Category: IBS Friendly Recipes

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This “What do I Eat Today” menu uses recipes that are adapted for the FODMAP diet, a nutritional plan for people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

No B.S. If You have IBS: Try A Chef V Cleanse To Repair Your Gut

Chef V

leaky gut

Having Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) means experiencing frequent bloating, cramping, diarrhea or constipation and other digestive disturbances. Thankfully, Chef V has one effective recommendation for improving your IBS, courtesy of a Facebook post testimonial. 

Unless you have IBS, it’s hard to empathize with someone who has it. It’s such a challenging condition not to mention a frustrating one. 

On one hand, it’s one of the most commonly-diagnosed gastrointestinal disorders, affecting up to 50 million people in the U.S. alone. At the very least, roughly 15% of adults in the U.S. have IBS, but only 5% of people have been officially diagnosed. 

Despite how pervasive IBS is, there is no single cure, root cause, or effective treatment. 

If you don’t have IBS, consider yourself lucky and imagine how harrowing it must be to be totally in the dark when IBS symptoms strike! What if you’re out in public and can’t get to a bathroom in time? 

IBS can severely impact your quality of life.

So let’s get to know this baffling condition…

irritable bowel

What Is Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

As mentioned, IBS is one of the most common albeit underdiagnosed gastrointestinal disorders. Unlike Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD), which is caused by a functional and structural problem of the bowels, with IBS there’s nothing going on under the hood, so to speak, that explains the symptoms. 

If there’s no noticeable abnormality in the gut, then what explains the frequent or chronic bloating, abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, gas and belching?

What Causes IBS?

Here’s a list of things that may cause IBS symptoms:

  • Gut dysbiosis (This means not having enough friendly bacteria in the large intestine and too many unfriendly bacteria.)
  • Poor gut-brain communication (The gut and brain should always be communicating effectively, just like in a healthy relationship.)
  • Poor motility (This means having abnormal muscle contractions in the bowels.)
  • Stress (Research studies like this one suggest a strong link between psychological stress and IBS. Stress is definitely a trigger.)
  • Food intolerances (Dairy and gluten are major triggers of IBS symptoms.)
  • Unresolved gut infections. (Did you travel to a developing country in the tropics? Maybe you picked up a parasite?)

Out of the 6 factors above, I think stress is the most prevalent because it can cause or exacerbate the other triggers. 

For example, stress negatively impacts gut-brain communication (the Gut-Brain Axis); causes gut dysbiosis; can lead to poor motility and leaky gut; and can worsen inflammation-associated food sensitivity.

leaky gut

How To Manage IBS

In light of the fact that psychological stress is one of the biggest triggers of IBS symptoms, it helps to have a daily stress-management practice. 

  • Yoga.
  • Meditation. 
  • Visualization exercises. 
  • Journaling. 
  • Immersing yourself in nature. 

Do at least one of these practices every single day. 

For IBS sufferers, the condition is frustrating and challenging because there is no one-size-fits-all approach to treatment like there is for let’s say high cholesterol. (Not that I’m endorsing statin drugs for everybody!)

For a dietary intervention, a low FODMAP diet may help. I won’t go too deep here but FODMAPS are basically different types of sugars that are difficult for people with IBS to digest. 

I previously touched on FODMAPS here.

Basically, you’ll want to avoid foods that give most people gas. That means no:

  • Broccoli and other cruciferous veggies (especially raw!)
  • Beans and lentils
  • Asparagus
  • Apples
  • Garlic
  • Onions
  • Dairy
  • Cereal, bread, wheat products and other high-gluten foods

Drink Low FODMAP Leafy Greens 

A lot of veggies, even though they are considered healthy, can trigger IBS symptoms. Cauliflower and cabbage: I’m talking about you!

What’s even more frustrating is that there are at least 3 subtypes of IBS: IBS-C, IBS-D, IBS-M. IBS-C is constipation-dominant; D is diarrhea-dominant and M is mixed. 

What may trigger IBS symptoms in a person with IBS-D may not trigger symptoms in a person who is IBS-C dominant. 

So wanna know the best way to get your daily dose of antioxidants—without freaking out your digestive system?

