> >>>> So, you think we lost humility when we started vaccinations?
> >>>> And how do you measure this?
> >>>> I'm asking for supporting evidence. 'Cause I don't see it.
>
> >>>
http://tinyurl.com/czuw3ph
>
> >>> Pack of women arrested in 6 Train stabbing ďż˝ after 63-year-old man
> >>> asked them to be quiet: police
>
> >>> Read more:
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/cops_gals_stabbed_sh
> >>> ushe...
>
> >> I see your point. If one of these young women had died of smallpox
> >> 10 years ago, there would've been only *6* women to stab that old man,
>
> > Did you see how heavy they are? Used to be only the chief of the
> > tribe was that big. Now anyone can join the club. Where's the
> > humility in that? Humility means being "right-sized". Nobody wants
> > to learn when to stop eating. Fortunately, my plan will help with
> > that. Having a bout with the flu for a week or two will take a
> > BIG-ASS bite out of anyone's appetite!
>
> Right. You've finally succeeded in being repellant enough to enter my
> killfile. Congrats. You're just the 3rd poster on t.o to make it into the
> kf in the last two years. Enjoy.
http://www.healingwell.com/library/ibs/article.asp?author=vanvorous&id=1
A New Way to Eat
The fundamental idea of eating for IBS is to avoid foods that over-
stimulate or irritate the colon (via the gastrocolic reflex that
occurs when food enters the stomach), and eat foods that soothe and
regulate it. This will relieve and prevent both diarrhea and consti-
pation, as well pain, gas, and bloating. This is best accomplished
by strictly limiting the amount of dietary fat (the single most
powerful digestive tract stimulant), eating soluble fiber consis-
tently with every snack and meal, eliminating coffee, carbonated
beverages, and alcohol, being very careful with insoluble fiber,
and avoiding overeating by having frequent small meals instead of
large ones. It is also important to avoid cigarettes, as tobacco
wreaks havoc on the digestive tract.
Trigger Foods - Warning! Eat at Your Own Risk
The most difficult foods for the body to digest are fats and animal
products. As a result, they are the most powerful IBS triggers, and
you must strictly limit or, preferably, eliminate altogether these
foods from your diet. Will this require an enormous change in the
way you eat? Probably. But it is a change for the better, and we
will walk together through the steps needed to make this change as
easily and deliciously as possible.
I sympathize tremendously with people when they are told of the
dietary changes they need to make to control their IBS. At first
glance these changes can seem overwhelming and just too difficult,
as by nature most of us are resistant to any great transformations
of our lives. It is almost always easier to not alter a habit,
simply because inertia takes less effort than action.
However, I really cannot stress enough that the changes in diet
required for IBS do NOT equal deprivation. You will not be expected
to simply give up all the foods you love, and offered a tasteless
starvation diet in return. These changes are in fact a terrific
opportunity for a better life, as you can easily learn how to eat
safely for IBS without giving up an ounce of flavor, fun, favorite
restaurants, or delicious home cooking. It is simply a matter of
substitution, of replacing trigger foods with safe choices.
Remember that the only thing you're really giving up here is the
constant worry and dread of attacks, as well as the pain and agony
they cause.
Please note that individual tolerances for IBS trigger foods may
vary. The following list is comprehensive and should include all
potential dietary sources of trouble. You may find through experi-
mentation that you have a higher degree of tolerance for some of
these foods than others.
Red Meat (Beef, Pork, Lamb, etc.) Poultry Dark Meat and Skin.
Dairy Products. Egg Yolks. Fried Foods. Coconut Milk. Oils,
Shortening, Butter, Fats. Solid Chocolate. Coffee, Regular and
Decaffeinated. Alcohol. Carbonated Beverages. Artificial Sweeteners.
Artificial Fats.
What's All This About Fiber?
One of the most troublesome pieces of advice routinely given to
people with IBS is the dictate, 'Eat more fiber!' It prompts the
question - what kind of fiber? Most people are never even told
that there are actually two types of fiber. The term 'fiber' in
general refers to a wide variety of substances found in plants.
Some of these substances can be dissolved in water ('soluble fiber'),
and others do not dissolve ('insoluble fiber'). Insoluble fiber is
'rough'; it passes intact through the intestinal tract, increasing
the frequency, water content, and looseness of bowel movements.
Insoluble fiber, and particularly wheat bran, decreases the transit
time of fecal matter in the G.I. tract. Although this has the
crucial benefit of reducing the colon's exposure to carcinogens,
thus inhibiting colon cancer development, it can also trigger
painful attacks in IBS sufferers, with severe cramping that can
result in diarrhea or constipation.
