Some of the diet sheets for IBS that you may find on the internet or in handouts may not be effective for you. You can design your own IBS proper diet by keeping a food and symptoms diary. What follows are some recommendations about what to eat and what to avoid, but these can only go so far. Some people are sensitive to wheat products while others are sensitive to dairy. And still others are sensitive to fructose and sugar substitutes. In order to keep restrictions to a minimum, control symptoms of IBS, proper diet recommendations should take into account individual preferences and sensitivities.
Most doctors recommend that you eat a variety of food and they may have diet sheets for IBS. The food you eat should be healthy and well-balanced. Diet sheets for IBS with diarrhea may differ from diet sheets for IBS with constipation and some people have both at different times. In cases where both constipation and diarrhea are experienced at different times, a food and symptoms diary is particularly helpful. In the diary, you would note what symptoms you are experiencing and what foods you ate recently. Balance is the key to eating to an IBS proper diet, especially when both constipation and diarrhea are experienced.
Fiber is an important part of any diet and should be included in an IBS proper diet. It is recommended that healthy adults consume 20-35 grams of fiber per day. A food and symptoms diary will also help you determine how much fiber you are consuming and supplement when necessary. A high fiber cereal may not be a good choice of food for irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea, but fiber should not be excluded completely. If you are designing your own way of eating, rather than following diet sheets for IBS with diarrhea, you may want to start with twenty grams of fiber per day, the low end of the scale, rather than a larger amount.
Tips for the IBS proper diet recommend excluding caffeine, alcohol and sodas. These products can increase diarrhea, but they can also slow down the digestive system causing bloating and constipation. In addition, fructose is not the best choice of food for the IBS proper diet when diarrhea is present. Fructose is a simple sugar found in most fruit and fruit juices. It is an ingredient in many processed foods. Chocolate is another bad choice. It tends to have a laxative effect and is highly acidic. Most diet sheets for IBS with diarrhea will not include these items.
If you are designing your own diet sheets for IBS with diarrhea, you do not want to exclude all fruit from your diet. Fruit is an important part of any well balanced diet, supplying many essential vitamins and nutrients, as well as dietary fiber found in edible skins. This is why a food and symptoms diary is so important. Undoubtedly you will find that there are certain foods that cause more problems than others. For instance, canned fruits and fruit juices have more fructose than a whole apple. Eating fresh fruit is the best choice for the IBS proper diet.
Yogurt is a food that is commonly listed on diet sheets for IBS control. It contains something called probiotics which are believed to improve the balance between good and bad bacteria in the digestive tract. A food diary will help you determine if it is a good food choice for you.
If you are designing your own IBS proper diet and you commonly have diarrhea, you may want to avoid the fried and fatty foods, as well as products containing the ingredient olean. If constipation is your problem, you may need to avoid highly processed foods like chips, cookies and white rice. Any of these could be causing you problems; the best way to learn what foods to avoid is by using a food and symptoms diary. This cannot be overemphasized, in this writer?s opinion. And don?t forget to drink plenty of water. Water is an important part of any healthy diet. It is particularly important for the IBS proper diet; both when constipation is present, to soften the stool and when diarrhea is present, to prevent dehydration from fluid loss. And it may not be included in diet sheets for IBS. Most experts recommend eight 8 ounce glasses of water per day or 64 ounces total.
For more information about IBS, visit www.digestive-disorders-guide.com.
Patsy Hamilton has more than twenty years experience as a healthcare professional and currently writes informational articles for the Digestive Disorders Guide. Read more at http://www.digestive-disorders-guide.com. | |
