Diet and Health FAQ

Tagged As: Ibs Irritable Bowel

Question:
What is best way to combat IBS-Irritable Bowel Syndrome? I have been taking about 3 Fibercon a day (it helps me stop going to the bathroom, for others it can accelerate it). I am of average weight and height, poor diet (bachelor thing) and eat most anything. I do not exercise but am thin. I know I should exercise and am taking some short walks with my dog. Also am trying some food screening now. Never had any formal tests for food allergies. Have started taking Calcium recently which I thought slowed down the trips to the bathroom, but now think it is not working.

Answer:
Celiac disease testing sounds in order. Then if that is ruled out,,, and  I assume Crohn's disease has been ruled out,, then you might be in for a major surprise if you were to totally immerse yourself into the lowcarb world. I could tell you where every bathroom (clean and dirty) was located in this town of mine. I also could time a luncheon date down to the minute of when I would have to say excuse me, I'll be right back. I have been lowcarbing for 3 years now.. and honest, my life has changed. I can eat when I'm out of town (because I don't have to play I spy with the potty's anymore) and I no longer have to excuse myself in the middle of the best part of the conversations. I had not been normal for years, now I am. So was it the wheat? was it the sugars? heck if I know... I just know that if I keep on protein, fat's and good lowcarb veggies,, life is a pleasure! The first thing to do to combat virtually any chronic illness, if you haven't already done so, is to cut out all refined carbohydrates. That includes sugar, white flour, white rice, and pasta, among others. In general, even if it doesn't fix the problem you're trying to fix, chances are you'll experience enough other health benefits that you won't regret it. In the case of IBS, though, it will almost certainly help you, because these foods (to use the term loosely) can disrupt the balance of intestinal flora (bacteria), which are necessary for proper digestive function. Once you've done that, you can accelerate the restoration of your intestinal flora through the consumption of fermented foods. This includes cultured dairy products like yogurt and kefir (they must have active cultures, though, and should not be sugar-sweetened), and fermented vegetables like sauerkraut and kimchi (again, they must be unpasteurized, with active cultures). Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions contains recipes for dozens of fermented foods and beverages, as well as many other foods devoid of all refined carbohydrates. I'm a bachelor, too, though, so I generally just eat plain, unmixed foods, and nine times out of ten don't even bother to cook them. I always drink my kefir, though!