General Tips Irritable Bowel Syndrome

• There is not a diagnostic test you can do which confirms you have IBS.

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• Reduce (do not stop without a dieticians advice) insoluble fibre intake and eat more soluble fibre foods.

 

Insoluble Fibre foods (decrease)

Soluble fibre foods (increase)

Apples (peeled are fine to have) Apricot Beans and lentils (mashed or pureed are fine to have) Bell peppers (roasted and peeled they’re safer) Berries (blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, cranberries) Bok Choy Broccoli Brussels sprouts Cabbage Cauliflower Celery Cherries Cucumbers (again, peel and seed them and they’re much safer Dates Eggplant (peeled and seeded it’s much safer) Fresh herbs Granola Grapes Grapefruits Green beans Greens (spinach, lettuce, watercress) Leeks Lemons Limes Melons Muesli Nectarines Nuts Onions, scallions, garlic Oranges Popcorn Pineapple Peaches Pears with skins (peeled they’re much safer) Prunes Radish Raisins Rhubarb Seeds shallots Tomatoes (peeled and seeded, especially raw, they’re much safer) Sprouts Whole grains Whole peas, snow peas, snap peas, pea pods Whole wheat flour Whole grain breads Whole grain cereals Whole wheat bread Whole wheat cereal Wheat bran

Apple sauce Avocados (though they do have some fat) Bananas Barley Beets Carrots Chestnuts Corn meal Flour tortillas Mangoes Mushrooms Oatmeal Potatoes Pumpkins Papayas (also digestive aids that relieve gas and indigestion) Pasta and noodles Parsnips Rice Rice cereals Soy Squash Sweet potatoes Turnip Yam

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• Consider under a dieticians advice and supervision: Specialist diets such as the Low Fodmap diet.
• What is a FODMAP?
  • FODMAP is an acronym that stands for: Fermentable, Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, and Polyols. These are a type of simple carbohydrate that the small intestine does not absorb well in some individuals with IBS. When following a low-FODMAP diet, these foods, along with other potential intolerances and allergies, must be tested by process of elimination to determine which specific substance is causing all your GI upset.

• How does this process work?
  • A low-FODMAP diet follows a very specific 3 phase process:
  • Elimination (2-6 weeks)- During this phase, all foods considered high in FOADMAPs are eliminated from your diet.
  • Reintroduction (6-8 weeks)-In the reintroduction phase, you gradually reintroduce individual high-FODMAP foods back into your diet to determine if the food causes symptoms.
  • Integration (lifelong)- Once you and your registered dietitian have interpreted the foods that cause IBS symptoms, you can begin reintroducing foods and FODMAPs that were tolerated well back into your diet.

Babylon Health (Babylon Registered Dietitian Andrea McGrew)

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• If have more constipation episodes increase ones fibre intake (Please note an increase in fibre could make symptoms of IBS worse, the sufferer needs to decide themselves if fibre helps their condition).
• If have diarrhoea episodes then decrease fibre intake.
• Do not do strict exclusion diets and do not avoid dairy or red meat without specialist advice.
• Certain food triggers of IBS (keep a food diary to cut down on those triggers):
  Foods trigger examples:
  • Insoluble fibre foods
  • Spicy food
  • Fatty fried food
  • Cheese
  • Chocolate and sugary foods
  • Alcohol
  • Coffee
  • Milk
  • Red meat
  • Refined carbohydrates
• If have a lot of wind increase intake of oats and linseeds.
• Limit fresh fruit to three a day.
• Limit tea and coffee to three a day.
• Decrease amount of alcohol and fizzy drinks
• Eat regularly, try not to miss meals.
• Chew food slowly and don’t rush eating food.
• Drink plenty of water at least 8 cups daily.
• Try to avoid stress, consider:
  • Pilates
  • Yoga
  • Thai-chi
  • Aromatherapy
  • Acupuncture
  • Reflexology

• Stop smoking
• Do more exercise at least 30 minutes daily or in divided session’s particularly cardiovascular exercises’ i.e. running, cycling and swimming.
• If have constipation episodes see constipation general advice
• If have diarrhoea episodes see  diarrhoea general advice

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Natural treatments and tips (DR Axe)