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Having Irritable Bowel Syndrome, does this mean I can no longer eat red meat at all? I understand one of the triggers of Irritable Bowel Syndrome is fat, and red meat does have more fat than chicken, but if I were to eat lean beef? Asking me to give up red meat is such nonsense, I love this.

1) Would lean beef, 85% hamburgers, steak, pork, roast beef, and ham be alright for me to eat if they were lean?
What about kosher meat? Have those with Irritable Bowel Syndrome been able to consume meat with few of the effects?
Okay, here is the thing: All red meat can be a trigger for IBS. I know that it sucks, but until you are stable I would stay completely away from them. When I am stable, I can handle small amounts of extra lean red meat but I wouldn't advise anyone else to do it because we are all different. Lots of recipes calling for ground beef can be replaced with ground turkey to make really awesome meals, so there are other options but you have to be open to them.

2) Next question, I have always been told that eating white bread and white rice is bad for you because they contain refined sugar. It's foods like these I was told that are the reason for the low carb movement in this country as they make people fat.
Am I supposed to go against this and eat white breads not wheat breads?
If you look at the top of this IBS Diet Board, there is a post at the top addressing the Atkins and other low carb diets. I will say that even people who have no stomach problems eventually run into problems with things like Atkins with their livers because of how hard it is for them to tolerant having no carbohydrateds.
Also, aren't you trying to gain weight? A lot of people that are trying to LOSE weight will cut back on sugars because they are empty calories and thus will sometimes end up cutting out some carbs as well. I don't see this as a problem for you, especially if you are trying to bulk up. White breads and stuff are not BAD for you, it all depends on what you are addressing with your health. You want to get stable, and gain weight, right? So carbs will be fine for you.
3) How much bread products can I eat a day?
As many as you want, I guess. Remember that it's not just white bread that are good soluble fiber, there are plenty of other things that will 'cushion' your stomach like pasta, rice, potatoes, pretzels, tortillas, arrowroot cookies, rice cakes, applesauce, bananas (good energy food - my boyfriend eats them all the time when he trains a lot for martial arts and can't be bloated)...

4) What about corn bread and pasta, can I eat those?
Yep.

5) When looking at food ingredients, should I avoid those which say they contain enriched flour, what ingreidents should I avoid when looking at food?
Enriched flour should be fine, I think. A few things to avoid are: HFCS, MSG, Sucrose, Sorbitol, any artificial sweeteners, milk proteins,
6) Oatmeal is an Irritable Bowel Syndrome trigger for me. Once I eat oatmeal, my stomach becomes incredibly bloated and I have gas. However, I read here that one of the safe things to eat is oatmeal, I am confused, since it appears I can't handle oatmeal does this mean I might not have Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or could this mean Heather's list might be inaccurate for me, which would be a bad thing as that's the only list I can go by.
Everyone has different triggers, and that's why keeping a food diary is really important. If you write down what you eat every day, and when you get sick, you will be to figure out what works and doesn't work for you. If oatmeal bothers you, and doesn't bother most people, strike it off the list. You might find, that once you get stable, it wasn't the oatmeal afterall that made you sick and you'll be able to try again. From what I can tell, right now you are eating a lot of food that is very hard to digest and once you get sorted out, you might find it easier to include things back into your diet.

7) Deserts, so basically I can't cake anymore, what deserts can I have?
You can have Angel Food Cake. There are tons of recipes on the Recipe Exchange for cakes that you would have to bake yourself, but they are yummy and totally safe (my favourite is peppermint fudge cake). I also eat arrowroot cookies, rice crispy squares (marshmallows shouldn't give you problems), candies, small amounts of chocolate (if I am stable), sorbet/sherbert without milk in it, Soy ice cream and ice cream bars, soy yogurts, I tolerate Cool Whip and canned fruit really well...
8) What if I am at a restaraunt, can I order a saled, or would the saled dressing and cheese make it so I can't order that? I am lactose intolerant.
Stay away from cheese. Here is the deal with salad - do not order dressing that has milk in it. Order italian or vinegrette dressing. Eat your salad at the end of a meal. On an empty stomach, it is too hard to digest and raw vegetables can be a major cause of bloating. Eat your meal first, to get your tummy ready for salad and then eat the salad. I would stay away from any meal sized salads, especially if bloating is your main concern. Also, brocolli and things like that are really hard to digest and cause a lot of bloating for some people, I have had to cut them out completely.

9) What about spicy foods, I have to give up those foods?
I can't handle very spicy but small amounts are okay. Like with anything else, eat something safe first.. some bread, some rice, some pasta before you try anything spicy.
10) Are bagels and butter edible?
The fat content in butter is too high to be tolerated. I use I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, and love it to bits. I am not sure about bagels.

11) Has anybody with Irritable Bowel Syndrome been able to drink alcohol and have no problems, if I get my stomach settled would I be able to have alcohol, you can't ask a college student not to drink, that's not fair to him.
I answered this in your other post.
I wanted to say something else too... I know that this is hard for you, I have totally been there. I want you to try to keep in mind that it is not ME or this WEBSITE asking you to cut things out of your life for no reason. It is your stomach that is so demanding, and by listening to what is good for it you will be healthier. Please read my other post to you about this, so I don't have to repeat it all over again.

12) May I eat eggs still?
I also answered this in your other post, but I'll repeat this one: Egg yolks = No. Egg whites = Yes.

I won't lie to you, this is a hard thing to deal with because it can seem very overwhelming. I think it is time for you to take a deep breath, and assess the situation. Sure, the things you might have to give up are going to be hard. But in the long run, is it harder to be sick?
It's not fair, and it's not fun, and it feels pretty awful sometimes but you are the only person who can take charge and change the situation. If you want to do that, we will be here to support you every step of the way.

I also wanted to say this again, there are a lot of posts that have already addressed the majority of your questions that are posted at the top of this board, and on other pages in the website (ie. trigger foods, etc) so please take a look around and you'll get info a lot faster that way.

Any other questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Cheers,
--Steph

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