Personal trainer, Fat burning, weight loss, muscle tone

Irritated Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

The person with irritated bowel has reached the stage where the digestive system is so upset, it lurches from one extreme to the other: from constipation to diarrhoea and back again. Many sufferers do not understand how they have arrived at this point.

Action Points

Do not give up before you start. The regime for irritated bowel is necessarily strict and very limited. Great determination is required to see it through to the end, especially as that end is not a fixed point. How quickly your gut heals will depend on you. Here are your guidelines:

• Eat little and often. How little will depend on the state of your gut. The aim is to get your body to digest what you are giving it and simultaneously to repair and restore the 'friendly' bacterial flora. You can assist this process by chewing very thoroughly and taking the mildest model of digestive enzymes with meals (instructions are given below). How much of the capsule you can take will depend on the state of your particular gut. Start with a tiny amount; try one-quarter of a capsule and monitor your body's reaction. Are you windy? Are your stools slightly looser or firmer?
• Most IBS sufferers are also low blood sugar types, which goes some way towards explaining the state of their gut and why they have not been digesting their food. It is important that you keep your energy levels up by having warm drinks throughout the day as well as ensuring that you take some light sustenance mid-morning and mid-afternoon.
• Expect setbacks. If you make a wrong decision and your gut objects, resign yourself to four or five days of getting back on track. Your ability to recover will improve as the body gains in strength.
• Be patient. The length of time you have had IBS, your general health and constitution are among the factors that will determine how long it takes you to get over it. I have had patients who could barely eat anything with suffering - even a food as innocuous as vegetable stock could be tolerated. For people in this state it may take months to get them to the stage where the gut does not react. Your attitude, emotional state and how closely you stick to the plan are the most powerful weapons at your disposal to ensure a successful outcome. Use them.
• Chewing herbs. Get into the habit of chewing herbs before you begin your meal. These will help to get your system ready to receive the food you are about to give it and should increase your own expectation of what you are about to receive. Fresh rosemary leaves, thyme, tarragon or fennel seeds should do the trick. Just a few leaves or seeds are needed to pep the digestion. Chewing aniseeds after meals is very good.

Exercise can help relieve the symptoms of IBS. A personal trainer can advise you what type of exercise will suit you. Exercise can also help with fat burning, weight loss and improving muscle tone.

Plan

The initial phase of IBS treatment involves quietening the gut so that it does not explode every time you eat. In this respect it is very similar to that for diarrhoea in the early stages. However, because IBS involves two extremes - diarrhoea and constipation - the plan depends on you using it flexibly to cover both tendencies. I have included eating suggestions, which cover both eventualities. It is up to you to use them appropriately. At some point after you have gently started to correct the fermentation, your body will stop oscillating between these two extremes and settle into one of them, usually constipation. Take this as a sign that your gut is getting better. It is imperative, however, that, you proceed at a snail's pace with the supplements I suggest you take. Only tiny amounts will be tolerated in the beginning, by which I mean fractions of the recommended dose. If too much is introduced, too quickly you may find yourself becoming more constipated rather than less, or experiencing about of diarrhoea. If at any point you swing into the extremes of IBS, go back to either the constipation or diarrhoea plan for guidance as to how you should proceed.

On Waking

• Drink two glasses of water (taken from your daily 8 glasses) with a few drops of natural lemon juice; if you are tending towards diarrhoea, begin very slowly with one drop of lemon and gauge your system's response. If even this amount proves too strong for your system, opt for chamomile tea instead.

Breakfast

• Stewed apple or pear; suitable for both phases.
• Oat or oatbran porridge with some grated apple or a few slices of papaya; suitable for constipation phase.
• Gluten-free cereal with stewed fruit; may be suitable for both phases.

Mid-morning

• Take about one-quarter of a teaspoon of Udo's Oil (to heal the gut lining) mixed with some stewed apple or pear. If you are very windy, use pureed vegetable instead of the fruit or one of the stocks. Add a little 'green energy' food if you are feeling tired. Note: Missing Link is not an appropriate energy-booster for those in the diarrhoea phase.
• Lemon and olive oil drink; use only when in constipation phase.

Lunch

Aubergine or Courgette Rice
Serves 6

Which vegetable you choose will depend on your preference and state of your gut. Some people find aubergines difficult to take. Much of the bitterness; can be eliminated, by sprinkling the sliced aubergines with salt before they are fried. Courgettes, too, benefit from this treatment. The type of rice you should choose; will depend on which phase you are in: use white basmati if you are tending towards diarrhoea, and brown wholegrain if you are tending towards constipation.

275 g (10 oz) rice
3 small aubergines or 6 courgettes
2 tbsp barberries
1 tsp powdered saffron dissolved in 1 tbsp hot water and 1 tsp honey
1 tbsp honey for the barberries
2 eggs
100 g (4 oz) plain yoghurt (goat or sheep's)
Olive oil
Butter
Salt


Soak the rice in water and a little salt for 2 hours before cooking. Slice the aubergines or courgettes and salt them. Let them stand for half an hour in a colander. Pat dry, with paper kitchen towel. Fry in a little olive oil. Remove from the pan and plan on a kitchen towel to soak up the oil. Cut the tail of the barberries and wash quickly. Do not soak. Dry with kitchen towel. Fry with a little olive oil and add the tablespoon of honey. Put to one side. Drain the rice. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, add the salt and drained rice and boil uncovered for 3-4 minutes until the rice is cooked. Beat the egg and mix with the yoghurt, saffron, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and half the cooked rice. Place the rice mixture in an ovenproof dish. Put sliced pieces of butter on top and around the rice. Flatten top with back of spoon. Layer the mixture with the fried aubergines or courgettes. Add the rest of the rice and flatten top again. Cover the dish and place in an oven at 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 for about 45-50 minutes or until the mixture has the appearance of a cake. Remove the dish from the oven and turn contents out onto a hot serving dish. Sprinkle the fried barberries on top. Serve hot with additional cooked vegetables of your choice.

Dinner

Grilled Fish with dill and Lemon and Olive Oil Sauce
Serves 2
Adjusted slightly, this meal will be appropriate for both phases of IBS. If you are in the diarrhoea phase, use the sauce sparingly if at all.

2 fillets or pieces of salmon or firm white fish
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp continental parsley, chopped
150 ml (5 fl oz) lemon and olive oil sauce
1 tbsp dill, chopped
1 tbsp onion, chopped
1 tbsp capers, rinsed
salt


Marinate the fish with lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Refrigerate. Combine the rest of the ingredients, cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Pre-heat the grill. Spread half the ingredients mixture over one side of the fish pieces. Grill one side, then turn and spread the remaining mixture over the other sides of the fish. Grill until the fish flakes easily. Serve with steamed courgettes. Hand round the sauce separately.

If you are really not feeling good, 'Chicken Stock' and 'Persian Rice' are also good.

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