“Harold, every time you eat at the Wonder Whip you get the winds somethin’ fierce.”

“Yeah, and I’m startin’ to have to go to the head ever five minutes!  I gotta stop eatin’ them Jalapena Poopers.  It’s getting’ so’s I can’t go nowheres.”

Does this sound like someone you know, or maybe it sounds like you? Well for an estimated 15% of the population this could be a conversation they have had.  Maybe not as humorous and direct, but the content rings true.  Some people can’t eat anything they want.  When they do they experience painful and sometimes debilitating symptoms.  They have Irritable Bowel Syndrome Foods to Avoid with IBS.

What is Irritable Bowel Syndrome Foods to Avoid with IBS?

Irritable Bowel Syndrome Foods to Avoid with IBS is a chronic (long term) gastrointestinal illness that presents itself with persistent, at times, life altering symptoms.

• Abdominal Pains and Cramping
• Alternating Between Diarrhea and Constipation Bowel Habits (labeled IBS-A)
• Excessive Diarrhea (labeled IBS-D)
• Excessive Constipation (labeled IBS-C)
• Rapid Unexplained Weight Loss
• High Stress Levels

One or all of these conditions can be signs of IBS, but it certainly would not guarantee that you have the illness.  As we will see later in the article, diagnosing the syndrome is not a simple task.

IBS Causes

There is no known cause for Irritable Bowel Syndrome Foods to Avoid with IBS.  It has no proven organic origin, but there are several strong theories being investigated.

1. It may be caused by certain single celled organisms such as Protozoans or Amoebas.
2. It could be a misfire in the Brain-Gut Axis (neural pathways between the brain and gastrointestinal system.)
3. It could also be some yet unknown pathogen (germ.)

Listen to the young lady below describe some of her symptoms and difficulties with IBS.

Diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome Foods to Avoid with IBS

IBS is a diagnosis of exclusion, which means you check for everything else you can, and if nothing shows up you may have IBS.  The final determiner of the diagnosis is a series of algorithmic questions known as the Rome III Process.

Tests a Physician May Prescribe to Rule Out Other Illnesses, and Diagnose IBS:

• Hemocult Stool (checks for blood in the feces)
• Various Blood Tests (Chem 12, Liver Function Test, SEDs Rate, etc.)
• Abdominal Ultrasound (with or without contrast)
• Endoscopy and/or Colonoscopy with Possible Biopsies
• Breathing Tests (determines malabsorption problems)

If there are no positive results from the above tests then your physician will likely administer the Rome III Process which consists of the following questions:

1. Do your symptoms get better after you defecate (poop?)
2. Did the symptoms start with a change in how often you defecate? More or less often?
3. Did the symptoms start with a change in the form (appearance) of your defecations?
4. Do you go more than 3 times a day, or less than 3 times a week?
5. Has the appearance and form of your feces changed? (lumpy/hard or watery/soft)
6. Has the way it feels to pass your feces changed? (strained, urgent, left feeling unfinished)
7. Have you passed any mucus?
8. Do you feel bloated a lot, or is your belly distended (bulging)?

“Yes” answers to these questions could very well lead your doctor to a diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome Foods to Avoid with IBS.

IBS Diet and Foods to Avoid

Irritable Bowel Syndrome Foods to Avoid with IBS is not a simple thing.  The problem is that you have to do a fairly extensive self-investigation of your eating habits to determine which foods will help ease your IBS symptoms. There are a few definite Irritable Bowel Syndrome Foods to Avoid with IBS:

• Dairy/Milk and IBS (at least until you can determine for sure if you’re lactose intolerant)
• Caffeine/Coffee and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (this upsets the stomach greatly)
• Alcohol (also hard on the stomach)

The rest is trial and error, and thus the need to keep a food journal of IBS foods to avoid, for an extended period of time until you can determine patterns that aid or hinder your IBS symptoms.

• Record the times you eat.
• Vary and record the amount of times you eat during the day (3-6).
• Record everything you take into your body.
• Make notes on discernible changes; positive and negative.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome Foods to Avoid with IBS: FODMAP

One of the best known and most widely use IBS diets is the FODMAP.  It’s not so much a “Foods for Irritable Bowel Syndrome Diet” as a comprehensive list of foods to avoid.  Even within the FODMAP diet you can, and will need to, test individual foods; using an Irritable Bowel Syndrome Foods to Avoid with IBS dietdoesn’t have to bea miserable existence; with careful observation and a little effort even IBS sufferers can enjoy their food, and indeed their life.

Which is NOT a definite thing to be avoided on an IBS diet?

a. Caffeine
b. High fiber foods
c. Alcohol
d. Dairy

True or False: The Rome III Process is a blood test administered to help rule out other Gastrointestinal Diagnoses other than IBS.

a. True
b. False

Which of the following is NOT one of the things you need to record in your Food Journal?

a. Record the times you eat.
b. Vary and record the amount of times you eat during the day (3-6).
c. Record everything you take into your body.
d. How often milk shoots out your nose.

Answers at the bottom of the page!

TuZen Probiotic- The Natural Solution for IBS

TuZen is a lactobacilli bacterium that lines the walls of the stomach and intestines, and prevents harmful bacteria from irritating the gastrointestinal system.  This greatly reduces the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).  TuZen is an extensively studied probiotic supplement, and has been found beneficial to IBS sufferers.

Thoughts

Sufferers of IBS often experience life altering affects from the illness.  The pain and discomfort are only compounded by the constant stress of this disease.  Not knowing when or where it might strike can be limiting in your lifestyle.  Any product that helps reduce, eliminate, or control the dire symptoms of IBS should be a welcome addition to your arsenal of IBS defenses.

 Irritable Bowel Syndrome – Secrets

This handy and useful eBook is chalk full of information about Irritable Bowel Syndrome.  It covers a wide range of topics, and provides hints on how to deal with some of the stickier issues relating to IBS.  It covers many of the possible causes and what might be contributing to your symptoms.  It also gives many hints at how to better manage your symptoms.

Thoughts

No one said IBS was going to be an easy fix; it isn’t.  There are however things you can do to help yourself, and what Alison Wyndham has done is collect a multitude of those helpful hints and remedies in one place.  With practical and handy guides on diet, medications, and staying mentally tough, this eBook “hits the spot” when it comes to dealing with IBS.

IBS—Free at Last!

The new FODMAP diet described in this book allows the sufferer of IBS to break free of traditional bland high fiber diets.  With a new look at all the foods which aid in IBS symptom relief, this book provides a newer, brighter dieting future.

Thoughts

Dieting is hard enough without having to add medical restrictions.  For the sufferers of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS,) this is doubly so.  High in fiber and bland as it gets, traditional IBS diet law says you have to keep it boring.  Well, IBS-Free At Last is a rebel book with a definite cause.  Author Patsy Catsos in this tome, has created a new way of eating for IBS.  Still healthy and symptom relieving, the foods in this IBS diet will excite, rather than bore the dieter.

Answers: 1) b, 2) b, 3) c

In This Series:

Irritable Bowel Syndrome Treatment is Possible! Are There Any Good IBS Diet Plans? What is the Treatment for IBS? Is There a Good Irritable Bowel Syndrome Diet?