Eating on a budget and IBS

Hi everyone, my first post on this board so be nice ;)

Have been diagnosed with IBS in January this year and I am supposed to be eating a little more healthy, however we are on a very tight budget and some of the things that have been suggested to me by the doctor are a bit too pricey and it also made me feel sad that my fiance was eating things I wanted to eat, so that was an end to my healthy eating.

However my fiance has now decided he would like to eat healthy and I would like to continue where I left off, but manage on a shopping budget of around £20 a week (which is what we have been managing on so far)

Just really after some inspiration for some meal ideas, ideas for lunch boxes and also snacks (as crisps and fizzy drinks are my weakness)

Comments

  • what sort of foods has your doctor suggested? I have ibs too, and i've found simple things like cutting out fresh orange juice (and all citrus fruits except grapefruit which i have in the morning) and coffee made all the difference, eating plenty of fruit and veggies also helps, as well as drinking plenty of water and having a cereal with plenty of fibre in once a day (i have tesco own bran flakes). if you can give me an idea of what you eat i'll see if i can help. i've had ibs diagnosed 5 years ago, and now keep it under control most of the time.
    £2 saver club 30th sept 198 £2 coins = £396(£350 banked)
  • Strepsy
    Strepsy Posts: 5,651 Forumite
    I'll be interested to read any suggestions, OH has IBS. His main problem seems to be too much cheese or greasy food. He also only drinks Diet Coke which I don't think helps at all but he won't have it.

    Hope you get some good ideas.
    I've been lucky, I'll be lucky again. ~ Bette Davis
  • Bunnie1982
    Bunnie1982 Posts: 1,671 Forumite
    So far I have found my only triggers seem to be dairy (milk, cheese etc.) and fresh juices (a friend said it might be the sugars in the juices)

    I avoid hot drinks as they tend to make things worse, and some spicy foods.

    On a bad day I can only eat grapes and bananas without them causing further discomfort.

    Doctor did prescribe me Meberavine (sp?) but I stopped taking them in favour of peppermint oil capsules

    Other than that I pretty much eat anything
  • nicola1982_2
    nicola1982_2 Posts: 593 Forumite
    I find that eating 'locally' is the biggest help. Your body is suited to british foods. Try to eat a variety, often with IBS it's eating lots of similar foods that causes the problem. Trial and error is the key and a food diary is always helpful.
    £4000 challenge

    Currently leftover - £3872.15
  • melancholly
    melancholly Posts: 7,457
    Combo Breaker First Post
    Forumite
    I also had real trouble which was pinpointed to being dairy - and also really cold drinks get a very bad reaction!
    after 9 months of completely cutting it out, i'm now ok with almost everything in moderation (my downfall is cheesecake - but some things are worth being sick for!).

    It may be worth trying to cut everything that could possibly be a problem for a month, then introducing things and seeing what happens. mebeverine (no idea how to spell it either!) helped me when i had an attack, but it didn't seem to help prevent them - that's where the diet can help. i spent a month on rice, chicken, nuts and tuna before gradually adding things in. it was very dull and eating out was a problem, but once you can say exactly what the problem is, then you can avoid it and i haven't had a full-on attack (cheescake incidents aside) for a year or so, and was having days at a time in bed beforehand.

    as far as suggestions go - well anything at all is possible - soya milk can be used in most recipes as a substitute for milk, and they also have a very good alternative to single cream that's dairy free too. i eat lots of pasta and risotto, but that's mainly because you can have lots of bulk without needing expensive ingredients or much meat. i can't have very rich foods or creamy sauces, but then if you're aiming for a healthy diet that shouldn't be too much of a problem!
    :happyhear
  • I have got IBS and am too on a budget moneywise. I am a bit of a creature of habit so can end up having the same things for lunch everyday for a week at a time!!

    I find fibre helps me so have things like bran flakes, all bran, porridge for breakfast.

    Lunch I have either soup (HM) with oatcakes and some fruit or bulgar wheat, cous cous, wholemeal pitta breads with fruits and snacky bits like carrots, cucumber, tomatoes. I also find that eating things that are gluten free helps me.

    Dinner mostly salad, potatoes, veg, meat. Also switching from white to brown in things like bread, pasta, rice etc really helped me.

    Trying to think what I eat now!! I still get IBS attacks but not as much as I used to.

    Hopes this helps a bit!
    Official DFW Nerd no. 082! :cool:
    Debt @ 01/01/2014 £16,956 Debt now: £0.00 :j
    Aims:[STRIKE] clear debt, get married, buy a house[/STRIKE] :D ALL DONE!!
  • Bunnie1982
    Bunnie1982 Posts: 1,671 Forumite
    Thanks everyone, this is really useful. Some of the things I have read on the internet have been very contradictory so its useful reading everyone elses experiences
  • FTB83
    FTB83 Posts: 160
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Forumite
    Hi - I just thought I'd add my experiences aswell in case anything helps. I have been able to pretty much control symptoms by keeping to a routine of eating...i.e. I have weetabix with soya milk every morning (symptoms were at their worst when I had no breakfast) and I also drink peppermint tea a few times a day.

    If you are not so good on hot drinks, perhaps brew and let it go cold or turn it into an iced tea style drink. It really sorted out the unbearable tummy cramps I had after eating. Other things that triggered it massively were broccoli, dairy and too much bread. Ooh, also dried apricots were really bad, but everyone's different so they might not affect others.

    For my lunch box I often have cous cous followed by a piece or two of fruit: you can make it really flavoursome by using stock and adding peppers, tomato and other bits and bobs, plus it fills you up massively and is healthy.

    I think you should be ok budgeting well for healthy and non-trigger foods- it's not expensive to eat healthy and fresh and you can often make it go much further than pre-prepared dishes.

    Hope this helps and best of luck! ;)
  • I have IBD and IBS and I have to have a high fibre diet so things like porridge, wholemeal bread, pasta and rice. Also drink plenty of water.
  • Hi all,

    I suffer from IBS - although I thought at first I was Gluten Free but seems just Gluten-sensitive! I was wondering how having a high-fibre diet helps everyone? As in surely that makes you need to go to the toilet more? It's something I'll try though if it works as I'm bored of not having more things for breakfast. 2 slices of GF toast is soooo boring!!
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 342.2K Banking & Borrowing
  • 249.8K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 449.3K Spending & Discounts
  • 234.4K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 606.7K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 172.7K Life & Family
  • 247.2K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 15.8K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards