Good Morning and welcome again to the Body Designs website.  Body Designs 214: Irritable Bowel Syndrome…Symptoms, Strategies and Solutions, may not be the most palatable topic to start the day.  However, it is an important one; as many of my clients who suffer from it have mentioned it to me.  Furthermore, I believe that many others who do suffer from it, have chosen, for obvious reasons, NOT to mention it.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a chronic ailment affecting the large intestine that requires constant attention.  While most people can “treat” this disorder with diet and lifestyle alterations, those suffering more severely need doctor prescribed medication to stave off the common symptoms like cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea and or constipation, and mucus in the stool.  Yikes!

It has been reported that at least 35% of IBS patients suffer from food intolerances that cause the symptoms mentioned above.  Therefore, an effective Strategy for maintaining a healthy gut, is maintaining an IBS friendly diet.  

FOODS TO EXCLUDE

Fruits:  apple, apricot, avocado, blackberry, cherry mango, nectarine, peach, pear, plum, prune (obviously), watermelon as well as large doses of concentrated fruit (i.e. juices), large servings of fruit and dried fruit

Sweeteners:  fructose, high fructose corn syrup and honey

Dairy:  milk from cows, goats or sheep, custard, ice cream, yogurt and butter, cottage cheese, cream cheese, mascarpone, ricotta and sour cream  

Veggies:  asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, fennel, garlic, green bell pepper, mushroom, okra, onion, shallots, corn

Legumes:  baked beans (duh!) chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils

Grains:  wheat and rye bread, crackers and cakes

Now, for the Solution…

FOODS TO INCLUDE

Fruits:  banana, blueberry, cantaloupe, cranberry, grape, grapefruit, honeydew, kiwi, lemon, lime orange, raspberry, rhubarb, strawberry

Vegetables:  artichoke, bamboo shoots, bean shoots, bok choy, carrot, celery, endive, ginger, green beans, lettuce, olives, parsnip, potato, pumpkin, red bell pepper, spinach, summer squash, sweet potato, tomato, turnip, yam, zucchini

Grains:  rice, oats, polenta, psyllium, quinoa, tapioca

Dairy:  lactose-free milk, oat milk, rice milk, brie, lactose free yogurt, non-dairy sorbet, olive oil (instead of butter)

Ok, I hope that wasn’t too “uncomfortable” for a Sunday morning.  If it was, and you are not an IBS sufferer, I apologize.  However, if you do know the pain described above, I pray that I have provided you with a plan.  Remember, I am not a doctor.  So if you think you do suffer from IBS and making the above changes to your diet doesn’t help, schedule an appointment with your physician immediately, as there could be a more serious illness you are suffering from.

Lastly, if you have other dietary issues, questions or concerns, please feel free to email me at bill.belott.cscs@gmail.com or search diets on this site and see if I have already written about your topic of interest.

Thank you again for reading Body Designs 214: Irritable Bowel Syndrome…Symptoms, Strategies and Solutions and remember, if you haven’t yet reviewed us on Google, please do.  It will only take a minute.  Click Here

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