Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Diet and Nutrition
Dietary approaches for IBS to treat and manage symptoms.
CONTACT USAdjusting Your Diet for Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Dietary approaches for IBS consist of personalised strategies to both manage symptoms and address the underlying cause.
For many, eliminating certain foods can help to reduce symptoms. However, cutting a high amount of food out of the diet can lead to the diet becoming overly restrictive and stressful.
The approach that we consider is to consider dietary adjustments to help manage symptoms in the short term. Alongside this therapeutic strategies are considered to address the underlying issue so that dietary restrictions are no longer needed.
Essential Foods and Diets to Consider
As well as considering eliminating foods, attention and care is paid to what foods should be included to support the gut as well as calorie intake. However, there is no single diet that may be suitable for all IBS patients.
Dietary considerations include:
- Gluten and dairy-free diets
- A low FODMAP diet
- Elimination diet to assess for sensitivities
- Introducing therapeutic foods to support digestive health and the gut microbiome
High Fibre Foods for IBS Relief
IBS patients often have an individual tolerance to fibre. For some increased fibre may help support digestive function and bowel movements, while for others even small amounts of fibre may trigger symptoms.
Fermentable fibres, such as the ones found in high FODMAP foods, may be the most aggravating for those with IBS. This is the reason why a low FODMAP diet has been shown to help reduce IBS symptoms.
A personalised approach to assess fibre tolerance is an central part of the support process.
The Impact of a Gluten-Free Diet for IBS
In the absence of coeliac disease, it is still possible for gluten-containing foods to trigger IBS symptoms. This may be due to the fibre content of gluten-containing foods, such as wheat. It can also be a lower-level reaction to gluten or other dietary proteins in gluten-containing foods. This means that a glutenfree diet for IBS may still be helpful, even coeliac disease is not present.
This can be assessed with elimination diets or blood tests.
Gluten containing grains include:
- Wheat
- Barley
- Rye
- Spelt
The Low FODMAP Diet for Irritable Bowel Syndrome
The low FODMAP IBS diet has been found to reduce IBS symptoms in up to 86% of patients. While it is not considered a treatment to address the underlying issue, it can help reduce symptoms and offer clarity on dietary triggers.
There are 3 phases to the low FODMAP diet for irritable bowel syndrome:
- Phase 1 – Elimination phase
- Phase 2 – Reintroduction phase
- Phase 3 – Personalisation and maintenance phase
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Foods to Eat and Avoid on a Low FODMAP Diet
The elimination phase of the low FODMAP diet removes high FODMAP foods to reduce the content of specific types and amounts of fibre. This allows for symptoms to be monitored before moving towards the second phase of the low FODMAP diet.
High FODMAP foods include:
- Garlic, onion, apples, pears, beans, lentils, lactose-containing dairy and wheat.
Low FODMAP foods include:
- Carrot, courgette, tomato, melon, kiwi, strawberry, meats, eggs and fish.
Supplements and Probiotics: Supporting Your IBS Diet
While a low FODMAP diet may not treat the underlying issue, it can help to improve and manage symptoms. Alongside this diet, it can be important to introduce therapeutic foods and supplements to help to address the underlying issue.
Probiotic foods and well as probiotic supplements have both been shown to be an effective treatment for IBS. This means that these can often be introduced alongside a low FODMAP diet to support the gut microbiome and the gut lining.
Probiotic foods include:
- Sauerkraut
- Kefir
- Kimchi
- Kombucha
Creating Your IBS Diet Plan
An IBS diet plan should balance the appropriate degree of food elimination alongside the inclusion of therapeutic foods.
This means that the diet should not become overly restrictive. This can happen when following the first phase of the low FODMAP diet but making no reintroductions. In many cases, a wider range of foods can be tolerated and the diet is needlessly restrictive.
To guide this process and take into consideration the underlying causes of food reaction, practitioner support is recommended.
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