Eating for IBS: 175 Delicious, Nutritious, Low-Fat, Low-Residue Recipes to Stabilize the Touchiest Tummy

by Heather Van Vorous

The essential dietary guide and cookbook for people with irritable bowel syndrome and other gastrointestinal disorders--with hundreds of low-fat recipes to ease the effects of IBS, lactose intolerance, Crohn's Disease, ulcerative colitis, and other digestive conditions

Irritable bowel syndrome is one of our nation's most untalked-about ailments, but millions of people - mostly women - suffer from the debilitating condition, one that must be controlled primarily through diet. Contrary to what many sufferers believe, eating for IBS does not mean deprivation, never going to restaurants, boring food, or an unhealthily limited diet. It does mean cutting out such trigger foods as red meat, dairy, most fats, caffeine, alcohol, and insoluble fiber. Heather Van Vorous, who has suffered from IBS since age 9 and gradually learned how to control her IBS symptoms through dietary modifications, collects here 175 recipes she has created over 20 years. Those suffering from IBS, lactose intolerance, Crohn's Disease, ulcerative colitis, and other digestive disorders will be thrilled to discover that they can enjoy traditional homestyle cooking, international foods, rich desserts, snacks, and party foods - and don't have to cook weird or special meals for themselves while their families follow a "normal" diet. Eating for IBS will forever revolutionize the way people with IBS eat--and live.

Genres: Nonfiction, Cookbooks, Cooking, Health, Food, Reference

256 pages, Paperback

First published October 30, 2000

Reviews

[Mary Moran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yep...I am putting this embarrassing admission out there for all to see only because I know how much those of us with digestive issues suffer. Why? Because this book helped to change my life! I wasn't a fan of most of the recipes in it but the information about IBS is invaluable!

I went through the full barrage of medical tests before finally being diagnosed by exclusion about 4 years ago. Heather's book gave me more information than even my gastroenterologist did! "You might want to avoid dairy.", he said. Really?! That's the one and only piece of advice you give to your patients?! Oy!

With the help of this book, I now have a MUCH better understanding of IBS and how to deal with it. The medical community doesn't seem to be behind us so we have to be our own advocates and educate ourselves. This book will help do that.

I've been able to identify food groups that cause both degrees of IBS and I now eat around them. Wheat is an issue for me, as is soy, so I limit the processed foods and try to eat whole, natural foods. I avoid most dairy, but especially aged cheeses and cow's milk. But the most helpful part of the book, I thought, was that I now have a full understanding of soluable vs insoluable fiber. I use Heather's acacia product every day and I now only have issues when I eat known food triggers.

Also recommended (almost more than this one) The First Year:IBS.

[Kirsikka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Several years ago I found this book, started eating the way Heather recommends and all was great. As so often happens (with me, anyway), I got smug and went off the wagon. I'm back on the program and I can't tell you what a difference this makes in my life. Things go soooo much better when your stomach doesn't hurt. Who knew????

[Amanda Linehan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, I am putting an embarrassing book like this on my list. It just has too much good advice for anyone with a sensitive stomach, whether it's Colitis, IBS, lactose intolerance or whatever. There are many good recipes and substitutions you would never think of. Plus, if you're prone to "attacks" of any kind, this book tells you how to calm your digestive system back down and assess what set the problem off in the first place. And it explains the biology of how our food is digested, making a great case for a more healthful way of eating for anyone.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned lots of good tips from this book's introduction chapters. However, some of the tips contradict info I'm getting from a naturopath. In some ways, it's more restrictive, in others less. Regardless, there are many commonalities, and the tips and suggestions are good. Tried two recipes up to date, one really good, one not so great. The Sweet Cardamom and Currant Indian Rice was WAY too sweet (1 cup of brown sugar for 2 cups of rice? Still wondering if that`s a typo) but the Thai Fried Rice with Cilantro and Shrimp, anyhow, it was a success.

[Mary Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some recipes were good but the other reviewers are correct, they're very time consuming and call for ingredients not available at my local stores.

