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IBS Diet Advice
About Good Foods For IBS Symptoms
Need IBS diet sheets? Want The Best Diet For IBS? Learn about foods to avoid with IBS and feel better now!
Diet is so important in the management of Irritable Bowel Syndrome symptoms. On this page you will find a diet plan for IBS sufferers which includes good foods for IBS, diet sheets and also learn about Irritable Bowel Syndrome trigger foods too. You can also discuss your own diets for IBS in the IBS food forum and foods to avoid with IBS too.
Are there Irritable Bowel Syndrome diets that work when you have IBS symptoms? Yes, IBS diet really can make a difference!
Dr Peter Thatcher Talks About The IBS Diet Section
There is definitely a correlation between diet and IBS symptoms and you may have noticed this already. Lots of sufferers come to me stating that they just can't eat certain foods as it makes their symptoms worse. They want to know what is the best diet for IBS symptoms they are experiencing. So what diet for IBS sufferers is right?
My IBS Diet Advice
You really need an IBS diet plan which will highlight good foods for IBS that help. So what diets do I give my patients when there is so much information out there?
I think the first thing is to have a sense of balance when it comes to IBS diet. No one’s saying IBS sufferers should avoid lots of foods in their diet, but there does seem to be certain foods to avoid with IBS (or at least kept to a minimum in your diet 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.
You bowel needs 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.
With diet for IBS patients, NEVER skip meals in your diet as this 'confuses' the bowel and can make symptoms worse. Try to eat at the same times 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 and this is unhelpful.
When looking at your diet, try to keep a food diary over a week or two as you may see a pattern emerge and give you a pointer of which foods to avoid in your diet.
Don't forget that digestion is a lengthy exercise, so it won't necessarily be the food you had immediately before so look for patterns before the last meal too!
IBS sufferers often tell me that fatty foods, gluten containing foods (gluten is a protein in wheat, rye and barley), dairy products and too much complex sugars (carbohydrates in the diet) are not good foods for IBS and can make their
IBS symptoms
worse.
Below, I am going to outline the best diet for IBS symptoms you are experiencing. So if you need good foods for IBS symptoms you are suffering, look no further. There are various diets available to you which I'll outline.
You can also contribute your own thoughts on IBS diet in the IBS food forum too. So if there's food that works for you, any IBS diet recipes or any special diet for IBS you would like to offer other sufferers and any foods to avoid, share them with all of us below.
You too can gain information about IBS foods from others on the site! We are also creating
free diet sheets for IBS
and you might like to get involved.
One IBS diet organisation, the BDA or British Dietetic Association in conjunction with the National Institute For Clinical Excellence provide excellent
IBS diet sheets
and you can obtain one by clicking on the link.
General IBS diet 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). These are Irritable Bowel Syndrome trigger foods.
AVOID spicy foods such as curries, peppers, chillies, onions, garlic, acidic vinegar containing foods. These are Irritable Bowel Syndrome trigger foods too.
The sort of IBS YOU have determines the DIET for YOU
The saying “you are what you eat” has some bearing in diets for IBS. The sort of
IBS
that you suffer from determines what sort of foods you should have. So here are the good foods:
If you suffer from diarrhea and wind you need the following diet for IBS with diarrhea:
You need to have a IBS low fibre diet or exclusion diet
If you suffer from diarrhea and constipation:
You need a high fiber diet and if this fails an exclusion diet
If you suffer from constipation and wind or bloating then an IBS constipation diet is right for you
You need a low fibre diet for IBS with constipation plus or minus laxatives
If you suffer from Constipation without wind or bloating:
You need a high fiber diet plus or minus laxatives
The Best IBS DIETS
All recommended IBS diets should contain protein containing foods including fresh meats, poultry and eggs. These are all good foods. Excluding these foods in your diet 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.
IBS Low Fibre Diet
Low fibre diets for IBS 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 Irritable Bowel Syndrome trigger foods.
High Fibre IBS diet advice
High fibre diets for IBS 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 containing foods
• Fruit incorporating the skins
• Vegetables including beans, pulses, corn and jacket potato
Exclusion IBS diets
Exclusion diets in IBS by definition mean EXCLUSION and are the only way of finding out what to eat for IBS symptoms you have, the good foods and the bad ones 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 foods:
• Meats – fresh meat and poultry, but avoid processed meats, burgers and sausages
• Fresh fish – NOTprocessed 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 IBS symptoms or 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 seem to help. This can take several weeks to achieve. Once you know the best diet, you can then create diets with variations of these good foods. 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 diet diary as you will be able to see which are the good foods and which one's are not so good. You will then have your very own diet plan for your IBS.
FODMAP Diet
A relatively new concept, the FODMAP diet has been gaining popularity since its introduction from Australia. Based on avoidance of certain fruits and vegetables in combination with a gluten free diet and lactose free diet, it has been shown to benefit a lot of sufferers with IBS symptoms. You can read more about this diet by going to the
low FODMAP diet page
Wind or Bloating producing foods
Certain foods in your diet seem to increase the amount of bloating and wind that you experience. Notorious examples of these foods 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 in IBS, but again gradual reintroduction into your diet will help you to determine which ones are Irritable Bowel Syndrome trigger foods for you.
Other Web Pages On This Site That May Interest YouFODMAP DietIBS lifestyleIBS patient informationIBS foods
Why Don't You Discuss Your IBS Diet Advice In The IBS Food Forum!
IBS Diet Forum IBS Diet Forum Welcome to our IBS DIET forum! You can ask questions, or comment on nearly anything related to your DIET. Have you got a good IBS diet plan that works for you, a RECIPE to share, what makes your symptoms worse and what makes them better! This is a great place to find others and share ideas! 
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IBS Diet CommentsAnge's commentLong term vegan, am going wheat free after ibs diagnosis. Whole, organic foods mainly. Am cutting out coffee now. Visitors commentI 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 commentIt 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 commentMaybe 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 -
IBS help online
cannot be responsible for any misinformation given in this 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.
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