Hi can you tell me which app you used?

Hi Natalie, it may take some trial and error to figure out what works best for you. For example, if you’re sensitive to gluten, then gluten-free pasta will probably be better than whole wheat pasta. Keeping a food diary can help you see correlations between what you eat and when you have IBS symptoms. You may want to try having gluten-free products for a couple weeks to see if you notice an improvement in your symptoms. After that, try whole grain options (even ones that contain wheat) to see if your digestive system prefers one over the other. Each person is different, so what works for one person might not work for you. Personally, I found that the extra fiber from whole grains helped my symptoms tremendously. I hope this helps!

I’m confused about whole grains? I have IBS with diarrhea and keep reading that gluten free pasta or white pasta/rice is best?

I have finally identified the foods I can absolutely never eat. They include all the High FODMAP foods. Complete abstinence is the only way for me as each time I try to add one back , one at a time , in small amounts, it takes me days to recover. I completely avoid all beans, although small amounts of tofu and tempeh I can tolerate. It’s sad because I absolutely love beans. I would do everything I could to make them digestible and read every website blog on how to do that but nothing worked. I avoid all cruciferous vegetables(including broccoli ), which sadly doesn’t work even though it is low Fodmap in small quantities ) . Any amount of garlic or onion ,fresh or dried, is like a poison to my body! I avoid dried fruit, all dairy although I can do lactose free low-fat dairy yogurt . I can’t stomach any of the other non-dairy yogurts as I have tried them all , from the almond to the coconut to the cashew and they make me gag .I avoid many fruits, fatty foods ; although I can do about a half a tablespoon of nut or seed butter but no more, and of course any processed food including processed vegan foods.
Gluten free oatmeal is one of the worst offenders for me even though I have no wheat intolerances or celiac disease. I get my protein from some tofu and tempeh ,fish and eggs, lactose free low-fat yogurt, as I do not eat chicken or meat. I can tolerate quinoa and rice. The only bread I can eat is Berlin‘s sourdough spelt bread. Sadly I rarely go out to eat as it’s too hard to find anything on the menu that doesn’t have some offending ingredient that will ruin my evening. It’s a small price to pay for a quiet stomach. I have gone from 4 to 8 bowel movements a day to two , even with my lower fiber diet . They are normal looking and easy to clean :).

My IBS/D began years ago when I switched to a whole food plant-based diet , Vegan no oil no sugar nothing processed. I took the Plant Based certification courses at Cornell . I was very excited that I had found what I believed was the best way to eat, and I still feel that way, but my body sure rebelled. I tried for over 10 years and it wrecked havoc with my health until I understood it was the food that was doing it. I had always preached the virtues of a whole food plant-based diet and did not share with anyone what I was going through under the radar. I think I got caught up a lot in the ideology of this way of eating and perhaps even became a bit orthorexic .My intestines have become so sensitive now that the only way I can manage my digestive disorder is complete abstinence from the foods that I have now realized contributed to my ill health. My portion sizes must now also be kept very small to avoid pressure in my intestines ,and not eating too frequently works well for me .

I wish everyone all the best in their journey to find the best diet for their IBS.
Given what I have gone through ,I wish I could turn the clock back and not have done this whole food plant-based journey as I had no digestive issues before. I never really ate much junk food, but I have to deal with the consequences of my decisions which I believed were the right ones at the time.

Wishing you all tummy wellness.?

Hi Kelly, I’m so glad to hear that you’re able to manage your health with diet and lifestyle modifications! It’s SO frustrating trying to pinpoint those triggers, but it sounds like you’re doing all the right things to put your health first. 🙂

Hi Mandy! Unfortunately, that’s been my experience too. My husband (he has ulcerative colitis) finally found a gastroenterologist who took nutrition seriously and was willing to work with us on our preferred treatment plan, but it was a battle to find him, and now he’s retiring soon. Luckily, it seems like some medical professionals are slowly coming around to the idea of addressing health issues with food and lifestyle changes. The website https://plantbaseddocs.com/ is a great resource for finding medical providers in your area who are knowledgeable in nutrition. If you’re ever looking for a new provider, this might be a good place to start! 🙂

You’re welcome! I hope it works for you. 🙂