Foods to ease IBS

Irritable Bowel Syndrome affects one in five of us. how do you keep it in check?

Suffering from IBS

IBS is a gastrointestinal condition that affects the bowel. The bloating, cramps, wind and/or diarrhea that go along with IBS can become debilitating. There is no cure for IBS, but you can ease the symptoms .There are certain foods to eat and some to avoid that can really help with the symptoms.

Eat more..

A sprinkling of linseeds on your cereal, yogurt, soup or salad can help alleviate constipation and reduce bloating and wind.

Probiotics can help with digestion and reduce wind and bloating. Include fermented foods such as kimchi and kefir in your diet.

Oats - a bowl of porridge can help you if you suffer from bloating and wind. Oats also help alleviate constipation.

Drinking sufficient water or herbal tea and avoiding caffeine.

Curcumin the anti-inflammatory compound found in turmeric, has been used to relieve bloating and ease digestion for thousands of years.

Cut down on ...

Alcohol, as too much exacerbates symptoms, especially diarrhea.

Sweeteners such as sorbitol and xylitol are hard to digest and can have a laxative effect.

Processed and fatty foods are difficult to digest and make the gut work harder, which in turn makes symptoms worse.

Fructose the sugar found in fruit, isn't really absorbed and can make diarrhea, wind and bloating even worse. If you suffer from IBS, stick to no more than three pieces of fruit a day. Also try to eat then away from meals.

Caffeine stimulates the colon, which can make diarrhea worse. Make sure to limit the cups or coffee or black tea a day.

Also watch your portions. With IBS your gut is hypersensitive so it has to work more. Having smaller portions means your gut does not have to work so hard.

But before..

However before you start cutting out certain foods, it's important to keep a diary for up to 4 weeks . Write down what you have eaten and how it made you feel. Although there are common culprits, everyone is affected differently by certain foods and you need to know what your own triggers are.