View Full Version : Trail eating with IBS/Diverticulitis..
I'm not sure if this is the right place for this topic, but I saw another post about hiking with hypoglycemia so I figured it was as good a place as any.
Just got a colonoscopy/EGD today for some ongoing intestinal troubles. They found diverticulosis and they are pretty sure I have IBS.(They are sending biopsies in to check for celiac or other absorption problems just in case but I won't get those results for a while.) I'm still not 100% sure what my 'trigger foods' are, but I'm wondering if anyone else had to deal with these problems on the trail and what kind of foods you found that didn't aggravate your symptoms? I was really looking forward to not having to do maildrops and just buying my food in trail towns, but I'm wondering what kinds of things I can find easily that will be tolerable. Thanks for any advice.
Mindi
Hopefully this topic takes off. My mother just had emergency surgery for diverticulitis right before a planned backpacking trip, so I have been thinking about this a lot. You shouldn't have things like raspberry, strawberry, or cucumber seeds, or nuts, but you can still have a lot of regular trail food like peanut butter (smooth) and tortillas. If you have an attack, then you should probably get off the trail and rest or seek attention anyway.
If you haven't recently had intestinal surgery then you should try to eat a lot of fiber to prevent diverticulitis, so I think that on the trail a fiber supplement (like a pill or mix-in powder) would be a good idea. Also, whole grain pasta or couscous could get you fiber, and those seem to be sold in more and more stores each day. You need to stay really hydrated on a high fiber diet because the fiber absorbs water. If you don't drink enough to replace what is absorbed then you might get constipated, which would be bad.
I don't know much about IBS though, sorry.
Thanks for the tips, Mammoth. I just realized that I have been mixing up 'diverticulitis' and 'diverticulosis'. I have the latter, but it could become diverticulitis if I don't watch my diet. I hope your mother is doing better and can get back out hiking soon!
:) Mindi
Frolicking Dinosaurs
07-13-2006, 12:45
Looking forward to this discussion. We have an 18 yo grandson who wants to do Clingman's Dome to Newfound Gap with us. He has diverticulosis and IBS - and the protective Granny Dino has been delaying the trip until she can figure out what to feed him
I'm sorry that your grandson is dealing with the same conditions. I thought I was the only one who had these problems at such a young age!(I'm 27 but my GNT said it was unusual even at my age, especially since my diet isn't really all that bad compared to most people my age.)
I did tons of research and went shopping today. Needless to say it is frustrating, but I'm determined.
Here's what I did find..
Nutella with bananas is awesome. The chocolate is in cocoa form so tends not to aggravate IBS. I'm thinking that spreading it on a tortilla or something might be good for a snack while hiking.
Fruit is okay if it's peeled and has no seeds. Today I bought mangoes and peaches and peeled them and no problems. Tough to take on long hike, though.
Pasta doesn't usually bother me, so I will probably rely on that as a big dinner staple on my hike, but the dairy-based sauces could be a problem so I'm looking into other non-aggravating toppings.
High-sugar, high-fat, and high-protein foods seem to be the norm for hiking, especially long distance, and those are the exact things that trigger IBS (at least in myself). I'm going to have to rely on digestible carbs more, so it's a bit limiting. Nuts and seeds are a staple in trail mix and that is bad for the diverticulosis, so I'm going to have to find a creative GORP or some other kind of snack to much on the go.
The Citrucel caplets (I got the generic version) are MUCH better than the Metamucil caplets. No bloating or discomfort. I took two this morning with a big glass of water about an hour before I ate and no problems. I'm planning on taking some with me on my hike. Calcium supplements are good too. Calcium carbonate supplements are good for IBS with diarrhea (like mine) whereas Calcium citrate is better if you tend towards constipation. Take those with food.
Vitamins are another worry, since most people take them on a long hike. I've yet to find a brand that doesn't aggravate my symptoms, but I'm looking.
I'm looking up some recipes for people with IBS or other intestinal problems and I will post a link or links. I don't have a dehydrator at the moment but I'm hoping perhaps someone here can try some of the recipes and see how they hold up to drying and rehydration and let me know what worked and what didn't.
Keep the posts coming, everyone!
:) Mindi
Recipe links:
Irritable Bowel Syndrome Recipes ~ Low-fat, dairy-free, and soluble-fiber reci (http://www.helpforibs.com/diet/recipes.asp)
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) News & Newsletter- Help for diarrhea, constipat (http://www.helpforibs.com/news/)
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Forum - Heather's IBS Message Boards (http://www.helpforibs.com/messageboards/ubbthreads/recipe_index.php)
I'm going to start looking through these for stuff that would make good trail meals...if any of you find something that looks really good, let me know!
