercise, or
- Grow thinner or fatter, whichever you need to do, or
- Move through the process of self-help for IBS and grow as a person.
Principle 7
ADD THESE TO YOUR NEW DIET
- Enough soluble fiber supplement (SFS)- See the Fiber 101 posts, starting with Fiber 101a, and the articles in the category “Prebiotics.”
- A good probiotic, Digestive Advantage-IBS ™ caplets or Align ™ caplets are ones that supply the probiotic in effective amounts; they are reviewed in the category “Probiotics.”
Principle 8
VARIATIONS
This means that you can pick from these principles according to the extent of your IBS “damage” in the slang sense. Principle 1, 2, and 3 apply to everyone, with 2 and 3 being ones you can take on gradually. The Principles 4 and 5 involve radical dietary change for most of us. You need to be really committed to change, really miserable with aspects of IBS, to take this on. Principles 6 and 7 should be added to Principles 1, 2, and 3 as well as used with the full dietary changes of 4 and 5.
COMMENTS?
How would you use these principles? Are there any others that you would want to express? Please comment using the Link below, that says “No Comments” if you are the first to write in–otherwise the linke says “1 Comment” or “2 Comments,” and so forth.
October 11th, 2007
Posted by
tummyblogger |
fiber, Probiotics, Soy Products, Prebiotics, IBS Diet |
2 comments
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:
Two soy shakes mentioned here:
-
Soy Amazing Meal Replacement Shake, ™ from BestLife International–high soluble fiber content, high protein
- Revival Soy ™ Chocolate Daydream Shake — no fiber content, high protein.
Two probiotics for IBS reviewed here–windows to their web sites.
- 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
Puroast is one of a few brands of low acid coffee. Since coffee is my “Essential Food Group” and since my tummy is now pretty stable, I ordered it and tried it a couple of times, using 1/2 measure Puroast and 3/2 measure Rocamojo Soy Coffee. Both were in mocha flavor, and the resulting chocolate flavor was nice. No adverse effects on my stable tummy with one 12 oz. cup, each five days apart. I haven’t tested the “second-day rule” with this, though, so beware.
I’d welcome a guest review for this product; no freebies, but here is an announcement of their sale, with a promo code, that I received in the mail. So, for me and sixty of my good friends or so, here’s the sale:
PUROAST® LOW ACID COFFEE -
First Fall Promotion!
25% Off All Items
Promotional Code - 09132007
25% Off All Items Until
September 27th, 2007
Click Here or www.puroast.com
All Shipping in the USA is Free with FedEx GROUND
GREAT TASTE, 50% LESS ACID!
Puroast® Low Acid Coffee
First Fall Promotion! -
25% Off All Items
Type in “09132007″ where is asks for the the promotion code at Check Out -
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| Have a coupon? Enter the code here: |
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To Order By Phone:
Call 1-877-LOW-ACID EXT. 101
September 20th, 2007
Posted by
tummyblogger |
coffee, general, IBS, IBS-C, Soy Coffee, IBS Diet |
no comments
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.
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
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
In this post I will try to outline the basics of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) therapy. The harsh truth is that there is no magic pill or potion. IBS is a condition rather than an illness. I know, when you are in the middle of the current round of bodily “wrongness” that is IBS, you feel sick, often very sick.
The way to deal with this truth about IBS, that there is no magic pill or potion to heal IBS once and for all, is through life-style changes. Yes, that’s the “blame the victim” kind of answer that is so irritating, to me as well as to you. And what is worse, the life-style changes have to be so thorough, to do a good job at IBS control.
What I am talking about is cutting out all of the IBS triggers on the Page in the index across the top of this page. You no longer eat
July 18th, 2007
Posted by
tummyblogger |
Teas, fiber, Sweetener, Probiotics, IBS, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, IBS therapy, IBS Triggers, IBS-C, IBS-D, Soy Products, FiberSure (tm), Heather's Organic Acacia Tummy Fiber (tm), Benefiber (tm), Digesting Information |
2 comments
For a long time I’ve been contemplating a list of safe foods for IBS, foods that may be available in your local or nearby supermarket. I just found such a list, that is comprehensive, on Heather Van Vorous’s web site. The link is as follows:
Safe Foods List, By Country
I would caution you still to READ THE LABEL (that’s similar to the injunction to RTFM). For people, like me, who also need a low-carbohydrate diet, and who do not tolerate most artificial sugar substitutes, some of the Soy milks listed are not acceptable. Look for unsweetened soymilk. If you can’t find unsweetened soy milk, look for the use of crystallized cane sugar (or “evaporated cane juice”=sugar) in low quantity. You can tell this by comparing carbohydrate counts.
Update: There is a page of links to purchase unsweetened soy and other milks at IBS Tummy Chow.
October 16th, 2006
Posted by
tummyblogger |
Amazon, Soy milk, Food for IBS, IBS, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, IBS food |
no comments
The other caution about the Revival Soy site is this page, that might be the first page you see if you search on Revival Soy. The Revival Soy Bars aren’t suitable for many people with IBS because they have dairy and sweeteners that cause problems. The shakes offered, again, are not suitable for many people with IBS because as offered on this page, there is no option to get unsweetened shakes.
