At least I hope so. I started the "diet" from this book about 4 days ago and I am very excited with the results. Absolutely normal bowel movements with no D. The basis of this book is low fat; actually no fat, eating soluble fiber first thing in the morning and on an empty stomach, staying away from dairy and wheat, eating soluble fiber with every meal (saltines, french bread, rice etc.), cooking veggies as opposed to eating salads and other fairly easy rules to follow. The author considers the diet "slimming" although I am a firm believer that the extra carbs will cancel out the absense of fat and will not actually cause me to gain or to lose weight. Anyway, I will keep you all posted but so far so good. Also, I switched my Calcium from Caltrate to a capsule/liqued calcium from "Natures Bounty" called "absorbable Calcium with Vitamin D." Each capsule has 1000 mg of Calcium. I have been taking 2-3 per day.Leslie
Heather Van Vorous Book ending D Forever!
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Thanks for the information. I think that I willget the book. I too have been trying to deal withmy D and just modify my diet....Some of the thingsthat you are saying are things that I have started to try and have been feeling a little bit better over the last week or so....but I didn't know about the 'wheat' thing....thanks!
Heather has a comprehensive website that can get you up and started right away. Her diet is the only thing that has helped me. Go go: Eating for IBS Website and be sure to check out the message boards for further member help. Also, the wheat avoidance is only for "whole" wheat, not regular white wheat flour.Leslie: why did you switch from the Caltrate? Does the new calcium have magnesium in it? Thanks
Thanks to both of you for your replies! Yes it is true that the "grainier" the wheat product seems to be, the more it can cause D. I switched from Caltrate because it never worked for me. Never. However, at the very same time, I switched to Heather's diet.. so, I really don't know for sure. The Calcium I am taking is 1000 mg per liqued capsule and it is the same as Caltrate as far as being Calcium Carbonate plus Vit. D... But without all the fillers. I AM AMAZED so far with this diet and what it has done for me and I have tried everything. My normal eating habits are completely opposite to what Heather suggests in her book and I have always considered myself a healthy eater: raw, fresh salads every day, whole grain always, and lots of cheese and mayo plus little or no meat. But.. I think my diet has been very high in fat, I eat BIG meals and lots of other stuff that just makes me have continuous D. Thank you for Heather's website info, I actually gained so much from her book that I didn't even feel the need to go to her site but I will. Once you start looking at how much fat is in foods, you will be stunned. This diet (so far.. cross my fingers and toes) has been a blessing.Leslie
Leslie: I know, I can't believe how much fat is in even labeled "low fat" items. I am shocked every time I go out shopping!It's taken me about a year to actually know how to really live by this diet correctly, and even then I get myself into trouble. Yesterday I ate some brownies I made with egg whites and applesauce (at my Mother in Law's house), but they had chocolate chips in them. I knew I was over the 25% limit, but I thought I'd go out on a limb since I used egg whites/applesauce. Today I'm paying for it. It seems as though it's a learning experience daily, especially away from home.
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Yeah, I was doing so well that I decided some regular coffee and decaf would be ok. I also figured some red wine would be allright too since everything was going ok. Plus, I ate tuna with mayo. Needless to say, today was not so good. Not as bad as normal but not as fabulous as when I strictly followed the diet. I am IBS-D. The diet works but boy oh boy... it's hard to eat out! Sometimes there just isn't anything on the menu that "fits".. anyway, thanks for your help. I'm going to keep trying because the diet has proved to be absolutely right on target.Leslie
Been on the Heather Van Vorous diet for a whilenow started off eating only soluble fiber foodsrice,parsnips,carrots,sweet potatoes,plain naan bread,bananas,white bread and applesauce.Drank only water,peppermint tea,camomile tea.After four weeks and no D started to eat a more normal diet aswell as taking regular small amountsof fiber supplements.Results that good immodium free now unless I eat too much of my trigger foods.I have also stopped drinking when eating meals whenever possible which I believe really helps.This diet has worked wonders for me I hope it works for others as well.
I'm having an experience similar to BritishBulldog's. Eating only soluble fiber foods for a few weeks and things have improved immensely. also eliminated all dairy. I have a very limited diet right now, though. my plan is to continue adding foods from the soluble fiber list for the near future. Couple of comments: I do not have problems with fats and oils. I actually feel better if I have a certain amount of olive oil. Is this weird or just an individual thing? Seems like so many people have fat as a trigger. Also, BritishBulldog, what foods did you add after the soluble fiber foods? My worst triggers right now are the protein foods. Also seems weird, as I haven't seen others mention this. Rosie
After eating only soluble fiber I started toeat again the following.Cooked vegetables broccoli,cauliflower,tomatoes,peas.Cooked meats fish,chicken,pork,beef(no smoked orcured meats)Milk with rice/oatmeal breakfast cereals.Foods, drinks I have to avoid (even small amounts).Spicey foods anything with peppers,garlic,chillis,etc.High fat content foods,oils,any deep fried foodsAlcohol Caffeine based drinks, coffee,tea,cola.
I introduced new foods one at a time small amountsonly with rice,sweet potatoes.Started with fish then chicken then vegetablespreviously listed.Make sure insoluble vegetables are well cooked.I try to steam food when ever possible.Never take any drinks 30 minutes before or after food.Currently taking calcium supplement and a fibersupplement called Celevac which contains methycellose (tablets) which I chew then swallowno drinks 30 minutes before or after taking the tablets.At the moment this works for me.With trigger foods its trial and error its the only way to find out what suits you best.Good luck
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