# Safe Snack Recommendation



## bones (Sep 26, 2006)

I have had IBS for about 5 years but I have yet to find a good snack. At work and school, I snack on some honey wheat bread with water but that still gives me some gas. Plus I'm trying to stay away from gluten.Does anyone know of a good, safe snack for IBS. Prefearably, portable, gluten-free and low-fat?Thanks,- bones


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## 13777 (Sep 5, 2006)

nature valley granola bar- original flavor, although i dont know if it has any gluten..


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## megflyin (Jun 16, 2007)

i love my snacks.. but most probably aren't gluten free. I think most rice products are gluten free - have you tried quaker oatmeal rice cakes? I like the apple cinnamon ones as they have no fat or fiber. I also love animal crackers, unsalted saltines, unsalted pretzels (you can do salted too.. i just don't like salt very much), sushi (cucumber roll), yogurt (i don't do so well with this, but some people do fine). I find that safe breads and cereal products for me are white - not whole grain, so I wouldn't be able to tolerate the honey wheat bread you are eating. Perhaps you should try white breads like french or sourdough - they tend to be easier on digestion. My basic rule of thumb for snacks is less than 5 g of fat, less than 2 g fiber. Hope some of these work for you! goodluck!


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

For gluten free I'll second the idea of rice cakes. Low fat, light and easy to transport. Anything you could spread on bread you can spread on rice cakes.You might not be able to do anything granola. Most oats are processed on the same machines as wheat so can have trace amounts of gluten. You may be able to find specific brands of oats marketed to people with Celiac that are OK.Of the grains rice is the one that has the most digestible starch so generally creates the least amount of gas.K.


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## chirality (Jul 29, 2007)

I tried Soy Joy bars, there are good.. not sure if Gluten Free though. http://wellnessgrocer.com/default.php?cPath=1504_1553This site has some good snacks


Kathleen M. said:


> For gluten free I'll second the idea of rice cakes. Low fat, light and easy to transport. Anything you could spread on bread you can spread on rice cakes.You might not be able to do anything granola. Most oats are processed on the same machines as wheat so can have trace amounts of gluten. You may be able to find specific brands of oats marketed to people with Celiac that are OK.Of the grains rice is the one that has the most digestible starch so generally creates the least amount of gas.K.


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## megflyin (Jun 16, 2007)

I should add bananas to my list although they do bother some people with IBS, they don't bother me a bit.


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## betterthroughscience (Jan 13, 2006)

Bones,The safe snack will depend on what causes your IBS. If you have celiac disease (an allergy to gluten proteins mediated by IgA antibodies) then you need to stop eating glutens altogether to avoid serious health issues and potentially dramatic shortening of your life. If you have another form of gluten intolerance it is probably also essential that you stop eating glutens. Check out www.gluten.net for more information.You may be allergic to some other common foods as well. Most 'snacks' in America are highly processed foods, containing the waste streams of various food industries - dairy, grain processing, corn processing etc. Read the label and see for yourself - whey solids, various types of flour, corn syrup solids, and of course, lots of various synthetic preservatives not found in nature.If you want to know what you are allergic to, you need to see a doctor who has expertise in food allergy testing. There are only a few labs in the US who do detailed food allergy testing and can produce consistent reliable results. This is because the testing (using the ELISA methodology) is quite complex and requires incredibly fine measurement. You may find that you are not allergic, but still have intolerances that make eating certain foods risky. Often these intolerances relate to the ecosystem of your intestines. Getting testing can determine if you have the right kinds of bacteria or if you have the wrong kinds or even an infection.Every case of IBS is different. What is safe for someone else is not necessarily safe for you. Get tested by a doctor that has made IBS and food allergies his/her specialty.


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## 21526 (Jul 13, 2006)

i dont have celiac, but gluiten hurts me. i like rice bread from whole foods (you can find it frozen) and i make it with toast and add jam (made without any sugar) and almond butter. i also like their unsweetened apple sauce. i can handle fiber, so i eat lara bars. there are also some great rice crackers. and bananas for me are great. oh yea, one more thing, they have a section in trader joes with apple chips (they're just baked with salt) and baked bananas, nothing added.


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## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

Bones, food don't cause IBS.They can be triggers however and that in itself can get complicated because Even the act of eating can trigger the symptoms. But IBS is not a food allergy or intolerence.You can also have more then one condition.Safe snacks really depend on the person although you got some good suggestions. betterthroughscience"Getting testing can determine if you have the right kinds of bacteria or if you have the wrong kinds or even an infection."The doctor has to rule out infection for a diagnoses.What does this mean?"right kinds of bacteria "?80 percent of the 500 or so species have not been culture yet.one inch of your colon contains more working bacteria then all the people that have ever lived.Altered gut flora has not shown to be what causes IBS but possibly contribute to symptoms."Gut Bacteria and Irritable Bowel Syndrome By: Eamonn, M. M. Quigley M.D., Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, University College Cork, Cork, IrelandBacteria are present in the normal gut (intestines) and in large numbers the lower parts of the intestine. These "normal" bacteria have important functions in life. A variety of factors may disturb the mutually beneficial relationship between the flora and its host, and disease may result. The possibility that gut bacteria could have a role in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) may surprise some; there is indeed, now quite substantial evidence to support the idea that disturbances in the bacteria that populate the intestine may have a role in at least some patients with IBS. This article presents a discussion of the possible role of bacteria in IBS and various treatment approaches."Do bacteria play a role in IBS?The possibility that gut bacteria could have a role Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) may surprize some; there is indeed, now quite substantial evidence to support the idea that distrubances in the bacteria that populate the intestines may have a role in at least some patients with IBS. What is this evidence? It can be summarized as follows:1. surveys which found that antibiotic use, well known to distrub flora, may predispose individuals to IBS.2. The observation that some individuals may develop IBS suddenly, and for the first time, following an episode of stomach or intestinal infection (gatroenteritis) caused by a bacterial infection.(The above is post infectious IBS)3. recent evidence that a very low level of inflammation may be present in the bowel wall of some IBS patients, a degree of inflammation that could well have resulted from abnormal interactions with bacteria in the gut.(There is a lot of research that has been done on the above and more being done, but mast cells are important with this and they can be triggered by both foods and the fight or flight stress system as well as some medications)4. The Suggestion that IBS maybe Associated with the abnormal presents, , in the small intestines, of types and numbers; a condition termed small bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)>(This at the moment is highly controversial and not looking to promicing as a cause for IBS at the moment) However a person can have sibo, but at this time IBS and sibo are not the same conditions.5. Accumaliting evidence to indicate that altering the bacteria in the gut, by antibiotics or probiotics, may improve symptoms in IBS.For some time, various studies have suggested the presence of changes in the kind of colonic flora in IBS patients. The most consistent finding is a relative decrease in the population of one species of 'good' bacteria, bifidobacteria.However, the methods employed in these studies have been subject to question and other studies have not always reproduced these finding. Nevertheless, these changes in the flora, maybe primary or secondary, could lead to the increase of bacterial species that produce more gas and other products of their metabolism. These could CONTRIBUTE to symptoms such as gas, bloating and diarrhea.""We still don't know the exact role bacteria has in IBS. More research is needed."http://www.aboutibs.org/Publications/currentParticipate.htmlBones you might want to try probiotics though.


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