[anxiolytics]

I have been a strict vegetarian since about age 11, and I stopped eating tred meat at about age 4. I did not get IBS until this year, but I have noticed that since then I have to be really careful with the vegetables I eat and howe they are prepared. If they are cooked, "dead" vegetables I'm OK, although I can't eat broccoli at all anymore. (It's definitely harder to be a vegetarian now that I have IBS, but I find eating in general is hard w/ IBS, vegetarian or not.)I have since incorporated soy and it creates gas, but it provides much-needed protein. I also make falafel at home a lot (ground chick peas, spices), and I bake it so as to avoid the fat of frying, and make pita sandwhiches with it. Cous cous and pasta, as mentioned previously, are great staples as well.It is too bad you don't have a natural/whole foods store as you can get a lot of ideas from strolling the aisles...however, the internet can help. I would definitely suggest that you check out a website like http://www.healthy-eating.com which might help you get you started if you are interested. Meat is very hard to digest for most people, but others swear by its health properties. I personally think if you can get enough protein, you are OK. Also, you'll need to pay attetion to food additives if you want to avoid animal products completely: lard, animal fat, etc. can be found in some processed foods. You might want to check out the site http://www.vrg.org,[/URL] the vegetarian resource group. It has excellent information on health and vegetarianism.I hope this helps.