Try drinking them. 

With Chef V Organic Green Drink, you’re getting the cleanest (no pesticides) low FODMAP leafy green veggies. 

In a way, they’re pre-digested for you through the processing method of cold-blending. 

As mentioned, IBS is caused in part by gut dysbiosis, meaning there’s not enough friendly bacteria in the gut. 

The Chef V Green Drink advantage over conventional juice brands is that it’s never high-heat pasteurized. 

That means that all the friendly bacteria is alive in the Green Drink. 

And when you drink Green Drink every morning, you will supply your gut with the friendly bacteria it needs to manage IBS symptoms.


Cleanse

Manage IBS Symptoms With A Chef V 5 DAY Cleanse

If you want to take your IBS management to the next level, check out Tina’s recommendation below. 

Tina has IBS and says that doing a 5 Day Cleanse (Chef V offers a 21 Day Detox which includes a cleanse period) has helped her get rid of gas and bloating. 

With the 5 Day Cleanse you get everything you need to reduce IBS symptoms—without feeling deprived:

  • 4 Green Drinks per day
  • 2 vegan, low FODMAP protein shakes per day
  • 1 DETOX SOUP for dinner per day
  • Health resources to keep the results going and unlimited email support.

Learn more about CHEF V CLEANSE options here. 

To your success in kicking IBS’ butt!

Love, 

Veronica “V” Kress

Founder, ChefV.com


Chef V IBS testimonial

White Sweet Potato Purée IBS Version

Jean Yates

You just can’t have a special meal without mashed potatoes. But regular mashed potatoes are very starchy. That means the starch quickly converts into sugar. That’s more bad news for your gut. But this healthy recipe for mashed potatoes uses the nutritiously-superior white sweet potato. Instead of regular milk, I use almond or coconut milk. This recipe is designed for people with IBS who are following a low FODMAP diet.

I swear to you that my white sweet potato pureé will have the same starchy mouth-feel as regular mashed potatoes. But this version contains way more minerals and is lower in calories. – Veronica

sweet potato puree

TOTAL: 1 hour

Serving Size:2

Ingredients

  • 1 large white sweet potato, peeled and chopped
  • 3 cups filtered water
  • 1/4 cup Chef V’s Raw Almond Milk or coconut milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Directions

Boil the sweet potato pieces in the 3 cups of water in a large pot for 15 minutes, or until soft. Transfer the pieces to a Vitamix and add the milk, and sea salt and process until smooth. Serve immediately or keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

A Low FODMAP Diet: Chef V’s Recipe For Conquering IBS

Chef V

Veronica eating mac and cheese

RELATED ARTICLES:

No B.S. If You have IBS: Try A Chef V Cleanse To Repair Your Gut

Alli-Yums? Should You Pass On Garlic & Onions?

IBS Friendly Recipes

What the frick are FODMAPS? Veronica Wheat, aka Chef V, explains what they are and how avoiding foods with high levels of them may greatly reduce Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) symptoms. (For more general info on IBS click here.)

“Beans, beans they’re good for your heart … the more you eat the more you FART.”

Anybody with Irritable Bowel Syndrome can tell you that nursery rhyme is all too true. 

For millions of people living with this gastrointestinal disorder, eating foods that are considered healthy—even by dieticians and other so-called experts—can cause severe bloating, abdominal discomfort, diarrhea, constipation, and yes, toots. Really stinky horrible toots. 

While we’re still waiting for science to invent a magical IBS cure—its exact cause is unknown—what we do know is that certain foods like beans and lentils can trigger IBS symptoms. 

Make no mistake about it, there is no 100% successful IBS intervention. However, one thing that really works for people with IBS is eating a low FODMAP diet. This makes it super important to eat most of your meals at home so that you’re in full control of the ingredients. And if you wanna jump ahead and check out my IBS-friendly recipes, I have a few to share with you here.

man gagging at bad smell

What Does FODMAP Stand For? 

Warning: this acronym is a huge mouthful. I don’t blame you if you won’t be able to digest it, no pun intended. Ready? Here goes: Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, and Polyols. Like I said, what the frick are FODMAPS?

