# need help with food



## 16196 (Sep 10, 2006)

Hi, I'm 20 years old and in college. I have not found any food that does not make me really ill. So right now the only thing I've found that I can eat is certain types of gerber graduates (aka baby food) this is kind of embarassing since I live in the dorms, but the main problems is that I only get between 300-500 calories a day minus walking several miles a day and climbing several flights of stairs. I'm starting to get worried because I lost 8 pounds in one week and I've already lost over 70 pounds because of IBS.I keep losing weight drasticly but my doctor doesn't seem to care. Does anyone know some high calorie foods that are safe to eat?


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## 13777 (Sep 5, 2006)

Try Nature Valley granola bars (the plain ones in the green package have no dairy and the least amount of additives thus the safest) you can get them at almost any market


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Sometimes it isn't the type of food, it is the act of eating that sets off symptoms.Somethings like antispasmodics (even peppermint if you can't get a doctor to prescribe anything) 20-30 minutes before a meal or a small dose of Imodium before a meal can slow down the post-eating increase in colon activity enough to make you feel more comfortable eating. Small frequent meals sometimes helps as some people get a bigger post-eating reaction when they are really hungry before they eat or eat a big meal.Losing weight when you do not eat enough food to maintain weight is not a medical issue that they would need to test for, it is normal for that to happen. If you were losing weight and eating 3,000 calories a day when you are in college would be something that needs medical attention. Most people your age need at least 2,000 calories a day to maintain weight. Every single person on the planet would lose weight eating as little as you do.You might see if you tolerate Ensure. It is nutritionally complete and some people with severe GI illnesses sometimes live on 4-5 cans of that a day when they need to rest the colon. It may at least help you supplement back up while you learn to trust enough to eat again.I'm one that just eating anything makes me ill so I stopped the insanity of trying to find what was safe and just ate what I needed to in order to be healthy. I have to eat well or I can't function, I do not know how you do it.K.


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## 14448 (Jun 14, 2006)

Try eating HALAVA -it's a high calorie dessert thing made of mashed sesame seeds and honey, available from Asian food shops or health food stores. I find I can eat this safely.If you have access to a kitchen you could make cashew milkshakes: put a cup of cashew nuts in a liquidizer with 2 cups water/ + poss a banana, it makes a sweet, high-calorie, easy-to-digest drink.I make my own cakes, using no dairy, honey instead of sugar, and applesauce and whisked egg whites instead of fat. This is really handy as you can add antispasmodic stuff like peppermint oil, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground star anise, and they're easy to eat when you feel bad! Try soya icecream if you can't have dairy, or Alpro-soya custard/ rice pudding in tins.I know what it's like trying to find quick 'safe' foods when ur a student. In my first year I lived off fruit and cereal and my IBS was hell!


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## 16196 (Sep 10, 2006)

thank you so much. I'll try everyone's ideas and hopefully they'll help.


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## 14636 (Sep 13, 2006)

i loose alot of weight too, and have constant excerisize. i eat french fries, so far its been safe. veyr high fat, calorie im sure. they really help that day of weight loss. and i dont care what people say they keep me healthy!


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## 14636 (Sep 13, 2006)

> quote:Originally posted by Kathleen M.:Sometimes it isn't the type of food, it is the act of eating that sets off symptoms.Somethings like antispasmodics (even peppermint if you can't get a doctor to prescribe anything) 20-30 minutes before a meal or a small dose of Imodium before a meal can slow down the post-eating increase in colon activity enough to make you feel more comfortable eating. Small frequent meals sometimes helps as some people get a bigger post-eating reaction when they are really hungry before they eat or eat a big meal.Losing weight when you do not eat enough food to maintain weight is not a medical issue that they would need to test for, it is normal for that to happen. If you were losing weight and eating 3,000 calories a day when you are in college would be something that needs medical attention. Most people your age need at least 2,000 calories a day to maintain weight. Every single person on the planet would lose weight eating as little as you do.You might see if you tolerate Ensure. It is nutritionally complete and some people with severe GI illnesses sometimes live on 4-5 cans of that a day when they need to rest the colon. It may at least help you supplement back up while you learn to trust enough to eat again.I'm one that just eating anything makes me ill so I stopped the insanity of trying to find what was safe and just ate what I needed to in order to be healthy. I have to eat well or I can't function, I do not know how you do it.K.


ensure is horrid! i tried that, i gave me horrible stomache probolems. same with protien powder.


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## 16196 (Sep 10, 2006)

thanks so much for the tips. I tried ensure, and several other things mentioned but they didn't work out too well. However, my dad took me shopping and he bought me some sweetened condensed milk. I was hesitent to try it, but one of my roommates convinced me too. It is really good. And it has a lot of calories. I also found that I can eat plain bagles so I added those together and they are extraodinarily good. I know I'm answering my own question here but I wanted to share with others this delicious discovery. And I wanted to thank you guys for commenting.


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## rarr (Nov 2, 2003)

Hi Katie,I find that when things are really bad for me or when I'm trying hard to keep up with classes and exams...(especially when I'm stressed)..there are few foods that agree with me. So I follow the BRAT diet...B - banana, R - rice (white), A - applesauce & T - toast (bakery white). It at least keeps me from feeling faint or starving myself skinny.Hope that helps a bit....plain bagels agree with me too!


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