Becoming veggie with IBS

[sunshine05]

Ok so there doesn't seem to be a vegetarian thread on here, so I hope you don't mind me posting here.

I'm thinking of becoming a vegetarian (I'm not sure if I could go vegan but perhaps it's another step in the future). I have a few reasons- I love animals, I want to help the planet and I believe it's a healthy way to eat. BUT I have IBS and I react badly to cruciferous veg (onions, broccoli, cauliflower, sprouts amongst others) and pulses and beans. I do have small amounts in my diet but couldn't have it in the quantities I often see it in restaurants in their veggie meals. How hard would it be to become veggie with this as a stumbling block? I don't know if I'm just using it as an excuse not to try but I worry about choices when I'm out and about and getting enough protein in my diet.

@sunshine05
From the list you describe you are actually leaving two categories out:
the allium (garlic, onions, leeks, chives, scallions, shallots ....) and the cruciferous (broccoli, cauliflower, ....)
What you list is the typical vegetables on the FODMAP diet. Monash University here in Australia has a website and even an app to help you understand your way around food www.monashfodmap.com/ibs-central/i-have-ibs/starting-the-low-fodmap-diet/

Can you be vegetarian on a FODMAP diet, yes.

You can have so many different types of salads and other veggies cooked or raw. Here is a list to prove it from (www.ibsdiets.org/fodmap-diet/fodmap-food-list/)
Alfalfa
Bamboo shoots
Bean sprouts
Beetroot, canned and pickled
Black beans – 1/4 cup / 45g
Bok choy / pak choi
Broccoli, whole – 1/2 cup
Broccoli, heads only – 3/4 cup
Broccoli, stalks only – 1/2 cup
Broccolini, whole – 1/2 cup chopped
Broccolini, heads only – 1/2 cup
Broccolini, stalks only – 1 cup
Brussels sprouts – 2 sprouts
Butternut squash – 1/4 cup
Cabbage, common and red up to 1 cup
Callaloo
Carrots
Celeriac
Celery – less than 5cm of stalk
Chicory leaves
Chick peas – 1/4 cup
Chilli – if tolerable
Chives
Cho cho – 1/2 cup diced
Choy sum
Collard greens
Corn / sweet corn – if tolerable and only in small amounts – 1/2 cob
Courgette
Cucumber
Eggplant / aubergine
Fennel
Green beans
Green pepper / green bell pepper / green capsicum
Ginger
Kale
Karela
Leek leaves
Lentils – in small amounts
Lettuce:
Butter lettuce
Iceberg lettuce
Radicchio lettuce
Red coral lettuce
Rocket lettuce
Romaine/Cos lettuce
Marrow
Okra
Olives
Parsnip
Peas, snow – 5 pods
Pickled gherkins
Pickled onions, large
Potato
Pumpkin
Pumpkin, canned – 1/4 cup, 2.2 oz
Radish
Red peppers / red bell pepper / red capsicum
Scallions / spring onions (green part)
Seaweed / nori
Silverbeet / chard
Spaghetti squash
Spinach, baby
Squash
Sun-dried tomatoes – 4 pieces
Swede
Swiss chard
Sweet potato – 1/2 cup
Tomato – canned, cherry, common, roma
Tomatillos – canned
Turnip
Water chestnuts
Yam
Zucchini

If you also download an app called wholesome or use the free cronometer website to track your nutrition you can see that all your needs are covered - and this includes protein - with a high vegetables diet. If you eat your calories with real food and not crap, ultra processed, frankenfood (food like substance invented in a lab) , you will have all your proteins covered.

Nutritionfacts is a website that recollects medical papers on diet topics. You might be interested in this video nutritionfacts.org/video/peppermint-oil-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome/

When I was veggie, the vegetarians I knew lived mostly on bread & cheese.
Are those foods ok for you? They have plenty of protein.
Getting enough iron was my problem as a vegtrn.

I have similar restrictions to you because of my IBS and am currently concentrating on reducing meat intake at home and not worrying too much about eating out as I don't do it very often anyway. I do think it is possible but it just take some more thought and creativity to make sure I get a reasonable amount of protein in my diet. I'm also doing it slowly so as to give my digestive system time to get used to the change in diet. There's no reason why you can't start by making small changes and build up to full veggie as you find out what works for you.

Protein wise I am eating Quorn stuff, tofu, nuts and seed, quinoa. I can also manage tinned chickpeas and lentils in small amounts. I also eat eggs and some dairy but would like to reduce this as well at some point in the future.

I don't have IBS so can't help you with all aspects of your post. But if you're worried about what to do when out and about, I was vegan for over two years at home before I became vegan when at other people's houses/at restaurant because I just wasn't confident enough to impose my choices elsewhere. Remember that 50% veggie is better than 0% and 65% is better than 50% etc, so don't let perfectly veggie be the enemy of mostly veggie.

Also, in regards to protein, the recommendation is that humans need 0.8g protein per day per kilo of body weight, which I find isn't very much at all when eating 1500+ calories of food. Try using an app like My Fitness Pal to see how much you're actually eating, as you may be eating more than you think (I.e. most breakfast cereals have several grams, some veggies do etc).

Good luck!

the recommendation is that humans need 0.8g protein per day per kilo of body weight, which I find isn't very much at all when eating 1500+ calories of food.
I know, it is very hard to remain low protein. I try to aim at lower 0.6 because a have a tumour inducing genetic syndrome, and 0.6 for my weight which is roughly 30 gr of protein per day . Extremely hard to stay that low without malnutrition. It also means I have to go to the gym a lot to prevent muscle loss, include the most important muscle which is the heart!

@liliesandchocolate That sounds really tricky!

Thanks @plantsplantsplants
Have you ever tried Cronometer? I find it way superior to the my fitness plan and it is free.

@liliesandchocolate ooh, I've never heard of Cronometer! I'll check it out, thanks!

For IBS I suggest you look at Food Combining ( I cured mine with it) All it is is not eating protein and carbs at the same meal AND eating fruit on an empty stomach e.g (for breakfast) not as dessert.

Easily done on a veggie diet.