Help For IBS - 3 Surefire Ways To Cure IBS Easily
Michael F December 7th, 2007
IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) has become a very common problem all over the world. And this disease is particularly especially affecting women living in western countries. What you may not know is that there are very easy ways to cure ibs. There is no need to splurge on medicines if you don’t want to! A simple change in your diet and lifestyle is all you need to get rid of ibs fast. In this article I will tell you how to change your food habits in such a way that you are able to get rid of IBS within weeks.
1. One common mistake that most people make is that of serving all kinds of foods in a dinner. This is really a big mistake. As an example, if your dinner consists of meat, you should not eat starchy foods or grains with it. The reason behind this is that the enzyme used by our body to break fat is different than the one used to break grains and starch. As you can see, if you eat meat along with starch, your body really gets confused as to which type of enzyme to use in order to break down the food. In short, your body experiences grave uneasiness. This in turn causes ibs. As a rule of thumb, you should eat meat only with a vegetable or a vegetarian meal. This is the easiest way to cure ibs fast.
2. Another mistake that people make is that they eat fruits immediately after having a meal. Fruit must never be served after a meal, because fruits, as a rule, digest faster than all other types of foods. So, if you eat fruits immediately after having your meal, they are all mixed up together in one place which in turn slows down the digestion process. If you want to eat fruits, I would suggest that you eat fruits at least half-an-hour before having a meal or as a snack in between meals.
3. Many people make the mistake of drinking beverages along with meal. Drinking liquids with meal is a bad idea because it creates confusion for the body. Just think about it: when you eat food your body gets the signal that the food is coming and it gets ready with all the enzymes to digest that food. Now say, you drink a beverage in the middle of having your meal. Now, your body gets confused because instead of food, it is now receiving liquids. This confusion can negatively affect your digestion process. I would suggest that you don’t drink beverages during meal time. If you really want to have beverages, try a digestive enzyme supplement instead.
These rules are interesting but not supported by the vast array of scientific study of the various causes of IBS. IBS symptoms can be caused by a wide array of very real, identifiable physiological causes, including food allergies, microbial imbalances, celiac disease, and parasites. Curing your IBS is not about following some generic rules about what to eat or how to eat (not drinking water while eating? crazy!). The way to cure IBS is to find out what is causing your IBS. My wife had IBS and we took her to Dr. Wangen at the IBS Treatment Center in Seattle (www.IBSTreatmentCenter.com) and learned that she had several food allergies and a bacterial imbalance. Once these were treated her IBS was over. She can break all the rules listed above (eating fruit, drinking with meals, mixing many different kinds of foods in a meal) as long as she doesn’t eat the foods she is allergic to. Dr. Wangen has done the research and offers lab testing and treatment that actually cures his patients. Check it out. You will be glad that you did.
As a 13 year old girl who as ibs, i find it very difficult to deal with. Any advice on how to keep flares of down would be really appreciative. Ive got mock sats, pretty soon the real thing and then gcse’s. I would hate to have that and feel uncomfortable through them :]
Hi Emily,
I understand what you’re going through, I have had IBS as long as I can remember. If I know that I am going into a situation where an attack would come at a very bad time, I do a couple of things. First, I eat very bland foods, whatever you know doesn’t cause a problem, for several days before. I also try to eat less than normal, so that if an attack does happen, it won’t be as severe. Some bland foods that work for me are pretzels and peanut butter. Ginger ale is also good if you let it sit out so that the carbonation goes away. Try to find out what works for you. Try to relax as much as you can. You’re at a very stressful age, and it is not pleasant to have IBS, but try to remember that there are people like me who have had IBS for years and have still managed to have happy fulfilling lives! It just takes time to figure out what works for you. Good luck!
