Re: IBS

[Guest guest]

Hi Ane Kua. I have had IBS for years, but not reflux.

I take anti-spasmodic medications before each meal, so that I don't get the

painful intestinal spasms I would get otherwise. But I hope I won't need

these much longer. My current anti-spasmodic meds are Modulon (Rx) and

Nature's Way Pepogest (health food store - enteric coated peppermint oil).

Nearly 12 years ago, I had an extensive set of allergy tests done, and

discovered that I was allergic to many of the foods I ate the most, such as

tomatoes and bananas. I had to revise my diet, but in doing so, I found that

my IBS became less severe. But even with a non-allergenic diet, I would

still get the spasms. However, eating foods to which I was allergic would

make the pains worse, give me gas, or even cause me to throw up.

I am disabled by a several chronic illnesses, so I am unable to work, and I

don't have to worry about eating foods away from home the way you do.

I started on SCD March 17th. The first week on SCD was difficult, as I

decided to follow the rules very strictly. I stayed on the introductory diet

for 3 days, then started to add more foods, as I wasn't suffering from D. In

fact, I was getting constipated. The introductory diet isn't totally free of

vegetables. It just limits those vegetables to a few that are very easy to

digest, such as cooked carrots. So you don't have to eat only meat on the

introductory phase.

I like my home-made chicken soup, so I didn't mind eating a lot of it. And I

am still cooking the soup at least once/week and making several meals out of

it.

I am still cooking all the vegetables and fruits I eat, but at least I am

eating more of these with time.

I needed fibre to cure the constipation, so I added nut butters to my diet

after about a week. These have really helped. No D, no C. Yesterday, I did

my first baking with ground almonds, making berry muffins following the

recipe for Muffin Mix in " Everyday Grain-Free Gourmet " by J. Bager and J.

Lass. Yummy!

I would suggest you analyse all the situations that caused you to cheat, and

then formulate a plan to enable you to avoid cheating. For instance, if you

need something crunchy, I would recommend raw carrot sticks or crackers made

with SCD-legal foods, rather than tacos or other crunchy grain foods.

Is there any way that you can stay in your home location long enough to make

a lot of SCD-legal foods you like, then freeze them and package the

appropriate amounts for your next trip out of town? If not, then can you at

least choose restaurants where you can get plainly cooked meats and plain

vegetables as the side dishes?

My favourite SCD food so far is the cheesecake recipe in Breaking the

Vicious Cycle. I can gladly eat one or more servings every day. Having been

lactose-intolerant for more than 20 years, it has been a pleasant surprise

to discover that it is possible to have cheese cake without lactose effects.

I am finding it helpful to eat a lot of home-made yogurt too, both on its

own, mixed with dry-curd-cottage-cheese to make pseudo cottage cheese, or

dripped of the liquid to make yogurt cream cheese. I did start out eating

very small portions, but have graduated to at least 1 cup per day.

I don't eat banana chips, since I am allergic to bananas. But I have read

cautions against eating the chips on SCD, as they tend to have non-SCD items

included. Raw, frozen, or cooked bananas are allowed, and maybe you will

find a recipe for making SCD-legal banana chips.

Hope this helps.

Ellen in Toronto

IBS, MCS, fibromyalgia, ME/CFS, allergies

SCD March 17, 2008

" ane_kua " wrote:

> then a friend told me about this diet. i have to say i've never been a

> disciplined person when it came to food. i tried to start this diet

> about less than a week ago and have cheated a few times already. i'm

> also traveling a lot for work right now so it's particularly hard to

> start a diet at this time. but i'd really like to give it a shot even

> if it means accepting that i might fail and cheat. (knowing myself,

> i'm afraid to have too high of an expectation.) but even in less than

> a week, i'm already quite sick at the sight and smell and taste of

> chicken soup-which i have been eating quite a bit of whenever i'm

> home. and i seem to be hungry all the time. (and i am not underweight

> like many of you. i'm not overweight either, but i do have excessive

> fat on my body, esp. in the belly. also i'm pretty much chronically

> bloated...) the last few days have been really difficult as i started

> ravenously craving crunch that i'd normally get from crackers and the

> likes. (that was when i started to cheat) i gave in the night before

> when i was out with friends and had nachos and some other bar foods.

> then last night home alone-starving even though i'd been eating all

> day and couldn't stand the thought of more chicken - i ate a lot of

> banana chips. i had cramps afterward and for the first time in about 2

> weeks, my stool was beginning to shape " weird " again.

>

> so i'm trying to be good and ate chicken soup today but i am having

> more symptoms today and had to be on the road. i'm traveling with

> co-workers so i don't always have my say as to where to go to eat. and

> i'll be on the road for 3 more days with no food with me. *sigh* i

> have to say i'm really struggling to keep up with this diet right now.

> i do find it very difficult. but i seemed to have felt better for

> about 2 or 3 days after i cut out carbs before the serious craving cut

> in. though i wasn't a vegetarian, i do feel a bit disgusted at having

> to eat the amount of meat to fill myself up now.

>

> i just needed to vent a bit and hopefully get some advice or support

> here. i've always had not completey minor digestive issues all my

> life, but never something as serious and completely debilitating. my

> symptoms were painful and tiring and isolating. i literally didn't see

> anyone for months because of this and was really starting to develop a

> depression after a while. i had to miss a lot of work and got really

> stressed out because of that. everything that i did sort of manage to

> do, i was only hanging on by a thread. i konw i can't go back to that

> place - but it's weird as soon as i get a little better i still don't

> have the will power to maintain this diet, at least so far...

>

> i'm starting the book (haven't finished it) and do have a few

> questions but i think i'll wait til later to ask you guys.

>

> i do want to know if there's anyone who has had similar symptoms as

> mine? i keep reading about people who have crohn's or celiac or

> colitis, but not too many cases of ibs. does this diet really work for

> ibs as well?

>

> anyone with experience in scd, especially those with similar symptoms

> - please let me know if this diet has helped you or not!!

>

> any advice or suggestion is welcome. thank you for reading!

[Guest guest]

Almond flour is expensive in the grocery store. There are several places you can order online for a lot less. This is where I've been getting mine lately, http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS & Category=247They have a good price, it is very nice flour and they are quick.I was just going to ask if anyone has gotten both Honeyville and Lucy's. I was quite pleased with the Honeyville flour I ordered and need to do arepeat order. It was great for baking and crusts and completely unlike theTrader Joe's flour - much, much better. But I see that Lucy's says superfine flour. I wonder if that comesdown to the same thing or if it is, indeed, a finer grain and worksbetter in some baking. So, if anyone out there ordered both and has an opinion onthe relative merits of each, please let me know. TIA, Mara