One recipe included coating tuna with sesame seeds - mistake!
I was a mess for the rest of the evening!

I appreciated the IBS tips but I'd suggest her other book "The First Year with IBS" for a more in depth study of the whole process.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The skillet-browned garlicky potatoes are simply divine - though the herbed chicken breast didn't work so well with vegetarian Quorn chicken cutlets...

[Angie crosby · Rating 4 out of 5]

has some good recipes. Good to know I can still eat good food

[Aliza · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though I didn't find the recipes helpful at all, I was surprised and pleased that there was plenty of new information I could use even as someone who has had IBS for 12 years.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was not as impressed with this book as I would have liked to have been. As one who suffers from IBS, I didn't find many answers that I was searching for in this book.

The author does a good job of explaining what IBS is and possible triggers and tips. Though IBS symptoms can vary quite a bit so not all of them apply to me. it would have been nice to maybe see a complete omition of offenders but then a plan to add some back in slowly to see its affect or something.

She seemed to suggest french bread....a lot. I am a pretty health conscious person so she honestly lost me some here. I know bland is best when outbreaks are bad but there are certainly healthier options than french bread. For example, rice? She does mention it in the book but Brown rice seems like a better default than french bread if you are trying to be healthy as well.

Recipes were...underwhelming. From recipes like "Mexican Sauteed Pepitas Prawns" to "Mushroom, Crab, and Dill Omelet", many just do not sound appetizing to me. Also. NO PICTURES. I realize pictures are more time consuming and costly, but seriously make recipes so much more tempting and desirable to actually make. I am admittedly a bit of a cookbook snob, but when many of the recipes don't sound good and I can't see what it looks like, then I'm not impressed.

I still gave 3 stars since it appears she was one of the pioneering efforts in literary IBS awareness and resource and still felt like she did put a lot into the book. The recipes seem diverse and it does include nutrition facts. If there were more pictures and less obscure and weird recipes, more quick and easy every day ones, I think it *could* be a 5 star.

Admittedly, I have yet to try a recipe in it yet since the whole no pictures, less desirable thing, but for the sake of reviews, I will try and make some and update after.

[Janelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is some helpful information about foods to that can be digestive triggers and how to prepare or pair foods to make them less likely to cause irritation. However, since this book was written in 2000 it feels out-of-date. I'm sure there are many better and more current resources available then mentioned in the book. I'd like to see more up-to-date research and medical information. For example there is no mention of the FODMAP diet and many of the recipes include FODMAP foods that are known triggers for many people. Also, even though the author claims she is vegetarian there are very few vegetarian or vegan recipes for main dishes. In addition, I think most of the recipes include too much sugar and refined carbs for people who are trying to focus on whole foods or cut out processed sugar. Overall most of the recipes are not useful for me.

[katnick · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up hoping for more recipe ideas that would be 'safe' for me to eat, but alas not only are the recipes complicated and time consuming but our tolerances are totally different. She can't eat meat or fats, which I am okay with, and she's fine with garlic and onion, which are two of my triggers. So the recipes were totally useless to me.

She also makes quite a few unsubstantiated claims about health in general (for instance she seems to think dairy leeches calcium from your bones) so take the opening chapters with a sizeable amount of salt. I did pick up a few tips and tricks to help me with eating out and traveling though so it wasn't a total loss.

[Hailey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh good gracious, incredibly outdated science (if you can call it that, from this food writer's cited studies, some of which are from the 80's...). Most of the book is recipes, so would be good for someone looking for ideas, but take the start of the book with a grain of salt...or maybe even a pound.

[Loraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the first section with the author's discussion of IBS quite helpful (even though this is not the diagnosis I ended up with) as there are many similarities. I felt the recipes were too involved and some of the ingredients used were too expensive to be helpful for the majority of people who lead busy lives.

[Page Birmingham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book extremely helpful. I tried a lot of home remedies, healthy eating advice books, prescription medicine without success. This author’s suggestions run counter to most advice but it worked for me and resolved my symptoms.

