Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

To me, a Trigger is a food that triggers an immediate violent castrocolic reflex. For non-IBSers, these foods usually cause no problems. An Irritant is a food that irritates the digestive tract, causing it to be more sensitive and more prone to problems. Irritants are Irritants even for non-IBSers, but IBSers have more trouble with them because, well, because we're us.

Trigger Foods
Trigger Foods to Avoid
Red Meat
Poultry Dark Meat and Skin
Dairy Products
Egg Yolks
Caffeine
Concentrated Fructose

Trigger Foods To Eat - Carefully!
Insoluble Fiber
Natural Fat (Moderately)
Safe Proteins (not everyone would agree, but my digestive tract objects to these unless I have soluble fiber with or, preferably, before I eat these)

Irritants
Irritants to Avoid
Coffee (because of the enzyme)
Alcohol
MSG

Irritants To Eat - Carefully!
Citrus juice and cooked tomatoes (acidic)

Foods I'm Not Sure About
(I know we should avoid these, but I don't know if they're more Trigger or Irritant)
Fake Fat
Carbonation
Artificial Sweeteners

The distinction between Triggers and Irritants is a little shaky. For example, if I eat a lot of fat, it does in fact trigger an immediate attack. However, if I eat just a little too much fat over a period of a few days it seems to act like an Irritant. That is, it doesn't trigger an attack itself, but it makes me more likely to suffer an attack from an amount of IF or fat that I can normally tolerate with no trouble. The same thing happens to me if I drink a little caffeine every day for a few days. I never suffer an attack from the caffeine itself, but levels of IF and fat I can usually handle start triggering attacks. Ditto alcohol - sigh!

On the other hand, I can drink myself silly and I won't trigger an immediate attack, so at least for me, Irritants don't act as Triggers.

I assume I'm not unique in this reaction, because I think this is what LittleMinnie was saying in her great post about eliminating triggers.

HTH.

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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]

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