How can food affect symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)?

Nutrition therapy for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) can help you feel less constipated and bloated. It can also help ease constipation and diarrhea. It is important to make changes to your diet gradually. Keeping a food diary or journal can help you track your intake and identify foods that cause your system to get worse.

Recommended foods include low fat or skim dairy, all ready-to-eat or cooked grains that your body tolerates, lean meat, eggs, poultry, or fish prepared without added fats. Soy food like tofu is another way to get adequate protein. You may eat any fruits and vegetables that your body is able to tolerate while avoiding the ones that may cause gas (see below). Limit fat to 1 tsp. of butter/margarine/oil or 1 Tbsp. of salad dressing per meal. When it comes to beverages, stick to non-carbonated and non-caffeinated beverages. Examples include water, decaffeinated coffee, and caffeine-free herbal tea.

Foods not recommended include full fat dairy products (such as whole milk, heavy cream, and cheeses made with whole milk), poultry with skin, meats that are marbled with fat, luncheon meats (including bologna, hot dogs, bacon, and sausage), fried foods and dried beans and peas if they cause gas. The following vegetables may cause gas: broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, cabbage corn, leeks, and onions. You also want to avoid prune juice and grape juice, as well as caffeinate coffee/tea and carbonated beverages. It is also recommended to avoid high-fat desserts such as pies, cakes, pastries, and doughnuts.

The best way to manage your IBS is to eat meals on a regular schedule. Aim for 5 to 6 small meals and snacks a day and try not to skip meals. A low-fat diet is often better tolerated. You may feel better if you avoid fried foods and foods prepared with added fats. It is also important to stay well hydrated – Aim to consume 6 to 8 cups of water per day.

Over 60% of your immune system is in your digestive tract. In addition, there are 4 different pathways that your immune system uses to fight off invaders. Type 3 and type 4 pathways can be triggered by food sensitivities, and these reactions can cause symptoms of IBS. The symptoms caused by these pathways can be delayed up to several days, which makes determining them simply by food journaling a challenge. 

Certain foods can be triggers to IBS. Speak to a RD about how to implement an elimination diet to determine which foods are triggers for you. They may be certain textures, spices, acidity, high fat, lactose, gluten, etc.

Many foods that comprise a large part of the typical diet today are sourced from grains, legumes, dairy and contain white sugar, all of which can wreak havoc on the GI tract.

Unfortunately, many of the recommendations commonly offered by specialists can make symptoms worse. All of the foods listed above have an inflammatory response in the body and lead to a condition called leaky gut and as such, should be elminated in order to allow the body time to heal.

The Paleo diet is an anti inflammatory diet which can help heal leaky gut.   A thirty day trial is a good way to do an experiment.   As symptoms begin to subside, digestion gets back to normal and the body begins to heal, one can see for themselves how foliowing this natural approach to eating really makes sense!