People would rather talk sex (and STDs!) versus poop

I look thrilled

Last week, I spent the better part of a day talking about IBS. IBS stands for Irritable Bowel Syndrome and there are two types IBS-C and IBS-D. C and D stand for constipation and diarrhea lest you think my work is glamorous. The panel I was on had a GI doctor (who developed the IBS survey yielding the info in the title), a psychologist and me. Oh, and Wendy Williams was the host and moderator.

I’m going to digress for a minute to note that Wendy Williams has lost a lot of weight, like 50 or 75 pounds so I was a little taken aback when she walked into our rehearsal. She made the discussion livelier and played video of people on the Santa Monica pier being interviewed about their bowel habits. 

My big head

Some salient suggestions for GI problems:

Keep a food journal- I know it’s almost required as a nutritionist for me to suggest this. It's imperative with GI issues in order to determine your personal food triggers.

Some common IBS triggers are fried foods, gluten, sweeteners, chocolate, carbonation and caffeine. However, this is very individual.

Eat fermented foods- not only do these foods (yogurt, fermented cottage cheese, kombucha, kimchi) contain probiotics which can reduce gas and bloating BUT fermentation makes foods more bioavailable and nutritious. Yes, nutrients are produced in the fermentation process.

You should eat fermented foods even if you take a probiotic supplement.

Take vitamin D- there are so many reasons to take vitamin D3 but 82% of people with IBS don’t get enough D.

Beware of your basics- many people come to me with questions about obscure supplements. For constipation, for example, start with getting enough fluids (warm fluids best if binded) and doing vigorous, standing exercise such as running or rebounding. Make sure you're doing the basic, easy behaviors before getting fancy.

Talk to someone on your healthcare team about GI issues especially if they are impacting your social or work life.

On a personal  "GI" note, I’m a big fan of magnesium, kiwis, cocochia and adore my squatty potty, see- it’s easy to share. Any "pressing" digestion questions?

Seven Non-Sweet, Satisfying Snacks

This is a guest post from Stephanie Black. Steph has worked with Foodtrainers in many capacities, most recently as a researcher for my alleged second book. You can find Steph on Insta and twitter @stephgetsfood.

February, the month of heart shaped candy — oops, I mean the month of love — has come to an end. I am a chocolaholic to my core (“Chocolate” was my Bat Mitzvah theme…), but even I am ready to take a break from sweets. Speaking of “breaks,” Spring Break is around the corner, making this the ideal time to start cutting back on sugar. With that said, here are seven non-sweet yet satisfying snacks that this chocolaholic swears by.

1.    Cottage Cheese with Sriracha: During my dietetic internship, a fellow intern told me about this combo. I was skeptical at first, but now it is my absolute favorite snack. For extra health points, opt for Good Culture probiotic cottage cheese

2.    Simple Mills Crackers: these flavorful crackers need no partner/topping. They’re made from almond flour so it’s a crunchy snack with staying power (not easy to find). Just make sure to portion out your serving ahead of time to avoid over-crackering. And these can be purchased online from the Foodtrainers' shop.

3.    Epic Jerky: Between their bars and bites, this jerky brand is one of the few that I trust to taste great without converting my body into the Dead Sea. Honorable mention to VT Smoke and Cure and New Primal jerkys.

4.    Snack Pizza: These fiber-filled crispbreads serve as the perfect vehicle for any healthy topping. Foodtrainers’ current favorite is combining organic string cheese and Applegate pepperoni for a snack pizza-yes! Check out this post from Carolyn for some more Orgran inspo.  

5.    Creative crudité-it’s a good idea to have a container of cut veggies on hand at all times. To spice up your veggie snack, cut up jicama and top with a squeeze of lime and pinch of cayenne. OR buy a bottle of this (a great way to spice up margaritas too…Lauren added that, I am trying to stick to the subject!). 

6.   Pickles If you’re not already on the fermented food train, hop on board. Be sure to choose pickles that are fermented (not all pickles are). We’re fans of Bubbies brand but there’s a whole world of fermented veggies it’s hard not to find at least one kind you’ll love. 

7.    Bean dip move over hummus, have you seen the Go-Dip snack packs? These, no sugar added, gluten free, kosher, vegan (yes!) beauties are super flavorful bean dips with puffed nori chips. These are great for travel, post workout or any time really.

Stay calm, and non-Sweet snack on.

What are your favorite, non-sweet snacks?

Canyon Ranch told my friend to do this, here’s what I suggested

My friend mentioned, in a text, that she had been to Canyon Ranch last weekend. I expressed my jealousy, she then asked “do I really need 30 grams of fiber every ding dong day?”

I told her what I’m about to tell you and that’s that normal people don’t count their food in grams. They don’t. I love fiber, fiber helps with digestion and satiety. Fiber feeds those good bacteria we’re so fascinated by. Fiber helps your weight loss efforts. Fiber and I have no issues. I just prefer a common sense, tedium-free approach.

SO here we go

Let’s say you had yogurt and raspberries or eggs with avocado this morning (or perhaps you followed Carolyn’s advice with Breggie).

Raspberries- the fruity, fiber queen give you 8 g of fiber per cup.

Eggs/avo 4.5 grams in ½ a Haas (better eat those avos before they’re taxed).

Hit up Sweetgreen for lunch and have everyone’s fave Rad Thai  salad (personally I adore the Omg salmon offering).

No fiber facts are listed on Sweetgreen’s website so I had to friggin’ count.

I’ll say 15 grams of fiber (even though 16.7 by my calculations)

Conservatively you’re over 20 grams at this point; it could be over 24.

In the afternoon, I’d suggest our Foodtrainers' nutcase (pictured above) fill it with almonds for another 4 grams of fiber.

Maybe for dinner you have some chicken and broccoli (I’m into roasting broccoli lately),

7.5 grams for the broccoli (Brussels and cauliflower also high in fiber).

Go wild and add in a sweet potato for 31 total fiber grams (lowballing).

So, the morals of the fiber story are:

You get a big fiber bang for your buck with a veggie-filled salad in your day.

OR if you’re not into salads have vegetables 2-3 time daily.
Consume nuts or seeds once a day in some form.
And any time an expert gives you annoying advice, ask them if they do what they’re suggesting.

Finally, life is too short to count fiber grams.