Hello ! Hope everyone here is having a great weekend!
Here is my IBS update (like you asked for it!) and what I am trying to integrate into my eating plan for working out and having enough fuel for my daily hour long runs...... I have kept meticulous food journals since 2002. It is like I am my own personal science experiment in trying to figure IBS out and what triggers incredible pain/bloating/C in me.
Rebecca, I, too, cannot do Kashi cereal. That is like kryptonite for me BUT I do eat the Go Lean Oatmeal Raisin bars - sometimes 2 times a day - for a meal replacement. In fact, they are my 'go to' food when everything else is causing a problem. Soy protein in that form (isolate) does not cause me a problem.
Are you familiar with Eat Right 4 Your Type (the blood type diet)? I am a Type A and have found that much of what is recommended for a Type A seems to keep my IBS at bay (Type A being predominantly vegetarian oriented). When I start eating meat/wheat or dairy I start to have problems. Also, there are several veggies that cause me extreme issues (tomatoes, potatoes, actually the nightshades) and always result in major pain and C. When I eat them I end up with what I call 'rocky gut' because it truly feels like my poor GI tract is rocking horribly and I am just miserable. Oddly enough, I truly believe that my IBS was made worse by my diet - predominantly trying to eat healthier and steer away from carbs. The raw veggies I ate for years have put my system on red alert for the most part. At our store my husband hears people tell him all of the time that eating a lot of vegetables wreaks havoc with their system. All things in moderation.
Good luck on the grains. I skipped the brown rice for a few days and realize now that it was actually causing a GI backup in me. I am finding that the more I eat what Heather recommends the better I do. Her recommendations are for foods for more comfortable than what I am used to.
A last note: It is not surprising that the blueberry coffee cake caused an issue for you - they are in the same family as huckleberries and they are known for their constipating properties in some people. Perhaps someone else might get D from blueberries but I would definitely get C in even a small dose !
Also, cheat foods - I have them daily. My system seems to tolerate a small amount each day rather than just 1-2 days when they make me feel awful. Ditto for me on the bread - it just leaves me flat. I have discovered these very thin Corn Crisps (44 cals for 2. They are like thin rice cakes) and they are wonderful with nut butter or jam on them. Also, I did buy some Rice Bran bread but have yet to try it.
I hope everyone else jumps onto this post. I would love to hear what the other girls have to say !