If you thought the answer is “the low FODMAP diet”, you wouldn’t be the only one. Sadly, it’s not as simple as you might expect.
As a dietitian, I’ve taken care of a lot of different kinds of people with all kinds of health problems. Everyone is an individual and diet must always be individualized, but it seems that IBS is much more difficult to generalize than other health problems.
For example, if you have diabetes, you should always pay attention to everything that affects your blood sugar levels. Most often this means counting all the carbohydrates you eat, and sometimes also taking protein and fat into account. For cardiovascular disease, fat quality is something that everyone with high cholesterol needs to consider.
When it comes to IBS, there is no “one-size-fits-all” diet that works for everyone. For one, there are four different IBS types and the advice you give to someone with diarrhea is not the same if the problem is constipation instead.
While the low FODMAP diet is the most “popular” diet for IBS, in my expert opinion, the low FODMAP diet is overused and is NOT a good idea for many, if not most, people. You can read why in my two blog posts “Is the low FODMAP diet the best diet for IBS?” and “Should you try the low FODMAP diet for IBS?”. I know most other dietitians love the low FODMAP diet, but I can’t overlook all the problems that come with this diet. Yes, FODMAPs are small fibers that are easily fermented by your gut microbes and cause relatively more gas, but this happens in everyone, not just in people with IBS. The reason why you are more sensitive to them is because of visceral hypersensitivity, which is caused by IBS (this sensitivity is something I want to improve, rather than just remove foods as a bandaid solution).
So, if it’s not the low FODMAP diet, then what is the right diet for IBS?
It certainly is a highly individualized one. Here are the first five diet and food related questions you should ask yourself regardless of your IBS symptoms:
- How often do I eat?
- How big are my meals?
- How quickly do I eat?
- Do I chew my food until it’s apple sauce consistency?
- What’s my frame of mind when I eat?
I find that regular eating times, and not eating too often or too seldom, lay a foundation for a gut healthy diet. This way you are less likely to overeat or keep taxing your digestion with new food all the time. Eating too quickly results in food that is poorly chewed and a belly full of air, both of which cause bloating and indigestion. Chewing properly begins the digestive process right away and makes food more digestible. Eating when stressed, worried or angry triggers a stress response, i.e. the body’s fight-or-flight mode, which is terrible for digestion. The fight-or-flight mode is the opposite from the rest-and-digest mode. To harness the digestion-promoting rest-and-digest mode, make sure to eat when you feel calm, find a calm environment, and sit down.
Some clients of mine have found that this is all they need to keep their symptoms at bay! So, while they seem simple, these points are truly foundational and have an enormous effect on how well you digest and absorb your food.
What else for IBS?
Once the foundation is well in place, it’s important to find out if your diet is in balance, especially thinking of your individual symptoms. Balance means getting all the nutrients your body needs to be well while including food items that support easing your symptoms, and it also means that your microbiota gets all the food they need. Your gut microbes keep you well if you nourish them properly. Well-fed beneficial bacteria then send positive signals to the brain through the gut-brain axis, with health promoting effects.
A balanced diet is an optimal mix of protein, fat, and carbohydrates (including fiber), as well as vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. A plate method is a nice way of visualizing a balanced diet (see image above), but this also is a generalization that is not appropriate for everyone. It also doesn’t address fat in the diet.
What’s more, sometimes it’s not your diet that is the problem – there are situations when it doesn’t matter what you eat and your symptoms are difficult anyway. This is because IBS is caused by a problem in the way in which your gut and your brain talk to each other, and food is not exactly what causes this disruption. I talk about the gut-brain axis in a blogpost here, a great read!
Are your eating habits helping you ease IBS symptoms? Is your diet in balance?
If you are not sure, get in touch with me. During a 30-minute free gut health review I will give you the tools to build a diet that will keep your gut, and the rest of your body happy, but not only that. We’ll address your gut-brain axis also, for best results. Book your free call here.
Love,
Anna-Kaisa
PS. Don’t wait to get individualized advice for FREE! Book your call now.
PPS. Did you download my free Ebook “5 Easy Ways to Beat the Bloat” yet? These five ways are simple, yet effective in easing bloating that you can put to use right away.