Rating: 
Summary: Common sense advice for IBS sufferers
Review: I found this book to be very informative and helpful. The recipes I have tried so far have been delicious and I haven't had to buy any "weird" ingredients. I highly recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: a book that teaches you what and when to eat food for IBS
Review: Anyone who has IBS knows that controlling your diet can be very difficult. This book helps address the issue of diet and foods for those with IBS. Eating for IBS is written in a simple and easy to understand way that makes it a pleasure to read. Also, the information in the book is not from a doctor it is from someone WHO HAS SUFFERED FROM IBS...this is what helps makes this book so good and honest.The book itself has two main sections. The first is an overview of what IBS is and what foods work with and against your colon. Some of the great parts of this section are a list of trigger foods (and why they are trigger foods), an explanation of the different types of fiber and fiber foods, IBS kitchen essentials, and many other great tips. The other part of the book is recipes. These are low residue recipes that work with a sensitive stomach. The categories of recipes listed are wide and include: beverages, appetizers and snacks, breakfasts, breads, side dishes and salads, soups and sanwiches, main dishes and desserts. The recipe section also contains a menu at-a-glance feature. The recipes in this book are great. They include flavor, great taste, and variety. The author of the book, Heather Van Vorous, uses many substitutes to make recipes that were normally unthinkable great for people with IBS. Also, the recipes included generally are easy to make. Another great feature is that each recipe has a very detailed nutrient analysis directly under it on the page. The one downfall of this book is that many of the recipes require ingredients that aren't normally found on your local grocery store shelves. However, Vorous does respond to this problem by having a directory of resources in the back that includes phone numbers and web address of places where these items may be purchased. Another downfall of the book is that some of the recipes just seem to elaborate for an everyday meal--a few of them just seem so fancy they should be served at a dinner party. Overall, this book is really fantastic. Although it has a few problems, as noted above, this book is well worth the cost. It can help people who suffer from both mild and severe IBS. The advice and recipes contained within the book help people with IBS realize that they don't have to give up great tasting food. This is a really good buy for anyone who suffers with IBS.
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Summary: The only book on IBS written by an IBS sufferer...
Review: If you have IBS, you already know how frustrating and debilitating this disorder can be. It affects and often controls your whole life, and consumes time and money as you go from doctor to doctor, medication to medication, explore alternative healing modalities. Heather Von Vorous's book is the best $17 you will ever spend in an effort to learn to control your IBS symptoms. This is the only book on IBS written by a fellow IBS sufferer. Ms. Von Vorous is a sympathetic and understanding writer. Personally, I suffered from severe IBS and found no relief until I found Ms. Von Vorous's website..., which she has turned into her book, Eating for IBS. I followed her reccomendations and recipes to the letter for two months, and began to see my IBS in a whole new light. Not only did I greatly improve my IBS symptoms, but I discovered through this book a healthy, wholesome way to eat and enjoy food again. Ms. Von Vorous strongly believes that having IBS should not mean deprivation as far as food is concerned, but simply substitution. And her recipes deliver. Did you ever think you would be able to enjoy wonderful cakes and sweet breads without paying for it later with stomach pain and discomfort? Or eat gelato or Thai stir-fry without any consequences? Well, believe it! This book literally saved my life. Before I found this book, I weighed 87 pounds, could not tolerate any foods, and had IBS symptoms so severe I had to quit my job. Now I am gaining back my lost weight, can enjoy a tremendous variety of foods, and can live a normal, full live again. If you are ready to start managing your IBS and can open your mind to the suggestions and diet modifications that Ms. Von Vorous presents, you will be amazed at the results. As an IBS sufferer, I have infinite sympathy for others like myself who suffer from this awful condition for which there is no medical cure. This book does not propose a miracle "cure" for IBS, but it will aid you tremendously in managing it, so you can be in control of your life again! Heather Von Vorous' thorough, detailed and compassionate information and recipes are better than any pills, potions, or doctor's advice on this disease that I have come across.
