I have IBS, high blood pressure and high cholesterol...

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purpleroxmysocks
purpleroxmysocks Posts: 137 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm good at watching my calories but not so much anything else. I feel like I have so many restrictions now, I should eat a low fat diet, high in fiber without gluten or a lot of sodium but it makes me feel like I'm left with nothing! What should I eat!?

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  • ntbck8
    ntbck8 Posts: 29 Member
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    I have IBS at oposing extremes. Basically I never know how it's going to hit me. I'm coming out of high blood pressure. At first the restrictive diet no salt no flavor no milk no meat was not for me it felt like no anything but I have to agree with the above post keeping it fresh is the best way to go and you get used to it. Its no joke when you end up in the hospital cuz you haven't evacuated in a few weeks. Gross I know but I say it cuz the roads not easy but once you get going it becomes second nature and feeling better definetly makes it worth it.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    edited September 2016
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    I'm dealing with a GI issue also. My diet is restricted because of it. It was difficult at first. I actually can't eat any grains (among a few other things). I eat steamed veggies and fruit high in soluble fiber (definitely good). I'm thankful my diet takes away my symptoms. So, it's worth it to regain my health. Mine was caused by medical injury. I also sometimes eat chicken. I drink a good quality kefir (there is only one kind I can tolerate because it's very highly cultured). I eat walnuts and a few brazil nuts. I can eat dark chocolate (some people can't). I can eat eggs and oils like coconut and olive. I have histamine reactions to food also, so that makes it more challenging.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    purpleroxmysocks wrote: »
    I'm good at watching my calories but not so much anything else. I feel like I have so many restrictions now, I should eat a low fat diet, high in fiber without gluten or a lot of sodium but it makes me feel like I'm left with nothing! What should I eat!?
    Focus on the IBS.
    Cholesterol that you eat has no effect on the cholesterol in the blood. In other words do not worry about the fat you eat.
    Re high blood pressure: some people's blood pressure goes down with lower salt. For some, there is no difference. You can experiment by cooking more at home. Add two home cooked meals a week.
  • purpleroxmysocks
    purpleroxmysocks Posts: 137 Member
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    Thanks for the tips every one! I have been trying to go over meal ideas with my other half. I'm gonna try to watch everything closely for a month and hopefully I'll be able to notice some sort of difference.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    My BP went down when I lost the weight. So watching calories will help anyways.

    The people I knew with IBS all had different trigger foods. You might have to start very restricted and then slowly introduce new foods until you figure out what your trigger foods are.
  • NJCJF
    NJCJF Posts: 134 Member
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    RodaRose wrote: »
    purpleroxmysocks wrote: »
    I'm good at watching my calories but not so much anything else. I feel like I have so many restrictions now, I should eat a low fat diet, high in fiber without gluten or a lot of sodium but it makes me feel like I'm left with nothing! What should I eat!?
    Focus on the IBS.
    Cholesterol that you eat has no effect on the cholesterol in the blood. In other words do not worry about the fat you eat.
    Re high blood pressure: some people's blood pressure goes down with lower salt. For some, there is no difference. You can experiment by cooking more at home. Add two home cooked meals a week.

    This... http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Cholesterol/PreventionTreatmentofHighCholesterol/Know-Your-Fats_UCM_305628_Article.jsp#.V-MfHvkrLIU
  • PennWalker
    PennWalker Posts: 554 Member
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    I have high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

    I've lowered the blood pressure to normal by walking 2x a day on the treadmill and losing 20 lbs in 2 months. Don't drink coffee at least 3 hours before a blood pressure test because coffee temporarily makes the numbers go way up.

    I don't know my recent cholesterol numbers, but the doctor put me on some meds for it. Losing weight should help, plus oatmeal and other things with fiber like beans and steamed greens. "Good" fats are also supposed to help -- I'm adding avocado and olives to my salads.

    Good luck!
  • Hamsibian
    Hamsibian Posts: 1,388 Member
    edited September 2016
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    Cahgetsfit wrote: »
    I'll start this off.

    IMO I think you need to eat fresh 'healthy' food (yes - cue in all food is healthy there is no such thing as unhealthy it;s all CICO blah blah blah)

    I have had IBS in the past and it rarely flares up now. I ate a variety of fresh vegetables, salads, fish, tropical fruits like papaya, some pasta and rice, etc etc for a while - yes it was restrictive, but I felt much better and if I even looked at a bucket of fries my stomach would cramp up (well, if I ate it anyway). So after a while I got used to it.

    Good luck :)

    That doesn't sound restrictive to me, that sounds delicious! I had to change my entire diet for Crohn's, so now I am eating all sorts of meat, offal (still working on this one, I mostly hide liver in my meat), seafood, cooked veggies (except for nightshades like eggplant and potatoes) and fruits (dried is okay in moderation), tubers in moderation - i keep things low carb for the time being. I sometimes miss cheese and rice, but I think I will be able to eat them again. I had to relearn everything, try foods I have never tried before or haven't had in the longest time, and actually meal prep and cook for myself. Even though it's an elimination diet, I eat more of a variety now. I also have to pay attention to my sleeping patterns. My symptoms are awful if I don't sleep enough. Anyway, It is possible to eat healthy on IBS even if you tolerate foods others don't. It just takes time for your body to adjust, and It also helps to keep a food diary to monitor symptoms (thanks mfp).
  • littlechiaseed
    littlechiaseed Posts: 489 Member
    edited September 2016
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    You need to do the lowfodmap diet for your Ibs to determine your triggers and then eat less fatty food for your cholesterol and take your bp meds.
  • rockymytdeb
    rockymytdeb Posts: 29 Member
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    I've been transitioning to plant based, and noticed a huge difference in the IBS. Dairy is a trigger.
  • lilac_bunny
    lilac_bunny Posts: 137 Member
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    My experience of IBS is that you need to eat differently when you are having a flare up than when you are trying to prevent a flare up. You don't HAVE to eat allegen free. When I was first diagnosed I cut out gluten, dairy and a few other things under the direction of a consultant. I then gradually reintroduced everything and I didn't have any problems.
    I find peppermint oil works when having a flare up.
    Stewed apple is good for a flare up. There is lots of evidence it has anti inflammatory properties and also nutrients that aid digestion. I have one everyday when I have a flare up.
  • flagrantavidity
    flagrantavidity Posts: 218 Member
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    purpleroxmysocks wrote: »
    I'm good at watching my calories but not so much anything else. I feel like I have so many restrictions now, I should eat a low fat diet, high in fiber without gluten or a lot of sodium but it makes me feel like I'm left with nothing! What should I eat!?

    A lot of people with your restrictions found success with eating Soylent. Soylent.com

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