

What You Need to Eat for IBS, According to a Nutritionist

Because bathroom runs put the "irritable" in Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

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    Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a medical disorder with symptoms including gas, bloating, abdominal pain, and diarrhea or constipation. Since IBS is typically broken down by its, er, most predominant bathroom habit — diarrhea or constipation — it's also referred to as IBS-D or IBS-C.

    Experts still don't understand the exact cause of IBS — and there's likely more than one — but there is some good news. IBS isn't an (necessarily) an inflammatory disease like Crohn's or Ulcerative Colitis, which can permanently damage intestinal tissue and lead to bigger, long-term health problems.

    Even without a one-size-fits-all "cure" just yet, dietary changes can help mitigate both the short- and long-term symptoms of IBS. The thing is, not everyone's issues are triggered by the same foods, so regardless of whether or not you've been diagnosed with IBS-D or IBS-C, you're in for some trial and error. Here, get your IBS questions answered before figuring out an eating plan that's right for you.

    How do you get IBS?

    Proposed mechanisms include changes in your gut bacteria, residual effects of medications, and psychological or psychosocial stress. But part of what makes IBS tough for healthcare professionals is that we're often trying to treat both the cause and the symptoms at the same time — none of which is completely clear-cut and all of which varies from person to person!

    Whether it's getting back into yoga, trying therapy, or exploring medication options, anxiety reduction is often a component of IBS treatment. I'd also recommend talking to your doctor about symptom management. He/she may refer you to a specialist, or recommend certain medications to help manage the goings-on in your gut.

    I've just been diagnosed. What do I do first?



    But the best way to learn about your specific triggers is to keep a detailed food journal. That will help you determine if there's a specific food or food group that sets you off, or if there's something that triggers you when consumed in higher amounts throughout the course of a day.


    A 2017 meta-analysis has linked following a low-FODMAP diet with greater symptom management and general improvement in how IBS patients felt overall. (That's a huge deal when you consider just how different the symptoms of IBS-C and IBS-D can be!)



    If you're trying out an IBS diet for symptom management, I'd start by limiting these as much as possible:

    So basically I can't eat anything?

    Not true! Try gravitating toward the following:

    How long do I have to do this for?




    If you're constipated (and have not been diagnosed with IBS-C), here's the deal: Fill up that water bottle! More often than not, constipation is the result of not drinking enough fluids — including unsweetened beverages like coffee, tea, sparkling H2O and the occasional diet soda – to keep everything moving along. Most of us need a minimum of 8 cups per day, and starting off with a cup o' joe in the morning can help get the ball rolling. Research has shown that caffeine plus coffee's plant-based antioxidants can help you stay regular.


    The Bottom Line

    It's important to address one major issue I see when it comes to IBS, especially in women. (Ladies are twice as likely to have IBS compared to the boys!) It's not something we can just brush off or dismiss with "I have IBS — but it's no big deal," or "It's just IBS, not an allergy!"

    Just because IBS isn't incurable or life-threatening doesn't mean it's nothing! In fact, it can be pretty darn uncomfortable, awkward, embarrassing, isolating, and annoying for so many of us! Since both the etiology and the symptoms of the disorder tie back to anxiety, we certainly don't need to take on the added stress of blowing it off or staying mum about trigger foods.

    My ultimate tip: Find a registered dietitian (RD) who can help you navigate the inevitable pitfalls of eating with IBS. We're trained to help you make individualized eating plans that work for you in the context of your everyday lifestyle. In other words, we're here to help!

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