IBS Cookbook For Dummies

It is estimated that about 35 million Americans experience the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and about 2.4 to 3.5 million people visit the doctor because of these symptoms every year. The symptoms are often related to what you eat. The For Dummies series is here to help. IBS Cookbook For Dummies® provides those with IBS easy-to-follow and easy-to-understand recipes to create meals using foods and methods that decrease the discomfort of symptoms associated with the disorder.

Readers will find more than 100 tasty recipes they can easily make at home, as well as a nutritional meal plan that will help alleviate IBS complications. The book helps sufferers avoid "trigger" foods and choose healthier alternatives including tips for menu planning, including healthy meals and snacks. But eating or avoiding certain foods isn’t the only way to take charge of an IBS attack. There are other methods of relieving symptoms and preventing future flare-ups. Here are just three of the many suggestions in IBS Cookbook For Dummies:

Snooze away your symptoms

If you have IBS-D, the depletion of nutrients and stress on your adrenal glands from loss of magnesium can tire you out. Those with IBS-C are often prone to irritable tiredness because of the toxins they may be reabsorbing from their large intestine; when toxins overload the liver, anger rises to the surface. If tiredness is causing your attack, get rest as much as you can and follow our eating plan.

Deal with stress

When you feel the rumbling in your gut or the cramping in your abdomen, stop and take a breath. Notice what is going on in that moment. Are you rushing around? Are you sitting at your desk trying to finish a project? If you realize that stress is likely causing your attack, look for positive ways to release that stress, such as yoga, meditation, or a simple walk around the block. Deep breathing can also be incredibly relaxing, and you can do it in your chair.

Make magnesium work for you

Researchers are still trying to figure out what exactly causes intestinal spasms in IBS; some theories suggest that the intestines may already be in spasm from generalized tension or from lack of magnesium. In either situation, taking magnesium is going to help. The authors cover magnesium, its laxative properties and its muscle relaxing properties in Chapter 1.

Find out more simple solutions in IBS Cookbook For Dummies and check out related articles on www.dummies.com!