If you've successfully managed to reduce your dairy and wheat intake, what did you replace those foods with?

[tomovemykids]

I have IBS and am trying to cut down on wheat and dairy, but most of the healthy alternatives are fruit and veg, which are triggers. Here's a list of the foods I tend to avoid unless I want bloating, cramps and stinky wind for hours...mostly highly fermentable foods...

Beans, lentils, pulses, legumes etc
Salad
Fruit, esp stone fruit
Veg such as the brassica and cruciferous sorts
Popcorn
Peas and sweetcorn
Brown rice, bread, pasta

So a normal day would be a bowl of Cereal (dairy and wheat), soup or sandwich for lunch with some fruit such as a banana, maybe a yoghurt. Evening meal is normally pasta/potato/rice based with meat. I usually have a small bowl of Cereal for supper too otherwise I wake up hungry in the night.

I do like eggs but only hot/warm, not cold. So I'll have scrambled eggs on toast at home.

Any ideas on what I could breakfast and snack on that's healthy and not a trigger please?

Oh. Forgot nuts are a huge trigger too (sadly, as I love plain nuts)

Me, I don't snack and generally don't have breakfast. Big lunch and dinner does the job. So much easier.

Low carb eating has vastly improved my IBS, although I struggle with breakfasts! Thankfully my body seems to tolerate carbs in the morning so I have ready break made with lactose free milk and a bit of cream. I don't avoid dairy.

For lunch I have chicken/cheese/cucumber combo. I don't really do snacking. I avoid fruit - but that has always been an IBS trigger anyway so I was never a big fruit eater.

Not sure I've been of much help really, have I?! But as a fellow IBS sufferer, I sympathise with you! X

Oh I wish I wasn't a snacker! I have an insatiable appetite and always have done (Mum was always complaining I ate her out of house and home).

I wake up at 7am with hunger pains and can't wait for breakfast.

I did Slimming World at 17 (to go from 10st to 9st despite being 5ft 7 and perfectly healthy ) and I swear it's ruined me for life. That was over 20yrs ago when the mantras and ethos included never being hungry, eating as much pasta and rice as you want, and filling up on fat free Muller Yoghurts. Oh, and having loads of free fruit and veg.

I had a colonoscopy before my IBS diagnosis and the Gastro consultant said a diet that's good for the heart isn't necessarily good for the gut.

I think I'd be starving on a low carb diet...

Haven’t rft but I don’t think you need to cut down... you need to cut out 100 per cent
That’s what means dh have had to do
While you are still having bits here and there, you keep triggering the inflammation response

This also means sauces, and things you wouldn’t expect it lurking like coleslaw

DD hasn't gone dairy free, but Lactose free, which seems to help. She has lactofree milk with oats and nuts in the morning, or lactofree yoghurt with frozen fruit and granola.

We are also trying coconut Kefir (no Lactofree available) and that seems to be helping too, although very expensive.

Also forgot to mention, she finds Sourdough bread much better than standard bread too.

I used to have cereal with milk, toast and yoghurt for breakfast (always starving in the AM). A sandwich for lunch, then pasta, rice or some type of potato with veg and a veggie substitute for meat (rest of the family have meat). Biscuits, crisps etc during the day.

I now have Greek yoghurt with honey (seems to make a difference that’s its Greek), and two pieces of fruit - banana, apple, persimmons or grapes etc. I eat the fruit first so it doesn’t ferment on top of the yoghurt. Apparently fruit should always be eaten on an empty stomach .

For lunch I have an big omelette with peppers, onions and cheese, or mushrooms. Or beans on gluten free toast with cheese.

Afternoon snack is rice cakes with peanut butter. Eat a lot of rice cakes. I also have Mrs Crimbles macaroons.

Dinner is similar as before but with gluten free pasta if having that. Then an ice lolly and a glass of red wine for dessert.

It made a massive difference just removing the wheat crap from breakfast as I didn’t feel like I had a rock in my stomach, then need to spend half an hour on the loo, then feel starving and ‘empty’ within a few hours.

I wasn’t diagnosed with IBS but had loads of flatulence, daily heart burn and acid reflux.

My adult DD has diagnosed IBS and has cut out coffee and cruciferous veg completely which has almost solved her problem. Eats a lot of raw spinach for greens. She’s not really affected by wheat but has gluten free bread (although can eat a normal pizza) and uses coconut milk instead of real milk, but is OK with Greek yoghurt and cheese.

For pizza night for me, I make a big frittata with halved baby plum toms, spinach, courgette, peppers, drizzled pesto and a bit of Parmesan. Tastes better than the real thing and I don’t feel like crap after eating it!

The one thing you don't do on a low carb diet is starve!

I make my own gluten free oat muesli.. you could leave out the nuts
Add your own bits and pieces

@Dowser I haven't been told I have an allergy or intolerance to wheat or dairy, so don't want to cut them out completely (if for no other reason than the substitutes are so flipping expensive).

@Baaa I did try kefir last year and had limited success with it. Might try the Lactofree milk but depends on how pricey it is. Will try sourdough bread too but not sure the kids will eat it and I won't get through a whole loaf (don't like freezing bread as it goes manky!).

Another lunch is tacos. I make a veggie one with lentils, taco spice, salsa and cheese in corn taco shells. Usually save some taco or veggie chilli mix from a dinner.

