Just read my own post. It should have said "I upped the amount of pumpkin and she HASN't noticed. So you can play around with more pumpkin for a healthier choice.

Hi Annie,

Thanks for all your good ideas. I have ordered some of the Acacia fiber that was on the IBS website you posted. I've been reading everything voraciously on that site and it's been quite enlightening! Thanks for posting it. I have had IBS and diverticulosis for about seven years and the treatment/prevention is about the same according to the website.

I get my psyllium husk powder from Trader Joes - it's in a container with kind of egyptian figures all over it. They have by far the best price for this stuff. I get less pain when I use this, but I'm hoping the changes I'm making that are suggested on the website, plus the Acacia fiber, will help even more.

For the past week I've been following some of the guidelines on the website about soluable fiber - very interesting. I am starting out each day with oatmeal. I use Snoqualmie Falls steel cut oats - it takes a bit longer to make than instant, but what a difference in taste! It's adding quite a few calories, but so far I haven't gained . Can your daughter tolerate oatmeal? It gives your insides a good "padding" for the other stuff coming along later. I am also eating soluable fiber first at each meal - i.e. yams, potatoes, rice - before I eat the meat. I'm also chewing the meat a lot more to break it up (I've always been a fast eater and that's probably part of my problem). I'm avoiding fatty or fried foods too.

I was a bit worried about adding the carbs, but I don't eat huge quantities, say 1/2 a cup of rice, and as I said, I haven't started gaining (in fact, I'm down a pound since I started the changes a week ago).

I am steering clear of leafy veggies and salads for the moment, but may add back carefully once I get stabilized. I've been eating canned green beans because they are mushy, although I prefer the fresh but they are so stringy and fibrous. Today I'm going to try some canned asparagus because they are also very soft and digestible.

I often make pureed soups of mushrooms, artichoke hearts or asparagus, so I will get some veggies that way. I also blend a half a cup of berries or 1/2 a banana in my protein smoothies which I have each day as a meal replacement.

I'm afraid to jinx it, but last night I slept without pain for the first time in many months, so I hope it's working. I'm looking forward to getting the Acacia fiber. I'll let you know if it works better than the psyllium. If you do try the psyllium, start with a VERY small amount, say 1 tsp. per day mixed with liquid, to see how you tolerate it. You also need to drink at least 1 or 2 cups of water after you take it.

PenPal,
Let me know what you think of the acacia fiber. Glad the website is helping. Also you can cut the carbs in the rice by rinsing it several times before you cook it. My daughter loves oatmeal it is a staple of hers. Good luck.

mickey have you had other things checked out e.g. coeliac disease? and have you tried an elimination diet to identify trigger foods. also a lot of water is helpful

I have IBS-D so that's a little different. I have read the various therapies in www.remedyfind.com they have people's individual ratings of things they have tried so maybe that will help some people here.

i like to drink water with aloe juice or with lemon juice to balance the acidity in my tummy

have you tried an alkaline diet (e.g. the pH miracle by robert young) i found that reducing acidic foods was a big improvement for me...

My acacia powder arrived yesterday and I'm starting with just 1 tsp. 2x a day to see how I tolerate it. So far, so good. It's a very fine powder and doesn't have any taste, which is good.

I think the soluable fiber I'm eating is already helping. I have had 2 nights now with only a little pain. I've decided to have oatmeal for breakfast every day, to get a good start with the soluable fiber. I also have scrambled eggbeaters, because I like to keep my protein/carbs in balance. I make sure that I eat the oatmeal first, though, to have a good "padding".

Thanks for the tip about rinsing rice. I don't cook rice at home. Usually, the only time we have rice is when we eat out at a Thai restaurant. It's a bit high in carbs for me, so I just have a small portion - say 1/2 a cup. I've started ordering in restaurants differently too. I always had the stir fried mixed vegetables with chicken, now I get the yellow or musamun curry which only has chicken, potatoes and carrots in it.

Does your daughter like eggbeaters? I like it because it doesn't have any fat (made from eggwhites) but it tastes quite good and is an excellent source of protein for only 25 calories 1/4 cup (liquid) serving which is equivalent to 2 eggs.

I'm glad you mentioned squash. It's not a veggie I eat very often, but it must be quite gentle on your tummy as it is very soft. It's also packed with nutrients. I'm trying to figure out what green vegetables would be "safe" without being pureed. Do you have any suggestions? I've been eating sweet potatoes and yams (in small quantities because they are very high in carbs). I noticed that rutabagas are allowed on the IBS diet. I'm glad about that as I really enjoy them mashed instead of potatoes. They are very nutritious and quite low in carbs. I haven't had any lately, so I'll have to see if I get any symptoms when I eat them next time.

The only fruits I'm eating right now are either berries pureed in my protein shake, or applesauce. I also occasionally have 1/2 a banana.

I also use flax seed. My husband takes it because it is supposed to be a good preventive for prostate cancer. I use it for fiber and also because it has been proven in clinical studies to reduce breast cancer risks (I'm a breast cancer survivor, so I've done quite a bit of research on foods that prevent cancer.) We use a coffee grinder to grind the seeds to a very fine powder and then I put it in my protein shake. What kind of flax seed do you use? We like golden flax as we find it has a mild taste.

