IBS Diet Options
Your IBS diet is very important in the management of your Irritable Bowel Syndrome symptoms.
On this page you will find recommendations that really will help your symptoms. I will show you a diet plan that will help bring back control to your life, offer diet sheets for reference and also show you the ones to avoid too.
You'll also have the opportunity to discuss your own best options for your symptoms in the food forum. You can also learn and discuss what to avoid too!.
So, are there foods for IBS that really work when you have symptoms? Well, the answer is definitely Yes, they really can make a difference and they are all natural treatment too!
Sufferers have long known about a correlation between their symptoms and diet as I'm sure you have too.
Page Links
Lots of my clients come to me saying they just can't find the right foods to eat and are uncertain as to which food make their symptoms worse.
They want to know the best diet for their symptoms and I
always direct them to the advice I have outlined below. Why? because it
works in most cases to reduce or even alleviate symptoms of an IBS attack.
So what IBS diet plan is right for you?
So, are there foods that really work when you have symptoms? Well, the answer is definitely Yes, they really can make a difference and they are all natural treatment too!
My Diet Advice
You really need a plan that will highlight the natural and good foods for your IBS, don't you?
The first thing you need to have is a sense of balance when it comes to what you eat. No one’s saying that you should avoid lots of foods, but there does seem to be certain foods to avoid (or at least kept to a minimum if you are susceptible to their effects).
The best diet varies between one person and another, but there are some basic rules that apply to all.
Your bowel needs to have a routine in a similar way to most of us! Eating meals regularly was the first thing I realised was so important in an IBS diet. Irregular meals are bad for your gut and most importantly bad for your health too.
NEVER skip meals as this only 'confuses' your bowel and can make your symptoms worse. Try to eat at the same time each day and avoid eating late at night.
Don't rush your food as this can cause cramps, particularly as air tends to be swallowed when eating quickly which is unhelpful.
Have You Discovered The Low FODMAP Diet?
Discover the new FODMAP diet that is making waves in IBS circles and may help your symptoms. Learn more by going to the Low FODMAP diet section.
If you would you like a copy of one of my low FODMAP diet sheets? If the answers Yes just enter your details below and I will send you a copy, its as easy as that!
Keep a food diary over a week or two as you may see a pattern emerge. This is a good starting point to see which ones to avoid and which one's are the right for you.
Don't forget that digestion is a lengthy exercise, it won't necessarily be the food you had immediately before so look for patterns before the last meal too and even before that!
My clients often tell me that fatty meals, foods with gluten (gluten is a protein in wheat, rye and barley), dairy products and too much complex sugars (carbohydrates) aren't good foods for sufferers and can make their symptoms worse.
Below, I am going to outline in a methodical way the best meal options for symptoms you are experiencing.
You can also contribute your own thoughts on IBS diet in the food forum too. So if there's something that works for you, any recipes or any special meals you would like to offer other sufferers and any foods to avoid, share them with all of us below.
IBS Diet Sheets
You too can gain information from others on the site! We are also creating free diet sheets and you might like to get involved.
One organisation, the BDA or British Dietetic Association in conjunction with the National Institute For Clinical Excellence provide excellent information sheets too.
Site Diet Sheet Links
 |
 |
General Diet Plan Principles
IBS diet principles include:
Eat REGULAR meals, DON’T miss meals as bowel likes REGULARITY
DON’T over eat as this can cause overstimulation
SMALLand REGULAR meals maybe more beneficial
AVOID alcohol, caffeine related drinks (including tea, coffee and fizzy drinks such as cola). They are all Irritable Bowel Syndrome trigger foods.
AVOID spicy foods such as curries, peppers, chillies, onions, garlic and acidic vinegar. These are all triggers too.
The Recommended IBS DIET for YOU
The saying “you are what you eat” has some bearing here. The sort of symptoms you suffer determines the types of meals you should have. So here are the good ones:
If you suffer from diarrhea and wind you need the following for IBS with diarrhea:
You need to have a low fibre or exclusion diet which you can find out below.
If you suffer from diarrhea and constipation:
You need high fiber and if this fails an exclusion diet which you can find out below.
If you suffer from constipation and wind or bloating then a constipation diet is right for you
You need low fibre plus or minus laxatives
If you suffer from Constipation without wind or bloating:
You need high fiber plus or minus laxatives
The Good Foods
All recommended diets for digestive system disorders should contain protein containing foods including fresh meats, poultry and eggs. These are all good. Excluding these foods in your meals could lead to nutritional deficiencies in the longer term.