Funny, none of these cures have ever helped me. And no mention of the benefits of peppermint tea? The evilness of refined sugar? I’m with Thomas on this one… you have to test out foods, keep a diary, and figure out what works and doesn’t work for you. I found that by staying on a high fiber diet, I move foods through me so quickly, that they don’t get trapped and ferment in my gut, which keeps me IBS-C free. When I do get sick, I take fiber supplements and drink lots of peppermint tea. Red wine helps too. I haven’t consumed any animal products other than yogurt, in almost a year. That’s what helps me. I never had a problem with drinking while eating, or mixing and matching sugars and carbs with protein. As long as I am eating healthy carbs, whole grains, and natural sugar products like honey or maple syrup, I don’t have a problem mixing. That’s just me though. I don’t assume to know what works for everybody.
I have been suffering from IBS since the birth of my daugyter 6 years ago. Metamucil helped a little but I had to stop eating a lot of food that I really liked. Moreover, it used to flair up a lot without any prior indication. But now I am counting my blessings because of Digestive Advantage IBS. It’s a probiotic supplement and I take one capsule in the morning and that’s it. In my case it started working from day 1. No more Metamucil, I can eat my salads and I do not feel any more discomfort. Keeping my fingers crossed though. It works great and I hope it continues to work for me. I got mine at WalMart. Give it a shot.
Thanks
Has anyone ever tested positive for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth? This is what I am dealing w/ now. My ibs symptoms got worse and doc sent me for this test - came back positive and he put me on 2 weeks of strong antibiotics. I finished them but still feel pretty sick. He says sometimes it takes several treatments with the antibiotics but you have to wait 2 weeks after they are complete to have another test to see if sibo is gone. Very, very frustrating and having a lot of symptoms even though I was starting to feel better at the end of the antibiotics cycle.
My mantra is lots of fiber before each meal while “recovering” and as a rule before each meal anyway or during (I use a liquid form). Once you are in “remission” you can change the order around now and then or miss a fiber dose completely. This is if you have the supplement of approximately 6g soluble fiber 3x/day. Works for me and keeps me stable.
hi, I am posting here because as many of you I suffer of IBS, it took my life for years, I stopped eating, I just has chiken, plain pasta and rice, and a lot of tea. My Ibs is the one that gives me diahrea everytime I have to do something important like a job interview an speech, a long trip, even when I was dating my IBS will let me know it was there. They told me it came after I lost my mom at the age of 16, that my pain cause depression and all this took me to IBS. I had miserable days, I could not have friends, I could not go to college, I could not have a boyfriend, I could not have a life, I went through a lot of treatments and antidepressent pills and clonazepam, It worked for me, my life is not miserable as used to be, but I still suffer a lot. I still do not know what kind of food will help me to reduce diahrea, and how to really control my stress I am thinking to join to a gym and try that.
I don’t think these are accurate.
The keys to IBS are:
1) Low fat diet. High fat content causes the Gastrointestinal system (GI) to contract and causes that “oh i ate half an hour ago and am in walmart, rushing for the can” problem.
2) Lots of soluble fibre .. rice and noodles (not egg noodles) are great for that. It may not fly with the ‘low carb’ diet, but you just need to exercise. I take benefibre pills from the grocery store. They taste pretty good (like an orange tums) and don’t cause you to choke on them like insoluble fibre (metamucil, etc)
3) Eat more often in smaller portions, and chew your food completely, allowing it time to get completely mushed in the mouth, rather than wolfing it down.
4) Avoid coffee and alcohol like the plague. Seriously.
5) Avoid dairy products, with the exception of occasional yogurt, which is a probiotic (enhances the helpful bacteria in the gut).
6) Try to avoid processed junk that is all fat and garbage and be more tactical about your meals. One thing I noticed in myself is that I ate constantly.. always had to have something going in my tummy, whether it was tea or candy or fruit or whatever.. if I give my stomach downtime, it works better. Feeling hungry isn’t a bad thing that needs immediate quenching. Remember that our ancestors only got to eat every couple of days sometimes. Hunger is just to motivate you to hunt for food.
7) If you’re having a superdiarrhea kind of day, just remember that rice is your best friend. And drink lots of room temperature or cool water, but not ice cold because that can induce the IBS cramps.
I’m going to plug the website of the woman who put me on the path to recovery:
www.helpforibs.com
Try her cookbook, and her fibre if you dont want pills.