Soluble fiber, in contrast, is 'smooth', and soothing to the
digestive tract. It regulates the digestive tract, stabilizes the
intestinal contractions resulting from the gastrocolic reflex
triggered by eating, and normalizes bowel function from either
extreme. That's right - soluble fiber prevents and relieves both
diarrhea and constipation. Nothing else in the world will do this
for you. How is this possible? The 'soluble' in soluble fiber means
that it dissolves in water (though it is not digested). This allows
it to absorb excess liquid in the colon, preventing diarrhea by
forming a thick gel and adding a great deal of bulk as it passes
intact through the gut. This gel (as opposed to a watery liquid)
also keeps the GI muscles stretched gently around a full colon,
giving those muscles something to easily 'grip' during peristaltic
contractions, thus preventing the rapid transit time and explosive
bowel movements of diarrhea as well. By the same token, the full
gel-filled colon (as opposed to a colon tightly clenched around
dry, hard, impacted stools) provides the same 'grip' during the
muscle waves of constipation sufferers, allowing for an easier and
faster transit time, and the passage of the thick wet gel also
effectively relieves constipation by softening and pushing through
impacted fecal matter. If you can mentally picture your colon as a
tube that is squeezing through matter via regular waves of contrac-
tions, it's easy to see how a colon filled with soluble fiber gel
is beneficial for both sides of the IBS coin.
As a glorious bonus here, normalizing the contractions of the colon
(from too fast or too slow speeds) prevents the violent and irregular
spasms that result in the lower abdominal cramping pain that cripples
so many IBS patients. This single action alone is the reason I don't
eat anything on an empty stomach but soluble fiber. Ever. The only
foods I want to trigger my gastrocolic reflex are soluble fiber, as
that's the only way I can keep those contractions (and thus my life)
normal. Soluble fiber also lowers LDL ('bad') blood cholesterol
levels and the resultant risk of heart disease, helps prevent colon
cancer, and improves glycemic control in diabetics by slowing the
digestion of carbohydrates and the subsequent release of glucose
into the blood. In addition, soluble fiber may help prevent blood
vessel constriction and the formation of free radicals (both risk
factors for heart attacks) by slowing the absorption of fat and
carbohydrates into the bloodstream.
Metamucil, made from psyllium husks, and Citrucel, made of methyl-
cellulose, are both soluble fiber, and can be extremely helpful
when taken daily (make sure they are NOT the sugar-free varieties,
which have artificial sweeteners in them, and can trigger attacks).
Please be aware that although both of these products are marketed
as laxatives, they actually help treat and prevent diarrhea as well
as constipation. Soluble fiber alone has this remarkable ability to
normalize colonic activity from either extreme.
Foods that are naturally high in soluble fiber include oatmeal,
pasta, rice, potatoes, French or sourdough bread, soy, barley, and
oat bran. These starchy foods are also high in complex carbohydrates,
which are an important source of readily accessible fuel for energy.
Nuts, beans, and lentils are also good sources of soluble fiber but
should be treated with care, as nuts are high in fat & both lentils
and beans contain some insoluble fiber.
Soluble fiber should ALWAYS be the first thing you eat on an empty
stomach, and it should form the basis of EVERY snack and meal.
Your goal is to keep your colon consistently stabilized by providing
it with a regular supply of soluble fiber.
Insoluble Fiber - How Can Healthy Foods Hurt You?
Insoluble fiber, although crucial for good health, can be a powerful
IBS trigger. It needs to be incorporated into your diet in the
largest quantities possible, but with great care. Insoluble fiber
should NEVER be eaten alone or on an empty stomach.
Remember that it is much better to have a wide variety of insoluble
fiber foods in small amounts than to not eat any at all. You are
also likely to find that your tolerance for insoluble fiber will
increase if you are consistently eating it, even in tiny portions.
However, it's important to note that individual tolerances vary.
The following list is comprehensive and should include all potential
insoluble fiber sources of trouble for a hyperactive colon; you may
have a degree of tolerance for some of these foods and absolutely
none for others. IBS is a highly personalized problem, so you will
need to learn your own food tolerances and work around them.
Raw fruits, raw vegetables, raw greens, raw sprouts, and seeds
(including those from fresh fruits or vegetables), are all very
high in insoluble fiber. Be particularly careful with fruits and
vegetables that have tough skins or hulls such as blueberries,
cherries, apples, grapes, peas, corn, bell peppers, celery, etc.