What Are FODMAPS?

OK, so let me explain what that means. The “O” “D” “M” and “P” in the acronym are types of sugars. I’m not talking about simple baking sugar. Rather, these are the carbohydrates (sugar is a carb) that are found in fruits, veggies, grains, lentils and other plant-based foods. 

Some people can digest, say, a can of black beans just fine. But for people living with IBS, the specific type of carbs in the beans (oligosaccharides) don’t digest well in the small intestine. It’s as if the small intestine says, ‘no thanks, I’ll pass on the beans.’ Meanwhile, the beans move mostly undigested into the large intestine where they start fermenting. 


black beans

Isn’t Fermentation Good?

Trendy fermented foods like sauerkraut (fermented cabbage) have a reputation of being super gut healthy. But here’s the thing about fermentation: it basically means the same as rotting. This is not to say that certain fermented foods do not contribute to our health. In fact, foods like sauerkraut are probably better for your gut microbiome than a conventional probiotic supplement. 

However, the problem with certain fermented foods like sauerkraut is that they are higher in FODMAP sugars. And when the FODMAP sugars move along into the large intestine, it’s the fermentation that causes the black-bean-baby-belly and other symptoms. 

mold in petri dish

Low FODMAP Diet Chart

Eating a low FODMAP diet, then, is one of the easiest ways to manage IBS symptoms. And that simply means that you eliminate as much as possible the foods that have the highest level of FODMAPS. 

And to make it easy for you, here’s a list of good and bad FODMAP foods you can print out and take with you to the supermarket and restaurants. 

If you really want to take a deep dive into the science behind FODMAPS, I highly encourage you to check out this resource from Australia’s Monash University. The researchers at Monash are IBS experts and pretty much pioneered the low FODMAP diet. 

Another great resource, especially for people who are newly diagnosed with IBS is the IBS Group forum. You’ll never feel like you’re struggling alone with this condition that can make life a living hell at times… 

you got this in white chalk on asphalt

How Long Do You Need To Eat Low FODMAP For? 

The good news is that even if some of your favorite foods are high FODMAP, it doesn’t mean you have to give them up forever. The low FODMAP diet is basically an elimination phase. I recommend giving up all medium and high FODMAP foods for a minimum of four weeks. 

After that first phase, you can reintroduce one medium or high FODMAP food at a time. Don’t start your reintroduction phase by eating, say, a bowl of pasta and dipping Italian bread into the sauce. 

Personally, I think anybody with IBS should be gluten-free as much as possible but that’s for another topic. The important takeaway is that when you reintroduce medium/high FODMAP foods, do so one at a time. 

For best results, eat that one medium/high FODMAP food for 2-3 days. If no IBS symptoms develop, then you can reintroduce your next favorite high FODMAP food that’s considered healthy like GARLIC and ONIONS.

As long as none of the reintroduced foods give you problems, you can continue to eat them. But for the best chances of IBS symptom prevention, you may want to stick to eating a low FODMAP diet for the foreseeable future.

slicing onions

Conclusion

IBS is a bitch. Imagine not knowing if symptoms are going to flare up when you go out to dinner with friends. This is why it’s so important to memorize the list of  low FODMAP foods. Or like I said, print out a list or snap a pic with your phone. 

There is so much that’s unknown about IBS and for that reason, I’ll leave you with this last piece of advice… If you have really good health insurance or can afford to pay out of pocket, work with a functional medicine doctor or naturopathic doctor, one who has tons of experience working with IBS patients. Do your research and get a referral from someone who has successfully learned to control their IBS. 

In the meantime, pass on the beans. 

Love,  Chef V

Chef V eating mac and cheese

Awesome Mac & ‘Cheese’ IBS Version

Chef V

Chef V’s tip: This is my gluten-free, dairy-free version of macaroni and cheese with variations for those following a FODMAP IBS diet. – Veronica

super smoothie

Ingredients

  • 3 cups filtered water
  • 2 cups peeled and chopped butternut squash
  • 1/2 cup Chef V’s Raw Nut Milk
  • 1 tsp nutritional yeast
  • 2 cups raw cashews, soaked and drained
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 cups cooked brown rice elbow pasta
  • Freshly ground pepper, optional

Directions

Bring the 3 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan and cook the butternut squash for 20 to 30 minutes, or until soft.

