Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common gastrointestinal disorder that can frequently reoccur and interfere with your lifestyle. Typical symptoms include abdominal pain, cramping, bloating, and changes in bowel habits from sudden diarrhea to constipation. These symptoms are often relieved after a bowel movement.
There is no specific cause of IBS. The act of eating, or certain foods and medicines, can trigger IBS symptoms. A regular, balanced healthy eating pattern is important to reduce the symptoms related to IBS.
Other key things to think about when managing IBS symptoms include:
- Eating habits. Eating your meals at the same time each day may help regulate your bowels.
- Small, frequent meals instead of large ones. This will ease the amount of food moving through your intestinal tract.
- Fiber-rich foods. Slowly add more fibre-rich foods like whole fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains.
- Fluids. Fluids help with digestion. Without enough water and fluids, you may become constipated.
- FODMAPs. Fermentable, oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols — these are found naturally in many of the foods we eat. They may lead to some of the symptoms you are experiencing. A 6-week trial of the low FODMAP diet may be beneficial to identify trigger foods. This should be done under the guidance and supervision of a registered dietitian.
- Trigger foods, beverages and eating habits. Recording your daily food and drink intake in a food diary during IBS symptoms can help you and your healthcare team figure out which foods may be causing discomfort.
If you currently experiencing symptoms or living with IBS? Talk to your doctor or health care provider about getting a referral to a Registered Dietitian (see links below).
