Recipe suggestions for very limited diet

[whiteladder42]

I am down to eating meat, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots and white bread. I have tried gluten free, dairy free, FODMAP, Atkins, you name it. Now hugely overweight and very ill and unhappy these are the only foods which don't seem to make things any worse after 5 years. I have been under the care of the dieticians at my local hospital and whilst very nice, have not been very helpful since no triggers for my IBS have been identified. If anyone has any interesting suggestions as to what to do with these sparse ingredients please help! I only drink water and am fed up with the same few dishes over and over again.

[mg15]

Yes I can feel for you. I think you have to drop the white bread fully! U can get really good brown gluten free bread which tastes OK. I now take a banana, slice of mellon, kiwi, flaxseed, juice orange/pineapple and make a smoothy each morning for Breakfast and it is great. Now a small banana, small melon slice etc. that does help considerably. Fish is good, better than meat. Salads can be good! Pears are great when u need that something sweet. Do not give up. My legs/arms etc are so sore and I just make myself walk. So keep thinking positive. Remember you are the person who will benefit if you do. Really, you have to take control of yourself and your diet. Hope this helps. x

[whiteladder42]

Thanks for the suggestion but I can't eat fruit or salad veg of any kind (raw food generally is very bad) and I am not gluten intolerant so white bread is ok-if I didn't eat that I would barely be eating any food at all each day and that is not good at all. I really am limited to the foods I mentioned above.

[Hidden]

So sorry to hear how little you can eat Whiteladder. Can you cope with spinach so you have some green veg too? Also you may be lacking various vitamins with a restricted diet, so is it worth taking a supplement as well? It must be very boring for you and also means struggling in a restaurant. However, for a few years I was on a similar diet (but with green veg too) and did ok on it. Now found Fodmaps which has helped me. Have you IBS C or D?

[robrascal]

Have you tried taking acidophilus tablets to get some good flora into the gut. They are not the whole answer but they may help

[deepest in reply to robrascal]

I agree with this one. Been taking acidophilus for some time now and I am sure they help. Worth giving it a try.

[PatV]

I am assuming you have IBS-D not C. While I don't agree with the gluten free issue, I do think you have to use portion control. Do you eat one slice of white bread or a whole loaf? If the latter, it's a sign that it's a trigger. A food sensitivity sometimes sets up a craving, like when my diabetic mother has one chocolate and ends up eating the whole box! The GAPS diet makes a lot of sense to me.

[angbri]

Please please get tested for SIBO! Soooo many go un diagnosed. It's a bacteria infection in the small intestines & will give you ibs symptoms & make you sick no matter what you eat. Also it robs you of all your nutrients. If you have, then you take antibiotics, probiotics & the gap diet or fodmap diet for 3-6months to allow the stomach to heal. Antibiotics can't get rid of all the bacteria, that is where the diet comes in to get rid of the rest. I just was diagnosed myself with this & it is a relief to know that I actually have a condition & can work towards recovery

[whiteladder42]

I have IBS mixed (varied from one minute to the next). I have asked to be tested for SIBO but told after 5 years getting steadily worse it can't be that, nor Candida or H Pylori. So they won't test me for something they told me it isn't possible to have. If I gave my slice of white bread for lunch I would be eating cold potatoes for lunch which is not appetising at all. Going gluten free on several occasions (for months at a time) gave me no benefits whatsoever. My dietician has recommended I try things like butternut squash and pumpkin since am ok with sweet potato. I take a multi-vitamin. Can't afford to get privately tested since have no money. Literally. And unemployable due to IBS and very fed up.

[Chapdales]

I know exactly how you feel, I have all the same symptoms as you and can only eat the same as you and i know how boring it is, like you I have Ibs D and C and am often too scared to leave the house as I never know what is going to happen and after having accidents while out has totally put me off, I wish I could help you with some recipes but I have the same trouble, Hope this helps you to feel not so alone as if your anything like me you feel that you are the only one that has it like this, Hope you feel better soon, take care and keep in touch xx