The IBS Elimination Diet and Cookbook

I’m on a 2-week stretch of inpatient family medicine service right now so my free time is unfortunately rather sparse, but…I’m back with another cookbook review!

I’ve actually talked about IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) somewhere in the distant past on a Medical Mondays, so this book is super relevant!

The IBS Elimination Diet and Cookbook: The Proven Low-FODMAP Plan for Eating Well and Feeling Great

By Patsy Catsos, MS, RDN, LD

I feel like this may be a book that I actually bring into the office with me to keep on my shelf so that if I come across any patients with IBS, I can use this as a resource to give some tips and pointers!

I really, really appreciated the “Tips for Talking with Your Doctor” section. <3 The author brings up a lot of things I wish all my patients would do–for instance, clearly stating your primary complaint, making a list of symptoms, if you’ve noticed things that have/haven’t helped, labs/imaging you’ve had done at other facilities, mentioning you’d like a referral if that’s something you’ve been thinking about…

The IBS Elimination Diet and Cookbook walks you through whether a FODMAP elimination diet would be helpful for you, what high FODMAPS foods are, and answers a lot of frequently asked questions.

It’s packed full of information while also working as a workbook of sorts to help you track your symptoms, plan together your elimination diet, how to reintroduce FODMAPS + monitor symptoms.

It also includes tips for grocery shopping, meal planning, packing lunches, going out to eat, sample shopping lists, what a low FODMAP pantry would contain (including tips on what to look for in all the different food groups, e.g. grains/starches, fruits, veggies, proteins, milk products, drinks, sweets, seasonings…). This book has you covered!

The next half of the book contains recipes and different tips on substitutions + modifications. It’s split into 5 sections:

• Basic Recipes (e.g. Balsamic Vinaigrette, Smoky Ranch Dressing, Pineapple Teriyaki Sauce…)
• Breakfasts (Smoothie Magic, Golden French Toast, Sweet Potato Hash…)
• Appetizers, Sides and Snacks (e.g. Easy Caprese, Spicy Hummus, Thai Summer Salad Rolls…)
• Mains (e.g. Grain Bowl Combos, Pesto Baked Chicken, Chana Masala…)
• Desserts (e.g. Lemon Pecan Bars, Raspberry-Lime Ice Pops, 5-Ingredient PB Cookies…)

My only wish would’ve been for more photos of the delicious recipes, but as it’s not “just” a cookbook, it’s understandable that it doesn’t. The back of the book contains a lot of useful charts on low FODMAP sources of fiber, protein and calcium.

The IBS Elimination Diet and Cookbook is very well-thought out and comprehensive book, with enough explanations that I don’t think it would be hard to follow for the general public, and is also stuffed with a ton of very useful and relevant information for my fellow health care providers!

• Have you ever done an elimination diet?
• Are there any foods you tend to avoid?

Check out my other book reviews!