Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: more guidance with EFI diet

You have asked an astute question. Many us fall into the second alternative you have given. I cannot eat any sulfurous foods no matter how much soluble fiber I eat. Similarly, I am very sensitive to foods with excess fructose. Many people on the board can eat some foods with excess fructose. There is a bit of misleading information on the web page I pointed out to you. It says to treat juices as you would insoluble fiber and drink them carefully, with soluble fiber foods. Unfortunately, if you are sensitive to excess fructose it doesn't matter how much soluble fiber you eat it offers little protection against fructose problems.

In summary the EFI is a set of guidelines. Many of us are quite sensitive to some foods which are according to the guidelines are okay in moderation. Unfortunately, you have to determine your sensitivity to these foods experimentally.

I have a base diet that I follow and when I want to experiment with a new food I strictly follow my base diet and slowly add a new food over a week or so to see if I have any reactions. Some times a reaction can be delayed - not necessarily because of a sensitivity to the food but because, for example, some foods effect the growth of certain bacteria in the colon which produce byproducts when they ferment indigestible foods. Some times these byproducts are bowel irritants, have inflammatory characteristics or the bacteria produce methane gas which is known to increase constipation.

The gut is one of the most complicated organs in the body. Unfortunately, for us IBSers there are few clear answers but there are fairly clear dietary management guidelines.

Good luck

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STABLE: ♂, IBS-D 50+ years - Science of IBS

The FODMAP Approach to Managing IBS Symptoms
Evidence-based Dietary Management of Functional GI Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach
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