Food is a direct agent of IBS symptoms, because it goes through the digestive tract. An irritant would come in direct contact with the affected part. So it makes sense to control what you eat and drink.
As a general rule, avoid fatty foods, caffeine, coffee, carbonated drinks and alcohol if you have an irritable bowel. These types of food are gastrointestinal irritant and can give rise to an IBS attack. Another food group to avoid is dairy (which contains lactose).
For most other foods and drinks, however, you should try them to see how they react with your IBS. If you suffer mostly from constipation brought about by IBS, you might do well to add more fibre in your diet. There are also physiological tests that you can go through, like the ELISA, or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, food allergy test that can identify what foods would cause a reaction with an irritable bowel.
How can probiotics help?
Probiotics have also been found to be beneficial for an irritable bowel. Probiotics are different kinds of live microorganisms that provide healthy benefits for the body. Probiotics include all “good bacteria” like lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria. Depending on the type of probiotics present in the food or drink being consumed, it can:
prevent colon cancer
lower cholesterol
lower blood pressure
manage lactose intolerance
improve immune function and prevent infections
treat certain kinds of infections including peptic ulcer
improve absorption of trace minerals
treat diarrhoea
reduce inflammation
Prevent the growth of pathogens, or bad bacterial.
Probiotics have also been found to reduce the severity of symptoms associated with irritable bowel syndrome, specifically specific strains of B. infantis and lactobacillus plantarum.
