# What to drink, what to drink?!?



## mnienaber (Jun 30, 2003)

I've been diagnosed with IBS C/D for seven years now. As with most of us, I have a list of trigger foods a mile and a half long. But what I'm starting to realize is that some foods that I believed to be "trigger" foods, are only such when accompanied by certain drinks. These can range from water, fruit juices, carbonated beverages and of course the ever dreaded dairy. So my question is, or idea rather, is lets just throw out some of our favorite things to drink here that seem to not cause many problems. Some speak of Gatorade, but the high fructose syrup gets to me. So, let's start listing and see if we can't balance the drink speak with the food speak, because I know I drink something everytime I eat, so it should be just as important to look at what I'm drinking as it is to look at what I'm eating!!!


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## androsine (Apr 12, 2003)

Maybe we should also mention if we suffer from C or D as well. Helps with perspective.


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## katjam (Jun 5, 2003)

I'm D. Water and decaf tea are the only drinks that don't affect me.


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## wlwoodma (Jun 16, 2003)

I used to be IBS-D, now am C/D (when not feeling good, good most of the time now) but I can drinkskim milkany tea (herbal, green, black etc)club soda (but no other soda pops diet or other)small amounts of alcohol (about 1 drink thats all)but I think beer might be bad, not surea freind with IBS said gatorade helped her but not me.I thought I could never eat at fast food resteraunts again until I realized it was the soda pop that was killing me. Have no idea why both diet and regular, caffienated and non-caffeienated bother me but club soda doesn't. (Maybe some evil secret ingredient or else I can't tolerate neither aspartame nor high fructose corn sugar?)Good luck and good idea for the BB. I only thought to try the club soda after someone here suggested it. It is nice to have more alternatives, isn't it?SG


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## CkatGo (May 13, 2002)

IBS-C I am new to to IBS and the board and don't even know my trigger foods (just started my journal) This tread helps!


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## androsine (Apr 12, 2003)

IBS-D: So far I only drink water. But I plan to try a soda in the next couple of days. I get the runs from gatorade and Propel fitness water. I'm not sure why. I plan to try other things soon. Maybe even coffee (Scared!!!). I'll let you know.


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

"Have no idea why both diet and regular, caffienated and non-caffeienated bother me but club soda doesn't"Several possibilities....corn syrup or extract as sweetener, and the artificial colorings often used.Some patients alos don't realizie until they actually have someone measure it that the carbonation (which can cause discomfort in the upregulated gut of the IBS victim) is also part of the problem. Ah but why does the club soda not bother me, the patient queries.When behaviors is tracked it turns out to be dose related. Club soda does not taste all that good so they tend to only drink enough to stop the immediate thirst.Flavored soda tastes a lot better so they end up drinking much more of than they realize compared to how much club sodas they drink and when the "gas comes out of soultion in the gut" faster than it can be eliminated it produces pain, bloating sensation, gassiness, and the "volume" can affect the "pressure and stretch receptors" in different parts of the gut (which are upregulated already for other reasons, producing the twitchy bowel character of mny IBS patients) and even be responsible for spasm or an allout epidosed.Just some other ideas that patients sometimes don't think of....These books can be very helpfulIBS: A DOCTORS PLAN FOR CHRONIC DIGESTIVE TROUBLESBy Gerard Guillory, M.D.; Vanessa Ameen, M.D.; Paul Donovan, M.D.; Jack Martin, Ph.D. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/088...3369143-6824157 ï¿½FOOD ALLERGIES AND FOOD INTOLERANCE: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO THEIR IDENTIFICTION AND TREATMENTï¿½, Professor Jonathan Brostoff , M.D.. Allergy, Immunology and Environmental Medicine, Kingsï¿½ College, London http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/089...6487508-3420903 as may some other discussions that this link can lead to http://www.ibsgroup.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php...ic;f=1;t=033220 MNLPSI was a SEVERE diarrheic with a lot of extraintestinal symptoms as well for over 30 years, in remission, but have learned the best thing to drink with the least chance of any provocation is lots of plain old bottled (distilled or R.O.) water.I do have an occassional Pepsi or Coke or Sprite or Fruit Punch (actual 100% fruit punch only, not the corn syrup sugar water with colorings that masquerades as punch).


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## wlwoodma (Jun 16, 2003)

MNL and others,the soda question could be very well dose related, I hadn't thought of that. I pretty much avoid soda pop of any kind nowdays. Luckily now my questions revolve around, what one thing did I do to get better? I have been doing really well the last 2 months now even though I have been under a lot of stress and have been too busy to do much about it. i am still pretty careful about what I eat but it seems like more than that. I made about three changes at approxiatemately the same time and now am confused. I am planning on keeping things the same for awhile yet and then maybe dropping off on some of my "cures" to see if I can isolate the important thing. Life is weird, but at least I am better.SG


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## Pitzi (Mar 15, 2003)

I have replaced tea/coffee with rooibos tea, I am not sure if you can get it in the US but if you can, its a worthy replacement for coffee/tea


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## Guest (Jul 5, 2003)

Hi, I am new to this, but I have been suffering for three years with IBS/D. I also have chronic migranes to throw in the mix so my diet has been slashed in half. Caffine is a nono, but I can tolerate half caf coffee in the morning, decaf during the day and decaf soda. However, I think the soda is still bothering me with bloating. Three years into this and things are ever changing with what I can and cannot have. Frustration dosn't begin to describe how I feel about food and drink. I would rather not eat at all. I hate it!


