What to Eat (and Avoid) While Dealing with Irritable Bowel Syndrome

When you have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), it may seem like everything you put into your body causes you misery. This feeling can make it extremely difficult to opt for the right food selections because it seems like you can hardly eat anything at all without it upsetting your stomach.

No one can live on crackers and water alone, so finding the right nutritional path will help you on your quest to soothing your upset stomach.

10 Foods to Avoid When You Are Diagnosed with IBS

There are common foods that seem to consistently cause issues in people with IBS. Below is a list you may consider avoiding to help curb your symptoms if you are diagnosed with IBS.

• Lactose: Milk products, including cottage cheese, cream cheese, and whole milk should be avoided.
• Some fruits: This includes apples, pears, dried fruit, and most juices. They contain high levels of fructose which can upset the stomach.
• Some Vegetables: Vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and asparagus frequently may incite gas and exacerbate pain caused by IBS.
• Beans: Once again, a gas inducing food that can trigger symptoms.
• High-fat foods: This includes fast foods, rich desserts, and anything fried in oil.
• Coffee: One of the hardest options to eliminate — people love their coffee!

The Cleveland Clinic, one of the premier medical facilities in the world, endorses eliminating these foods for IBS, including practicing a Low-FODMAP diet. This can help make the foods you eat more easily digestible because FODMAPs are carbohydrates that are hard to process in your GI tract.

Help Yourself Treat IBS With These 10 Foods

When you make the decision to eliminate foods from your diet in order to help your symptoms, you have to find things to replace them with that you can safely eat. It’s a process of elimination and then reintroducing those foods which can give you a better idea of what will work for your own body.

“You’ve got to experiment to figure out what works,” is something Andrew Weil once said that relates to the body. As a fellow doctor, Dr. Weil has used his wise thinking to impart a host of wellness knowledge that can improve your health.

Instead Of Milk

It is a sad option to be forced to give up your favorite cereal or other dairy treats because your IBS makes milk a poor choice for your body. Fortunately, when you get rid of milk products, you’ll find that there are some excellent lactose-free products on the market that can be used as replacements. Investigate your options to find a milk substitute that allows you to still have “dairy-like” products. Some of these include:

• Coconut milk and dairy products
• Soy milk and dairy products
• Almond or cashew milk and dairy products
• Lactose-free milk (like Lactaid.)

Depending on your taste, one of these alternatives may be a better option for you, and allow you to continue enjoying a version of your favorite snacks. A wide variety of brands for each of these milk alternatives can be found in health food stores, but mainstream grocery stores and markets now carry a good selection to start from.

Fruits and Vegetables On The Safe Side

While some fruits and vegetables need to be avoided, there are still plenty that will fill up your plate and are less likely to trigger your symptoms. Fruits that are less stressful on your body include:

• Bananas
• Berries
• Melon
• Citrus fruits

For veggies, you want to stick to the ones that aren’t as prone to making you gassy. Some to try are:

• Eggplant
• Green beans
• Carrots
• Sweet potatoes

Just go slowly, making your fruit and vegetable choices by eating them one sitting at a time. Once you find out what works best for you, it will be easier to load up on these healthy nutrients without worrying.

Grains That Are Easy On Your Tummy

There are smart grain choices that tend to be easily digested, which include things like:

• Quinoa
• Rice
• Oatmeal
• Polenta

Unless you know you suffer from Celiac Disease or another form of gluten intolerance, it isn’t necessary to go gluten free. Especially if you experience frequent constipation, you will actually need these whole grains to give you the fiber you need to maintain a healthy digestive system.

Tea Can Be a Substitute For Coffee

Many people feel that nothing can replace coffee; die-hard coffee addicts drink it morning, noon, and night, and many people enjoy starting their day with at least one cup of java.

When you’re suffering from IBS, though, coffee can make your intestinal tract contract in a painful way.  Despite any affinity for coffee, these side effects made it vital to try and eliminate it.

Tea can be a decent substitute for coffee because it’s gentler on the stomach, especially if you stick to the herbal varieties that are caffeine-free. Often, drinking coffee is as much about the routine as it is the beverage itself. Find something that works better on your stomach that allows you to get the same satisfaction, whether you were a morning cup or all-day drinker.

A Summarized List of the 10 Foods to Go On Your IBS Shopping List:

• Coconut Milk
• Lactose-free Milk
• Strawberries
• Cantaloupe
• Grapes
• Eggplant
• Sweet Potatoes
• Oatmeal
• Quinoa
• Polenta
• Lean Proteins like Chicken, Fish, and Turkey

My latest eBook Dr. Nandi’s Guide to Beat IBS Naturally has great recipes that will allow you to leverage these great options so you can live more comfortably. Take control of your health today by downloading the book here for free.