Ashley’s answer: Your script for ordering must sound a little like this: “I’ll take my salad plain, please, with no cruciferous veggies, nothing raw, no dairy, no mushrooms…so I guess that leaves me with plain iceburg lettuce. But is that even good for me? You know what, I’ll pass on the salad. Can I get a water—no ice?” Sadly, this isn’t a Cathy cartoon. It’s what goes through the minds of roughly 30 million women who suffer from IBS. On a daily basis, you, like so many of these women, debate between what will sending you running for the restroom and eating “healthy”. When I started my practice, I was so bothered by this (and the medical commuity’s then-assessment that you can’t cure it, but medication helps you manage it) that I vowed to teach IBS sufferers how to heal their digestive systems, and others how to prevent its onset. So should you eat salad? Salads come in all sizes, shapes, and nutrient levels. You’re better off leaving the refined white flour croutons, dried fruits (especially those covered in sugar or sulfur), high-sugar dressings, artificial fats and sugars, and large beans where they are. When it comes to your veggies, however, here’s what you should consider. If it’s a “really bad day”—perhaps you overdid it the night before, or are having a stressful week, or are getting your period—lightly cooked and pureed veggies are the easiest on your digestive system. Cooked soups and raw veggie juices are great options, as long as they don’t contain too many starchy veggies, which drive sugar content up. For other days, you can choose a wilted spinach salad (skip the raw onions) or a grilled vegetable salad, even if there’s a little goat cheese or sheep’s milk cheese on it. But when it comes to someone else preparing and serving it, I suggest these three simple requests: “dressing on the side”, “no croutons”, and “no raw onions”. Order something else (maybe a piece of fish with some cooked veggies) that will help give you the nutrition you need. You want to be selective about your veggies, and you should always take the opportunity to eat them at home where you can control the quality and preparation method. Plus, you won’t be stressed about how they may impact your system. But vegetables play a key role in helping your digestive system heal, so don’t forego them! Chewing over a food quandary? Send it to AskAshley@Prevention.com Ashley Koff is a registered dietitian, Qualitarian, nutrition expert, and