Rating: 
Summary: Eat Without Fear
Review: I've never met someone without IBS who truly appreciates how devastating and excruciating the condition can be. I know first-hand the sheer brutality of an IBS attack, so I sympathize unconditionally with others who suffer from this problem. I know exactly what they're going through because I've been there myself. The only reason I'm able to lead a normal life is because I follow the dietary advice in this book. I've had IBS since childhood, though I went undiagnosed for six years. My first doctor dismissed the problem as "all in my head". She refused to run diagnostic tests even though I was fainting from the pain of attacks. When a different doctor finally diagnosed me, I was offered little beyond the label "IBS." Though it was a relief to have a name for my problem, I was provided with no dietary advice whatsoever. It took years of daily trial and error, and much agonizing experience, to learn which foods triggered IBS and which soothed it. It required additional medical research to realize precisely why these foods had the physical effects they did. The end result was this, a book about IBS by someone who personally has IBS and has learned to control the problem through diet. Eating for IBS is supported not just by decades of personal experience and nutritional research, but by feedback from thousands of other IBS sufferers. This book has helped everyone with IBS who has followed its advice. It's safe to assume that the information can in some way assist all IBS sufferers - the syndrome is not so highly individualized that no dietary generalizations can be made, as the colon reacts to specific foods in predictable ways. This is basic biology. People with IBS who follow the guidelines of this book can finally eat without fear. I know this to be true because I am one of those people. Although IBS is an incurable condition, it can be controlled through diet. Unfortunately, many doctors, dieticians, and nutritionists remain either wholly uninformed or wildly misinformed about the dietary requirements of IBS. I don't know why this is, but I do know things must change. I hope this book will help. LETTERS TO THE AUTHOR FROM READERS: "This book will offer a lot of hope and encouragement to anyone with IBS. The diet information has turned my life around. It's not restrictive and I'm now free of the pain and everything else. It's wonderful to be able to socialize and not worry about the bathroom. I just returned from a two week car trip and it was so much fun because I didn't have to worry about where the next rest stop was. I can now go out to lunch or dinner or shopping anytime I want and not have to worry about finding restrooms. This diet works wonders. THANKS FOR CHANGING THE QUALITY OF MY LIFE FOR THE BETTER." -Nan Robertson "Thank you, thank you, thank you. This information is so wonderful and complete I can't believe it hasn't been taught as a requirement in medical school. I read it and read it again, and carry it with me when I travel. I feel so hopeful. I've been following the eating guidelines and I feel like a new person. I can't believe it! Wow! What a difference this diet has made - it's been the biggest help in dealing with my IBS. I recommend it to everyone." - Diane Feierabend "I cannot THANK YOU ENOUGH for your recipes! I can see this book is a labor of love. I have researched for many years for a book just like this without success. I can't wait to start cooking. Your recipes have given me a lot more delicious choices in my menus and I can't tell you how much I appreciate your sharing them with me. YUM! YUM! I'm very hopeful that I'm on my way to managing my IBS and getting back to living. Many thanks again and God Bless." -Karen Wurster "Thank you for this information. It's helped me far more than any doctor has. I've been using this guide for some time now, and I'm like a new person, back to feeling like me. Your suggestions have become mainstays in my eating habits." -Pat Schultz "I've had yet another day of feeling great thanks to your tips. Knowing that I can really make a difference without feeling deprived by a strict diet is a wonderful feeling. How does it feel to have made such a positive impact on people's lives?" - Cindy Friedman "Your advice, guidelines, and writing style far surpass other resources I found, and you provide an excellent organization of facts, suggestions, and sympathies, which quickly dispelled a great deal of my anxiety. Thanks so much for all the effort that you've clearly put into your book." - Daniel Olin "This book is an incredible piece of work. I haven't found the medical community knowledgeable at all in nutrition, and I wasn't helped by a certified dietician. I want you to know that I appreciate this material and your kindness very much. Thanks again." - Gladys Schwartz "Thank you so much for this information! It's made such a difference." -Rachel Rutledge "This book is one of the most encouraging things I've come across since I was diagnosed with IBS." - Carol Famar "This is a great diet that works better than anything a GI doctor has given me." -Katrisha Milligan "This book is a godsend to those of us living with IBS!" -Carol Katno "This information rang so true to me, and the dietary suggestions and advice were excellent. Thanks again for your inspiration and dedication." -Darcie Cimarusti "Your information has offered me hope. Thank you for getting this out to the public. How wonderful for new IBS sufferers that you have channeled your own pain and experience with IBS into a book that not only gives hope for better health and good food, but encourages the soul, too." -Tammy Hastings
