{"id":123523,"date":"2020-06-08T08:52:18","date_gmt":"2020-06-08T14:52:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.granitepeaksgi.com\/?p=123523"},"modified":"2020-10-20T08:56:56","modified_gmt":"2020-10-20T14:56:56","slug":"diet-management-for-ibs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.granitepeaksgi.com\/diet-management-for-ibs\/","title":{"rendered":"Diet Management for IBS"},"content":{"rendered":"

How watching what you eat can make your bowels a little less irritable<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

by Ginger Bailey, Registered Dietitian\/Nutritionist<\/p>\n

If you have been diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) you know how troublesome, and sometimes debilitating, the symptoms can be. IBS can be difficult to diagnose since symptoms may present differently from person to person. Some may have diarrhea while others struggle more with constipation. For others, nausea and bloating are more severe.<\/p>\n

The good news is that better dietary management can often reduce symptoms and improve quality of life. Finding what works for you can be tricky as dietary management varies based on each person and their symptoms. However, there are a few general recommendations that can be helpful.<\/p>\n

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  1. Keep a food\/symptom log. <\/strong>This is the best way to find out which foods trigger your symptoms and which help alleviate them. Because people often don\u2019t eat one food at a time, it can be difficult to pinpoint if there is a particular food that seems to cause issues for you. Make notes about any symptoms that appear within an hour of eating. Over the course of time, it will become easier to find correlations.Also, if your symptoms ever flare up, make note about other things happening at the time. Are you feeling more stress than usual? Did you just have a difficult conversation with someone? Did your schedule change suddenly and unexpectedly? Did you go to a new place? Keeping a log will help you learn more about how your body operates, and by extension, how you can best take care of it.<\/li>\n
  2. Limit the amount of processed foods and artificial ingredients you eat.<\/strong> The human body does not deal well with artificial sugars, fats, colors, etc. These foods may also have a negative impact on the microflora<\/strong> of your gut. The balance of bacteria in your GI tract is very important! Eating a lot of processed foods can disrupt that balance and worsen GI issues, in addition to being generally detrimental to your system. Instead, look for foods with ingredients you recognize. You can never go wrong with fresh fruits and vegetables, and whole, unprocessed foods.<\/li>\n
  3. Learn what activities help you discharge your stress<\/strong>. While the demands of daily life mean it\u2019s often not possible to eliminate, or even decrease, your stress, there are <\/em>ways to better manage it. There are ways of discharging stress and other negative feelings.Why is this important? Your gut has tons of nerves in it! Research has found that stress can wreak havoc on the nerves. If we don\u2019t let go of our \u201cemotional baggage that built-up tension can affect the nerves in your GI tract.\n

    Enjoyable activities like exercise, meditation, reading, gardening, hobbies, art, and listening to music are all great ways to help dissipate pent-up energy and frustration.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    To manage specific symptoms, try these suggestions:<\/p>\n

    Constipation <\/strong><\/p>\n

    Constipation means stool moves too slowly through the large intestine, resulting in hard, painful bowel movements. To avoid this:<\/p>\n