So, if you suffer from IBS (or irritable bowel), one of the biggest questions you always face is – What can you eat? What diet will not flare up your symptoms? And what foods will actually help & heal your stomach?
There are many theories and diet programs that have been proposed for Irritable Bowel. In this article I’ll examine the main ones I’ve tried, and then share what has worked for me in my 5 years of first hand research with this condition.
There are no Right or Wrong Foods
The first biggest myth I have to debunk right now, is that of “right foods”. The truth is that there is no right or wrong food.
And every digestive system is unique. And every condition is unique. So, what may have worked for others may not work for you. On the other hand, what works for you may not work for others.
In this article, and the book you may choose to buy, I’ll share some of the common foods and recipes that have been known to work. But the key thing in looking for the right diet with Irritable Bowel is to do this with a sense of experimentation. Track your diet and see what works for you, under what condition.
The other thing is that the food is sometimes related to the problem you’re facing at the moment. For example, if you’re experiencing gassiness at the moment – it’s obviously best to avoid foods that would aggravate that.
Do Soluble Fibers Help Digestion?
You may have read in several books that foods rich in soluble fibers taken in small quantities over time can help IBS patients stabilize their digestive systems. Since it’s one of the most popular theories out there, I gave it a good, hearty shot.
In my case, soluble fibers didn’t help too much – although they didn’t hurt either. I’ve read of several case studies where long term use of soluble fibers has helped improve the strength of the digestive system. In my case, they may have helped slightly – but a huge difference.
My advice to you is to try out soluble fibers – if it hurts, stop within the week. If it helps (or is neutral), then continue this as a lifestyle habit. Make soluble fibers part of 1 or 2 meals each day. So, it may be a safe bet to eat these foods when in doubt:
* Oat/Oat bran
* Dried beans and peas
* Nuts
* Barley
* Flax seed
* Fruits such as oranges and apples
* Vegetables such as carrots
* Psyllium husk
The acid-alkaline balance
Our body has a sensitive balance of acid and acidic content. This is known as the pH balance (you probably remember it from 9th grade chemistry). Usually when we lose this balance we end up getting acidity .
The problem is that almost everything we eat is acidic! Most meat, breads, coffee, soft drinks, and even fruits are acidic … So, how can regain your alkaline balance?
The easiest way is to drink lots of water. Yes, 2-3 liters of water each day will dilute the acidic effect and keep your pH balance normal. If you want to go one step further, drink alkaline drinks. This includes green tea, barley, wheat grass, lemon water, mango/watermelon/apple/guava juice and herb teas.
Fresh, Vegetarian Food Is The Easiest To Digest
Have you every left cooked meat outside, in the eat for 72 hours? You know what happens to it … it starts, attracts acterial growth and you generally throw it away, right?
Well, did you know it takes red meat 60-72 hours to pass through your digestive system? And your stomach is hotter and more humid than any environment outside … just imagine what your digestive system has to put through to absorb and process red meat.
White meat takes 40-48 hours to pass through. A little better, but can you still imagine leaving your grilled chicken out in the son for two days?
Cooked vegetables take 24-30 hours to pass.
Uncooked vegetables take 10-15 hours to pass through your intestines.
And finally, fresh fruits take 2-3 hours to go through your system & get absorbed.
What does this mean for you? Should you give up all kinds of meat? Should you become vegetarian?
I don’t know, and I won’t tell you how to live your life. But I will tell you that if you increase your quantities of fresh foods – your stomach will have a considerably easier time working … and your body will have an easier time healing.
I’ve shifted to having about 50% of my diet as fresh or very lightly steamed/cooked food. And I heavily choose fruits & vegetables over meat. If you do have to choose meat, fish is the easiest food to digest. All other meat is much harder for the stomach to digest (if you must, chicken comes first and red meat later).
