Comments on: Tips for Easing IBS & Digestive Distress http://transcendbulimia.com/archives/53 An Uplifting Journey to Recovery from Bulimia - with Tips and Coaching for Your Own Recovery. Wed, 02 Jul 2008 19:39:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Heather http://transcendbulimia.com/archives/53/comment-page-1#comment-545 Heather Tue, 04 Jul 2006 02:55:46 +0000 http://transcendbulimia.com/?p=53#comment-545 Hi Meg, You cook amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat and millet just as you would cook rice -- for simple recipes. You typically use 1-2 cups water per 1 cup of grain (I start with less water and add more if needed. The key is to soak the grain in water for at least 8 hours, preferably 24 hours before cooking. Just put it in a pyrex dish with a top and cover with water overnight in the refrigerator. Then you can cook it like rice, adding your favorite vegetables and spices -- this is quick and easy. There are also nice recipes where you can make things like millet loaf -- checkout bodyecology.com and click on recipes. The book also has some excellent recipes. I will post some here in the near future, when I add a recipe page. The puffed versions of the grains do have less fiber. I've never had puffed quinoa, but I have had puffed millet and puffed buckwheat. These days, I tend to stick to the grains because they are high in protein and fiber -- and they add water to the colon in the digestive process, which helps for constipation. The buckwheat groats (kasha, not Kashi) are excellent with cinnamon, a little nutmeg, ghee and a little stevia -- this makes a nice sweet hot cereal. You can also make buckwheat groats with curry, cumin and coriander with your favorite vegetables (like peas, carrots, collards, etc.) for a nice, savory meal. I actually eat the savory version for breakfast, since I have been eating vegetables for breakfast since I changed my diet. It was weird at first, but it was recommended and over time, I didn't want sweet things anymore. Have fun experimenting! With love, Heather Hi Meg, You cook amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat and millet just as you would cook rice — for simple recipes. You typically use 1-2 cups water per 1 cup of grain (I start with less water and add more if needed. The key is to soak the grain in water for at least 8 hours, preferably 24 hours before cooking. Just put it in a pyrex dish with a top and cover with water overnight in the refrigerator.

Then you can cook it like rice, adding your favorite vegetables and spices — this is quick and easy. There are also nice recipes where you can make things like millet loaf — checkout bodyecology.com and click on recipes. The book also has some excellent recipes. I will post some here in the near future, when I add a recipe page.

The puffed versions of the grains do have less fiber. I’ve never had puffed quinoa, but I have had puffed millet and puffed buckwheat. These days, I tend to stick to the grains because they are high in protein and fiber — and they add water to the colon in the digestive process, which helps for constipation.

The buckwheat groats (kasha, not Kashi) are excellent with cinnamon, a little nutmeg, ghee and a little stevia — this makes a nice sweet hot cereal. You can also make buckwheat groats with curry, cumin and coriander with your favorite vegetables (like peas, carrots, collards, etc.) for a nice, savory meal. I actually eat the savory version for breakfast, since I have been eating vegetables for breakfast since I changed my diet. It was weird at first, but it was recommended and over time, I didn’t want sweet things anymore.

Have fun experimenting!

With love,
Heather

]]> By: Meg http://transcendbulimia.com/archives/53/comment-page-1#comment-544 Meg Mon, 03 Jul 2006 21:38:33 +0000 http://transcendbulimia.com/?p=53#comment-544 Hi, Heather: I am curious about how you cook amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat and millet for breakfast. I went to the health food store to get these grain last week. I was recommended to the puffed quinoa and I cooked it as hot cereal. It tastes great! But I am wondering if puffed quinoa is as nutritious as its original form. I also conerned whether it contains enough fiber for me, because I have to take lots of fiber. Thanks for answering my questions. Meg Hi, Heather:
I am curious about how you cook amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat and millet for breakfast. I went to the health food store to get these grain last week. I was recommended to the puffed quinoa and I cooked it as hot cereal. It tastes great! But I am wondering if puffed quinoa is as nutritious as its original form. I also conerned whether it contains enough fiber for me, because I have to take lots of fiber.

Thanks for answering my questions.

Meg

]]> By: Emily http://transcendbulimia.com/archives/53/comment-page-1#comment-535 Emily Sun, 02 Jul 2006 17:38:37 +0000 http://transcendbulimia.com/?p=53#comment-535 Thanks, Heather! I look forward to trying this! Em Thanks, Heather! I look forward to trying this!

