Insoluble fibre

[huggit]

I try to eat healthily but it always makes me feel so ill. My symptoms IBS d, urgency. So I have pinpointed most vegetables and fruit that have any kind of roughage. How do I get a healthy diet from this? It’s really getting me down I thought that my IBS was anxiety related but now I am in all the time I still get it just as bad, and I feel like my weight loss efforts are hindered with it. For instance this morning after having broccoli, carrots and green beans with chicken and mash last night this morning I could not stop in the toilet department. Then I am starving all day! Vicious cycle, I am thinking of just eating carrots and parsnips as vegetables only for a bit and banana as fruit and see what happens. Help

[flanimals123]

Hi huggitI know this is such a horrific illness to live with. I’ve had IBS now for 7 yrs and I have learned so much about what’s good for me and what doesn’t work. Most days I take Imodium after breakfast. My GP prescribed it for me and has told me there are no known side effects to taking Imodium long term. It slows process of food passing through the intestine. Along side this I follow the monash Fodmaps diet. At first he only ate low FODMAP but have gradually introduced foods that I can cope with. It is trial and error but keeping records you learn what to eat and what not to eat. Everyone is different. I think it’s important not to stay totally FODMAP ... because as you say , it’s good to keep a balance diet .

I think it’s best to strip back to eating low FODMAP for a couple of weeks then gradually introduce one food at a time and record your tolerance levels. It is time consuming but worth doing. I also take a probiotic daily. I hope this has helped.

[flanimals123 in reply to flanimals123]

The probiotic I take is alflorex... it seems to help greatly doesn’t cure it but definitely helps me go weeks without flare ups.

[huggit in reply to flanimals123]

Hi I have tried low fodmaps and some of these things set me off such as sweet corn, tomatoes, gluten free bread so that is not really any good for me. Also I have tried lots of probiotics and they do not change things for me. I am going to try and have soluble fibre fruit and veg I think for a while, but I worry about health.

[flanimals123 in reply to huggit]

Hi HuggitSo sorry that you have problems with low FODMAP. I must admit I’m ok with tomatoes as long as I remove skins. I can only eat tinned sweetcorn in small amounts. I know how you feel about eating healthy it’s so difficult. My cholesterol levels have recently risen and my nurse said to eat more beans /pulses and roughage ... well that’s very difficult with IBS D!! 😩I do worry about having balanced diet and have recently really cut down on diary. I’ve replaced milk with almond/coconut which has definitely improved my tummy mornings after breakfast. The most annoying thing is that I can eat some days where nothing I’ve eaten has been an irritant before but suddenly reacts ?? Then it’s a mystery for me to know what I’ve done differently. I’m not supposed to eat cauliflower but have recently tried it and can tolerate a small amount. Same with sweet peas but both are off limits according to Fodmaps. I just think it’s a matter of writing it down or keeping a record of everything you’re ok with and what foods are triggers. Hopefully I’ve been of some help.

[huggit in reply to flanimals123]

Hi thank you yes you have we keep going don’t we, but I would like to be free of this

[xjrs]

I see that you have tried lots of probiotics but have you actually tried Alflorex for at least 2 months? It has been scientifically studied for IBS. I have tried different probiotics in the past, but Alforex has been the game changer for me.

If that doesn't work, try the low fodmap diet (by the way broccoli is high fodmap) - if all of this fails and you feel that you are not stressed, ask for a test for BAM (bile acid malabsorption). Good luck.

[huggit in reply to xjrs]

Hi Yes I tried Alflorex and the low fodmap diet with no real progress. I asked for a BAM test but the doctor would not entertain it! I do go round in circles with a very sensitive stomach Thank you for your reply.

[xjrs in reply to huggit]

Sorry to hear that it didn't work for you.

[PinkDragonfly]

Hello huggit, I'm afraid I don't have any answers but just wanted to say I'm exactly the same. I can't eat any fruit, even bananas, and most veg (including salad) are off the agenda too - apart from carrots and potatoes. I find I can tolerate lentil soup though. I can't eat lovely wholemeal bread either - all the things we know are healthy which is so sad. If I eat any of these I'm either on the loo within half an hour and/or suffer the next day.

I just wanted to say you're not alone - sending hugs and maybe we can learn from the lovely people here.

[huggit in reply to PinkDragonfly]

I am sorry you are like this, but it is good to know I am not the only one, I just want a bit of peace from it now, so I am going to try the carrots, squash and soluble fibre only regime and see what happens . Thank you for your reply.

[Superzob]

Five portions of fruit and veg is a good regime, but it doesn't suit everyone. My original IBS responded to a reduction in fibre though, subsequently, it has become so erratic that fibre isn't really an issue. Try 3 portions (the regimen which is advised for sufferers on Crohn's disease). The reason why fibre tends to be good for most people is that their bowel motility is too low without it; yours is too high, so there is less harm in reducing fibre than suffering from diarrhoea which prevents nutrients from being properly absorbed - that would be bad for your health!

[huggit in reply to Superzob]

Absolutely agree, I feel like some days I have nothing left, and this cannot be good for me. So I will go for banana, carrots and squash which I think are ok for me and see how I go with this. Thank you so much for taking time to reply!

[Hidden]

Have you tried lactose free milk?

[huggit in reply to Hidden]

Yes I have, I have recently cut right back to a tiny bit of milk in my tea though so I don't think milk is my problem.

[Travelling]

Hi huggit I’m new here but have had IBS for decades. Foods that make you unwell are not healthy for you!

We used to say “one man’s meat is another man’s poison” and it’s true.

I can’t eat much fruit and veg so I try to have a small portion of veg every other day depending on what it is. Carrots, peeled potatoes are ok and I can manage a small portion of salad say once or twice a week but not on consecutive days.

Bananas are good and I find cooked fruit ( eg apples) easier to digest than raw.

Keep experimenting and set the goals that work for YOUR body.

I feel happy if I have a small portion of veg every day or two and occasional fruit piece or even a small handful of something like blueberries with porridge a few times a week.

More than this and I am friends with the toilet as you described !

Try to look at having a balanced diet over a week or two rather than each day.

Good luck and keep us posted ! xx

[huggit in reply to Travelling]

You make so much sense to me! Thank you, I will do exactly as you say, I have had a tiny banana this morning, and some carrots and potatoes and about 5 peas (yes I know 5 peas lol) I have to say I am feeling Ok so far, but it is the next day when I have the repercussions. I have been good today as well, with only having a tiny bit of cooked veg last night, and definately nothing green! Fingers crossed this helps my system. I get so hung up on eating 5 a day, and I swear it is making me ill! Thank you again

[Travelling]

I’m glad it helped huggit. It’s taken me many months of trial and error to get to this point and I still feel like I “should” eat “five a day” sometimes. The portions of veg and fruit you’ve had sound like plenty to me. See how you are tomorrow and try to keep a note of any reaction you get.

And wait a day before trying these kind of foods again- that gives your body time to recover and means you can see clearly what is causing a problem.

Also, we eat quite a lot of veg in things like pasta sauces; onions and tomatoes are also part of our intake.

Make sure you take account of that when you look at your overall diet.

Hope you feel ok tomorrow !