If you feel that you have a problem with one or more of these you can keep a IBS diet diary to see which meats or poultry make your symptoms worse.
Low Fibre Diet
Low fibre meals should be balanced and incorporate the following:
• White bread rather than brown or granary
• Pasta and rice, BUT not wholemeal
• Cereals that don’t contain high fibre. Examples would include corn flakes and rice cereal
• White flour containing foods
• Fresh fruit and juices, but avoid skins and seeds
• Vegetables, but NOT beans, pulses or corn. Remove skin from potatoes and other skinned vegetables as these can be triggers.
High Fibre IBS diet advice
High fibre meals should incorporate variations of the following:
• Brown bread and granary bread
• Wholemeal pasta and brown rice
• High fibre cereals including Weetabix, Shredded Wheat, Shreddies and many more
• Brown flour
• Fruit incorporating the skins
• Vegetables including beans, pulses, corn and jacket potato
Foods To Avoid With IBS
Exclusion by definition means EXCLUSION and are the only way of finding out what to eat. You can then find the good and bad meals that are applicable to you. The problem with this sort of diet is that it requires a lot of time and commitment by YOU, as well as some will power too! Take in the following:
• Meats – fresh meat and poultry, but avoid processed meats, burgers and sausages
• Fresh fish – NOT processed fish, fried or battered
• Vegetables – ALL vegetables, but avoid SKINNED potatoes, garlic, onions and peppers
• Fruits – ALL fruits except citrus fruits such as lemon, lime and orange
• Cereals – Rice containing cereals only
• Dairy – AVOID ALL dairy containing products such as milk, butter, yoghurt and replace with soya substitutes
• Drinks – ONLY take in water, non-citrus drinks and herbal teas. AVOID alcohol, tea, coffee and carbonated drinks
You may find that you still have symptoms or may be your symptoms are made worse with the exclusion diet. This is quite normal. You need to keep a food diary of what you are eating each day and vary the foods.
Make a note of what appears to be making your symptoms better and which ones are not. This can take several weeks to achieve. Once you know the best options, you can then create diets with variations of these.
Once everything is working for you, you can then start reintroducing some of the foods you have been advised to avoid, but keep using a diary as you will be able to see which are the good options and which one's are not so good. You will then have your very own diet plan for your IBS.
Avoiding gluten is a common thing to do in IBS as the condition is associated with secondary gluten intolerance and you can read more about gluten on the gluten allergies page.
Wind or Bloating
Certain foods seem to increase the amount of bloating and wind that you experience.
Notorious examples of these include nuts, dried fruits, baked beans, pulses, cabbage, Brussel sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower. Fizzy beers (Lagers) and carbonated drinks such as cola drinks and Lemonade can also make symptoms worse.
Try to avoid the above foods, but again gradual reintroduction into your meals will help you to determine which ones are Irritable Bowel Syndrome triggers.
Other Pages That May Interest You:
Share A Comment About This
Why Don't You Discuss Your IBS Diet Advice In The Food Forum!
|
Diet Comments
Ange's comment
Long term vegan, am going wheat free after ibs diagnosis. Whole, organic foods mainly. Am cutting out coffee now.
Visitors comment
I hope this helps someone suffering from what I had.
I had mucous running continuously from my bowels for two years. It was so bad I wanted to die. I had a small polyp removed but it wasn't cleared up until I stopped eating anything that had milk in it. There's a protein in milk (casein,) perhaps more than one, that the body reacts to as a foreign substance. It causes inflammation and kicks the immune system in gear so your immune response is probably hyperactive. And if you're continuously eating products with milk, it won't go away and you'll never learn the cause. The milk also creates mucus on your intestine so you?re not absorbing/processing food as efficiently. I also feel my milk consumption created the polyp. I hope this helps you, and wish that doctors had been smart enough to figure it out. But they weren't. It took a while for me to find the source of the problem but now I'm okay unless I have milk products: then it starts up again. Good luck to you.
Visitors comment
It kills me! No but really, If I have spaghetti my stomach is all airy and I won't be able to have a bowel movement for weeks, it's really bad plus I get the worst stomach ache ever.. it's worse than having my period!
Geoff's comment
Maybe this is an individual problem but three things that may normally form part of a healthy diet seem to affect my IBS: rocket, spinach and aubergines. I still enjoy but eat them rarely.
Disclaimer - The website cannot be responsible for any misinformation given in this IBS diet forum. You enter the forum knowing that this is only advice and doesn't constitute a medical opinion. Always seek the advice of your own doctor.
IBS › IBS Diet
