Dear Gillian

I'm not your typical client.

I'm vegan. I'm gluten-free. I don't eat refined sugar. I eat vegetables, legumes, and whole grains at nearly every meal. I do yoga three times a week, and on alternate days, I am on the ellipticals at my local gym.

Why am I writing you this letter?

I have IBS-C.

According to your book, "Gillian McKeith's Food Bible," if I exercise and follow a diet of vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grains, I should NOT have IBS-C. But I do. I have it pretty bad.

Many days, my stomach refuses to digest food. I get very bloated from the smallest amounts of food. I can't eat.

Despite working out and being vegan for the past five years, I have lost little weight. I have had a lot of trouble gaining muscle mass. Something is wrong.

Sometimes, I get very weak and dizzy. Last week, I drove through two stop signs, completely delirious.

My life is at stake here, Gillian.

While I have implemented some of your tricks - drinking vegetable juice and smoothies to keep me from malnutrition - I do still have IBS-C. This tells me that I must be doing something wrong. There must be something making me sick.

As you know, the health care system in America leaves many sick people uninsured. I am one of those people.

I am an adjunct English professor. I am not given insurance through any of the colleges that employ me. Yet, I work just as many hours as a full time professor.

In the past, when I have splurged and gone to doctors, they have been unanimous in their diagnoses. IBS, yes. Celiac, no.

This doesn't help my bloated belly.

Can you help my bloated belly?

I am inviting you to the US. Please come visit and help me find balance. I have many nutrition-Nazi, vegan, gluten-free IBS friends; we are all desperate for some insight on our condition.

Sincerely,

FartyGirl

There it is! I wrote the letter. Actually - I wrote it a few weeks ago.

Lately, I've been wondering if I should send it.


Starting a food diary really highlighted some of my problem foods. Soy is a big one. So is sugar and nuts.

Food combining seems to be very important as well. One of my favorite lunches - cauliflower and nut butter - leaves me feeling sick. But mixed green salad with pumpkin seed cheese? No problem.

(Photo Coming after Today's Lunch of Said Salad)

Go figure!

It appears that the simpler the meal, the better off I am.

Another trick I learned - just last week - came from the lovely Saxifrage. Her doctor suggested she start a rotation diet. Simply put, it's making sure to eat a variety of foods on a regular basis.

Switching it up has REALLY helped! Thanks, Sax!

When it comes to nutrition, here is what I did learn from Gillian.

Eat energizing foods in the morning, like foods filled with B-vitamins. These include eggs, brussel sprouts, quinoa, asparagus, fish, nuts, shittake mushrooms, lentils, adzuki beans and sunflower seeds. These foods all help tone the nervous system too. That's something us IBSsers need a lot of help with!

Quinoa porridge from Lisa's Kitchen

Foods with iron are also good to eat in the morning. These are nori, lentils, kidney beans, watercress, kale, apricots, figs, prunes, nettles, dulse, kelp, parsley, amaranth, quinoa and beets. Veggie sushi breakfast, anyone?

Carrot and avocado soosh!

Liver stagnation causes IBS, PMS and hormone irregularity. This is one reason why IBSsers are told to not drink. So don't drink alcohol! Consume foods and herbs that get bile flowing to the liver, like dandelion, globe artichokes, and milk thistle.

Milk thistle seeds!

Zinc helps tone the liver as well. Foods containing a lot of zinc are pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, nori, eggs, kelp, brown rice, and tahini.

Pumpkin seed and cranberry bars!

Eat brazil nuts! They have tons of selenium, which aids against aging and takes good care of your skin and hair.

For PMS, eat lots of fiber to remove old estrogens. Leafy greens and seeds contain the magnesium, calcium, and B-vitamins to help balance hormones. Spirulina, chlorella, and blue-green algae help PMS as well.

I love kelp powder in my smoothies!

For constipation, drink a mango smoothie every morning. Eat figs, prunes, flax, apples, carrots, pumpkin, pine nuts, leafy green vegetables, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts, and raw hemp seeds. Herbs like nettle, dandelion, fenugreek, and slippery elm will also get things moving. (I've had lots of success with licorice and fennel, too). Ultimately - YOU MUST EXERCISE if you have chronic constipation.

Stretchin' it out!

For IBS, drink lots of vegetable juice (NOT V8 - real vegetable juice!). This will give you proper nutrients when your digestion is not working properly. Fiber-rich foods are your best bet.

My first coconut water, basil and kale smoothie

Summary
Gillian's plan is a lot like the Fat Flush Plan.
Both stress that toning the liver is crucial to keeping the body working properly.
Without a churning liver, the body can't function.
Forget having enough energy to get out of bed in the morning.
Forget digesting food! It ain't happening without your liver!

More (Averie-style) Questions!

What is your major ailment? Are you an IBSser? A dieter? Do you suffer trouble with hormones? When you eat, what part of your body are you looking to heal or help?

What foods make you feel good? What foods don't make you feel so good? What's your eating schedule look like? Are there certain foods that you prefer at certain times?

What is your favorite nutritious food to eat? Think of something super-healthy, but something that you love.