Making Sense of IBS by Brian E. Lacy

Author:Brian E. Lacy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
Published: 2013-02-14T16:00:00+00:00

General Eating Habits

Despite the fact that IBS is so common and causes so many debilitating symptoms, little research has been performed on the effect of diet on people with functional bowel disorders. However, most experienced clinicians offer the following advice. One, avoid fad diets and diets that emphasize extremes (for example, the all-grapefruit diet). These are rarely helpful and in the long run rarely healthful. Two, don’t become food phobic. Use the food diary described in Chapter 13 to track your symptoms, and enjoy the foods you tolerate well. Three, for many people who have IBS, it is not what they eat but rather the act of eating that often causes symptoms. If you have a hypersensitive gut, a smaller-portioned meal will usually be less challenging to your GI tract and better tolerated than a large meal. This is especially important for patients who have IBS and diarrhea and who frequently have very urgent diarrhea during or shortly after a meal. A large meal will trigger a stronger gastrocolic reflex, resulting in more urgent diarrhea, whereas a smaller meal won’t elicit such a powerful response. Finally, having a set routine, especially for the timing of meals, can be helpful to all people who have IBS, whether they have diarrhea or constipation or alternate between the two. It may take a little time and recording of symptoms and events to discover what works best for your gut, but most people’s GI tracts respond well to the rhythm of predictable routine.

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