I have been determined to deal with IBS thru diet and little did I know, but I was merely in training for helping my husband change his diet to one that is optimal for fighting cancer.
I have had so many people ask me what we eating and what we're doing. Friends with IBS have asked for help and people with cancer have asked. I guess the easiest thing to do is to start putting the info here. Those who want to make a change will have a place to start learning. It would be wonderful if my research and experiences could end up helping someone.
Basic Info + Tips
Don't try to fake your favorite recipes. I read on the Whole30 site how having one of those made-over recipes with substitute ingredients was like Sex with Your Pants On (SWYPO) - "good… but not that good. You can tell yourself it’s okay, it’s still pretty good, you’re totally satisfied… but that’s kind of a lie. Because you know exactly how good pants-less sex feels." I have found that those pretend recipes are also lots of trouble to make - way more trouble than they are worth.
Things to Avoid Completely
Sugar - Cancer loves glucose. Healthy cells do not. It doesn't take long to get over the cravings. If you have cancer, read a little about it and truly, sugar will look like white poison to you. Getting off sugar is great for fighting/preventing not only cancer, but IBS, diabetes, heart disease and more. It comes in many forms with many names. It's hidden in all sorts of processed foods. Drop them ALL. And that includes the so-called healthy versions, like honey and agave. The jury is still out on stevia, but we don't use it. We're no longer craving sweets. You may think your sugar consumption is low, but you'd likely be shocked if you saw the cummulative amount you are likely consuming in a typical day.
Wheat /Gluten - If you have IBS, don't get anywhere near this. It is very hard to avoid when eating out. So hard, that I have given up eating out. It's not just a matter of avoiding bread. It's in all sort of things - sauces, condiments, soups, toothpastes and more. You may eat out and have eggs only to end up sick. One restaurant adds pancake batter to make their eggs fluffier.
Processed Foods - MOST (but not all) processed food are to be avoided. If it comes in a can or box or bottle or bag and has an ingredient list with more than one item on the list, you'll need to read it like a detective. It's really best to cut out all of the processed things you possibly can.
More things to avoid completely -
- coffee
- processed meats - bacon, sausage, hot dogs, and more
- smoked meats
- milk and dairy
- sodas
- packaged condiments - mayo, dressings
Be Careful
There are some things we should probably cut out entirely, but we do have in very limited amounts or we have found versions that are not terrible.
- red meat - I could drop this and not miss it a bit. Rudy likes red meat, so we are having it some. Not often. We'll probably drop it altogether before long.
- dried fruits (raisins, dates, etc) - hello sugar! These are pretty high on the glycemic index
- hard cheese - we have a small amount of cheddar and parmesan now and then
- cereal - With IBS, it's really good to totally avoid grains and just get your system clean once and for all. Not all doctors will say that, but if you talk to people who have actually worked out their issues, they'll tell you they did! With cancer, there's a bit of concern about keeping your weight up. Grains can help with that. I have read and read and debated and debated over this one. In the end, I decided my husband needs those grains.
- corn - corn has loads of pesticides, plus it's pretty high on the glycemic index. If you are going to eat corn, make darned sure it's organic.
- eggs - some people have trouble with these.
- oils - some oils are better than others. Olive oil is good, but NOT for cooking. Coconut oil is good for high heat. Palm oil is also good for cooking. Some cancer resources recommend sesame oil as well.
Good for Cancer, Not so Good for IBS
First, let me say that IBS is not one size fits all. If you have IBS, you will find that you need to constantly be alert to what your body is sensitive to. One person with IBS may react to foods that seem to be OK for others with IBS.
These foods are wonderful cancer fighters, but they cause all sorts of IBS issues for me -
- garlic and onions
- beans
- nuts
- tomatoes, especially canned
- cabbage
- some whole grains such as oats, flax, millet, amaranth, buckwheat, spelt
- green tea
REAL Food!
So what DO we eat? We eat REAL food. Michael Pollan is the guy who coined this term. Here's a quick explanation on his way of thinking.
Most vegetables are great for both cancer and IBS. Most of what you eat should be in the vegetable family.
Cruciferous Vegetables / Greens - These are absolute POWERHOUSES for fighting or preventing cancer! Eat broccoli, cauliflower, turnip greens, collards and more often!!! Read this for more info.
Sprouts - I am keeping a jar of sprouts going constantly. We add them on our salads. It's super easy to do and requires so little time. I order sprout seeds on Amazon or from Sprout People. Broccoli sprouts are the very best for fighting cancer, but other sprouts are nutritious, as well.
Colorful Vegetables - OK. I'm just being lazy here. I don't feel like listing every vegetable group or every vegetable. Just eat lots of vegetables that haven't had other ingredients mixed in with them. Fresh and frozen are both fine. Organic is best. Non-GMO is best.
Starchy Vegetables - These can be helpful in keeping weight up when fighting cancer. Some are better than others. White potatoes are very starchy (sugar alert), but sweet potatoes and yams are OK, because they don't raise glucose levels quite as fast. Carrots are nutrient dense so we definitely eat those.
Fruits - Berries are the very best. Most other fruits are great in moderation. Too much of them can put you over in terms of glucose and sugar. Bananas are very high sugar. If you eat a banana, make it a very small one!
Spices -
- turmeric - this needs to be eaten with black pepper (as in curry) or ginger in order to get the full benenfits
- cinnamon
- ginger (GREAT for cancer and a lifesaver for IBS!)
Meats - This is HIGHLY debateable. Many recommend eliminating meat altogether for both IBS and cancer. If you are going to eat meat, fish is best. Small fish are lower on the food chain and have less mercury, so they're best of all. Poultry is OK. Pork is so-so. Red meat is poor.
Smoothies - great way to work in more fruits and veggies. They taste great, too! I am no longer using whey protein, which is dairy based. I use Hemp Protein. It still has a worrisome amount of ingredients. You can skip the protein altogether and I think about doing that often. Here's a how-to I wrote up ages ago.
Herbal Tea - There are some great ones out there. Some ingredients are wonderful for soothing an IBS flare-up - like ginger, fennel and licorice. Others have fantastic cancer fighting ingredients like turmeric and ginger.
Resources
You are welcome to browse my food boards on Pinterest as I search for new things to try. There may be some links to things that are not really usable as is, but that I thought might be able to be tweaked.
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The Rebecca Katz web page includes some of her recipes.
Here are some of her recipes I found online:
