# My friends, there is hope. This is my story.



## anotherdayinparadise (Mar 30, 2017)

*Hi friends!*

*I'll start by saying that I had IBS-A, so my journey to recovery was quite difficult. For many many years I suffered with random diarrhoea and constipation. I thought it was normal when it first started happening, but it got to the point where it began to show more often. I went to the doctor and got many tests done, none of which could tell me exactly what I had. My doctor decided to diagnose me IBS-A judging by my symptoms, and because all tests came up negative. I thought at this point that my life was over and that I was doomed with this invisible illness until the day I die. This is where my journey began.*

*I worked part-time, and I found I was taking far too many sick days from my IBS. I started to take notes of what I had done or eaten prior to an IBS attack. After a long period, I overlooked my notes and saw that the things I had eaten prior to an attack were all inconsistent; some days I would eat a fatty or oily meal, other days I would eat a normal meal, and other days I would not eat much. I started to think maybe I was lactose or gluten intolerant, as I knew for a fact that my body could not handle full cream milk. However, I was able to still eat other products containing lactose, and I was also able to eat many foods containing gluten. Regardless, I still tried to cut both from my diet with no success and symptoms still continuing. This led me to further research.*

*I did a lot of research in late 2010 as I had just lost my grandmother to stomach cancer, and I really just wanted to know why. Why can the stomach be so affected? What are we doing to cause our stomachs such pain and hard work? In my research I discovered that eating meat can cause a number of cancers. My grandmother was a heavy meat eater so that only made sense. I decided I needed to reduce my meat intake to hopefully completely cut it out. This reduced the severity of my IBS but not by much.*

*In 2014, I got braces to correct my teeth. My orthodontist told me I was not allowed to eat candy or drink sodas. Basically to avoid all forms of sugar as they could damage my teeth during the time I had braces. I did as he said and I felt a great relief in terms of my IBS. I was barely feeling any symptoms. I would have the occasional attack but it would only be caused when I ate something really heavy, fatty or oily.*

*I got my braces removed after one year. I thought by then that my IBS had cleared as I was rarely showing symptoms. I was wrong. It started to come back, and bad. Once I got my braces off, I started eating as I once did. Meat, sugars, dairy, the works. It only made me feel more awful.*

*My father (who I hadn't spoken to in a very long time, who didn't know I even had IBS) showed me a book I should read. The book is called 'Counsels on Diet and Foods' and it was written by a humble Seventh-Day Adventist writer named Ellen G White, who lived from 1827-1915. This book isn't a book that you read from start to finish. It's more like an encyclopaedia. The most amazing thing about this book is that what it provides is helpful to people in this day and age. It was pretty much written for people in our day and age, even though it was written a long time ago.*

*From this book I discovered that I was doing so many things wrong. The following is taken from Counsels on Diet and Foods:*

*The stomach must have careful attention. It must not be kept in continual operation. Give this misused and much-abused organ some peace and quiet and rest. After the stomach has done its work for one meal, do not crowd more work upon it before it has a chance to rest and before a sufficient supply of gastric juice is provided by nature to care for more food. Five hours at least should elapse between each meal, and always bear in mind that if you would give it a trial, you would find that two meals are better than three.*

*It is the custom and order of society to take a slight breakfast. But this is not the best way to treat the stomach. At breakfast time, the stomach is in a better condition to take care of more food than at the second or third meal of the day. The habit of eating a sparing breakfast and a large dinner is wrong. Make your breakfast correspond more nearly to the heartiest meal of the day.*

*For persons of sedentary habits, late suppers are particularly harmful. With them the disturbance created is often the beginning of disease that ends in death.*

*I put this to the test last year. I changed my eating habits from: eating meat, consuming sugars, never eating enough fruits and vegetables, as well as eating small breakfasts or none at all, big lunch and bigger dinner. I changed this all to: completely cutting out meat and animal products, eating a big breakfast, a smaller lunch, and a much smaller dinner, and eating a wide range of fruits and vegetables. This completely got rid of my IBS. The only time I will get symptoms of IBS-A is if I eat TOO much in one sitting and my stomach feels like it's going to explode. In Ellen White's book, she speaks of eating food in moderation and how important that is, and it really is important.*

*In her book, Ellen writes that each person is unique in which diet to take. I for example cannot stomach onions, they are too strong on my digestive system, while other people can stomach onions and experience full health benefits from them. She writes that every person's diet will be different, it's just up to us to realise what is good for us and to heal ourselves accordingly. She was a vegetarian, she ate no meat but still consumed other animal products like eggs and milk. I find this part of her book really interesting:*

*Chapter 21 - Fats:*

*Let the diet reform be progressive. Let the people be taught how to prepare food without the use of milk or butter. Tell them that the time will soon come when there will be no safety in using eggs, milk, cream or butter, because disease in animals is increasing in proportion to the increase in wickedness among men.*

*I hope you took something from my story. I'd like to make a note that this is in no way trying to force a religious belief on anyone. I myself am not of a religion. I am sharing this because the writings of this amazing woman has helped me regain my life when I thought that there was no hope for me. There is hope! Following this diet has many many health benefits too. My anxiety is completely gone too. I have no reason to be anxious or nervous about anything. The hardest part of my life which was my IBS is now gone. It's been just over a year since I started this diet and I have never felt better! If anyone wants to have a read of Ellen White's book, it is available to read for free online. I wish you all the best in recovering from this awful invisible illness, and thank you for taking the time to read. *


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## tiredoffighting (Apr 1, 2017)

Thank you! I will definitely read the book and try out the tips that you shared. The only thing Im concerned about is that when you cut so many foods off, what CAN you eat? could you share some of your meals like what you eat in a day etc?


