IBS or irritable bowel syndrome is a disorder that affects the stomach and intestines. This manifests as cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas as well as diarrhea or constipation or both. The issue we face with IBS is that there is no medical treatment for this except management through your diet and lifestyle is the most effective way to control this disorder.
But, how do we do this?
The best advise is to avoid foods that trigger your symptoms, eat foods that are high in dietary fiber, keep your fluid intake high, move your body daily and lastly the one we all neglect, get good quality sleep.
Research suggests that patients suffering from IBS should follow a low FODMAP diet. FODMAP stands for Fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols. Let’s break this down into simple English. This is food many people struggle to digest. In turn it leads to fermentation in the GIT and subsequently cause excess gas which leads to abdominal pain and cramping. In addition to causing pain and discomfort in the long term it also leads to damage to your gastrointestinal tract (GIT). FODMAPs includes foods such as wheat, onions, certain fruits and vegetables and dairy products.
You can find a full list of high and low FODMAP foods here: https://www.ibsdiets.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/IBSDiets-FODMAP-chart.pdf
This diet starts out by eliminating most foods that might be possible trigger foods for IBS, it is called the restriction phase. This is elimination of all FODMAPs for 2-6 weeks. After the restriction phase comes the reintroduction phase where you start introducing FODMAP groups one at a time. An example is you will reintroduce honey into your diet while still leaving out all other FODMAP foods. You will then be able to determine if fructose, is a trigger for your IBS. The last phase of this diet is the personalization phase where you go back to a relatively normal diet and avoid the FODMAP foods that you have identified as trigger foods in the reintroduction phase.
Eliminating all FODMAP foods from your diet gives your GI tract time to heal and with the help of a good probiotic your gut flora can be restored, and this can help you tolerate certain foods better and manage your IBS symptoms.
A healthy gut is directly responsible for a healthy mind and good mood. So, make it your top priority to restore your gut health and be able to say with confidence that you trust your gut.