Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a chronic condition that can cause bloating, gas, abdominal pain and changes in bowel habits. As of right now, there is no cure for IBS, however there are certain foods and medications that can make symptoms worse.
Avoiding the following foods may bring some relief:
If you are living with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, here are some foods you can do without to ease the situation of your bowels.
1) MILK: Milk and other foods that contain lactose, like cheese and ice cream, can cause gas and bloating in people who are lactose intolerant. As a result of not absorbing lactose in the small intestine, the undigested lactose passes to the colon where bacteria ferment and cause gas which eventually makes the bowel syndrome worse.
2) FOODS HIGH IN FRUCTOSE: Prcessed foods such as soft drinks and commercially prepared sweets are frequent factors that cause IBS but they are not the only source of bloating. It turns out some very healthy foods like apples, pears and dried fruits are high in the naturally occurring sugar fructose, which when ingested, can trigger some of the same side effects as undigested lactose.“The best thing to do is to eat more fruits that don’t contain as much fructose, like berries, citrus and bananas,” says Lee.
3) CARBONATED BEVERAGES: Because the bubbles in beverages like soda can produce a similar fizzy effect in the GI tract, sticking with water and lactose-free milk should be your way to go. And before you think about adding juice to that list — remember that fruit-based drinks are frequently high in fructose!
4) CAFFEINE: Caffeine can increase diarrhoea, another major symptom of IBS. High sources of caffeine include coffee, tea, cola drinks, chocolate and over the counter headache pills such as Excedrin.
5) SUGAR-FREE CHEWING GUM: Many sugar free gums are made with artificial sweeteners like sorbitol and xylitol, which have been shown to cause diarrhea. In addition, chewing gum leads to more air being swallowed, which can result in gassiness.
Foods like beans and vegetables like broccoli and Brussel sprouts, even nutritional and weight reduction, have potential to generate digestive discomfort. And lastly, even though diary is a major issue for IBS, yogurt is actually different because the bacteria in the yoghurt breaks down the lactose so it causes less gassy symptoms.