I hope your daughter is doing better with her IBS. It must be hard for a young person to have to go through that. It's so hard for moms, too, when our children are in pain.

Mickey - If all else fails when I'm going through a particularly rough time with IBS-C, I take a dose of Milk of Magnesia. Have you ever tried this? I don't get bad cramps from it like some other laxatives. I think the cherry flavor is more pleasant tasting than the 'original' flavor. Hope you feel better soon

Penpal
I use the golden flax seed as well. I eat it every morning sprinkled on oatmeal. My daughter does eat eggbeaters. I find if I use egg beaters and add a real egg white and blend it in my Magic bullet (I love that invention) blender then they come out really fluffy. Sometimes I even add her benefiber in powder form right into the eggs just to give her a break from taking those big capsules. I send her off to school with a pretty big breakfast we have played around with what will sustain her until her snack time. Typcially she has two pieces of turkey bacon (We only like the Jennie O brand) scrambled egg beaters and two slices of WW toast with jam only or honey and half an apple or pears and a big glass of water and her benefiber . That gives her about a 6 to 7 point breakfast I always always peel her apples and pears because the skin is insoluable fiber while the inside is soluable. We like fuji apples and pacific rose the best. She avoids all citrus, grapes (because I can't peel them). She likes strawberries but we limit them because of the acid (and my other daughter is allergic to them so we don't have them much in the house). Vegetable wise is a little tougher because salads are irritating. All vegetables have to be cooked. She ends up preferring the canned green beans and things I guess because they are so mushy. She will eat brocolli but we have to limit it because of the whole effect on gas!!! Gas was a real problem before we started the whole soluable fiber eating and eliminating triggers. We make sweet potatoe fries. Just cut them up with skin removed and dip in egg white then bake in the oven you can season to taste. Wish I could get more veggies in her because she tends to be a volume eater (like me) and I use veggies to real feel me up. Keep me posted on the Acacia.

Hi Annie,

So far, I've found the acacia and/or the SF diet very helpful and I have a lot less abdominal pain. It's been several days now, so it's not just a fluke.

I also like sweet potato oven fries. I also had some mashed rutabaga the other day (I really like it - but it's a matter of taste) and didn't have any bad side-effects. I'm also limiting my green veggies to "mushy" ones like canned green beans and canned asparagus. I seem to do ok on raw baby carrots and hummus for a snack.

Another snack I like are the Dole fruit bowls because they are so handy. I throw out the juice to save a few calories. I also like fresh papaya and have it once or twice a week (it is SF) and also has the same stuff that is in meat tenderizer so it helps digest the protein. I also buy the little cups of applesauce with cinnamon for a quick, measured, snack.

I have cut out bacon of any kind because of the nitrates which I suspect might be a trigger for me. I had been eating Canadian bacon every morning for breakfast with my eggbeaters.

I have also cut down on my portion sizes of chicken (I usually only eat chicken or fish) and chew it very thoroughly.

I've been on the lookout for alternative vegetables (mostly root vegetables) so that I can increase my soluble fiber. I am going to try some yucca root which is a very nutritious root that is the staple diet of many tribes in tropical countries. Apparently, it is similar to sweet potatoes.

I figure that all the fruits and veggies I'm eating will make up for the green leafy veggies, broccoli, brussels sprouts, etc. which seem to set of my IBS/Diverticulitis.

I'm interested to know whether green sea vegetables such as dried nori seaweed and bluegreen algae supplements may have some similar nutrients to green vegetables and whether or not they have SF. I'll have to do some research.

Keep me posted on any new ideas!

Penpal,
What's the SF diet? Haven't heard that expression yet. I blanch the baby carrots and they seem to be more tolerable for my daughter. We use the applesauce a lot. It is a main stable for her and is in her lunch every day. Have you tried jicama? It is kind of sweet when you cook it and mash it. We use spaghetti squash alot and my daughter loves artichokes - no butter or mayo, just plain. Not really a vegetable but we have the edamane soy beans in the pods. Not too many because it is a legume. Do you find certain medicines are tough for your stomach? My daughter has bad cold sores and dr. recommends B12 (She's tolerating that okay) but can't tolerate the L-lysine at all. Also tylenol seems to be the best medicine for pain.

Annie - SF diet is just refers to what people on the forum on Heather's IBS site sometimes call Heather's soluble fiber diet recommendations. By SF diet I mean adding soluble fiber foods to my diet and reducing or eliminating some "trigger" foods - which, as you know, can vary from person to person.

What a coincidence! I had baby carrots with hummus today for my snack plus a small container of apple sauce.

I've never tried jicama. I think it's a root veggie, so that's probably why it's ok for your daughter. I love artichokes too, I cook baby artichoke hearts in chicken stock and put them in my blender to make creamy artichoke soup. They sell frozen baby artichoke hearts at Trader Joe's for just a few dollars a bag. They are a great source of fiber.

We always get some edamame when we go out for sushi. I like them too, but they are a bit high in calories, so I don't eat too many. Sushi seems to be very tolerable for most people. The seaweed wrappers are easily digestible and so is the white rice and raw fish. I don't know if you've ever tried it, but you can also get items with cooked shrimp or crab if you don't like the raw kind. It's our favorite treat.