# "Eating for IBS cookbook" - have you tried it?



## Guest (May 8, 2002)

I have read several posts of people who have tried and raved about the above book. I was wondering however, how great it is to eat starchy carbs at every meal and snack as the author suggests? Surely you must put on weight? I try to eat healhty and eat lots of salads, raw veggies and fruit and admitedly my stomach is a total mess. I have finally come to realize that alternating between diarreah and constipation is not normal and that I need to change things! Any insight from people who have tried this would be great!Thanks.


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## Jupiter119 (Aug 8, 2001)

I have UC (IBD, not IBS) & found great relief from Heather Van Vorus' eating plan. However, I don't have as many carbs or snack on the baked corn chips at-all. The best thing has been cutting down on insoluble fibre. I was eating a lot of nut based products, having oily tahini on rice cakes & raisins without realising how fatty & disagreeable these were. Low carb is good, I don't have any gluten grains but find that rice & corn are agreeable.I kept a food diary for a year which helped too.


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## pariclete (May 14, 2002)

Hi,I would say that the stuff in Heather's book is very helpful. I'm someone who's primarily very skinny and I had a terrible bout of D when I switched jobs last summer and again after 9/11. As a result, I lost a great deal of weight (15-20lbs.) That was when I ordered the book. I'm not a cook and have used Heather's strategies to be more helpful than her recipes. I've found Heather's insights to be quite helpful and I take Metamucil at least once a day. I also find that Peppermint tea is very helpful for controlling pain and cramps. Good luck.


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## Jane1721 (May 12, 2002)

I haven't had any weight gain so far (knock on wood), although my diet previously was less than stellar. Although I eat FAR fewer fruits and veggies now (both are triggers for me), I am also eating far fewer sweets, which was also a daily staple in my diet. The diet recommended in Heather's book is very low-fat. Even though she recommends a lot of starchy carbs, there are light versions of everything. I buy Wonder Light sourdough bread, for example. Besides, if I did have to gain a few pounds in order to relieve my symptoms, I think it would be worth it. I am not much of a cook, so I haven't tried many of the recipes. But the baked french toast is to die for!Jane


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## clbock (May 26, 2002)

I have Heather's book and although I haven't tried most of the recipes, mainly because I'm such a picky eater, the strategies suggested are very helpful. I really do see a difference when I am careful about WHEN I eat things. For example, I still eat salads, but after eating Heather's book, I eat them at the end of the meal. This really seems to help. I also make sure if I have an empty stomach, I eat soluble fiber foods first to settle my stomach. Seems to be working. I have had weight gain, but all of it before I used Heather's suggestions - I think it is because of the Elavil that I'm taking.


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## Auroraheart (Aug 8, 2000)

There is a post on the main forum; Heather actually has an online cooking show based on her book. I really enjoyed her book and the website looks good too.







Here is the link to her website with cooking showwww.heathercooks.com


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## Panacea (May 21, 2002)

I've been using Heather's cookbook for about three weeks now (just following the food advice, not taking Metamucil or FiberCon because I wasn't comfortable with that) and I have found that my weight has been stable. Before I started with the book, I was losing weight with Weight Watchers, but then I started with this damn flare-up and I've had to give up a lot of fruits and veggies. Actually, when I'm ready to start losing weight again, I'm going to adapt the Weight Watchers point system to Heather's recipe - as she gives all the necessary nutritional information. So, NO, a diet high in carbs does not necessarily mean a diet that will cause one to put on the pounds.


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## Linda Robbins (Mar 6, 2002)

Heather does make the distinction between simple and complex carbs, and doesn't suggest cutting out fruits and veggies. Instead, you simply eat the starchy part of your meal first. Or, you can eat a Metamucil wafer before your meal which gives your intestines a nice hit of soluble fiber that makes the rest of your meal less of a problem.She also discusses portion control and all of her recipes are low-fat without adding excess sugar and salt. A low-fat high-carb diet is actually quite healthy and shouldn't result in weight gain. It hasn't for me, and I've been a no-dairy, no-meat kind of gal for several years now.


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## ag5t (May 17, 2002)

I will have to say I am happy so far. I have lost at least 12 pounds so far. You just have to make your diets in advance. Also, it helps to make a grocery list for ingredients you see in the book but usually don't have at home. Then you can select the grocery stores that might carry the item. Think of it almost as a hobby and you'll start feeling better. -- As an aside, I had one neat thing happen - found a spice rack for a fair price a week ago and it came with 16 different spices - almost all 16 are used in the IBS cookbook. Made the purchase that much nicer.


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