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IBS Recipes

IBS or irritable bowel syndrome is a unique experience for the individual as no two people will suffer from IBS in the same way. Foods that can exacerbate the symptoms in one person might have no effect on someone else. Consequently, it is not possible to create recipes that will suit all IBS sufferers so it is important to establish how IBS affects you so that you can plan a diet that your body can tolerate.

What can I eat?

In the first instance, keep a detailed dairy of all foods and drinks consumed over a period of a couple of weeks and note any effect they have on bowel movements. This will help you identify trigger foods that make your symptoms worse and foods that have no effect.

The following list represents some of the foods that may make your symptoms worse:

Red meat including spicy meats, pepperoni, salami, sausages, bacon and so on
Dairy products such as cheese, butter, cream, milk, yoghurt
Fried foods
Coffee and Tea
Chocolate
Chips
Fats and spreads
Cakes, Pastries and Biscuits
Sauces
Alcohol

This doesn’t mean that you cannot include any of these foods and drinks in your diet, only that they are high on the list of foods that can trigger symptoms in some people. For example, foods that are high in fat might result in bouts of diarrhoea and painful stomach cramps for one individual and that same foods because they have low fibre and low water content might lead to constipation in someone else.

So when compiling recipes for your IBS, it is worth considering reducing the fat content and sticking only to good fats, and increasing the amount of fibre in the diet, in the form of soluble fibre. It is advisable to stay away from bran as a source of fibre because although it used to be recommended for IBS it has now been found to make the symptoms worse.

Sources of soluble fibre or good foods to include in your recipes:

Pasta
Rice and rice cereals
Noodles
Oats
Barley
Fruits and vegetables

Certain fruits and vegetables can be difficult to tolerate for some people with IBS, it really depends on what affect the individual fruits and vegetables have on you.

Sample Meals

Now that you have identified what foods you can include and what foods you want to avoid in your diet you can begin to put together some recipes that will not only ease your symptoms of IBS but will lead to a healthier diet in general.

For breakfast you could try high fibre cereals, muesli, porridge oats, wholemeal toast with low fat spread, bananas, tomatoes, poached egg and so on. For lunch maybe wholemeal sandwiches with a filling of your choice (one that you can tolerate of course), soups, crackers, baked potato etc. Dinner can include fish, grilled lean meats, white meat without the skin, pasta, rice, noodles or whatever you fancy.

Living with IBS

Living with IBS needn’t mean limiting your diet to bland and uninteresting foods; the trick is to identify the foods that do irritate your digestive system so that you can eliminate them or at least reduce them and to increase the kind of foods that don’t have an effect.

However, IBS can change its pattern at any time and therefore so may your recipes. The most important thing is to relax about food, eat slowly, drink plenty of water, take regular exercise to keep the body and bowels healthy and enjoy life.