[Mskychick · Rating 1 out of 5]

Trying to find low residue diet recipes.
Most of the stuff she writes in this book does not correspond AT ALL to my own IBS symptoms, so I don’t trust her at all
And many of the things she suggests here to eat are known triggers for IBS
Terrible advice!

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't stress enough how amazing it was to read a book where someone talked about food exactly the way I did! After having surgery twice, once to removed my gall bladder and once to stop my reflux I was still left with vision blurring pain every time I ate and next to no information about how to cope with the mysterious "IBS diagnosis" I'd been given. In under a year I went from experiencing attacks every time I ate to finally having days where I have little/mild side effects from eating. Heather sets out simple guidelines on the foods that are most likely to cause an attack and how to Generally I'm not one to try these sorts of things and after all the trouble I was having I really did think it was too good to be true but this really did help me more then anything else. I have a relatively stable stomach now (there will always be bad days, that's the hardest but most important thing to realise and accept) and am much more informed about IBS all because of this book. Normally I wouldn't encourage people to listen to a book over a doctor but if I'm honest this book is better then a gastroenterologist.

[AnnieM · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was none too impressed. When I first started reading it I thought it was pretty good. As I learned more of my "condition" I question some of the suggestions and I have serious worries about the recipes.

The recipes held many high sodium or spicy items that would only exacerbate my condition. Also based on other titles (mostly from the Mayo Clinic) fiber is something that should be added and many of these recipes don't include that.

If I get desperate for food ideas I'd look at this one again, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Also there aren't any pictures. If you are trying to convince someone to give up their favorite foods, you better have GREAT photography.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative. The recipes tend to draw from Asian influences, and the main dishes are either seafood, chicken, or vegetarian. What I've made so far, I've liked, but I agree with other reviewers who said it's probably easier to just adapt your usual recipes.

This is my first time reading a cookbook as an e-book and I'm not sure yet what I think if it. It'll definitely force me to get to know the bookmarking and note-taking capabilities of my reader!

Oh, and it turns out I don't have IBS; I just needed my gallbladder out.

[Leanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally! Some real advice, written by someone that suffers from IBS. Many of the foods I thought were good for me were actually "trigger foods". I have radically changed my diet and it is working! If you have IBS this book is worth the read.

I'm not sure how that fits into the whole thing, but within days of radically changing my died some interesting "side effects" happened to me. I stopped biting my nails and I no longer have food cravings.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

My hubby has IBS and I was interested in a cook book that would help me be more aware of what he can and cannot eat. The information provided at the beginning of the book was wonderful. However, the actual recpies were way out of my league. She is definitely a gourmet cook and there is no way that I want to take the time and effort to create the materpieces that she wrote about.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is exactly no scientific evidence in this book for her claims. I borrowed this book from the library thinking there may be some good information and recipes to deal with my dairy free daughter's diet. Instead I was faced with unsubstantiated diet and health claims.

This is a dangerous book with zero scientific research just one author's personal opinions and experiences.

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I'm not sure that IBS is what I have (it being an exclusionary diagnosis), I decided to read this book, which has some very effective tips. I have incorporated some of these into my diet. Two-thirds of the book is a collection of recipes from the author.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great for someone who thinks they might have IBS or is freshly diagnosed. However, I know much more than this book offers about how I personally react, and have many more things removed from my diet. So I found little of value. Also, a more current book would have more up to date advice.

[Krista (Mrs K Book Reviews) · Rating 3 out of 5]

yes this type of book is embarrasing but anyone who suffers stomach disorders such as IBS, Colitis, Crohns this is the book for you. i however cant eat alot of the recipes on here as I have issues with some of the foods but the information was informative

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was super-helpful to me. I recommend it to anyone with IBS.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mom gave me this book and I am such a fan. Jenna, you need to borrow it from me or get a copy yourself!

[Ashley Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The recipes sound wonderful.. I am truly hoping it helps

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful information.

[Suzanne Johnson]

Not reading this--just couldn't get it off my list!! LOL.