If you experience a change in frequency or form of bowel movement, or you feel pain and cramping in the stomach, bloating and gas you might be suffering from Irritatable Bowel Syndrome or IBS.
Symptoms of IBS can be triggered by:
- Food. Many people have worse IBS symptoms when they eat or drink certain foods or beverages, including wheat, dairy products, citrus fruits, beans, cabbage, milk, and carbonated drinks.
- Stress. Most people with IBS experience worse or more frequent signs and symptoms during periods of increased stress. But while stress may aggravate symptoms, it doesn't cause them.
- Hormones. Women are twice as likely to have IBS, which might indicate that hormonal changes play a role. Many women find that signs and symptoms are worse during or around their menstrual periods.
Nutrition: Food plays an important role in managing IBS. A lot of people need to eliminate lactose, high fructose, gluten (wheat has a lot of it) from their diet. This can lead to certain nutritional deficiencies.
It is also noticed that in some people fruits like apples, mango, pears, watermelon, or vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower can trigger the symptoms. Hence utmost care should be taken whilst eliminating certain foods as these can lead to deficiencies.
Carbohydrates: Rice, Oats, Quinoa, Corn, Ragi, Jowar are allowed but wheat, barley needs to be avoided
Proteins: flesh foods such as eggs, chicken, fish, pulses like moong dal, tur dal, green gram, peas are okay to have in limited amounts, curds and buttermilk is good. Avoiding, red meats, processed meats, pulses like chickpeas, lentils, beans and lactose foods like milk should be avoided.
Fats: Oil, ghee is okay in limited amounts but avoid avocado, almond, and pistachios.
Vitamins and minerals: cabbage, cauliflower, onion, garlic, beans which has a strong odor can aggravate symptoms. Avoid these. But other vegetables like carrots, tomatoes, ladyfinger, green leafy vegetables, potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc can be eaten for supplies of micronutrients.
Fruits such as Grapes, strawberries, pineapple, papaya, bananas, can be eaten liberally but apples, pears, mango, watermelon can be eaten in restricted amounts.
Fiber: Fiber is a double-edged sword for people with intestinal disorders. While fiber alleviates constipation, certain high fiber foods, such as bran, may increase gas production and bloat.
Soluble fibers:
- It has a water-absorbing property. These fibers absorb water forming a gel and act like a sponge in the gut. This leads to a reduction in the rate of digestion of food and delays the absorption of glucose.
- Due to gel-like formation, the food stays for a longer time thus creating a feeling of fullness.
- They also control the blood cholesterol levels as it binds with bile acid which excretes excess cholesterol through stools.
- These are found in fruits and vegetable pulp, oats, legumes, pulses, dals, sprouts, chia seeds, flaxseeds, isabgol. Now a person with IBS will have to avoid certain fruits, pulses as mentioned above.
Insoluble fibers:
- These fibers are insoluble in water and act like a broom, helping to cleanse the gut, absorb water, and binds the waste materials together increasing the bulk of the stools making them easy to eliminate and thereby preventing constipation and colon cancers.
- Insoluble fibers are found in peels of fruits, vegetables, whole grain cereals, millets, and nuts. Depending upon the symptoms like whether the person is having constipation or diarrhea, the person will have to choose his fibers. Please refer to a dietician for a diet plan.
Vandana Kakodkar, a Consultant Dietician is a visiting faculty at MES college, a resource person for GIPARD, Goa.
