[KCTony7]

Has anyone else read the book "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About IBS" By Richard N. Ash?I'm asking because one of his recommendations in the book is to go on almost an Atkins like diet where you eliminate eating refined carbohydrates like white bread, pasta and rice. I'm IBS-D and I've found when my diarrhea symptoms are bad the only foods I can tolerate are the startchy types of foods like bread, plain rice and pastas, not to mention plain crackers and bagels and bananas.My GI has also told me these are the foods that I should be eating. So I'm wondering if the author of the book's diet is correct for IBS-D or should I keep following with what I've been doing.

 

[Kathleen M.]

If what you are doing is working, keep doing that.Many people do well on a soluble fiber sort of diet (if this is helping you check out Heather's site www....com and her cookbook. it follows that advice).There does seem to be a subset of IBSers who do well on the avoid the starch diet. I think these are people that have problems primarily with not handling the normal levels of gas production that the bacteria in the colon produce in every single person. If you starve the bacteria you don't produce much gas and that does ease symptoms for SOME people with IBS.There is NO SINGLE diet that works for EVERY IBSer. That is part of the problem with any diet book. Usually they over-generalize what works for one subset to all IBSers.And in conclusion...if something is working for you, do not change that because someone else found a different solution. What is thier biggest trigger issue may be totally different from yours.K.

 

[Kathleen M.]

If what you are doing is working, keep doing that.Many people do well on a soluble fiber sort of diet (if this is helping you check out Heather's site www....com and her cookbook. it follows that advice).There does seem to be a subset of IBSers who do well on the avoid the starch diet. I think these are people that have problems primarily with not handling the normal levels of gas production that the bacteria in the colon produce in every single person. If you starve the bacteria you don't produce much gas and that does ease symptoms for SOME people with IBS.There is NO SINGLE diet that works for EVERY IBSer. That is part of the problem with any diet book. Usually they over-generalize what works for one subset to all IBSers.And in conclusion...if something is working for you, do not change that because someone else found a different solution. What is thier biggest trigger issue may be totally different from yours.K.

 

[smiley]

The First Year--IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome): An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed - is a great book! It tells you what food you should stay away from and things like that. It suggests questions you can ask your doc. and things like that. I got it out from the library but i"m going to buy it soon. I hope this helps. Feel Better! Smiley

 

[smiley]

The First Year--IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome): An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed - is a great book! It tells you what food you should stay away from and things like that. It suggests questions you can ask your doc. and things like that. I got it out from the library but i"m going to buy it soon. I hope this helps. Feel Better! Smiley

 

[cookies4marilyn]

First Year is a great book because it addresses several ways to combat IBS - diet is one of them, and this clearly speaks to the fact that Kath mentions - not one single thing works for every IBS patient - some are helped by diet, some are helped by cognitive behavioral therapy, some by clinical hypnotherapy, others via medications, etc. If a specific diet worked for every IBS patient, then there would not be a need to seek out anything else - usually IBS patients go from one method to another - or one diet to another, one med to another, until they find the combination, and/or treatment that works for them. In my case, after years of severe D and trying every diet under the sun and meds, hypno did the trick for me.But in the end you need to do what is right for you because everyone is different - if it is working for you - then go for it!All the best to you.

 

[cookies4marilyn]

O0ps double post glitch thingy!

 

[cookies4marilyn]

First Year is a great book because it addresses several ways to combat IBS - diet is one of them, and this clearly speaks to the fact that Kath mentions - not one single thing works for every IBS patient - some are helped by diet, some are helped by cognitive behavioral therapy, some by clinical hypnotherapy, others via medications, etc. If a specific diet worked for every IBS patient, then there would not be a need to seek out anything else - usually IBS patients go from one method to another - or one diet to another, one med to another, until they find the combination, and/or treatment that works for them. In my case, after years of severe D and trying every diet under the sun and meds, hypno did the trick for me.But in the end you need to do what is right for you because everyone is different - if it is working for you - then go for it!All the best to you.

 

[cookies4marilyn]

O0ps double post glitch thingy!