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## Julia37 (May 9, 2001)

I used to have pain, cramps, and bloating, and since I changed my diet I only drink tea, water, and occasional diet coke. I bought some diet "Swiss Creme" soda but haven't tried it yet. It was 100 degrees today and I was thirsty!One of my worst triggers is any form of sugar, so I can only drink diet sodas. Coffee almost always caused pain and spasms. When I was on jury duty they had no tea so I made do with diluted coffee. I did get a few mild symptoms from it. I think diet coke also causes mild symptoms if I drink it too often. I sometimes drink soda water in nightclubs if I want bubbles but no caffeine.I took the sugar out of my diet in spring 2001, and I went off my diet several times in the past 2 weeks (partying at RRW, my favorite vacation!), but I've only had mild symptoms so far. I suspect my tolerance has improved. I had 2 pieces of candy in 3 days last weekend, and today I had BBQ and spaghetti that I'm sure had at least 2 triggers in it, but so far I've only had mild D last week and cramps today. As long as I'm more careful at the BBQ tomorrow I'll be fine.







Hi Mike NL! It's good to see you here.







maloo, you sound like a food sensitivity case, I think the LEAP program would probably help you.www.nowleap.comCheers,Julia


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## Julia37 (May 9, 2001)

P.S. - That propel "fitness water" is mostly sugar. The first ingredient is sucrose, which is the chemical name for table sugar. It's a total scam.If you look at ingredient labels it's shocking how many foods that don't and shouldn't taste sweet have sugar added. Crackers, for example, might have 3 different forms of sugar.When they were promoting propel and giving it out free, I tried to talk to one of the marketing yuppies about the way they were misleading their customers, but she said to write to the company and turned her back on me, and I said I already have a job and didn't have time to tell her bosses how to do theirs. Typical corporate attitude.


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## Guest (Jul 5, 2003)

Thanks Julia. I checked the LEAP site, but it is not offered in NY. I do not have allergies to wheat, but other ones I do not know. Back to the GI on the 16th. Not a good experience with the last one. Hope this one is better!


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

ScienceLady:One thing, which we use as one of the treatment modaulities in the LEAP IBS Disease Managment Program is a Stress & Anxiety Reduction Program, patient self-directed, available on audio CD. It was developed by a clinical psychologist and gastroenterologist team from St. Louis. The literatrure supports this form of stress reduction treatment as an efficiaious part of a treatment program, and since you attribute the stress of daily living to symptom generation this may help.We have recieved positive feed back from the patients and doctors who have chosen to add it to their treatment regimen.You could get it from us but it will cost you a little less if you gwet it form the doctors directly.You can read about it and even order it from their webiste at http://www.specialistsingastro.com/IBS/index.html JULIA:How you been girl? I been blitzing around hither and yon and so only pop in once ina awhile now to inflict myself upon the sick.Hope you are well and the job is still satisfactory!Gotta go my brother and his kids got into South Florida last night so I have to go spend some time with them at the beach.It's a dirty job I know but someone has got to do it.PS to MALOOYes the program is not available in New York at this time as they are the only state in the union which does not accept the federal licensure of out of state labs as adequate to allow specimens to be olbtained in the state, shipped out, and then results sent back in for use in treatment. They demand all labs apply for, pay for, be seprately inspected for a separate NY license.Since it is a big country when you count all the remaining states, I would rather expend my resources on thos states where licensure reciprocity is honored and focus on them first. Once that is done if NY existing policy remaines we'll deal with it at that time.But if you are ever on a trip outside NY and want to see about getiing involved feel free to contact our Professional Services offcie at that time and see if there is availablility yet where you are going to be.In the meantime if you beleive you may have other food issues, Dr. Guillory has some procedures you may find useful in isolating some of the more easily isolated food or chemcials intolerances you might have.IBS: A DOCTORS PLAN FOR CHRONIC DIGESTIVE TROUBLESBy Gerard Guillory, M.D.; Vanessa Ameen, M.D.; Paul Donovan, M.D.; Jack Martin, Ph.D. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/088...3369143-6824157 You might also enjoy the information in thsi book as well, as it can also be very helful in understnding the various mechanisms of food and chemical sensitivityï¿½FOOD ALLERGIES AND FOOD INTOLERANCE: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO THEIR IDENTIFICTION AND TREATMENTï¿½, Professor Jonathan Brostoff , M.D.. Allergy, Immunology and Environmental Medicine, Kingsï¿½ College, London http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/089...6487508-3420903







To da beach!MNL


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## androsine (Apr 12, 2003)

Any luck with natural fruit juices?


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## Julia37 (May 9, 2001)

Mike!I been fine, healthy and happy, had a great time at Indy, busy socializing as I look for people to date. One I've always liked got out of a relationship a while back - careful Julia, easy now......don't scare him away.......







Job is still satisfactory so far. I just love the way I'm treated there.







I'm thinking of visiting out your way between Christmas and New Years, no firm plans yet, just a thought. It would be great to finally meet you in person!







Maloo, you could go to a doctor in NJ or Rhode Island, the states are so small in those parts...


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