Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: Determining how to focus on stress vs. diet to alleviate pain

shelleys480,

Here are a few things to consider.

Diet may be of little help for some individuals. Sometimes merely the process of eating can cause symptoms. Check out the video interview with Prof. Whorwell, an internationally recognize GI doc who has published a great deal about managing IBS. And you might read Heather's description of the gastrocolic reflex too.

I am IBS-D. Two things that made a big difference for me. First thing I did I dramatically reduced the amount of insoluble fiber foods I was eating. And the second thing was I managed FODMAPs consumption, particularly fructose, polyols, lactose and galactans. I have been using a modified version of the EFI diet and the FODMAP approach with reasonably good results for a couple of years. I guess the other thing that made some difference was I quite eating commerically prepared meals. I only eat meals that I prepare myself so I know precisely what they contain.

Another thing I noticed was that it was until I had removed all trigger foods for a period of a couple months before I noticed the most improvement. Foods that I thought weren't bothersome turned out to be problematic after I removed all potential triggers and then slowly started to eat trigger foods one by one until I figured out which ones weren't a problem.

I do have a base diet composed of oatmeal, banana, white rice, chicken, fish, seafood and peeled boiled carrots and zucchini that I fall back to when I start to have a flare-up. I usually get control back within a 2-3 days.

Have you had a colonoscopy and an endoscopy to check for celiac disease? Did your IBS show up following a GI infection? Have you considered trying gut directed hypnotherapy? The IBS research has been shown to be quite effective for managing IBS symptoms.

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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
FODMAP Chart & Cheatsheet
The Role of Food & Dietary Intervention in IBS

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