Rating:
Summary: Counterinuitive -- but brilliant
Review: In these days of low-carb mania, it's a real mind-bender to consider that red meat, butter, whole eggs, raw veggies and whole wheat bread might be bad for you -- and that white rice, white bread, and white pasta might actually be good. But for IBS sufferers (at least those like me, with diarrhea-predominant symptoms and lots of gas/bloating) this can indeed be the case. Following Heather's basic strategies has provided wonderful relief in a matter of days -- after months of invasive tests, ineffective medications, and futile advice from docs. Her explanation of the differing effects of soluble and insoluble fiber on IBS sufferers is the key to this diet, and many will find that they can add back "forbidden" foods to some degree after getting their gut stabilized. Who would have thought that eating things in a specific order (like eating the starch before the salad!) could actually have an effect on gut spasms? But for me, that's exactly the case. The author's sage advice about various fiber supplements and their individual characteristics would be worth the purchase price. (Reviewers who complained that her diet doesn't work for IBS with constipation must not be following her advice about incorporating fiber supplements; I don't see how they could possibly remain blocked up under the regime she outlines.) On top of that, the recipes are great. I love food and cooking and had despaired of ever having fun in the kitchen again -- always worried that what I was putting in my mouth was going to cause great suffering an hour or two later. Playing around with Heather's recipes has brought back the old thrill, and it's stuff the whole family can eat without suspecting it's some kind of special diet. The book is also packed with many interesting and tasty items you'd enjoy serving to guests. If you're wondering about whether all these reviews can possibly be "for real," or if this is just some stupid and possibly dangerous fad diet -- take the chance and buy this book. The recommendations are healthful, the diet's not going to hurt you, and you have nothing to lose except the hours of suffering currently caused by your IBS.
Rating:
Summary: A must for all IBS sufferers
Review: I don't know if there are enough words to convey what a God send this book is. For years, I have been trying to figure out what was wrong with me. There was the lactose intolerance, acid reflux and the "its in your head"...blah blah blah, it wasn't any of them.I went through many "stages" and many misdiagnosis until my Doctor finally mentioned IBS. My Doctor told me to increase my fiber, so as a vegetarian, I did just that. Only to feel worse and worse. I would get hit with waves of nausea during breakfast to be followed by vomitting. I had had enough. I did some research on my own and found a fantastic wedsite, Help for IBS.com. That is where I found this book. This book explains the difference in fibers, soluable and insoluable. Which was my catostrophic mistake when I increased my fiber. I have only had this book for a week and I can't praise it enough. I haven't felt this good in months, maybe even a years in hindsight. Listen to what she writes, she knows what she is talking about.
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Summary: helping to stabelize some internal turbulence
Review: when my husband's IBS started kicking up a couple of months ago, we both were at a loss. a lot of the foods I thought would be "safe" ended up making things worse. he eventually was afraid to eat because he worried that whatever he put in his mouth would give him painful repercussions very soon.
this book isn't just a cookbook, but has a lot of helpful and practical information about this condition.
and I gotta say--the recipes are awesome! I've made a dozen or so things from the book. without fail, they have been fairly simple and very, very delicious. the recipes have been so good, I've started writing them down so I can share them with friends--none of whom have ibs.
unfortunately, while the recipes are simple, you'll learn there aren't a lot of convenient or pre-packaged foods that are available that are "safe."
also, you will probably have to go through some trial and error. even some of the safest foods seem to cause some abdominal turbulence for my husband when his condition is particularly bad. and some of the foods she has blacklisted we've tried and not found to be so harmful for us.
some of the ingredients are exotic enough that you'll have to do a little hunting--however, Heather always marks these with an asterick.
anyhow, good luck! enjoy!
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