What Should I Eat if I Have Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

Abstract

The process of eating helps us to live properly and food is acting as fuel for us to live a proper life. Food must be taken at an accurate time, in an accurate time interval and with good quality as well as quantity, these are the basic rules to eat healthy food and make our life disease free. For digestion,our food goes through the 25 feet long path of the small intestine and then the large intestine and then excrete out through anus. In Irritable bowel syndrome, people may experience the symptoms of diarrhoea and may experience the symptoms of constipation. With this quotation we must think about the diet approaches that help to give relief from this condition of IBS. With some patience and frequent tries and fails helps you to get a good diet plan that can manage the IBS condition eventually.

IBS Diet Plan

Introduction

Irritable bowel syndrome is a medical condition that affects the large intestine. Only few people have severe signs and symptoms regarding irritable bowel syndrome, these symptoms can be managed by some diet alterations and by modifications with lifestyle. Patients of Irritable bowel syndrome can have a more fibre rich diet, avoiding intake of gluten. Frequent changes in the diet can improve the symptoms. Most common symptoms of this condition are abdominal cramps and frequent changes in bowel habits like constipation and diarrhoea on alternate basis. It is a gastrointestinal disease which results in diarrhoea, constipation or abdominal cramps, with mucus and bleeding. High fibre rich diet is helpful in Irritable bowel syndrome and supports the normal bowel movements, if any patient is in constipation he should still not use laxatives, antibiotics, caffeine and fat rich foods as it causes the normal functioning of the digestive system.

Causes Of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

  • Causes of this condition are still unclear, these occur after a severe infectious diarrhoea and sometimes interaction between intestinal motility problems, inflammation, sensitivity to pain, and gut and brain functioning.
  • Genetics may be the major cause behind IBS.
  • Mental factors may contribute to developing this condition.
  • Menstrual problems, smoking, and alcohol consumption may trigger this condition.
  • Infection can also play a major role in developing this condition.

Types of IBS

This condition is correlated by Grahani roga in Ayurveda. It is divided into different types on the basis of doshas:-

  • Constipated stool – this type is specially governed by Vata dosha referred to as Vataj Grahani.
  • Diarrhoea – this type is predominantly caused by vitiation of pitta dosha and termed as pittaja grahani.
  • Dysentery – governed by kapha dosha so it is called Kaphaj Grahani.
  • Complex IBS – is caused by tridoshas and refereed as tridosha grahani.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of IBS may vary but usually present for a longer time. Most common symptoms include:-

  • Abdominal cramps, bloating, with bowel movement.
  • Changes seen in stool frequency and consistency.
  • How often you go for bowel movement.
  • Increased gas and mucus with stool
  • Gas and acidity formation
  • Weight loss
  • Anaemia
  • Constant pain

Diet Plan For IBS

  • Proper diet should be maintained to treat this condition and complete your diet plan with fibre-rich food. Fibres may improve constipation in this condition  and it helps to make the stool softener easier to pass. Fibres are of two types like soluble fibre and insoluble fibre. Soluble fibre which lies in fruits, beans, oats and insoluble fibre are the whole-grain product and different vegetables. Soluble fibres are very helpful in IBS condition but with little to no amount. Too much fibre at once can lead to gas formation but adding up to the 2 or 3 gms of fibre is useful for the patient that helps to protect the intestines with gas and bloating.
  • Avoid eating Refined flour and its products, stop the intake of citrus fruits, consume apples, sapodilla, plum, pomegranate, kiwi, pear, banana, papaya etc.
  • Avoid eating spicy foods enriched with garlic, tomato, eggplant, okra instead of these. Patients can take bottle gourd, ridge gourd, round gourd,  radish, red onion, pumpkin etc.
  • Pulses can be consumed as green gram and all washed grains but majorly try to avoid chickpeas, black gram, kidney beans.
  • Less Dairy products should be consumed by the IBS patient like cow ghee can be used yoghurt in some quantity can be taken but high fat milk, butter, cheese, coffee or tea must be avoided.
  • Avoid more spicy foods like red chillies, green chillies and take coriander, cumin, thyme, fennel seeds in your daily diet.
  • Coconut water can be added in daily supplements, homemade soups, sugarcane juices, homemade juices, herbal teas can be prescribed to the patient
  • Gluten free diet should be consumed by the patient.
  • Majorly dry fruits and seeds are avoided to the IBS patient but soaked Almonds and figs can be recommended to eat in the IBS patient.
  • Cowghee, mustard oil, olive oil and soybean oil can be consumed by the patient but coconut oil and palm oil and butter are strictly avoided by the patients.
  • Regular following the diet and balanced meal should be taken, with enriched fibres, along with adequate fluids, constant physical activities and regular exercises must be advised to the patient.
  • Walk for at least 30-40 minutes per day to increase the physical activities.
  • Skipping meals should be avoided.
  • Plenty of water intake should be advised like 2-3 litres of water can be taken by the patient.
  • Daily intake of Wheat grass juice in the early morning
  • Decoction of Fennel seeds can be taken, or soaking it overnight and strain the water and have it.

Herbs For IBS

Some herbs are also very effective in this condition like:-

  • Haritaki (Terminalia chebula) – This is a wonderful herb that helps to support the digestive system, relieves the bowel and prevents the formation of gas effectively.
  • Kutaj (Holarrhena antidysenterica) – This herb is very useful in chronic diarrhoea, dysentery and intestinal worms, carminative and aphrodisiac in nature, it pacifies the kapha and pitta in the abdomen.
  • Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia) – This herb enhances the whole immunity of the body, it helps to fight against various abdominal conditions like indigestion or several allergic conditions.
  • Dhaniya (Coriandrum sativum) – This herb helps to provide the relief from the gas, bloating and acidity, is cold in potency, its leaves and seeds both are very effective.

Conclusion

Many IBS patients eat more than they need or take their meal in short intervals, which enhances their difficulties. Patients should take less quantity of meal with shorter intervals that doesn’t put major stress on the intestines so that the bowel could do their work more frequently and effectively. Patients must avoid various things like sipping drinks through the straw or formation of gas and bloating and may induce abdominal cramps. The relationship between the food and IBS patients is a complicated one but there are some foods and vegetables that you can adapt to eat. If you are suffering from the IBS symptoms you must go to an Ayurvedic practitioner to get full relief in an effective manner.