:) Mindi
TIDE-HSV
07-17-2006, 12:52
I have the diarrheac IBS and diverticulosis. As far as I can tell, most people with IBS eventually develop diverticulosis. My daughter developed it at 23, also. The only modification I make to my diet is a couple of (generic) Lomotils per day. When I asked my GE doc, who is one of my closest friends, about the seeds, etc., he said that that theory had been discredited. Anyway, I had strawberries on my cereal this AM...
TIDE-HSV
07-17-2006, 14:35
I did a search, and it appears that there is still some anti-seed body of opinion. Nevertheless, I've not had any problems with seeds...
Search the internet. You'll see that a proven treatment for IBS is to infect the patient with hook-worm. I'd ask the doctor about this.
TIDE-HSV
07-18-2006, 00:12
you don't mean tape worm? :eek:
I have the diarrheac IBS and diverticulosis. As far as I can tell, most people with IBS eventually develop diverticulosis. My daughter developed it at 23, also. The only modification I make to my diet is a couple of (generic) Lomotils per day. When I asked my GE doc, who is one of my closest friends, about the seeds, etc., he said that that theory had been discredited. Anyway, I had strawberries on my cereal this AM...
I don't think I would be eating strawberries with IBS. I switched to being a vegetarian (not vegan), and it has worked for me.
TIDE-HSV
07-18-2006, 19:01
actually, it wasn't just strawberries. I also added blue berries and a bananna. Don't get me wrong - I eat some foods I know will make me pay a price. Sushi comes to mind. On top of the DV and IBS, I'm also on 80 mg of Lipitor and 10 mg of Zetia. In fact, it seems that almost everything I have to to take lists diarrhea as a side effect. I'm 66 and I've had the IBS disorder since I was 20. I've just chosen not to live as a slave to the disorder. If I end up in the hospital or totally disabled from it, then I'll consider more changes. In the meantime, Lomotil is wonderful stuff - better living through chemistry...:p
Well I'm keeping a diary and finding my trigger foods at the moment. For me, strawberries are a definite no-no. I don't know if they aggravate the diverticulosis or not(I've also read conflicting theories about that), but they seem to stir up the IBS. I've also found that carrots and dark lettuces mess me up. There are some other foods which I figured out a long time ago (like high-fat, greasy stuff, which I don't eat much of anyway.)
I know what you mean about not being a slave to the disorder, though. Some days I just eat something that I KNOW is going to make me sick, because I want it. I just want to know my triggers so that I can avoid them in situations where I'm not close to a bathroom or a place to curl up for a while.
I took my first NuLev today after my stomach started cramping really badly, and MAN, did it knock me out. I'm not sure it will be such a great drug for when I'm going out somewhere, because I'll more than likely pass out on the table before my meal is finished. It worked great on the cramps, but then again I was so deeply asleep that I may not have noticed them anyway. I'm going to ask about the Lomitil...is that a prescription medication?
Next I'm going to try out some of the common trail foods that I can buy in any store and see which ones are easy on my stomach. I'm still holding out hope that I won't have to do maildrops, or at least minimal ones.
Thanks for keeping this thread alive, everyone. I'm sorry if I'm boring everyone talking about this stuff but feel free to skip over it.
Still waiting on the biopsy results re:celiac disease, keeping my fingers crossed!!
:) Mindi
TIDE-HSV
07-20-2006, 19:46
there are times when I avoid the foods I know will cause problems. One thing which has helped me - strictly through empirical experimentation - has been adding more water to my diet. I know that's counter intuitive. I drink about 8 oz. before bedtime (can cause early AM treks), and, the first thing I do each AM is to pour a 12 oz. glass of water and drink it. I've lived with this longer and I pretty well have identified the foods that are problems for me - Mexican, pizza, sushi and, really, any super-spicy, fatty foods (yum!) :clap Strangely, Thai food doesn't usually cause me problems, despite the high heat. Lomotil is prescription and has been around for ages. It's available generically as "diphenoxylate/atropine TA." One doesn't make me drowsy. I can take two, if I have to, with minimal psychotropic effects, but tolerance is intensely individual. If you want, you can PM me. This topic might not be of wide interest...