Em

]]> By: Heather http://transcendbulimia.com/archives/53/comment-page-1#comment-525 Heather Sat, 01 Jul 2006 04:38:31 +0000 http://transcendbulimia.com/?p=53#comment-525 Hi Emily, you would use 1 tablespoon of whole flax seeds and 12 oz. of boiling water. 30 minutes good for steeping, but it's even better if you let it sit overnight, then drain and drink the liquid. You could reheat the liquid (in a pan is preferable to the microwave!) or let it get to room temperature and sip it. I didn't know this before I made the tea, but when you soak flax seeds for at least 8 hours or overnight, they become goey and gelatenous. That's when I realized you can then grease a pan with butter, coconut oil or ghee and flatten them out on a pan -- maybe with Herbamare or sea salt. Then cook them in the oven to make crackers (I use a food dehydrator and make them as raw carckers)! I used to buy flax crackers wondering how they got it to do that with just water and sea salt. Just imagine, all that from making a cup of tea and leaving the flax seeds to soak overnight! With love, Heather Hi Emily, you would use 1 tablespoon of whole flax seeds and 12 oz. of boiling water. 30 minutes good for steeping, but it’s even better if you let it sit overnight, then drain and drink the liquid. You could reheat the liquid (in a pan is preferable to the microwave!) or let it get to room temperature and sip it.

I didn’t know this before I made the tea, but when you soak flax seeds for at least 8 hours or overnight, they become goey and gelatenous. That’s when I realized you can then grease a pan with butter, coconut oil or ghee and flatten them out on a pan — maybe with Herbamare or sea salt. Then cook them in the oven to make crackers (I use a food dehydrator and make them as raw carckers)!

I used to buy flax crackers wondering how they got it to do that with just water and sea salt. Just imagine, all that from making a cup of tea and leaving the flax seeds to soak overnight!

With love,
Heather

]]> By: Emily http://transcendbulimia.com/archives/53/comment-page-1#comment-524 Emily Sat, 01 Jul 2006 03:22:12 +0000 http://transcendbulimia.com/?p=53#comment-524 Heather, I'm intrigued by your idea of flax seed tea. I had never heard about it before. I will be sure to try it! I wonder: do you use ground flax seeds, or whole? And how much would you put in one cup of tea? A teaspoon? A tablespoon? More? love, Emily Heather, I’m intrigued by your idea of flax seed tea. I had never heard about it before. I will be sure to try it! I wonder: do you use ground flax seeds, or whole? And how much would you put in one cup of tea? A teaspoon? A tablespoon? More?

love,
Emily

]]> By: Heather http://transcendbulimia.com/archives/53/comment-page-1#comment-523 Heather Sat, 01 Jul 2006 02:07:27 +0000 http://transcendbulimia.com/?p=53#comment-523 Hi Meg, Congratulations for being in your 6th month of recovery! And thank you for your comment -- you make a good point about garlic and foods that create bloating. You are right about garlic being good at fighting candida -- and this could be exactly why you have gas and bloating when you eat it. When you start to kill the candida, there is "die off" which is when the candida and bad bacteria start to die and enter your bloodstream. This creates all kinds of symptoms -- and you know it's die off if overall, you feel a little better. On the other hand, it could be that it doesn't agree with you -- so it takes a little time to experiment. For example, if you tried cultured vegetables, which are full of healthy bacteria (microflora), it also kills the yeast/candida. You'd likely experience the same gas and bloating for about a week and then it would start getting better. You might notice you feel better in many other ways as well because cultured veggies help your digestive system overall. Regarding fennel tea, it is very healthy and safe -- fennel is a spice used in Ayurvedics since ancient times to help with digestive issues. You can alternatively cook with the fennel seeds as a spice -- or the fennel powder. You can also chew some fennel seeds after a meal or when experiencing gas. Another option is to soak flax seeds for 30 minutes in hot water and then strain. It makes a nice tea that is great for IBS and other digestive issues. It may take time to get over digestive issues -- it did for me and I still find that sometimes I have a return of symptoms depending on stress or what I ate. It keeps getting better and better though! I'm looking forward to hearing more from you and I appreciate you stopping by! With love, Heather Hi Meg, Congratulations for being in your 6th month of recovery! And thank you for your comment — you make a good point about garlic and foods that create bloating. You are right about garlic being good at fighting candida — and this could be exactly why you have gas and bloating when you eat it. When you start to kill the candida, there is “die off” which is when the candida and bad bacteria start to die and enter your bloodstream. This creates all kinds of symptoms — and you know it’s die off if overall, you feel a little better.

On the other hand, it could be that it doesn’t agree with you — so it takes a little time to experiment. For example, if you tried cultured vegetables, which are full of healthy bacteria (microflora), it also kills the yeast/candida. You’d likely experience the same gas and bloating for about a week and then it would start getting better. You might notice you feel better in many other ways as well because cultured veggies help your digestive system overall.

Regarding fennel tea, it is very healthy and safe — fennel is a spice used in Ayurvedics since ancient times to help with digestive issues. You can alternatively cook with the fennel seeds as a spice — or the fennel powder. You can also chew some fennel seeds after a meal or when experiencing gas.

Another option is to soak flax seeds for 30 minutes in hot water and then strain. It makes a nice tea that is great for IBS and other digestive issues. It may take time to get over digestive issues — it did for me and I still find that sometimes I have a return of symptoms depending on stress or what I ate. It keeps getting better and better though! I’m looking forward to hearing more from you and I appreciate you stopping by!

