Eating For Ibs-what Are The Best Foods To Eat?

There are a few studies in which the effect of bran on the symptoms of IBS have been carefully evaluated over long periods, in one such study, bran was found to improve constipation significantly, but it exacerbated, diarrhoea, pain and urgency, so when eating for ibs there is a need to look at peoples individual needs.

Treatment intended to add bulk to the stools is likely to be effective for people who frequently pass small, hard stools or who pass only a painful, irregular stool every few days. A high "" fibre diet alone is often ineffective and a bulking agent (a fibre source that swells in the bowels to provide bulk, such as ispaghula husk) is usually required.
Symptoms of gas and pain are sometimes aggravated by an increase in dietary fibre, and therefore it isn"t advisable for everyone, if your normal diet is low in fibre, try increasing your intake and adjust the amount according to the way your system responds, on the other hand, especially if your intake is very high and you are experiencing pain and distension, you may need to reduce your intake of fibre , so everyone is different so your diet and eating for ibs will be different then other people who suffer from ibs as many cases of ibs are different.

There some people with IBS find that pulses, nuts, dried fruits and some vegetables cause a lot of wind or discomfort, if you find that these foods upset you, it may be better to avoid them.

When eating for ibs it is important that you eat breakfast and don"t skip it because breakfast helps your bowels to start working during the morning, the best type of breakfast is a wholegrain or high-fibre cereal with some wholemeal toast, if you prefer a cooked breakfast , then perhaps include plenty of wholemeal bread and some baked beans.

When eating for ibs healthy eating can prevent weight increase, therefore if you have to change what you eat to avoid constipation you may be worried about putting on weight, the foods that you will be recommended are not fattening in themselves, you just have to combine them in a healthy and balanced way.

In general: use low- fat spread and low fat milk and take more exercise.

Here are some meal ideas:

For breakfast:
Grapefruit or prunes
Porridge
Unsweetened muesli
Weetabix with sliced banana
Bran flakes
Wholemeal or granary toast

Snack meals:

Lentil soup and wholemeal roll
Baked beans on toast or muffin
Sandwiches made with wholemeal or high-fibre bread
Jacket potato with baked beans or sweet corn filling and side salad wholemeal pitta bread and humus with salad
Vegetables and bean soup with a granary roll
Fresh fruit
Bran crisp breads, cheese and tomato

Main meals:

Chicken, jacket potato and sweet corn
Wholemeal spaghetti Bolognese and side salad
Vegetable curry and brown rice
Chilli con carne ( with red kidney beans ) with brown rice and side salad
Tuna and chick peas salad with granary bread
Lentil and vegetable casserole with jacket potato
Grilled fish, jacket potato and peas and sweet corn
Vegetables and beans in tomato sauce with wholemeal pasta shapes
Wholemeal pizza ( try adding more vegetables or beans to the topping )


You will not put on weight if you eat health, by cutting down on your intake of fat, fatty foods, sugar and sweet foods. Bread, potatoes, rice, pasta and cereals are not fattening in themselves, but they are if you serve them with fatty sauces etc, so changing your diet and developing good eating for ibs, together with increased exercise, will be enough for most people to relieve any problems with IBS and control any tendency to gain weight.