Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: Please Help! 14 yr old with IBS

Welcome to the board,

Sorry to hear about your son. It may seems complicated to follow the diet but it is well worth the effort for both you and your son to learn what foods are safe and which are not. Also, it might be helpful if your son joined the board and asked questions too. Over the years a number of people your son's age have been on the board and learned to manage their symptoms.

It can be difficult for a person with IBS to live pain and IBS-C free eating commercially prepared foods since they frequently contain IBS triggers. Frequently commercially prepared foods are high in fat and insoluble fiber, contain dairy products, artificial sweeteners, etc. These may trigger bowel spasms causing IBS-D and pain. You have to read food labels very carefully to ensure they don't contain these trigger foods.

Besides following Heather's IBS diet you might read up on the FODMAP dietary approach to managing IBS which has been clinically tested and shown to be effective for reducing IBS symptoms in 70-80% of IBS suffers. This dietary approach can be incorporated into Heather's diet. It is the approach I have been using for nearly a decade with reasonable results. You can read more about the FODMAP approach in the first link in my signature. You might also make a copy of the research article in the second link in my signature and take it to your son's GI doctor for more advice.

Please asks lots of questions. There are many knowledgeable people on this board that can give you and your son good advice.

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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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