These Foods May Be Making Your IBS Worse (2024)

FAQs

These Foods May Be Making Your IBS Worse? ›

Try not to eat gassy foods, such as beans, onions, broccoli, Brussel sprouts or cabbage. Some people have trouble with wheat, dairy products, and some fruits like bananas, apples, apricots, peaches, pears and plums. IBS patients also should avoid any other foods that you have found to aggravate your IBS symptoms.

While it's important for your healthcare provider to diagnose and treat IBS, there are things you can do at home to help provide fast pain relief. Some people with IBS apply soothing heat to the belly using a heating pad or hot water bottle. They may try sipping herbal teas that help with stomach pain.

Fruits lower in fructose, such as berries, citrus and bananas, may be a better choice for people with IBS.

If you have IBS and love peanut butter, good news! Peanut butter is a low FODMAP food. In its simplest form, it is just made of dry roasted peanuts, salt and oil, all of which are allowed on a low FODMAP diet. However, some brands add refined sugar and flavourings to enhance the peanut butter's taste.

Foods that are low in carbs and FODMAPS may help you manage IBS. For example, lactose-free dairy products, bananas, carrots, spinach, potatoes, quinoa, tofu, celery, sesame seeds, and fish. If you experience diarrhea, consider a bland diet. If you have constipation, increase your liquid consumption.

Some foods can make IBS-related constipation worse, including: Breads and cereals made with refined (not whole) grains. Processed foods such as chips and cookies. Coffee, carbonated drinks, and alcohol.

Is cheese bad for IBS? ›

Heavy cream, cheese, ice cream, and other dairy products contain lactose, a sugar in cow's milk. Too much lactose can be difficult for your intestines to digest. High amounts of lactose can often lead to diarrhea and other IBS symptoms.

Medications for constipation or diarrhea

If they don't work, a doctor can prescribe constipation medications containing the drugs prucalopride (Resolor) or linaclotide (Constella). Studies have shown that linaclotide can relieve the symptoms of IBS with constipation.

Regul8 has been developed into an app by Mahana Therapeutics in the USA and been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The ATLANTIS trial found that low doses of the amitriptyline were effective at reducing IBS symptoms at 6 months and recommended GPs offer it to patients with ongoing IBS symptoms.

IBS can develop after a severe bout of diarrhea caused by bacteria or a virus. This is called gastroenteritis. IBS might also be associated with a surplus of bacteria in the intestines (bacterial overgrowth). Early life stress.

But these triggers may vary from person to person. Some common ones include artificial sugars, gluten, fried foods, alcohol, and whole dairy products. Lifestyle factors like stress or gastrointestinal upsets may also trigger an IBS flare-up.

Some people with IBS find cooked potatoes are easy to digest, which is good news because baked or boiled potatoes are a natural source of nutrients like potassium. Depending on how well a person with IBS tolerates fiber, the skin of the potato may need to be removed before it's cooked.

When you are eating a salad or raw vegetables, you're usually eating a large volume of food. According to the FODMAP diet theory, this can increase the amount of gas and the osmotic "load in your gut and contribute to IBS symptoms.