Would you be ok with tahini? At night, I have 2tbsp of the light kind with fruit molasses from a Turkish grocer drizzled on like a dip with either triangles of white toast or apple slices. It's got a lot of calcium in it.

Thanks everyone, some good tips here

I do love Greek yoghurt, just not normally first thing (I need something to quench my thirst so will have my tea first) but will give it a try.

I also love omelette but obvs can't have them at work during the day. Been eating loads of spinach lately as am anaemic and my iron supplements aren't cutting the mustard (was too low to give blood last week).

Forgot to say I've cut out caffeine and alcohol this year but it doesn't seem to have made a difference yet (in terms of IBS anyway).

Yellredder I'm going to try eating more cheese and chicken rather than bread, and also try the Ready Brek with lacto free milk - thanks.

Anyone else find their hormones playa havoc with their IBS too? DH has to pretty much sleep in the spare room at that time of the month

Oh and do you know what I love but can't tolerate any more? Jacket potato skins Used to love a crispy jacket spud with beans but now can't eat either...

@ScribblingMilly don't think I've tried tahini? Will look in Sainsbury's tomorrow.

@WendyWonka I definitely can't have lentils! And can only have small amounts of onion and garlic (which is annoying as I love them). I've switched to garlic granules which are better for me.

I'm dairy intolerant so had to replace everything, and don't tolerate gluten well so don't eat bread/pasta/cereal at all.

Soya (although eco issues there) milk, ice cream and yoghurt are easily available and good, other options are oat milk, almond and coconut, different things work better in tea, coffee and cooking. Coconut yoghurt also great, soya and oat creams also good, and oatly does a crème fraiche. Vegan cheese is something I have a rather arm's length relationship with but it's there in different forms.

Breakfast is often mushrooms, sometimes a little bit of bacon or sausage or ham, sometimes smoked salmon, often eggs, I can tolerate tomatoes but you may not be able to. Avocado also good if you can manage that?

Lunches are often cold meat, cheese, cucumber sticks (I don't know if you can tolerate that? Is it the salad leaves that cause the problem or all cold veg?), nuts, home made broths.

Tahini is sesame seeds so you might or might not be ok with it. If you can't get the fruit molasses (which has iron in it), you can make it savoury by watering it down & adding lemon and garlic.

OP have you heard of Whole 30? I've just done one and felt amazing on it. I think it would really help you to identify your triggers. It's essentially a 30 day elimination diet. No sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes or dairy. Afterwards there's a reintroduction period to see what's an issue and what isn't. From your list it looks as though you think a few of these things bother you. There's loads of information on the internet including an Instagram page with tons of meal ideas.

Do the dairy & wheat make your symptoms worse, OP?

Sorry I tried to read carefully, but didn't see where you said that.

I've recently switched to largely dairy free.

If I have banana smoothie, I use soya or almond milk,

The only dairy I now have is Greek yogurt for breakfast, which i have with frozen blueberries that I've microwaved until they're hot and squishy - delicious!

I also take cold omelettes to work with additional avocados - they taste just as good cold, and the fat in the avocado keeps you full.

I'm gluten free and was recently advised to go dairy free, though not diagnosed IBS.

I don't tend to replace them. So I don't bother with cereal, I do eat gluten free pasta, but I drink black coffee and herbal tea rather than drink soya milk or fake cheeses.

I eat more meat than I used to, and my meals are mainly meat + vegetables. Last night i had beef strips in a tomato based sauce, tonight it's Turkey meatballs and grilled Mediterranean veg in a mild curry sauce. I oven roasted sweet potato and butternut squash cubes with brussel sprouts and have been having that as a kind of bubble and squeak with an egg for breakfast.

I'm wondering if a paleo/lowish carb high meat diet might suit you?

I am lactose free so have dairy alternatives like oat milk and only eat low lactose cheeses.

I don't have much wheat really as I don't eat bread, pasta etc, though I do sometimes make my own pancakes or naan with coconut flour.

I don't eat breakfast but I tend to have cold meat and salad for lunch or tofu, veggie meals. In the evening we have vegetables and protein or vegetarian meals like cauliflower curry.

It sounds like meat might help.

@Lamentations no I haven't heard of that, will look it up, thanks. I haven't done an elimination diet yet so would be good to pin down definite triggers.

@lljkk ah, sorry, I wasn't clear. I'm trying to lose weight and not have bad bouts of IBS. I do tend to have dairy and wheat with most meals, so wanted to cut back to try and lose weight but also to see if perhaps the wheat and dairy were exacerbating my problem.

@bbcessex I can't bear cold eggs in any form (quiche/omelette/hard boiled etc) and despise avocado too! Wish I did like them as they'd make good lunches. Thanks for the ideas tho!

@BarbedBloom how did you discover you were Lactose intolerant please? And I can't imagine the after effects cauliflower curry would have on me

@FelicityFebruary yes I might start upping my meat at lunchtimes.

Sweet potato wraps are good for lunch also rice pots if you have access to a kettle. We have lots of rice, rice noodles and gf pasta. We also use oat milk. Pancakes with oat milk gf flour and eggs for breakfast are also a favourite. I have a wheat /dairy allergic child so also lots of oats, porridge, flapjacks and oatcakes. Hummus if you are OK with chick pea is a good snack with corn nachos or rice cakes to dip
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