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| Eating
your way to improved IBS |
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The simple act of eating can cause pain and inconvenience
for sufferers of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but food
can also help manage the condition. Without the help and
expertise of a dietician or nutritionist, it can take
months, even years to pinpoint the foods that make the
condition worse and better.
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Sufferers
of IBS may find relief from a regular intake of
healthy essential fats, such as those found in
nuts. |
Many
IBS sufferers choose to design their own special diet
for IBS control by keeping a food and symptoms diary in
the hope of spotting the culprits. If symptom patterns
are unclear, which they often are, an elimination diet
can help to identify problem foods. However, elimination
diets are restrictive, so it is wise to consult your GP
or a nutritionist before you embark on one.
Many IBS sufferers find that they are intolerant to foods,
causing symptoms such as bloating, abdominal cramps, discomfort
and diarrhoea. Often, it is hard for both doctors and
sufferers to identify whether the digestive problem is
IBS or food sensitivities. Common food culprits for intolerance
include wheat products, diary, yeast and fructose and
sugar substitutes, but people can also react to anything
from fruits and vegetables to legumes.
Fibre is one of the most important parts of any diet for
IBS control. It is recommended that healthy adults consume
20-35g of fibre per day. However, certain types of insoluble
high fibre sources may need to be limited for sufferers
of diarrhoea in order to slow down digestion and allow
the body to absorb more nutrients, but fibre should not
be excluded completely.
If you frequently experience diarrhoea, you should start
with no more than 20g of fibre per day, of which 6-10g
needs to be soluble fibre (wholegrain cereals, rice, nuts
and some legumes). Legumes are a good source of fibre,
but IBS sufferers are wise to minimise their intake due
to the bloating effect.
Doctors and nutritionists will also recommended excluding
caffeine, alcohol and fizzy soft drinks from diets as
these products can increase diarrhoea and can also slow
down the digestive system causing bloating and constipation.
Experts will also recommend a limitation of chocolate
and fructose. Fructose is a simple sugar found in most
fruit and fruit juices, and in many processed foods. These
sugary products can produce a fermenting effect in your
bowel, causing bloating and discomfort as well as diarrhoea.
Having said that, you should never exclude all fruit from
your diet unless recommended to do so. Fruit is an important
part of any well balanced diet, supplying many essential
vitamins and nutrients, as well as dietary fibre found
in edible skins.
Though dairy products often worsen the symptoms of IBS,
eating live yogurt containing probiotics is well known
to improve the balance between good and bad bacteria in
the digestive tract. For this reason, live yogurt is often
well tolerated even with a dairy intolerance.
Whether you suffer from diarrhoea, constipation or a combination
of both, you may find relief from limiting fried and fatty
foods, while ensuring a regular intake of healthy essential
fats from oily fish, nuts, seeds and cold pressed oils.
Finally, optimum fluid intake is vital for IBS to both
soften the stools during bouts of constipation and to
replace fluids lost through diarrhoea.
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