With love,
Heather

]]> By: Emily http://transcendbulimia.com/archives/53/comment-page-1#comment-522 Emily Fri, 30 Jun 2006 20:41:35 +0000 http://transcendbulimia.com/?p=53#comment-522 I can relate on the garlic thing! It wasn't until a few months ago that I realized I didn't digest garlic well. I would have salads or steamed veggies with brown rice for lunch with a garlicky dressing on top and then wonder why I felt so bloated the rest of the day despite having eaten a light lunch. Once I switched to a dressing without garlic in it, I felt so much better! love, Emily I can relate on the garlic thing! It wasn’t until a few months ago that I realized I didn’t digest garlic well. I would have salads or steamed veggies with brown rice for lunch with a garlicky dressing on top and then wonder why I felt so bloated the rest of the day despite having eaten a light lunch. Once I switched to a dressing without garlic in it, I felt so much better!

love,
Emily

]]> By: Meg http://transcendbulimia.com/archives/53/comment-page-1#comment-517 Meg Fri, 30 Jun 2006 02:05:36 +0000 http://transcendbulimia.com/?p=53#comment-517 Hi, Heather: Thanks for sharing your tips with us. I am in my sixth month of recovery from ED. I can see things are getting better and better with me. Recently, I found I don’t have as much digestion distress or swelling as I had in my first 4 months of recovery. So it is good, but I still have to be very careful about what I eat. Some food can still make me bloated or have lots of bad gas, for example garlic. Although I know garlic is great food to suppress the over growth of Candida, it seems I am not digesting it. I will love you tips so I would like to try them, but I wonder if Fennel tea is safe to drink everyday? Because of my highly addictive personality, I want to just be sure. Very much appreciated your tips. Meg Hi, Heather:
Thanks for sharing your tips with us. I am in my sixth month of recovery from ED. I can see things are getting better and better with me. Recently, I found I don’t have as much digestion distress or swelling as I had in my first 4 months of recovery. So it is good, but I still have to be very careful about what I eat. Some food can still make me bloated or have lots of bad gas, for example garlic. Although I know garlic is great food to suppress the over growth of Candida, it seems I am not digesting it.
I will love you tips so I would like to try them, but I wonder if Fennel tea is safe to drink everyday? Because of my highly addictive personality, I want to just be sure.

Very much appreciated your tips.

Meg

]]> By: Heather http://transcendbulimia.com/archives/53/comment-page-1#comment-81 Heather Tue, 11 Apr 2006 20:00:56 +0000 http://transcendbulimia.com/?p=53#comment-81 Hi Maya, Great question -- so good I had to write a whole entry on it!! :) You can find the entry by <a href="http://transcendbulimia.com/archives/78" target="new">clicking here</a>. Thanks for asking! With love, Heather Hi Maya, Great question — so good I had to write a whole entry on it!! :)
You can find the entry by clicking here. Thanks for asking!

With love,
Heather

]]> By: Maya http://transcendbulimia.com/archives/53/comment-page-1#comment-76 Maya Tue, 11 Apr 2006 10:50:31 +0000 http://transcendbulimia.com/?p=53#comment-76 Not a comment, tip or idea, unfortunately, Heather, but another query about your experience. Like some other people with an eating disorder, I often drink really huge volumes of artificially sweetened carbonated diet drinks (and hot drinks with a vast amount of artificial sweetener), at bad times virtually constantly throughout the day. My recovery is progressing well but this is one behaviour I am finding, off and on, difficult to change. I feel I would like to stop consuming so much of these drinks- they can mask my connection to my body's needs, thirsts and appetites, leave me bloated and distended, and all the artificial sweetener can't be good for my health. I wondered if this was an issue you'd encountered before, or whether you yourself found it a challenge to wean yourself off diet drinks/ sweeteners when you began your programme of digestive repair through dietary means? I know you've mentioned Stevia sweetener but it's not available in the country in which I live, and to be honest I'd prefer not to consume things that strengthen an association between a sweet taste and no calorific/ nutritive load. Any advice or experiences you've had in reducing the craving/ dependence on diet drinks would be most appreciated- however, if it's not been something that's been a feature for you, thanks for being someone who I could at least ask! many thanks, as always Maya Not a comment, tip or idea, unfortunately, Heather, but another query about your experience. Like some other people with an eating disorder, I often drink really huge volumes of artificially sweetened carbonated diet drinks (and hot drinks with a vast amount of artificial sweetener), at bad times virtually constantly throughout the day. My recovery is progressing well but this is one behaviour I am finding, off and on, difficult to change. I feel I would like to stop consuming so much of these drinks- they can mask my connection to my body’s needs, thirsts and appetites, leave me bloated and distended, and all the artificial sweetener can’t be good for my health. I wondered if this was an issue you’d encountered before, or whether you yourself found it a challenge to wean yourself off diet drinks/ sweeteners when you began your programme of digestive repair through dietary means? I know you’ve mentioned Stevia sweetener but it’s not available in the country in which I live, and to be honest I’d prefer not to consume things that strengthen an association between a sweet taste and no calorific/ nutritive load. Any advice or experiences you’ve had in reducing the craving/ dependence on diet drinks would be most appreciated- however, if it’s not been something that’s been a feature for you, thanks for being someone who I could at least ask!

many thanks, as always

Maya

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