Customer Reviews

The First Year: IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)--An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book (and Van Vorous' other work) has helped me tremendously. My symptoms were debilitating. When I was diagnosed, I asked my gastrenterologist if there were any diets in particular that might have an impact. He said "It's different for everyone." And while that is true to some extent, he didn't even mention that caffeine and alcohol were triggers, let alone fats and insoluble fibers. When I discovered this book and started following the guidelines, my condition improved dramatically.

Before I discovered this book, I could not have gone near a half-cooked, let alone raw, vegetable without getting sick. Whole grain cereal, oatmeal, or pasta would have caused excruciating pain. But after first following the guidelines to the letter, I was eventually able to incorporate more of these foods--in the right amounts, combinations, and at the right time of day--into my diet. For those who have critiqued this diet because it tells you to eliminate insoluble fibers, you need to reread the title. This is titled "The First Year." You don't have to eat like this forever, just until your gut is is under enough control to tolerate such foods.

And the fact is that you're never going to be able to go on Atkins diet, but you don't have to eliminate insoluble fibers completely. You do, however, have to limit your portions, eat your insoluble fibers after you've consumed a good soluble fiber base, and recognize that certain times of day are worse when it comes to eating insoluble fiber. For me, the morning is the worst time, so I don't have salads or raw vegetables for dinner. That simple.

Another critic claimed that this diet is not good for the constipation form of IBS. Apparently they have not read Van Vorous' medically accurate description of why constipation occurs in IBS sufferers. The trigger foods cause the gut to seize up. By following the diet and eliminating the trigger foods for a time, drinking lots of water (even more than you're thirsty for), and engaging in mild exercise, constipation sufferers can benefit. Obviously, if you're a constipation sufferer and you don't have the nausea associated with the diarrhea form of IBS, then no, you wouldn't need to snack on a piece of sourdough bread.

The other critical point that Van Voroous makes in this, her other books and her website is that the severity of the reaction to certain trigger foods depends on the person. This is where the reader/IBS sufferer actually has to determine what he or she can or can't tolerate based on his or her own experience with food. For example, I can now tolerate--after a good soluble fiber base--small amounts of artichoke. I cannot, under any circumstances, have even the smallest amount of spinach (not even cooked) no matter how much bread, oatmeal, or anything else I've had before hand.

Another critic claimed that she stopped reading the book because it didn't include detailed and accurate information about fats. I'm sure that the fats she recommended could help some IBS sufferers eventually, but if you're just trying to get your IBS under control for the first time, then fats of any kind may not be tolerated and should be avoided until such time as you are able to tolerate them again. Remmeber, this book is titled "The First Year" not "The Rest of Your Life."

As with anything, we each have to take the advice given in such books and apply them to our unique situations. That is the purpose of a guide or a set of guidelines. For example, Van Vorous recommends giving up dairy; however, I can now easily tolerate fat-free cow's milk and other fat-free dairy products. But I was only able to do so after I got my symptoms under control, and I only got them under control by following the guidelines in this book.

This book actually has a section called "What to eat when you can't eat anything" - for someone without IBS that sounds stupid - for someone with IBS it can bring tears to your eyes because you can be there everyday. You are hungry, you don't feel good, all you want to do is eat something - anything - and not get diarrhea and stomach cramps. The list provided in this book is only the start of a fantastic new journey toward being able to eat. It's so fantastic. Almost like being able to walk again!! And, that is just the beginning. The book is very easy to understand, very sensitive to your situation (unlike any doctor you've seen, humm!) and it gives you knowledge that WILL make your days more normal - identifies the triggers (foods) that activate the ibs and helps you work around them. Forget the doctors and the tests and the medicines - this book is all you need (well, along with EATING FOR IBS). I've had it for four weeks and for four weeks I've been able to figure out what to eat at a restaurant and be able to get on the back of a motorcycle and go on a long trip without fear! Try that with ibs! Thank God for Heather and the fact she has found an answer and shared it with so many of us. If the book cost a thousand dollars, it would be worth it! Get it, read it, your life WILL change. You CANNOT eat like everyone else, this books shows you how to eat for you......

I truly benefited from this book. I have been having problems digesting since high school probably due in part to the stress of a hard childhood and now young adulthood. Anyway, I bookmarked the pages listing safe foods (soluble fibers) versus the unsafe foods (INsoluble fibers, red/dark meats, fats, dairy, etc). This book has changed my life. I have the knowledge to be able to choose my meals wisely. Amazingly, my acne breakouts have come to a screeching halt with the start of the IBS diet. It turns out those unsafe foods were actually causing my adult acne! I highly recommend this book.

