cut out the carbs and find relief - Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Message Board

Hope2Heal · 12-30-2008, 01:17 PM

Hi all
Have posted here in the past. For those who have been diagnosed with IBS (like me) and do not have other related medical conditions , I highly suggest cutting just about all carbs in the form of milk, fruit and grains from your diet completely for a little while and see if your symptoms improve. I know this sounds extreme but extreme suffering calls for extreme measures.

I do not believe IBS actually exists but is a set of symptoms related to food intolerances or allergies. I do not believe I have any allergies, however I now know for sure I am carb sensitive. When I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes when I was pregnant I was put on a low carb diabetic diet. I noticed improvements then but didn't make the connection.

Now a few years later I decided to cut carbs along with my husband for weight loss reasons. I did loose weight (18 pounds since April) but found a very happy side effect. Diminished IBS symptoms. As a matter of fact the only time I get bloated and have a messed up stomach is when I cheat. Then I'm like "oh yeah! I can't believe I used to go through this every day."

There are many low carb diets on the internet to research. Find one that works for your lifestyle and give it a try. The one I do has you start off with 20 carbs or less per day. This is very hard to do but the results are worth it. You eventually add more carbs as you loose weight and feel better. But you never go back to eating white sugar and white flour products and you keep the bulk of your diet protein and fat, with a small amount of carbs to supplement. Most of us do the opposite!

Some people may feel unable to do this as they enjoy food and eating and may feel deprived. I at first felt very sad that I was not getting to enjoy all the little pleasures in life (I lived for pizza, smoothies, bread, cereal)However I now realize I was depriving myself of something more by eating such a high carb way- my quality of life!

Just some advice from one fellow long time sufferer to another. Take it or leave it and good luck!

West Coast Girl · 12-31-2008, 05:57 PM

I tend to agree with you as I also notice less bloating, cramping and gas if I can cut out sugar. I'm also suspecting a yeast overgrowth and am going to try and get tested for it in the New Year. It's so hard to cut out sugar as it is in everything but if I can do it for a few days I no longer crave it.