a few ibs facts
Photo Credit: Guts UK
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Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic gastrointestinal disorder that affects the large intestine causing abdominal pain, bloating, flatulence, cramps and changes in bowel habit. It is believed that IBS does not have a single cause. In fact, there is a wide variety of reasons why individuals develop this condition. However, the most common trigger to the symptom onset is after experiencing food poisoning or gastroenteritis. Other potential causes include alterations in the gut bacteria, diet, stress, anxiety and alterations in the speed at which food moves through the gut.
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What is the best diet to relieve my ibs symptoms?
Dietary changes can often help alleviate IBS symptoms and sometimes simple changes are all that are needed. Have a read of our blog post on first-line treatments to see if you can improve your symptoms without needing an appointment with a Dietitian.
Give your bowels time to adjust to any changes. If your symptoms persist after following the general lifestyle and dietary advice, you may wish to proceed with the second-line dietary treatment, known as low FODMAP diet. Research has shown that the low FODMAP diet improves IBS symptoms on average of 75% of IBS sufferers and it is considered one of the best and most effective IBS dietary treatment options.
The Low FODMAP diet needs to be implemented with support from a dietitian who is trained to do so. It can feel stressful and challenging to do it alone.
Give your bowels time to adjust to any changes. If your symptoms persist after following the general lifestyle and dietary advice, you may wish to proceed with the second-line dietary treatment, known as low FODMAP diet. Research has shown that the low FODMAP diet improves IBS symptoms on average of 75% of IBS sufferers and it is considered one of the best and most effective IBS dietary treatment options.
The Low FODMAP diet needs to be implemented with support from a dietitian who is trained to do so. It can feel stressful and challenging to do it alone.
Stage 1: LOW FODMAP DIET
Remove all high FODMAP foods from your diet for an average of 4 weeks to significantly ease your gut symptoms. The Dietitian will provide you with suitable alternative foods to ensure that you complete this stage as smoothly as possible.
stage 2: fodmap reintroduction
Gradually reintroduce FODMAP rich foods back into your diet one by one in distinct food groups to identify which FODMAP foods trigger your IBS symptoms, and those that do not. This stage lasts on average 4-6 weeks.
STAGE 3: diet personalisation
After completing stages 1& 2 ,you may find there are foods that you cannot tolerate even in small amounts and others that you can tolerate in some quantities, but likely smaller than before.
The diet personalisation stage is very important as it will allow you to ensure you enjoy a varied diet and you keep the risk of developing nutrient deficiencies to a minimum.
The diet personalisation stage is very important as it will allow you to ensure you enjoy a varied diet and you keep the risk of developing nutrient deficiencies to a minimum.