Research has found that by comparing the digestive systems of humans with herbivores and carnivores … we have almost everything identical with a herbivore. The acidic content in our stomach, the length of the digestive intestine and role of suliva.
You don’t have to blindly shift to a vegetarian diet – but just try adding some fresh fruits & vegetables to your diet. Replace your breakfast with fresh fruits and notice the immediate difference it brings to your digestion and overall energy. After you’ve experienced that lightness & energy, you won’t need any more convincing.
Avoid Common Trigger Foods
If you must blindly follow one instruction from my book, let it be this – avoid these categories of food at all cost. These are proven triggers for IBS symptoms and you should stay away:
* Coffee, tea and other caffeine drinks (For your morning jolt, try replacing coffee with some light exercise or fresh fruits)
* Spicy, oily and fried food (It’s a hard one, but you have to stay off KFC & McDonald’s for a few weeks)
* Dairy foods (cheese, butter, sour cream, cream cheese, milk, cream, half-and half, ice cream, whipped cream, yogurt, frozen yogurt).
* High-fat foods, High-protein foods & red meat (Your body is unable to create the enzymes required to break down fats)
*Gassy Foods (beans, broccoli, cabbage, onions, brussel sprouts, and garlic)
How you eat is more important than what you eat
There are some common guidelines that are the basis of healthy digestion. And chances are you’re probably ignoring these right now. Follow these pieces of advice and you’ll see an immediate way in which food is processed inside you.
First, remember that almost half the digestion happens in your mouth. Saliva is an extremely powerful digestive enzyme. So, when you don’t chew (and just gobble your food down), you’re doubling the work for your intestine. And your sick intestine won’t stick up for that. So, chew each bite for at least 30 seconds and eat in peace … anxiety worsens IBS.
Second, eat only two to three meals a day. If you’re eating natural healthy food, you don’t need more than three small meals in a day. It takes a lot of energy from your body to digest food – so if you keep eating, you’ll spend all your energy in digestion and have no time to actually enjoy that energy for real work. It’s okay to have snacks in between – they help keep the meals small and keep the digestive system on a low-intensity workout all day long.
Third, small meals only. You have to understand the difference between eating for the stomach and eating for the tongue. The body doesn’t need that much to keep going and stay energetic. If you overburden it with three to five large meals in a day, of course the engine will break down. Eat two to three small, regular meals and watch the difference it makes. Planning Your Meals Makes It Easier To Stick To The Right Diet
Here’s something I learnt after several years of stumbling around. When I started planning my meals the night before … I found that I was able to decide what to eat early enough to actually do it.
Plus, very soon I had sheets of information about what I ate, how I responded to it … and my very own cheat sheet for what to eat and what not. If you buy the Goodbye IBS! book, you’ll find your own daily diet tracking sheet to use and a 12 week program to help you easily learn how to use it. (If you’re interested, you can learn more at www.GoodbyeIBS.com/diet )
Why You Should Should Follow This Simple Advice
Now that you’ve read this gigantic article, let me introduce myself. My name is Rachit Dayal and I suffered from IBS for five long years. In that meantime, I got a chance to do a lot of diet experiments on myself.
Initially, my goal was just to figure out what foods won’t trigger my symptoms.But in time, I discovered that there were some foods that actually *helped* my condition. And along with several other treatments I tried over the years, I finally got rid of IBS from my symptom and figure out a diet that allowed me to live my life to the fullest without worrying about a funny tummy.
I wrote a book called “Goodbye IBS!” (you can read more about it at www.goodbyeibs.com/book ), and I’m taking parts of that book and publishing them all over the Internet as articles. My hope is that someone who really needs good IBS advice will be able to read this article and see an improvement in their symptoms within hours.
In the last one year, I’ve sold hundreds of copies of my book and gotten a fantastic response from people who apply these simple principles in their life. Almost everyone who makes an effort notices that their digestion is easier, their symptoms have reduced and their health improves.