I am a male that was diagnosed with IBS approximately three years ago, and suffered with it for four years before that. After being dianosed (at 36 years old, I got it at 31), the doctor told me change my diet, and that was all. I tried eating different, but it did no good at all. My family doctor tried a protein diet, but that failed, and I basically just accepted the fact that I would have to suffer with this problem. I finally found Heather's book, "IBS, The First Year, and after trying the diet, my symptoms have almost all disappeared, and I had trouble almost everyday. I don't use Immodium AD at all, my "insides" feel great, and all functions are almost comepletely normal. By the way...I've only been on the diet for ONE WEEK.
The food tastes fantastic, and I have had absolutely no problems sticking to it. I recommend this book to anyone suffering from IBS. Doctors don't know much about it, and frankly cannot give much advise, so thank goodness we have Heather to help us. Sometimes it takes someone who suffers from the same affliction to help the rest of us when doctors can't.

This book is a real godsend for anyone suffering from IBS, in addition to Heather Van Vorous's other book, Eating for IBS, which has fantastic recipes. I had IBS-like symptoms for several years, and recently suffered a severe bout with it. While waiting to see a gastroenterologist I discovered Heather's book at my local library and decided to give the dietary guidelines outlined in the book a try. At this point, my condition was worsening and I had nothing to lose. Was I surprised to find that after only a few days of changing my eating habits by eating more soluble fiber I noticed a significant improvement. I felt considerably better, had more energy, and was able to freely go places I was afraid to go before. I felt like I was getting my life back. In addition to the wonderful dietary information, the book is also well documented and researched. It is very easy to read and understand, and the chapters are broken down into manageable segments on different aspects of coping with IBS. The author also stresses getting a correct diagnosis before assuming one has IBS. Due to this encouragement, I went ahead and had blood work and a colonoscopy, and was very surprised to learn I did not have IBS after all, but a condtion called celiac sprue which is a gluten intolerance. Even though I did not have IBS, the information in this book did help initially to improve my condition, and I am still following certain aspects of it (ie. soluble fiber) with the exception of wheat. I would encourage everyone out there who thinks they have IBS, but have not been tested yet to seek out a diagnosis. Don't assume as I had for years that you have IBS without eliminating the possibilities of other conditions.

Thank you to Heather Van Vorous for writing the best book on IBS that I have ever read, in more than 20 years of living with IBS. This book puts everything about IBS into perspective, with medical research, clinical studies, and personal stories to back things up. I have heard tons of confusing advice from my doctors about nutrition and the best diet for IBS, but this book solved the mysteries. And it also covered everything I needed to know about stress management, medications, supplements, alternative therapies, support groups for IBS, dealing with family, and more. The information the most accurate I've ever seen but the style and tone is very friendly and down-to-earth. It feels like the author has pulled up a chair in my kitchen and is talking to me. It's weird, but after reading this book I feel like I know her, and like she's a friend I've never met.

The best thing about this book was that it covers all the ways of dealing with IBS, so you can pick and choose the ones that work best for you. I am now back into a normal social life, I'm off my deprivation diet, and I can join my friends and family in eating healthy, normal, delicious meals. Thank you so much.

I have several family members with IBS, and they have been very frustrated by the lack of useful information out there or by the inaccurate information that they receive from both their physicians and other books. I'll say it again - this book is the best and most accurate resource I have ever found, and I have enjoyed reading it over and over again.

This book has given my son his life back (and mine). We have gone through numerous doctor visits and testing, but only this book has provided us with the much needed guidance and knowledge. My son was 12 years old when diagnosed with IBS. He was tried on different prescription medications, but Heather's suggestion of peppermint oil was not only more effective, but is also a nature based product.Truly what has been the best advice is to start off the day with a soluble fiber and eat these foods as much as possible. My son is now regaining weight and his energy level has increased.I am a nurse and was skeptical at first that I could find the answers from this book and not from his physicians. However,this book and Eating for IBS, also by Heather, have become my bibles.

Having been diagnosed with IBS 6months ago, after months & months of uncontrollable BM's & fear of even leaving my home, I was glad to have a name for it. But like most IBS sufferers my Dr. simply said "We don't know a cause or a cure. Go home and take Citrucel 2 times daily."

While this helped a little, it wasn't until I purchased and read, "The First Year: IBS" & "Eating for IBS", by the same author and put the concepts to work that I finally got my life back, feel well and go out without fear.

Reading this book has given me my life back. Heather, having suffered from IBS herself, for most of her life, has tremendous credibility. The book is written in a very friendly manner, not like similiar books written by doctors. What she gave me were some ideas to change my diet. Her explaination of "trigger" foods was a major revelation. Her advice to emphasize certain foods and eat them in a certain order has been like opening all the windows and letting in the light. I recommend this book!

This book has so much helpful information on IBS
After two years of tests, surgery and five trips to Emergency Department for severe abdominal spasms I found more information in this book than I did from the all the medical staff I came in contact with. This book is truly a lifesaver for people with IBS