Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

Hi - Food allergies can cause symptoms very similar to IBS, and a lot of people are misdiagnosed with IBS when they actually have allergies. It's also possible to have both allergies and IBS.

Allergies themselves, though, do not cause IBS. Allergies are immune sytem responses to harmless substances your body is mistakenly identifying as harmful. The swollen face and hands you're describing after eating peanut butter sounds like an allergic reaction, but this kind of swelling is not a symptom of an IBS attack.

The most common allergens are nuts, eggs, shellfish, corn, strawberries, soy. These aren't necessarily foods that will trigger IBS attacks. And with IBS food intolerances, HOW you eat the food can matter just as much as WHAT you're eating (especially with insoluble fibers). The quantitiy makes a big difference with IBS as well. With allergies, you're going to react to the substance no matter how you eat it, and sometimes reactions occur no mattter how small the amount ingested as well (as when people eat a single peanut and go into shock from the allergic reaction).

I would definitely suggest you see an allergist and have the tests for food allergies (this is a standard step to take before accepting a diagnosis of IBS).

Nuts can be a trigger for IBS because they're high in fat, but finely grinding them, using them in small quantities, and having them with soluble fiber makes them very tolerable for most folks. If you're allergic to nuts, though, none of this will matter and you'll have to avoid them altogether.

Best,
Heather

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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!

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