IBS and Food

Generally safe IBS foods:

1. yogurt - 0% fat and probiotic ( I get the western family brand as it is both less expensive than activia and still tastes pretty good, I also go for "plain" instead of flavoured as it is also sugar free, but if you need a flavour, then I know their vanilla is tasty). This has healthy bacteria that will calm the gut reactions that cause gas.

2. Water - water is your best friend on an IBS diet. doctors reccommend about 8 cups of water a day to keep your GI tract happy (and everything else too! I find that it helps to make a to do list for the day and a have boxes to tick off for each cup of water that I drink, that way when I look at it throughout the day I know if I need to increase my intake). Hydration helps to decrease constipation and generally help you feel better all around.

3. Brown Rice - tends to make one less constipated than white rice, and it has more nutrients than the bleached/striped white rice (even if it has been "enriched"). 

4. Peanut Butter - it is great as a protien source (if you can tolerate the fat content). I get the all natural kind in the bulk section of my local grocery store (save-on-foods/PriceSmart), and there is a collection of the oil on the top so just mix in in with the peanut butter until well combined, then use and store in refrigerator  I also prefer this because it is sugar free. I eat it a lot on  western family "multi-grain" rice cakes (also found at save-on-foods/PriceSmart) as they are calorie low with some fiber that is easy to digest.

5. Soluble Fiber - Metamucil is a good one: you just dissolve it in water and it is tasteless. Soluble fiber helps the colon to gel food waste (prevent diarrhea) and to prevent it from getting too compacted/solid (prevent constipation) by stabilizing intestinal contractions. 

6. Quinoa - has lots of soluble fiber and protien, among many other nutrients.

7. Veggies - almost all veggies are safe (even better when steamed) except gassy foods such as broccoli, cabbage, asparagus, beans, onions, garlic and cauliflower (but some people can tolerate them, if you can: Great! eat it.) I have never had problems with zuchinni, kale, mushrooms, carrots, cucumber, bell peppers, and celery (among others).

8. Poultry and Fish -  these tend to be quite safe for IBS sufferers, while red meat varies quite a bit from person to person. If you can tolerate red meat try to go for extra lean ground beef as the fat content is lower.

9. Fruits - bananas are usually easy to digest (insoluble fiber), oranges and other citrus fruits are good for most people, apples also.

Generally Bad IBS Foods:

1. Caffiene - increases stomach acid production which can cause diarrhea and can cause constipation through dehydration.

2. Alcohol 

3. Carbonated beverages - gas build-up/bloating, which can be quite painful.

4. fried foods - high fats can increase stomach acid which can cause diarrhea and can cause constipation through dehydration.

5. Dairy products 

I have found that when I was going through a really stressful time (whether or not I thought it was stressful did not matter, because my body knew it was and reacted accordingly) I had to go completely off wheat and dairy for almost an entire year before I could tolerate it at all in small amounts. You really have to commit to the lifestyle with no exceptions for a long duration (at least that is what I have found). This seems to cleanse the system and calm the stress reaction. The body is going through an inflammatory response and sometimes the rewiring (healing) that needs to happen takes time. 

Common IBS Trigger Foods

Finding IBS-friendly substitutions for favorite foods that trigger your symptoms is often a high priority when you’re eating with IBS. Never fear: The following list helps you substitute some of the most common IBS triggers with alternatives that are less likely to cause your symptoms to flare:

• Wheat: Substitute with rice, kamut, millet, quinoa, amaranth
• Butter: Substitute with margerine (such as the olive oil based one by Becel).
• Milk: Substitute with rice milk, almond milk, coconut milk, and soy milk that hasn’t been genetically modified
• Cheese: Substitute with goat cheese and soy cheese, rice cheese
• Sugar: Substitute with stevia, Just Like Sugar, agave, honey, maple syrup, blackstrap molasses, and brown rice syrup.

Cooking Basics: IBS-Friendly Foods to Keep in Stock

Having IBS often means you’re doing more cooking — but some days you just want some fuss-free food. Keep your pantry well-stocked with IBS-friendly staples — basic ingredients for cooking and ready-to-go timesavers that may be a little safer for your system than the versions you’re used to:

• Safer flours: Brown rice, almond, coconut, millet, and potato flour
• Safer (non-wheat) grains: Buckwheat, millet, quinoa, and amaranth
• Safer snacks: Rice cakes, baked organic corn chips, baked potato chips, soaked nuts (cashews, almonds, pecans, and macadamia nuts), and fruit (especially applesauce and bananas)
• Safer drinks: Homemade smoothies, and broths (chicken, vegetable, and beef)
• Safer breakfast cereals: Oats and oatmeal, rice puffs, millet puffs and kamut puffs
• Safer lunch items: Gluten- and dairy-free frozen meals and low-mercury canned (in water) or pouched (without added oil) tuna
• Safer dinner options: Home-cooked dishes that include protein (lean ground beef and turkey, chicken breasts, canned salmon, tofu, and fish) and carbohydrates from your safe food list (grains, beans, and vegetables such as peas and carrots)"
  
  
   information from this post was taken from:
  - http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/ibs-cookbook-for-dummies-cheat-sheet.html
  - http://www.healingwell.com/library/ibs/article.asp?author=vanvorous&id=1