# chocolate



## 17190

How bad is chocolate for IBS? Anyone have a hard time with it?


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## Kathleen M.

It varies (like any other IBS and food question, nothing is safe for everyone and nothing is really bad for everyone).A couple of things to notice.If you are really sensitive to the amount of fat in foods a lot of chocolate foods will bother you as they tend to be high in fat. Something cooked low-fat with cocoa powder may be much better than commercially prepared chocolate bars.If you are really sensitive to other things with caffiene in it, you may have problems with chocolate as it has some.How much any individual will tolerate is going to vary over a wide range as not everyone is equally sensitive to fat or caffiene.Those are the main things that may cause trouble. Additionally some people may be sensitive to things specific to chocolate.K.


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## 15093

I think I'm suffering with chocolate related IBS problems! Today, I was shopping with my mum, dad and sister and we decided to have lunch. I had a sandwich, which was really filling but mum offered to buy us all a cake. I thought 'should I?' but I said yes anyway. I had a chocolate fridge cake, which was really nice, but soon after I started feeling sick and got horrible pains in my tummy.I ran to the loo, but it made no difference. When I came back from the toilet, mum and I started talking. She said that recently I had been getting tummy aches more often ( I have had IBS for 2 years now and occasionally suffer for pains).She said I should lay off the chocolate for a while, this is really hard for me to accept as I am a chocoholic!Her conclusion was true, more or less. We went out last friday and I had a hot chocolate after the main course. Soon after, I felt ill. A couple of weeks ago, I had a Terrys chocolate Orange ( Mind you I did eat all of it myself) and I felt awful again.It would really help if someone could tell me if there is a percific ingredient in chocolate that sets IBS off, or is it just the cocoa. Also, are there any chocolate alternatives, I could try? I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT CHOCOLATE! lolThanks,Laura xx


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## Exploder

I too have been getting sharp sick feelings after eating pieces of a chocolate bar but if I eat a little bit of a reese's peanut butter cup it doesn't seem to have an effect (yet).


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## dgluzband

I'm a chocoholic too! It's probably the one 'naughty' food that I can't bear to live without. The way I deal with this is simple.As I work full time, I don't let myself eat cookies or cake or chocolate bars, etc. during the work week. On the weekends, I allow myself to eat a small amount of chocolate, but only if I am at home and plan to be there for a while.But 2 bites of chocolate a week is still rough. To curb the cravings, I have been eating Chewy brand Granola Bars with chocolate chips. They barely put any chocolate in these granola bars anyway, but it gives me enough of a taste to get me through the work week without my beloved chocolate!! I know these aren't exactly the healthiest option, but it helps me.


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## cornflake girl

just wanna offer my condolences to you laura! i too am a chocoholic and NEED a fix everyday...i munched on a few smarties yesterday but no sooner did my tummy blow up to the point that I looked like i was carrying twins.sigh, what's an ibs-er to do eh?


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## swimmer_at_midnight

I was so proud of myself...with no wheat or dairy in my diet, my symptoms went away almost completely. Then along came my brother's school fundraiser; dark 60% cocoa mass Belgium chocolate, a massive bar for only 2 bucks. Who can resist that? To make a long story short, I couldn't resist and I am now paying the price.


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## Xocolate

I wanted to make a comment here. I think you are really hitting on the right solultion when you talk about how much fat and sugar are in the chocolate you choose. I am lucky that IBS is not one of my problems, but I am a hopeless chocoholic. However, I know quite a few friends and aquaintences who do. I am not posting this in any way as a business pitch, but from what I had read folks here have not heard of a chocolate that I eat every day. It's cold processed to retain anti-inflammatory properties, good for IBS, has very little fat, all plant based cocoa butter, no refined or artificial sweeteners. I know people with IBS, irritable bowel, Chron's, acid reflux, and other digestive disorders who have not only been able to eat this chocolate with no ill effects, but in fact have seen improvements. And now, there is actually a wonderful chocolate square that contains probiotics, one of the most important ingredients for a healthy, happy gut. If you are interested in knowing more you can email me. [email protected] I will be happy to answer any questions and promise not to try and recruit you into a business if you are not interested in that manner. You can also visit our website which is MyFItChocolate. And you will receive a few automatic emails, but we do not sell or share your email address with anyone. I know from my friends what a difficult thing IBS is to live with, and I sincerely wish for everyone to have help being comfortable and enjoying their chocolate too!


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## fullofhope19

I just got diagnosed after suffering from this for 8 years now. I immediately cut out the main trigger foods high fat, caffeine, carbonated beverages, lactose, chocolate, and sorbitol. I have been doing this for about a half week now. I am a chocoholic though and was craving it so bad yesterday that before I went to bed I grabbed 4 yes only 4 whoppers, malted milk balls. I thought surely the amount of chocolate in this won't matter that much. Wrong! I got up this morning and even with the medicine I'm on the pain seeped through. It didn't last as long but that did show my that chocolate is indeed one of my triggers. So sadly I will officially have to give it up. Other than that case though I have been feeling better so far. Eating low fat is hard but I am trying and if I do eat something that is higher in fat I eat very little of it. So far that seems to be working but you never know one day to the next what is going to happen.


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## Jeni

Chocolate is definitely a trigger for me. I have always been a chocoholic and it has been the hardest thing in the world to give up chocolate so I don't upset my stomach. After ending up in the bathroom all night one time this winter after eating a Ghirardeli chocolate square (just 1, with caramel inside of it), I realized I had to quit chocolate. I haven't had anything chocolate since Christmas 2008. I also had to quit dairy, spicy, fatty, fried, and greasy foods. I am feeling like I may not be getting all the nutrients I need (especially calcium) and I feel very deprived because I had to give up practically all of my favorite foods. I will not eat chocolate though because I will end up in pain and chained to the toilet. I might try chocolate flavored soy milk once I figure out if I can actually tolerate soy milk, but I won't eat chocolate candy bars or chocolate chip granola bars or anything like that, it's just too much of a risk that I might get sick. I totally understand how it feels to contemplate living without chocolate, it is still a struggle and I haven't had any chocolate in 4 months. I think it will always be one of my weaknesses. I hate that IBS makes people have to give up things they love to eat, and to force us to make so many changes to our lives just to keep from feeling stomach pain and having all the issues that go with having IBS. It sucks!


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