Winning the Battle with Irritable Bowel

I just turned 28. That means for almost 30 years now, I've been dealing with irritable bowel syndrome. Granted, as a toddler, sitting on the toilet with my feet not yet touching the floor and pushing for all I was worth, I didn't know I had irritable bowel. My mom just told me I had to push hard to get the plug out. So, I would push and pray, "God please help me get the plug out!" It may sound cute now, but I remember the torture of living all through grade school, junior high, and high school riding the rollercoaster of "get the plug out" constipation followed by dashing runs to the bathroom with diarrhea. Of course, no one told me I had irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) then either. It took a bad batch of belly acrobatics in college before I finally worked up enough courage to go to the doctor and voice my colorectal challenges. That's when I was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome officially. It's also when the doctor pretty much told me it was just something I had to deal with. I didn't like that answer. So, now that I had a name to focus my research on, I went to town reading every article, book, and journal entry on IBS. I tried everything under the sun to get my pooper to cooperate. And, after several years of trying, I succeeded. Granted, IBS is a bit like alcoholism. You may be sober but you're still an alcoholic, right? Currently, my stomach has never been better, but I still have relapse days. However, I wouldn't trade the good days for the world. So, if you also suffer from this rarely talked about and sometimes embarrassing disorder, hopefully these tips that work for me will work for you as well.

First, fiber is your best friend! According to Dr. Mehmet Oz of the Oprah show, the average American should eat 25 grams of fiber per day. Unfortunately, the average American only actually eats 14-15 grams a day. Fiber is what keeps everything moving down south. So, not enough fiber equals a traffic jam, which triggers IBS cramping, paint, and constipation. I decided to fix the fiber problem in my diet. I now eat at least 25 grams of fiber per day. Here are some tips to help you reach that goal as well.

First, replace all of your "white" items with whole grain items. I only eat brown rice, pasta, and whole grain bread now. I realize you may not like whole wheat bread, but if your IBS is as bad as mine, it is definitely worth it.

Next, switch all of your juices to fiber rich juices. Strained and filtered fruit juices have next to no fiber, however very pulpy juice and fruit/veggie hybrids just as V8 Fusion and Healthy Harvest are jam packed with fiber. It was an easy switch and I don't miss the regular juices at all.

Substitute beans for meat at least two or three meals a week. Legumes have fiber out the wazoo. So, instead of meat, go for black bean burritos, bean soups and chilies, salads with chick peas, and other legume based entrees.

Finally, add a fiber supplement. On my dining room table, next to the salt and pepper, you will find a small container of Benefiber. Every time I have a soft food, I sprinkle some on and mix it in. Benefiber has no taste and doesn't thicken foods so it is an easy way to up your intake. Also, keeping it in plain site helps remind you to use it.

Next, drink water! In order for fiber to work properly, you must keep yourself hydrated. Fiber absorbs water. Without enough water, the fiber may backfire and actually clog instead of clean out. So, make sure you are getting your recommended 8 glasses of water a day. To keep me on track, I purchased a 64 ounce thermos. I fill it with ice water at the beginning of every day. Throughout the day at work, I drink from it. By the end of the work day, I am usually mostly done with the thermos. If I totally drank it, I reward myself by drinking a pop with supper. If I still need to finish it off, I drink water with supper. Either way, my body is hydrated and ready to work with the fiber.

Get your good fats. Fiber and water only help with the actual consistency of the poop. You still need some lubrication for it to slide along on its way out. That's where the good fats come in. Good fats will help lubricate everything so things just work out the way they are supposed to. However, "good fats" are the key. Saturated and trans-fats do not have the same lubricating qualities. So, look for foods high in monounsaturated fats and Omega-3 fatty acids. Some examples are olive oil, fatty fish like salmon, and my personal favorite, flax seed. Milled flax seed can be purchased in the baking needs aisle of your grocer very inexpensively. It is a semi moist ground grain that is full of good fat. It can be easily added to baked goods, soups, salads, and sauces. It has a mild, nutty flavor that I love. Also, if you are feeling adventurous, flax seed can replace saturated fats in recipes. It took some experimenting to get the amounts correct, but now I never use butter or oil in muffins, pancakes, or waffles. Flax is a first rate fat in my book.

Lastly, eat on schedule. After several week of food journaling, I noticed that my irritable bowel syndrome was worse on days that I ate at weird times or ate strangely sized meals. For example, I went to a breakfast buffet one day. I was still stuffed by lunch time, so I skipped it. Later that afternoon I was starving so I had an early large supper. These two odd-timed large meals equaled a bout of IBS cramping like nobody's business. Another IBS trigger for me is what I call grazing. Grazing is when you go to a party or family function where there are all kinds of food sitting around. Instead of sitting down and having a meal, you simple graze here and there all evening. This slow intake of a great deal of food is another irritable bowel red flag. Now when I go to parties, I load up a large plate once and leave the grazing to cows.

For me, these 4 tips have equaled a healthier life free from the torments of irritable bowel syndrome. My wife has noticed a marked change in my health and even my demeanor since putting these steps in action. Hopefully, you can try them out and tame your IBS as well.