Process the cooked squash, nut milk, garlic (sub garlic for nutritional yeast for IBS version), cashews, lemon juice, and salt in a Vitamix until smooth.

Combine the ‘cheese’ sauce and cooked pasta, season with black pepper if desired, and serve.

Lemon Ginger Detox

Chef V

Lemon and ginger detoxify the liver and strengthen the immune system.This is a great drink to start your morning and also for an afternoon lemonade. Follow it with a low-sugar green drink for the best detoxifying results in the morning.  – Veronica

lemon ginger detox

Ingredients

  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • 1/4 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon grated fresh turmeric
  • 1 1/2 cups cold or hot filtered water

Directions

Mix lemon juice, fresh ginger, and turmeric with either cold or hot water and serve. This is a great drink to start your morning and also for an afternoon lemonade. Will keep for you up to 3 days refrigerated.

Bon Appétit!

Warm Cinnamon Quinoa

Chef V
Warm Cinnamon Quinoa is an IBS friendly recipe.
Chef V’s Tip: My fool-proof way to cook quinoa is to use a rice cooker. Place 1 cup uncooked quinoa and 2 cups liquid (either 2 cups filtered water or 1 cup filtered water and 1 cup unsweetened almond or coconut milk) in the cooker and set it on the white rice setting.
If you don’t have a rice cooker, place the quinoa and 2 cups of liquid in a medium-sized pot. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Simmer, covered, for about 15-20 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed. remove the pan from the heat, fluff the quinoa with a  fork and keep it covered until ready to use.
IBS Version of this Recipe
Only change to the recipe is to limit pecans to maximum 10 pecan halves.

vegan eggnog

Ingredients

    • 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained
    • 1 cup Chef V’s Raw Nut Milk (see recipe) or coconut milk
    • 1 cup filtered water
    • 1 tablespoon raw coconut nectar (I like Coconut Secret)
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • Optional Toppings
    • 2 cups fresh blackberries
    • 1/3 cup raw pecans, chopped

Directions

Cook the quinoa in a rice cooker or if cooking on a stovetop, follow the directions in the tip above, except simmer for 15 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Turn off the heat and let the quinoa stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Stir in the coconut nectar and cinnamon.

To serve, spoon into bowls and top with blackberries and pecans.

Seared Ahi Tuna

Chef V

Serves 2 as an entreé or 4 as an appetizer. This recipe is low FODMAP, IBS friendly.

Chef V tip – This is great to dip in a little dish of raw coconut aminos. Serve with a side of my Easy Fried Rice or White Sweet Potato Purée.

ahi tuna

Ingredients

  • 2 lemons, juiced
  • 2 tablespoons cold-pressed olive oil, divided use
  • 2 tablespoons freshly ground rainbow peppercorns
  • 1 pound sushi grade ahi tuna steak
  • 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
  • 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
  • pink sea salt, optional, for garnish
  • Lemon slices

Directions

Mix the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of oil in one shallow dish and place the freshly ground peppercorns in another. Coat the tuna steak in the lemon juice, then with the peppercorns and the sesame seeds.

Heat the remaining oil in a large pan over high heat. Once the oil is hot, sear the tuna for 30 seconds on each side. Remove the tuna and let it sit for 1 to 2 minutes before slicing into 1/4 inch thick pieces.

To serve, plate the tuna slices, sprinkle with sea salt and chopped parsley and top with lemon slices.

Alli-Yums? Should You Pass On Garlic & Onions?

Chef V

shallots on board

For most people, cooking a meal at home just isn’t whole without garlic or onions. Harsh breath aside, garlic and onions (allium vegetables) possess potent health-building properties. But for a few people with poor digestion, alliums are just no fun. Chef V explains why garlic and onions can lead to indigestion. 

Here’s a little health tip that you can try at home. Just make sure you have some mouthwash handy: eating raw garlic and onion may be two of the best things to eat for your gut. 