It would really be helpful if Revival Soy were to have a page of products they produce that are “IBS Safe.” Some of the soy chips are fine, but definitely not the dairy-laced Ranch ones; the “coffee variety pack” is great for people who want to see how their tummies react to half-soy, half-coffee, and how their taste buds react to all-soy “coffee.”
October 2nd, 2006
Posted by
tummyblogger |
Revival Soy, Soy chips, Food for IBS, IBS, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, IBS Triggers |
no comments
While I haven’t been recommending all their products, I have written in favor of the Revival Soy Shakes. They come as a powder, in an envelope, and need to be added to 6 oz. of water, or 8 oz. of soy milk to form a shake. The nice thing about the Revival Shakes is that you can get them with unsweetened. The choices for each flavor, then, are how many day’s supply you want (at 1 shake per day) and what sweetener (or lack of sweetener) you want.
I have a recurring order for a 30-day’s supply of Chocolate Dream shakes. Because of the dental surgery and a liquid or soft diet for the last 10 days, I’ve used up my supply of shakes a little early–not that I went to two a day for every one of those days, but on some days I did have two shakes instead of one.
So yesterday I ordered 15 days worth of shakes, and thought, just for the heck of it, since I wouldn’t need it for that long, I would order the Cappuccino shakes. So I ordered the new flavor. Then I realized that the Revival Soy people probably make Cappuccino with real coffee, not such a good thing for people with IBS. I checked the nutrition label for the contents, and yes, indeed, the Revival Soy Cappuccino shakes are made with real coffee powder. So I quickly sent an email request to change the order to the old familiar Chocolate Daydream flavor–no more adventures this month.
October 2nd, 2006
Posted by
tummyblogger |
Revival Soy, Food for IBS, IBS, Irritable Bowel Syndrome |
no comments
This is a quick recipe for a low-fiber meal replacement that I just invented. I discovered, sadly, that there is a fairly small window between too few grams of fiber a day, and too many. Since my standard meal replacement shake provides 13 gms. of fiber in one nice-sized serving, and two of them provide 26 gms., I’m near my limit. If I then add a high-fiber taco to the mix, at 7 gms of fiber, there is absolutely no more room in me for any more fiber!
So when I want another small meal, and I often do, I need to make a low-fiber shake (or eat Wonder Bread!). I came up with this recipe today: let’s call it “Fiber-free mocha shake.”
Fiber-free Mocha Shake Left-over soy “coffee” or RocaMojo half-soy, half-coffee blend (about 1/4 cup is good)
1 level Tablespoon of Stevita Delight Chocolate Flavored Stevia, or 4 half-droppers of dark chocolate liquid Stevia (or your own mix of cocoa powder and Stevia Powder, to about 1 Tbsp.)
Soy milk, or “Soy Nog,”** about 3/4 cup.
2 scoops of Fitness Labs Soy Protein Isolate, or recommended amount of any other (soy or vegan) protein supplement.
Put it into a Revival Soy shaker or the IST Shaker Bottle, including the grid, shake till blended, and enjoy.
NOTES: ** There is no egg in the BestLife Soy Nog I used, but there is crystalline fructose–not the high-fructose corn syrup we usually get served in prepared foods.Use regular or vanilla soy milk or Naturade Soy-Free Protein Booster. One-third of a cup of the Naturade Protein adds 22 gms of protein; 2 scoops of the Fitness Labs Soy Protein adds 28 gms of protein. A warning: to me the Naturade Protein tastes like grass.
I promise more to come on Low- and High-fiber Meal Replacements.
September 28th, 2006
Posted by
tummyblogger |
fiber, Sweetener, Stevia, Revival Soy, Food for IBS, IBS, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, IBS food |
no comments
UGH! Breakfast with unsweetened coffee (or whatever), and Unsweetened Soy Shake from Revival Soy? Doesn’t sound very good, does it? Well, I left out the best part. I found, first on the Revival Soy pages and then elsewhere on the web, a very good no-calorie organic sweetener called Stevia, which comes from the stevia rebaudiae plant found in South America. The following copy from Revival Soy sums it up:
An intensely sweet extract from leaves of the stevia plant that’s over 200 times sweeter than sugar – with no calories, carbohydrates or bitter aftertaste.
Revival Soy web site, accessed 9/27/06.
You can also read more about Stevia at this site, stevia.net.
So there is a real alternative to the low-calorie/no-calorie artificial sweeteners, called Stevia. Another place to buy Stevia is at Vitacost. Also, the IBS Shopping web site has a page in their Amazon aStore that is devoted just to Stevia–go to the “Soy Store” tab, open it, and find the “Stevia Alcove.”
September 27th, 2006
Posted by
tummyblogger |
Breakfast, Sweetener, Stevia, Revival Soy, IBS, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, IBS food |
one comment
