How to Improve Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Diet
If you have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), you know about all the challenges, both in diagnosis and treatment. It's a condition that is very difficult to pinpoint. Many people start by looking to diet to control their symptoms.
Here are some suggestions to help you get your IBS under control by making some simple dietary changes.
No matter what your symptoms, start by keeping a food journal for two weeks. Include not only every food and beverage you consume but also how you feel at different points during the day. Keep a notebook with you so you can write at any time, or a laptop if you prefer to keep records online. Remembering everything you ate and how you felt is difficult even 24 hours later, so writing in your food journal as soon as possible after you eat is crucial.
You may notice patterns in the worsening of your symptoms just after taking this one step. If so, start excluding the problematic foods one by one, for at least a few days at a time, to see if things improve. Some of the most common foods to start excluding are:
artificial sweeteners
carbonated drinks
coffee
dairy
fried foods
oils
poultry skin and dark meat
gluten-containing foods
wheat
alcohol
egg yolks
red meat
We value and respect the experiences of all of our HerWriters, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.
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