IBS is one of our nation's most untalked-about ailments, but millions of people - mostly women - suffer from the debilitating condition, one that must be controlled primarily through diet. Contrary to what may sufferers believe, eating for IBS does not mean deprivation, never going to restaurants, boring food, or an unhealthily limited diet. It does mean cutting out such trigger foods as red meat, dairy, most fats, caffeine, alcohol, and insoluble fiber. Heather Van Vorous, who has suffered from IBS since age 9 and gradually learned how to control her IBS symptoms through dietary modifications, collects here 175 recipes she has created over 20 years. IBS sufferers will be thrilled to discover that they can enjoy traditional homestyle cooking, ethnic foods, rich desserts, snacks, and party foods - and don't have to cook weird or special meals for themselves while their families follow a "normal" diet. Eating with IBS will forever revolutionize the way people with IBS eat - and live.
"Who's Heather? And why is she dedicated to serving people with IBS and Irritable Bowel Syndrome?"
I have had IBS for more than thirty years, beginning in childhood, although I was undiagnosed for the first six years (and told by my pediatrician to "quit whining" as the pain was "all in my head"). I had no choice but to try and learn how to control the disorder on my own, which took many years of (often excruciating) first-hand experience and a great deal of research.
I'm now a health and special diet author with a particular interest in helping others with bowel disorders. I'm the founder of HelpForIBS.com, the largest IBS organization in the world, and I developed the Heather's Tummy Care line of certified organic medical foods for preventing and relieving IBS symptoms. My mission is to offer education, support, and tangible help that allows people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome to successfully manage their symptoms through simple, safe and effective lifestyle changes.
I have a special focus on the Eating for IBS diet plan, and offer comprehensive IBS diet information as well as an IBS Diet Cheat Sheet excerpted from Eating for IBS on my website diet section here HelpForIBS.com/Diet/
My published work includes Eating for IBS, the only explicit dietary guide and cookbook for people with bowel disorders. Eating for IBS then led to my second book, The First Year: IBS, a comprehensive view of the disorder and every way to successfully manage it. Together, these works have become the two best-selling, best-reviewed IBS books in America.
I also created and hosted the digestion-friendly cooking show Heather Cooks! for Seattle television and DVD. Cooking shows are now available on YouTube at the Help for IBS channel. I write the twice-monthly email "Heather's IBS Newsletter" which currently has over 180,000 subscribers. I also authored the very popular "Heather's IBS Diet Cheat Sheet", which recently celebrated five years of success and over one million patient downloads.
My writing has led to an ongoing Canadian clinical research study of the groundbreaking dietary guidelines in Eating for IBS; this work also led to my inclusion in the 4th edition of Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare. Today's Dietitian has featured my IBS dietary guidelines, and I regularly exhibit at the international Digestive Disease Week conference to reach gastroenterologists and internists. As a result, I've become recognized as the foremost "patient-expert" on IBS in America.
For far too many years I thought I was the only person in the world with Irritable Bowel Syndrome - but now I know for a fact that I am not alone. Today my goal is to reach every single person with IBS who's looking for help. I want them to learn how to manage their symptoms as successfully as I have, and I want them to have happy, healthy lives.
