Eating for IBS: 175 Delicious, Nutritious, Low-Fat, Low-Residue Recipes to Stabilize the Touchiest Tummy Paperback – October 30, 2000

Heather has some great tips for IBS. I purchased two of her books and both are informative. She understands the syndrome from a patient's perspective but goes through the proper routes to give you the best medical advice backed by research. Informative and helpful to both patients and physicians wanting to learn more about IBS. I was diagnosed about 21 years old and remember the panic of having to attend something on a day when I may have eaten something that disagreed with my IBS. If you have IBS, you know the panic I'm talking about. When you enter a restaurant the first thing you do is locate the bathroom in case you have to run there. Someone asking you to dinner gives you massive anxiety (which by the way makes your IBS worse). Heather's books teach you not only what is going on in your body but which foods and which order to eat them can help decrease those panic moments. She includes tips like making sure to eat bread at a restaurant before you eat anything else as well as which types of sauces are more likely to cause a problem. She explains soluble versus insoluble fibers which is a huge issue. It's the type of book that gives you the conclusion before you have to find it yourself 20 years into your IBS. Aside from the few differences IBS sufferers do have, most of us come to many of the same conclusions over the years. Heather just shortens the time so you don't have to waste 20 years to come to the same conclusions. You can start using the methods as soon as you're diagnosed.

This book and its diet have stablised my IBS and - more importantly - given me my self-confidence back. It's not a miracle cure or even an immediate one, but using Van Vorous' advice will make a definite difference. It took six months for me to stabilise completely, but I began to see results after the first two weeks. Like all IBS diets, this one must be tweaked to one's individual tolerances, but Van Vorous gives her readers the tools to do this by explaining how IBS works, what triggers it and what the most efficient methods of dealing with flare-ups are. Because she herself has the disease, she's able to offer the results of years of testing, basically eliminating the trial and error that can be so nerve-wracking. The tone of the book is friendly and direct, emphasizing a positive outlook and optimism. Because of this, I find myself turning to Eating for IBS (and its companion, IBS: The First Year) whenever I'm worried, sick or confused.It's also important to know that this book comes with a community of other IBS sufferers ready, willing and able to help with whatever your questions (no matter how embarrassing or silly!) might be, [...].Hence, while Eating for IBS is itself a stellar book, it's the website that really makes it my cherished resource. To answer the criticism of earlier reviews about the recipes: Yes, they're sometimes complicated and require unusual ingredients, but that's the point. The author is trying to show readers that having IBS doesn't mean eating boring, bland food all the time; there are many "fancy" and elegant foods that can be had. Once you figure out the rules and what works for you, everyday "easy" food is really quick to prepare.

I've personally been ill-stricken with the unforgiveable disease known to many as IBS. And like most sufferes, I too have fallen victim to the midnight hospital vitists, numerous testing (ultra-sounds, CT scans, & blood work), and impassive doctors that draw no possible conclusions except for to eat more fiber & drink more water. For 4 years, my quality of life has been jeaopardized and is something, no looking back in regaret, I can't take back.One word to describe this illness? Miserable. One word to describe this book? Godsend. The description of the illness is well-written with easy literature that even a teenager could understand. First 20% is vital information needed to understand how IBS affects the average sufferer - a crash course in biology. The last 80% includes recipes to help kick-start your diet change. Unfortuntate for me, I live in Hawaii where many of the ingredients are either hard to locate or are very expensive. But, nothing a whole foods store can't fix! In addition, my only complaint at this point is that I have to modify a lot of my meals for both myself and my family. They prefer my "old style" of cooking, but since giving up red meats, this task has been a lil more overwhelming than I anticipated. Either way, if you're considering this book for purchase, you won't regret it!

Oh my goodness... I do not have words to describe how thankful I am for this book! I have suffered for years with IBS and I have been told that I had to just "deal" with it, or take tons of drugs with scary sounding side-effects. When I started reading this book I was taking 4 medicines from my GI and I was STILL having episodes of IBS.To start off with, just reading that there are other people going through what I am going through and that I am not crazy/it's not all in my head... because a lot of Dr's try to say IBS is a mental problem. It was wonderful just to know I was not alone and that I wasn't a freak for having an internal GPS of all the bathrooms in the area!Now that I have implemented what I read, I am on NO medicine, and I rarely ever have an episode. If I do, it's because I didn't follow the rules and I always can pinpoint the exact culprit, which makes it easier to avoid that food next time. I honestly didn't do the recipes in the book, I just used the informational part of the book, and it was just what I needed. But I am glad I read through the recipes because I use some of the substitutions suggested and they work perfect - no IBS, same great taste.I wish I could give this book to every GI doctor on the planet, and put it in the waiting rooms; everyone seriously NEEDS to read it. If you are suffering from IBS, it will change your life!