These principles are proven. In fact, they’re common sense that seems to be forgotten. If you suffer from the painful conditions of Irritable Bowel, then give yourself a chance and heal.
Content
The dieting world is full of myths, hearsay and soundbites. We all have heard them a thousand times, but does that make them true? Is it really a good idea to ban sugar completely from your diet? Is it really a good idea not to touch fat and alcohol ever again? This seems to me like an invitation to failure. Too few people can swear off certain foods forever and stick to the oath. The rest of us need a little treat now and then. And there’s nothing wrong with getting a treat once in while, provided that treats don’t happen every day.
The basic idea of any diet is to eat food that contains fewer calories than your body needs to maintain its current weight. This way, the body is forced to use the accumulated fat in order to make up for the energy it doesn’t get from food. But a diet also has to be tasty and nutritionally sound. Simply banning certain types of foods and ingredients is not a solution because anybody following such a diet will have to acknowledge sooner or later that he or she wants those foods and ingredients badly and a relapse into the old eating habits becomes inevitable.
People should also learn not to put their faith into meal replacements, such as Mypoplex, Slimfast or Eat-Smart. These combinations of low-fat and high-protein substances cannot substitute a proper diet. They should never be used for more than 4 four weeks in a row. Calories are important to the body and nobody can go on for long without them. Cutting calories out of the long-term nutrition is a huge mistake because the internal organs and muscles need them to function. Using meal replacements for a week or two, as a shock treatment, is fine. Relying on them for two months is asking for trouble. And the same goes for single-food diets, such as the cabbage soup diet, because they are based on the same idea.
Another widespread myth is the idea that the best approach to weight loss is a low-carb, high-protein diet. This is one of the myths that emerged from the Hollywood slimming industry. Nearly all movie stars and singers are on some such diet. However, this approach is not exactly good for you because a diet low in carbohydrates and calories forces the body to use existing carbs located in the liver and the muscles. In time, this diet leads to weight loss mainly from water stored in the body, instead of fat, and also strains the internal organs.
And people should not be so afraid of potatoes, bread and pasta, the leading sources of carbohydrates. Carbs are actually good for you because they quell the feeling of hunger without bringing in too many calories. So you can safely eat moderate amounts of potatoes and bread as long as you don’t use butter or sauces, which are laden with fat. Naturally, you also have to pay attention to how these foods are prepared. French fries are not a low-fat food. Still, a high-carb, low-fat diet is far better than banning potatoes and bread from your daily meals and it’s also easier to stick to.
Drinking a certain quantity of water every day is a good idea because it keeps the body hydrated and fills the stomach. Water also keeps the intestines healthy by facilitating the movements of undigested food to the exit point. However, simply drinking water does not trigger weight loss. There is only one way to lose weight and that is to burn up the existing fat and water cannot do that. Nor should a diet be judged solely by how much weight is lost per week. Some people claim that a diet can be considered effective if the weekly loss of weight is above two pounds. Frankly, two pounds per week is a lot of weight to lose and you can be sure that not all of it is fat, but also the lean tissue that makes up the muscles.
Another myth claims that fat is absolutely bad for you. It’s not. Quite on the contrary, the body needs some fat in order to get the important fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K circulating through the cardiovascular system. Moreover, fat also brings into the body the essential fatty acids omega-3 and omega-6 that cannot be synthesized in the body. The word “essential” means that these fatty acids simply have to be present in your daily food since they play an important role in your health. The recommended dose of fat is 35 percent of your daily calories.
And last of all comes the idea that a diet or eating plan is enough in itself and does not have to be coupled with exercising. But exercising is the most effective way of burning up the extra calories stored as fat. Simply sitting at your desk all day long is not going to do the trick, regardless of what diet you’re on. Remember that a diet that has plenty of food (the right kind of food) and plenty of exercise is far better than sitting on the sofa and drinking cabbage soup every six hours. It works faster and is less stressful to your body.
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