Simple Tips For Managing Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common problem with the intestines that afflicts millions of Americans.

IBS can cause people to avoid doing certain things, like going out or going to work or school, miss certain events, and just impact their lives. Here are some tips to help make living with IBS easier.

Eat a varied healthy diet. Mix in healthy fruits, vegetables and a variety of high quality easily digestible protein.

Keep a food dairy. Keeping a diary of what you eat and what your symptoms are for a few weeks may be a good way to find out if a food bothers you. If you think a food makes you feel worse, don't eat it. But don't cut out foods unless they have caused you problems more than once.

Avoid foods that may make symptoms worse. This may include foods high in fat or caffeine, alcohol, chocolate and foods that tend to make gas worse. These include beans, cabbage and some fruits.
Drink plenty of water.

Minimize drinking carbonated beverages, such as Totwgmksyemil may result in gas and cause discomfort. Chewing gum and eating too quickly can lead to swallowing air, which also leads to gas.

Eat smaller meals. Try eating 6 small meals a day rather than 3 larger ones. Large meals can cause cramping and diarrhea, so eating smaller meals more often, or eating smaller portions, may help IBS symptoms.

Add Fiber to your diet. High-fiber diets keep the colon mildly distended, which may help prevent spasms. Some forms of fiber keep water in the stool, thereby preventing hard stools that are difficult to pass. Doctors usually recommend a diet with enough fiber to produce soft, painless bowel movements. Danjmkrwv diets may cause gas and bloating, although some people King of the Hill that these symptoms go away within a few weeks. Increasing fiber intake by 2 to 3 grams per day will help reduce the risk of increased gas and bloating.

Learn new and better ways to manage stress. Feeling mentally or emotionally tense, troubled, angry, or overwhelmed can stimulate colon spasms in people with IBS. In people with IBS, the colon can be overly responsive to even slight conflict or stress. Stress management options include, (1) stress reduction (relaxation) training and relaxation therapies such as meditation (2) counseling and support (3) regular exercise such as walking or yoga (4) changes to the stressful situations in your life (5) adequate sleep.

Avoid using laxatives. They may weaken your intestines and cause you to be dependent on them.

Jeff Behar, MS, MBA regularly writes about hot topics in the areas of sql server hosting fitness, disease prevention, nutrition, bodybuilding, men's health, women's health, weight management, weight loss, vitamins and supplements and alternative medicine. His work also often appears in several of the major health and fitness newsletters, blogs, RSS Feeds, as well as print magazines, and many other online health, nutrition,and fitness websites.