healthy veggie cooking for husband w/ IBS, 2-yr-old, and myself?
#22912 - 10/09/03 05:38 AM
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Hi all, I'm completely new to this! My husband was just diagnosed with IBS, and we both started reading the First Year book the other day. I have reserved Eating for IBS at the library and should get it soon.
We have been vegetarian for about a decade, so that part's easy. And we were vegan for about 3 years in the past, so using soy "dairy" is not strange to us. But for years we have been basing our diet on unrefined foods like whole grains, beans, veggies, leafy greens, etc.-- you know, all the stuff that's supposed to be so healthy, but is dangerous for people with IBS.
Many of the safe foods listed in the book, such as white bread, white pasta, and white rice, are things we don't eat much because they have very little nutritional value. Basing meals on those foods, and eating less fruits and veggies (esp. things like dark leafy greens and broccoli, which I cook often and value for the calcium and iron) seems so much less healthy, even though I know it is what my husband needs. It seems bizarre to me that we are suddenly about to switch to a mostly-refined diet (though, on the plus side, it will be cheaper!). My main concern at this point is how to feed the whole family and make sure that we are all getting the nutrition we need, without cooking seperate meals. Is this possible? Will my daughter and I be less healthy on an IBS diet?
Any info/advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
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Hi - Brown rice and oatmeal are two whole grains that are usually much more tolerable for IBS than whole wheat. Quinoa and soba noodles are good choices too, as is polenta.
Cook with all the fruits and veggies you can - but the higher their insoluble fiber content (like fibrous greens, or berries with seeds) the safer it will be if you cook and puree them. So fruit smoothies, pasta sauces, and veggie soups are great. Root veggies are wonderful - sweet potatoes, rutabagas, turnips, carrots, etc. - very nutritious and high soluble fiber.
Keep your husband on a lot of soluble fiber (make sure you're having him take a supplement too), drinking lots of the helpful herbal teas and/or taking the peppermint caps, and he shouldn't have to cut down fruits/veggies/beans/nuts as long as they're being incorporated carefully.
You should definitely be able to eat for IBS and still have an extremely healthy diet. 
- H
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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Everyone is an individual when it comes to trigger foods. There are a lot of IBS-D sufferers who have been relieved of symptoms by following the IBS Diet, but it is not a blanket cure. Your husband may be fine just by following the soluble fiber and fat rules, but sub brown rice for white. (Personally, fat is not a trigger for me. I have problems with dairy and sugar.)
Hint: Soaking brown and wild rice overnight can help soften the outer husk and make it easier to digest. Starchy veggies are whole foods with a lot of soluble fiber.
You asked if you would be less healthy on an IBS diet. I would have to say Yes, you would. Considering that you are coming from a very high nutrient, whole foods diet, I don't recommend that you switch to refined foods if it is not medically necessary. I have reservations that refined foods can be beneficial in a long-term plan for anyone's diet, including IBS sufferers.
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Hello,
I, like you, am a vegetarian, pretty much a vegan (just finally gave up eggs again!) but I do no dairy or animal food products. I also have been dealing with the symptoms of IBS for about 20 years. I recently switched to a macrobiotic diet (lots of whole foods, etc.) and would be more than happy to share thoughts with you about how to balance the whole healthy food, IBS diet, etc. challenge. As Heather says also, I think finding the right balance between lots of things: Diet, supplements, H2O, rest, exercise, meditation.... whatever works for YOU. There is no ONE way that works for everybody... it's a journey to discover what works for each individual.
It will probably be a combination of things that work for your husband specifically and your family as a whole. Hope this helps.
Peace,
K
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"You have to be the change you wish to see in the world." Mahatma Gandhi
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Thanks so much for the helpful responses! There is a lot to think about, but I think once we get used to this new way of cooking and thinking about food it will be easier. So far I've been doing a lot of things with root veggies and winter squash-- yay fall! I'm trying to use healthy-but-trigger foods in breakfasts and lunches for my daughter and myself, in case we're missing out nutritionally from the starchy dinners.
Yoga teacher, I would love to hear about your exeriences with whole foods & macrobiotics and how to make that wok with IBS. Could you please email me at me at citygrrl dot com? Thanks!
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