Eating Habits

I have IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and i wanted to know what I should be eating to go to the bathroom everyday. My mom keeps making me eat prunes and water everyday, and i have to say that they taste terrible and i'm trying to find a way to eat healthier. I hear that having a good diet and exercising everyday helps with that issue. But, I have a lot of stress at the same time because of school, homework, & some family illnesses, so it's very hard to exercise with all of that going on. But, i can have a healthy diet, i just don't know what I should be eating.

[Renee Radenberg]

Suggest you eat 5-6 small meals a day and eat regularly. That helps with digestion and you will be able to get more nutrients into your body. Stay with the foods you can tolerate so you do not have attacks and eat low fat foods, too. Do you have issues with dairy products? If so, then use Soy products which are good substitution for dairy products. A better alternate to Prunes is Benefiber which will help you with the constipation.  Increase fiber in your diet slowly and drink water (6-8 cups) daily. Recommend a Heart Healthy diet which is a moderate fat diet. You need approximately 2200-2500 calories per day which is spread across 3-5 meals a day with snacks between meals. Moderate fat diet means = use polyunsaturated (omega 3, corn oil, nuts, etc) fats and monounsaturated (olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, etc) fats, no saturated fats (high fat snack foods, butter, fat spreads) and no trans fats. Eat low fat meats (chicken, fish, loin of pork) or non-meat sources (soy products, nuts), low fat vegetarian combinations (rice & beans, pasta & beans, low fat cheese & pasta), low fat and substitute dairy products, if tolerated (1% milk, low fat/fat free yogurts, low fat soy milk/soy yogurt), use plant oils, non trans-fat margarines, and eat fruits and vegetables you can tolerate. Eat daily high fiber breads and cereals (oatmeal). Hoped this helped you.