Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

Hi - most fruits have a lot of insoluble fiber. Cooking them or blending them will minimize this. Many fruits (and especially fruit juices) are high in fructose, and that can cause GI problems. Choosing fresh fruit is better than the juice. Citrus fruits are acidic - acidic foods can trigger IBS and, more likely, GERD. Pineapple is also acidic. Try to find fruits that you can tolerate - bananas, mangoes, peaches, apricots - and cook with them or blend into smoothies. Strawberries and grapes have a lot of insoluble fiber - so those might not be good choices for you. Whatever you do, make sure you have a soluble fiber base when you eat fruit.

Corn is okay IF it's processed in some way to minimize the insoluble fiber. Corn meal, cornbread, or pureed whole corn will work. If you have a problem with something like baked corn chips, this would point to a food allergy, not IBS.

You can get lots of mild salsas, or make your own. Same thing for guacamole. Check Eating for IBS for lots of salsa recipes, or the recipe index here on the boards. You could always follow a recipe that is spicy but just omit the hot spices. Most herbs and spices are digestive aids. The "hot" spices have capsicain - things like jalapenos, habaneros, all your hot peppers. These are pretty much the only spices that could affect IBS negatively. So omit them, and use mild spices instead.

You might also find that with low fat, soluble fiber foods you do okay with spicier options. Often when people have had bad experiences with spicy foods, it's not the spice at all but the meat/dairy/fat that's in there - things like Mexican food with ground beef and cheese, or deep fried corn chips with spicy salsa, or Thai curries with coconut milk and peppers. You could take out the spice completely and these foods would still trigger IBS attacks.

Best,
Heather

--------------------
Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!

Print Remind Me Notify Moderator