That’s because they both contain prebiotic fiber. You’ve heard of probiotics (friendly bacteria in your gut) but in case you don’t know what prebiotic fiber is, it’s basically the preferred source of food for your beneficial gut bacteria. 

If you feed your gut prebiotic fiber, the good bacteria will feast on the undigested fiber in your colon and produce short-chain fatty acids. Pretty much every single health benefit you can think of, from emotional well-being to your immune system depends on short-chain fatty acids. 

So does this mean you should be eating garlic and onions by the handful? 

onions

The Health Benefits of Alliums

Garlic and onions are members of the allium family of plants. Leeks, chives, and scallions (green onions) are also alliums. 

Besides being used to flavor dishes, there are some very good reasons to eat a lot of alliums. They are rich in vitamins and minerals and contain compounds that are believed to fight disease. 

For instance, a 2017 study in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine says that alliums are rich in organosulfur compounds, quercetin, and flavonoids, among others. These compounds, says the research, have the following properties: 

● Protect against cancer

● Cardiovascular disease prevention

● Anti-inflammation 

● Prevents obesity

● Fights diabetes

● Contains antioxidants

● Kills germs

● Protects the brain and immune system

Moreover, several studies, says a research article in the Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, have shown that a higher intake of allium products is associated with reduced risk of several types of cancers.  

Besides bad breath, is there any reason not to eat these most common alliums by the bulb-full? Maybe there’s a good reason why Mediterranean cultures eat a ton of garlic and seem to have less chronic disease than Americans? Garlic is thought to be one of the most powerful foods for keeping the arteries clear of plaque buildup. 

As for onions, it’s an excellent non-citrus source of vitamin C. Both garlic and onions are excellent for people trying to manage their blood sugar levels. 

garlic

The Downside Of Alliums

But before you go eating bulb after bulb of garlic and onions, keep in mind that not everybody can tolerate alliums very well. It’s hard to say how many people have a true allium allergy. 

  Unlike Celiac Disease, which we know affects roughly 2 million people in the U.S, there’s no reliable data on garlic and onion allergies. Relatively few people are probably truly allergic to alliums but there are many people who are intolerant of them. 

So what’s in garlic and onions that cause bloating, gas and other digestive upset? The reason why is that alliums are high in FODMAPs. FODMAP stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols. Basically, these carbohydrates are very hard for some to digest.

For people that have to eat a low FODMAP diet, eating alliums can cause the small intestine to poorly absorb the sugars in the onion and garlic. The sugars then ferment in the colon (large intestine), causing gas or other symptoms. But only a few people – who need to eat a very low FOD map diet – cannot tolerate alliums. For 99% of people, they are fine.


allium flowers

Fructans in Garlic and Onions

The main offending carbohydrate in alliums is called fructan, which is a chain of fruit sugar (fructose) molecules. Fructans represent the ‘oligosaccharides’ in FODMAPs. Garlic is especially problematic because it contains one of the highest levels of fructans in the plant world. 

Unfortunately, there’s no magic pill you can take to break down fructans like you can a lactase enzyme for dairy. That means if you eat at a meal with lots of garlic and onions, you may experience abdominal pain, acid reflux or constipation. 

In general, it’s a great idea to get more prebiotic fiber in your diet. More prebiotic fiber means better gut health. But not everybody tolerates prebiotic fiber (fructans and inulin, which is a polysaccharide). 

Elimination Diet

If you have trouble digesting alliums, I suggest giving them up for a few weeks along with every other type of food that may be triggering food sensitivities. That means no gluten (wheat), soy, and the most common other food sensitivity triggers: artificial sweeteners, caffeine, MSG, dairy, tree nuts, shellfish, peanuts and eggs. 

That bit of advice may seem overwhelming because what’s left to eat? But if you have serious digestive issues, I highly recommend working with a nutritionist who can help you discover the root causes of your digestive issues. 

The good news is that after a few weeks, you can start reintroducing some of these foods back into your diet, one at a time. 

And if you love garlic but it doesn’t love you back, here’s another piece of advice. Buy garlic-infused olive oil. It’s low in FODMAPS so it won’t trigger any food sensitivities. 

Just don’t forget to brush and use a strong mouthwash. 

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