It helps tremendously to peel and cook these fruits and vegetables
until tender, as this makes their fiber content dramatically less
likely to trigger attacks. It is also a healthy habit to routinely
incorporate fruits and veggies as secondary ingredients in recipes
with soluble fiber foods as the main ingredients. If possible, buy
organic produce only, as the chemical pesticides and herbicides
used on fruits and vegetables can have adverse health effects.
Two categories of fruits and vegetables, those that are acidic and
sulfur-containing, require extra precautions. Citrus juice and
cooked tomatoes have very high acidity levels, which can cause GI
distress, so they must be eaten with care. Incorporate them into
meals (or drinks served with meals) with a high soluble fiber
content, and don't eat them on an empty stomach. They must not be
eliminated from your diet altogether, however, as they contain
crucial vitamins and anti-oxidants. Tomatoes are also very high in
lycopene, which prevents some forms of cancer.
Garlic, onions, leeks, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and Brussels
sprouts, though among the most nutrient-packed of all vegetables,
can also pose problems. In addition to their high amounts of
insoluble fiber, all contain sulfur compounds, which produces gas
in the GI tract & can thus trigger attacks. As with other vegetables,
cook these until tender, combine them with soluble fiber, and don't
eat them when your stomach is completely empty - but do make sure
and eat them.
To incorporate raw fruits and veggies into your diet, peel and eat
them in small quantities (just two or three bites) finely chopped,
as additions to high soluble fiber foods such as French breads,
pastas, rice, etc. It should also help to eat them towards the end
of a meal. This is especially important when it comes to green
salads. Eating them as is customary in America, on an empty stomach
at the beginning of lunch or dinner, is likely to trigger an attack.
Eating them at the end of a high soluble fiber meal is typically
quite safe. For fruit salads follow the same guidelines. At break-
fast have a bowl of oatmeal or toasted French bread first, then the
fruit, and at lunch or dinner have the fruit for dessert.
Whole wheat and bran are extremely high in insoluble fiber, and
foods such as whole wheat breads and cereals need to be eaten with
great care. For a daily safe staple, French and sourdough breads
are safe, but whole wheat breads are not. Whole wheat breads are
more nutritious, because the outer coating of bran on the grain has
not been removed as is the case in white breads. However, this bran
is also very high in insoluble fiber, and can thus trigger attacks.
For this same reason bran cereals are not a safe choice, though
rice, corn, or oat varieties are. Does this mean you should never
eat whole wheat bread or bran cereal? It most emphatically does not.
As with fruits and vegetables, the more whole grains you can eat the
better. It cannot be stressed enough that overall good health is
dependent on insoluble fiber. However, whole wheat and bran need
to be eaten just as carefully as green salads. Do not eat them on
an empty stomach, in large quantities, or without soluble fiber
foods.
Whole nuts are not only high in insoluble fiber, they are also high
in fat. Although this fat is monounsaturated and lowers your risk
of heart disease, it is still an IBS trigger. Like other high
insoluble foods, nuts are crucial for good health, but must be
eaten carefully. Finely grinding nuts and incorporating them into
recipes with soluble fiber is a very safe way to eat them. Small
amounts of nut butters on toasted French or sourdough bread are
usually very tolerable as well.
Popcorn is full of hard kernels that are pure insoluble fiber.
There is no great nutritional value to popcorn so it can simply be
eliminated from your diet. I realize this may make movies a lot
less fun, but having to bolt from a theater for the bathroom halfway
through a film is a worse alternative. Sneak some pretzels or baked
potato chips into the theater instead, and console yourself with
the thought that you'll actually get to see the end of that movie.
Fresh fruit juices, especially apple, prune, and grape, are sky high
in fructose, which can trigger cramps and diarrhea. Fruit juices in
general should be avoided on an empty stomach. Cranberry juice is
usually a safe choice. Rhubarb, prunes, figs, licorice are all
natural laxatives. As with fresh fruits in general, you may be able
to safely incorporate these foods into recipes with soluble fiber.
Just beware that they pose additional risks.
Fringe Benefits!
Eating for IBS has benefits far beyond controlling your bowel
symptoms. The IBS diet follows the FDA Food Pyramids, which means
that while eating safely for IBS you'll also lower your risk of
heart disease, cancer, arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure,
and obesity.
Š 2001 Heather Van Vorous
Heather Van Vorous has had IBS for more than twenty years, beginning
in childhood. She is now an author and food writer specializing in
healthy gourmet recipes for people with bowel disorders. As a result
of the publicity her two books, "Eating for IBS" and "The First Year:
IBS", have received, she has become the best-known IBS patient-expert
in the USA, with an audience of over 250,000 people a year. Visit the
author's web site at
http://www.helpforibs.com.