I have both IBS and hypoglycemia. After three years of tests and trying medications, I've finally determined that my IBS is due to just being a very nervous person, and I've found a medication that controls the symptoms completely (interestingly, it's OTC stomach acid reducer--Wal-mart brand and fiber pills).

I've had a lot of trouble with my weight due to the conjunction of the IBS, hypoglycemia, and having my thyroid removed. What's been happening is, I'll eat, then the IBS will kick in and I'll...evacuate ...what I ate, so my blood sugar will drop, then I'll be hungry again an hour later. Suffice it to say, the past couple of years have been a cycle of throwing up, diarrhea, shaking, dizziness, and headaches. Not a lot of fun.

Now that I finally have the IBS under control, I'm not hungry hardly at all. Probably because I'm actually getting some use out of the food I'm eating

My question is this: one of the main recommendations for IBS is to eat protein in the form of nuts and seeds, as opposed to meat, which can be greasy and irritate the stomach. Now, somethings I've read say that eating an ounce or two of nuts as a snack can actually help you lose weight, but other things say that nuts are high in fat (which they are) and should be avoided. Protein like nuts also keeps my blood sugar more regular.

Is eating nuts going to keep me fat? I'm eating about an ounce, ounce and a half a day, mostly of roasted almonds or almond butter on fiber Wasa.

Thanks.

Yes nuts are high in fat. Our ancestors would find that most nuts and seeds came available in the fall, thus they would start gathering and eating them, padding the body getting ready for the lean winter. However they ate nuts like there was no tomorrow, meaning they ate pounds of nuts and seeds a day.

HERE is a Chart for Calories for nuts Really not that bad. Better than some things I can think of.

Nuts and seeds are a healthy source of protein and of essential minerals and vitamins: http://www.vegsoc.org/info/nutsseeds.html

An ounce of nuts is what 2 tablespoons, say 5 or 6 almonds shelled? My measuring cup tells me that one ounce is half of 1/4 C That is not a lot of nuts, it may be enough for a almond butter on a single sandwich ---> if you do like I do when it comes to nut butters that may be more like 1/2 sandwich -

However nuts and seeds are not empty fat calories, they are actually good for you and contain other thing which you need. Unlike spreading the butter thickly on a slice of bread which is added fat calories with little else.

I seriously doubt that a few nuts and seeds every day will dramatically add calories and fat to your diet to cause you to gain weight or have a harder time as losing weight.

Besides, if they are essential for your blood sugar levels, then I would not cut them - anything that works to maintain that takes precedence over other things, no?

David

David

Thank you for answering

I use about a tablespoon of almond butter at a time, which is a thin layer on a Wasa cracker (just enough to taste it); sometimes for snacks I have an ounce or two of chopped roasted almonds or three ounces of mixed fruit and nuts (it's mostly fruit).

So far, well I began taking the new stomach meds and being very careful what I ate last Saturday, and I'm down 7 pounds. So clearly the nuts aren't hurting, and might even be helping! It's amazing that this tiny little bit of nuts fills me up, when I used to eat a whole big bowl of chips or something