11 Tummy Taming Tips: Navigating Your Way Through The IBS Diet Maze

7. Reduce Consumption Of Processed Food

Pretty much everyone can benefit from reducing their consumption of processed foods, but irritable bowel syndrome patients can especially benefit. Not all processed foods are inherently bad. For a food to be processed, it just needs to have been handled in some way before reaching the consumer. But when health professionals talk about processed foods, they tend to mean foods that contain imbalanced nutrient levels and chemical preservatives. Added sugar, salt, and indigestible chemical content can all irritate the intestines and lead to irritable bowel syndrome flare-ups. The nutritional content doesn't always matter either. Sometimes the problem is that a highly processed food has been fried or otherwise had fat content added. Meals cooked at home from fresh ingredients tend to be an ideal alternative to processed food purchases. If individuals don't have the time or inclination to cook, it doesn't mean they're doomed. They just need to be more mindful of the ingredients and the nutrition facts on the packages of food they buy. They should look for ones with few long preservative names and high levels of essential daily vitamins.

8. Drink Lots Of Water

It's easy to become dehydrated without realizing it, even if an individual doesn't have irritable bowel syndrome. These patients tend to need to consume more water than the average person. In the past, doctors believed drinking too much water would cause dilution of the digestive juices. But this isn't true at all, and this medical advice led many individuals to become chronically dehydrated for no reason. Nowadays, doctors recommend that an individual with irritable bowel syndrome drink between six and eight glasses of water daily. This should be plain water rather than flavored water or other beverages. Some research indicates sipping water slowly and intermittently during a meal can help food pass through the digestive system. If individuals don't drink enough water, they could make their irritable bowel syndrome symptoms worse, especially if they involve constipation. Lack of water can also lead to nausea, fatigue, and general feelings of unwellness even in individuals who don't have irritable bowel syndrome. If individuals have a flareup that causes a bout of diarrhea, it's also important for them to replenish the liquid they lose.