IBS foods to avoid

Having knowledge of IBS foods to avoid become critical when it comes to cure this gut complication. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), mucous colitis, spastic colon are different terms used to refer a single disorder of gastrointestinal tract characterized by symptoms like constipation alternating with diarrhea, bloating, pain in the lower abdomen and passing of mucous in the stool. Among the several causes of irritable bowel syndrome, dietary triggers are the most important. If you are suffering from IBS then you should consider revising your eating routine. Foods to avoid depend on the symptoms with which an individual presents. You should change your dietary habits in accordance with your major symptoms.

• Foods to avoid when you have IBS with bloating:
  

  Bloating, in the case of irritable bowel syndrome, is most frequently caused by eating food rich in starch which is not easily digested in the gut. The fermentation of this food causes bloating (carbohydrate intolerance). If this is the case then you should consider cutting short following things in your diet:
  

  
  

  • Avoid eating reheated or poorly cooked starch rich foods like potatoes and corns.
    
  • Dried pasta can aggravate the symptoms of bloating in irritable bowel syndrome. So, try eating fresh pasta instead.
    
  • Processed food containing pasta and potato, like macaroni cheese, lasagna etc, should be avoided.
    
  • Bread and majority of bakery products are also rich in starch. So, partly cooked or reheated bakery products should be skipped in spastic colon. Such products include cakes, biscuits, pizzas and garlic breads.
    
  • The use of fruits like green bananas should also be minimized.
    
  • Pulses, corns (especially sweet corn) and whole grains make another important IBS trigger group.
    
  • Avoid eating fried rice, baked potatoes or potato waffles. Instead, choose boiled rice and baked potatoes.
    
  • “Ready to eat” starch containing food, including potatoes, sweet corn and pasta, should be avoided. Eat freshly cooked food instead.
    
  • Minimize the use of gas producing vegetables like cabbage and broccoli
    
• Foods to avoid when you have IBS with diarrhea:
  

  Sometimes the major symptom of irritable bowel syndrome is diarrhea. What you need to do is to replace the lost fluids and eliminate the basic trigger of diarrhea. Following dietary restrictions should be kept in mind:
  

  • Replace the lost fluids with plain water, not with caffeinated drinks like colas, coffee, squashes, energy drinks and tea.
    
  • Try to limit the use of caffeinated drinks and much as possible. But, if you still choose to drink such drinks then don’t drink more than 2-3 cups (of tea or coffee) a day.
    
  • Avoid fizzy drinks.
    
  • It’s best not to drink alcohol when you are suffering from IBS with diarrhea.
    
  • Human gut lacks the enzymes required to digest fibers present in seeds, wholegrain breads, cereals and bran. These insoluble fibers remain in the gut and drain the water of gut leading to the further complication of diarrhea symptoms.
    
  • You shouldn’t eat the pits and skins from the fruits and vegetables.
    
  • Restrict the intake of reheated or undercooked starchy foods (as described above).
    
  • Avoid eating sweets (gums and candies) containing sorbitol.
    
  • Avoid eating food containing high content of fat like hamburgers, chips, sausages and cakes.
    

  • Foods to avoid when you have IBS with constipation:
    

    Constipation is the major presentation of mucous colitis in majority of cases. Following precautions should be kept in mind regarding dietary habits:
    

    • Don’t increase the intake of insoluble fiber too rapidly. Insoluble fibers do help in abating the symptoms of constipation but these fibers complicated the other presentations of spastic colon i.e. bloating, abdominal pain, flatulence and diarrhea. Increase the quantity of these fibers slowly.
      
    • Due to their dehydrating effect, drinks like alcohol, coffee and caffeinated beverages should be avoided in mucous colitis with constipation.
      
    • Eating too refined food can worsen the constipation. The use of food items like cookies, white rice and white bread should be discouraged.
      
    • Constipation is the major side effect of eating the most popular “high protein, low carbohydrate diet”. You do need proteins but cutting short your carbohydrate sources (fruits and vegetables) is going to do more harm than good.
      

  • Food to avoid when you have IBS with abdominal pain:
    

    IBS foods to avoid when you’re suffering from abdominal pain include:
    

    • Eating fried, greasy and fatty food stuff can complicate the abdominal pain associated with spastic colon.
      
    • Eating heavy meals can stimulate intense stomach and intestine contractions leading to severe pain.
      
    • Avoid eating gas producing food products (as described above).
      

To conclude, having knowledge of different IBS foods to avoid, you can devise a perfect diet plan which can help you fight against irritable bowel syndrome.

References:

https://www.webmd.com/ibs/symptoms-irritable-bowel-syndrome-ibs

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/incontinence-bowel/documents/nice%20guidelines%20ibs.pdf

https://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/pain/Pain%20Resources/QIrritableBowelSyndrome_Banerjee.pdf

https://ibs.about.com/od/ibsfood/qt/EatforDiarrhea.htm

Photo crédits:

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