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## anotherdayinparadise (Mar 30, 2017)

tiredoffighting said:


> Thank you! I will definitely read the book and try out the tips that you shared. The only thing Im concerned about is that when you cut so many foods off, what CAN you eat? could you share some of your meals like what you eat in a day etc?


Thank you for reading! To answer your questions, my daily meals consist of this:

A big breakfast (not too big otherwise it will make you awfully full/bloated). This consists of: porridge made with oats, soy milk, honey and your choice of fruit or berries. I go porridge and stir in honey and goji berries, and it's really nice! To compliment this I eat fruit as well, it can be whatever fruit you like, fruit salad if you like!

For lunch I make something smaller. Normally I will eat a salad and a sandwich made on very brown bread. I put lettuce, tomato, carrots, vegan cream cheese (i use the brand tofutti) and beetroot. It's up to you what you'd like but you must eat a lot of fruits and vegetables to fulfil your nutritional needs. I love chickpeas in my salad too, it's good to mix it up sometimes. I also dress my salads with only lemon/lime juice, oil and salt.

And finally for dinner, this is my smallest meal. Sometimes I won't even eat dinner as breakfast and lunch pretty much cover my daily needs, and that isn't a bad thing. I will sometimes have a small bowl of soup or lentils. Other times I will eat wholemeal pasta. It's really up to you and what works with your body 

Things I have completely cut out:


Caffeine (this is important to cut out as it really messes with your nervous system and digestion)
Dairy and eggs (this is important too as Ellen White says animals in this day and age will have diseases and illnesses, and this is very true. We see animals being pumped with hormones which in turn makes a lot of them grow tumours, etc. It's really scary)
Meat (as explained above)
Sugar (I haven't completely cut this out, but it's helpful to not eat so much. Sugar messes with your digestive system and can cause weight gain)
I don't eat white bread or anything 'white' like regular pasta as they too are bad for your body. They contain too many preservatives and live yeasts.

Another thing I should mention is that I read in the book to not drink anything during your meals. I don't drink anything with my meals now as it disrupts digestion. I drink water throughout my day and I get my necessary amount. Another thing is to give your stomach at least 5 hours between meals.

What you are aiming for is to heal your digestive system and reset it back to how it should be. This means eating raw foods like lots of fruit and veg, and also whole wheat, legumes and nuts. In time your body will thank you. You will also notice that you don't get sick often.

Also, each diet is unique. Find what helps you. Like I mentioned in my post, I can't stomach onions so I cut them out completely.

I hope you find your way out of this awful illness too! I am very certain you will if you follow this diet. I wish you the best of luck!! If you have any other questions, feel free to ask  I'll always respond.


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## Rboe (Mar 26, 2017)

I love hearing people's successes. Thanks for sharing. And I also appreciate when people recognize that everyone's healing may look different. Your diet is a new one for me. Completely different from what is working for me as I am low carb and meat is one thing I tolerate well. But it is so good for people to see different stories and to try different things until they find what works for them.


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## ArnoldRebecca (Apr 1, 2021)

Thank you for sharing your story. It's so important to read about the successes in treating other people. My stomach cancer caused me problems and pain in my legs. This is an atypical manifestation, but nevertheless it also happens. My doctor recommended me to wear special shoes and I ordered them on https://dunbarmedical.com/product-category/braces-and-supports/walking-boot/. I really feel much better now, but unfortunately the cancer itself is progressing. Your diet is something new to me and I think I should try it too.


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## Silviegee (Jan 12, 2021)

My problem is, although I am now nearly 69, I am not a "morning person" and never was, all my life. Although I don't wake up terribly late (usually between 8-9am) I don't feel my body really start to "kick in" until about 3pm or later. I simply can't accept a full meal of anything until about 4-5pm, when I start to get naturally hungry. Though I do eat a small "maintenance" breakfast (which is literally "brunch" for most people.) Usually eaten about 11am. I honestly can't eat until I have been awake a couple of hours and had a hot drink or two.
Sadly also, I can't accept oats or fruit as they make my IBS-D worse.
I tried reversing things and eating a meal at 11am, and a small portion of something at 5pm, but that was awful. It didn't work for me at all.I found I was ravenously hungry at the wrong time of night (10pm.) and the breakfast was giving me dreadful indigestion because my body wasn't able to cope with a proper meal at that time of day. That really didn't work for me at all. I am better going back to my usual routine.


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## Franck99 (7 mo ago)

Thanks for that, it is encouraging to read


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