I had no idea my “help your tummy tips” would be so well received. I got so much wonderful feedback that I want to go on about this a little more.
(My review of Alisa’s book here.)
Many people suggested that I might be allergic to something – and you are probably right. I spent most of last year dairy-free (my macrobiotic experiment), and during the dairy-free times my symptoms were much less severe. I also tried food combining last year, which helped as well, but for various reasons I stopped doing that.
So I’m going to try something yet again. One commenter (hi Kim!) has a great website about how she deals with her IBS. When I was diagnosed (back in 2004, when the cafeteria food at college made my stomach a writhing mess) I kind of ignored it. My doctor didn’t tell me there was anything I could do; he just suggested that I stop eating the cafeteria food.
The longest respite I had from the syndrome was from 2005-2007. To solve my problems I just didn’t eat much. Great for my digestion, but not that healthy in general – I was too thin.
Now… I’m going to buy a book Kim mentioned on her site called Eating for IBS. From what I can tell, it’s about food combining (but not in the raw sense), trigger foods, and having a happy stomach. I will come up with a plan and post it – if you have IBS too maybe you can try it out as well.
And here are more tips that you all had for calming IBS and pissy stomachs:
- Don’t overdo the fiber
- Drink tea (peppermint is particularly helpful)
- Get checked for food allergies (dairy, gluten, etc…)
- Stress is a trigger… so chill out
- Small snacks can help, but don’t snack too much
- Don’t eat past the point of fullness
- Careful with whipped cream
- Avoid alcohol
- Rubbing your belly in clockwise circles
- Get some exercise each day – get moving to get moving one might say 🙂
- Cat/cow yoga stretches
- Don’t forget about probiotics (supplements)
I am going to try to follow them!
Tonight I have a date with Bobby (I have hardly seen him all week) and tomorrow I’m going to New Jersey to do some wedding tasting with my 2 best girlfriends, my sister (my MOH), and my mom (my wedding savior). Bobby and I are going to Miami next week (oops – think I forgot to mention this) so I need to get lots of stuff done this weekend (work and otherwise).
What are your weekend plans?
Great tips! The ones really important for me are: Don’t overdo the fiber, Chill out, Rub belly in clockwise circles, Get some exercise. I also notice that things move better when I have yogurt or something with that good bacteria.
Weekend plans: Organizing the closet (possible Ikea trip), freelance assignment, watch Netflix movies, relax! I might shop for a cute summer skirt too 🙂 Have fun with wedding stuff! What’s in Miami?
This is such a great post to read for me today! For a month now I thought I was free of IBS. My GI diagnosed me a few months ago. I quit eating oats as well and things got better. Last night I had VERY bad gas and gurgling in my lower stomach. I thought what the heck did I eat that is any different than usual? I had broccoli and cauliflower but not that much.
Thanks to your post it’s probably the Cool Whip I spooned from my mom’s fridge Tuesday! WOW! That will keep me out of that now!
Aww, I love being your MOH 🙂
These are very useful tips! I’ll definitely keep them in mind. Thanks! 🙂
Oh we understand stomach pain, we can not handle dairy very well. Thanks for the great tips 🙂
Hi Maggie! yeah 🙂 I hope you find help in the resources I suggested. It is great to meet another foodie who is dealing with similar “pissy stomach” (love that term!) issues like me (and many others!).
Keep me updated how you like/find the book, Eating for IBS.
Great summary of tips!
happy weekend! Hope you get some rest!
Kim@EatandBe
Don’t overdo the fiber is a good one. I get a lot of fiber in my diet. Interestingly, doctors usually tell me to supplement with Metamucil when I tell them of my stomach problems. I never listen, because it just does NOT sound like a good idea to me at all! I guess they just assume that everyone eats a standard american diet.
Aw, poor sweetie! I’ve never really had tummy issues, but I notice that I bloat a lot less when I eat goat dairy instead of cow dairy. They need to create Greek goat yogurt!
It’s funny…my skin reacts really rapidly to -anything- and some of those tips are what work for me for my skin. Chilling out in particular.
Maggie,
My MIL has suffered from IBS her entire life (except when she was pregnant with both sons), and while she was her last week, CD and I told her to try cutting out gluten. She stuck to eggs, tortilla chips, and other gluten free foods all week, and did not experience one symptom. She’s going to stick with it for a solid month to see if it helps as well as take a probiotic. I so hope this helps her.
Looking forward to seeing if your new eating plan helps you. Hope you had fun on your date with Bobby and wedding planning. 🙂
Miami sounds awesome 🙂