Irritable Bowel Syndrome High Fiber Diet
IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) is an intestinal illness exemplified by striking shifts in bowel movements. You could experience constipation or diarrhea, or both.
People with IBS who suffer from abdominal aches, bloating, constipation, cramps, diarrhea, and gas know how severe IBS symptoms can be.
IBS is a painful chronic illness whose symptoms include shifts in bowel and digestive functions.
Most people with IBS don’t suffer from severe symptoms; they have mild IBS, which can be regulated with diet and lifestyle changes.
These adjustments can be the difference between a normal life and remaining at home to deal with IBS symptoms.
What is Dietary Fiber?
Dietary fiber occurs naturally in fruits, legumes, veggies, and whole grains; it’s indeed a pillar of the human diet. But, unlike other nutrients, the fiber goes through the system unchanged because it can’t be broken down partly because our bodies don’t have what it takes to digest it.
Dietary fiber can steady the gastrocolic reflex and intestinal muscles, which are part of the digestive system.
They are responsible for transporting food throughout the tract; therefore, it’s particularly vital to individuals who have IBS.
Since fiber has such as quantifiable effect on how food moves through the body, it can bring about both negative and positive impacts for a lot of people.
Suppose you feel that eating fiber-rich foods can trigger your IBS symptoms.
In that case, you’re not wrong because it can aggravate the condition, especially for individuals who suffer from IBS-D (irritable bowel syndrome-diarrhea).
But fiber can also have the reverse effect, and it’s vital to your overall wellbeing. So you’ll need to find means to integrate it into your diet safely.
What’s The Relationship between the Various Types of IBS with Fiber?
IBS-C and Fiber
IBS-C (irritable bowel syndrome with constipation) is a chronic GI (gastrointestinal) condition that causes abdominal pain, bloating, and rare stools that are difficult to pass.
Although it isn’t deadly, IBS-C can be very painful, interfering with your day-to-day tasks.
If you feel you’re reaching or exceeding your fiber target and you’re still experiencing bloating and gas, you might be suffering from backup bloating due to insufficient elimination.
Backup bloating can manifest in people with constipation and slow gut passage time because of gas and stool buildup.
Therefore, it’s vital to ensure you have a useful bowel diet in place to allow for sufficient laxation when fiber consumption is high.
This might necessitate changes such as postural adjustments when using the toilet and the integration of magnesium salts and or osmotic laxatives.
IBS-D and Fiber
IBS-D (irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea) is a subtype of IBS where individuals suffer from frequent incidents of diarrhea with additional abdominal discomfort.
Like IBS, IBS-D is an FGD (functional gastrointestinal disorder) in that there is no illness, inflammation, or injury to prove its symptoms.
However, approximation shows that roughly one-third of IBS patients suffer from diarrhea as the dominant symptom.
Most IBS-D patients assume fiber is harmful because it’s linked with regular bowel movements.
However, it’s crucial to remember that fiber (soluble) can be a joining agent whereby it will help join stools working magic for people with diarrhea.
Fiber can indeed integrate bulk to bowels, but it can also hold stool together, helping reduce diarrhea instances. It regularly takes a bit of experimenting to get the ideal combo of fiber supplements and foods.
It’s prescribed to boost intake of soluble fibers such as beans, chia seeds, flax seeds, fruits low in FODMAPs, oats, and veggies.
Keep in mind that you need to drink lots of water when you increase fiber intake because there is a risk of constipation when is most likely to happen if you’re dehydrated. What’s more, the additional fiber needs water to be broken down.
Foods to Take On an IBS High Fiber Diet
Blueberries
Irritable Bowel Syndrome High Fiber Diet – Blueberries
Blueberries are on the list of fiber-rich fruits considered to be IBS-friendly. This is because blueberries are rich in soluble fiber and low in FODMAPs.
In fact, blueberries are among the foods you can take to calm your bowels if you’re experiencing an IBS attack.
Ensure you get organic blueberries to limit exposure to pesticides that can aggravate IBS symptoms.
Blueberries are nutritious and tasty when eaten fresh, but you can also freeze them, and they will still preserve their nutritional value.
Eggplant
Eggplant
Eggplants have low FODMAPs content, but they are an ideal pick for an IBS high-fiber diet. Eggplants also have low amounts of calories and are a good source of folate, manganese, and potassium.
In addition, eggplants comprise both insoluble and soluble fiber; you can restrict some of the insoluble fiber in eggplants by removing the skin.
Baking eggplants in olive oil makes them sumptuous and easy to break down. You can even puree them into eggplant dip, otherwise known as baba ganoush. So, avoid deep-frying eggplants because this will most definitely set off IBS symptoms.
Green Beans
Green Beans
Green beans are a cheap and easy way to integrate soluble fiber into a meal. They are also a brilliant source of antioxidants and vitamin C, which can help stop long-term cell damage.
Green beans can be eaten uncooked, but they are easier to break down when roasted, stir-fried, or steamed. Green beans have sorbitol, a kind of FODMAP known as a polyol. Taking more than half a cup of green beans can set off IBS in some people.
Kiwi Fruit
Irritable Bowel Syndrome High Fiber Diet – Kiwi Fruit
Kiwi fruits are no longer seen as the unique fruits they once were, being that you can find them in most grocery store aisles. Instead, Kiwi fruits are tasty but not too tasty, and they provide numerous health benefits.
Not only do kiwi fruits have high amounts of vitamin C, but they also comprise other nutrients such as folate, potassium, vitamin E, and vitamin K.
Kiwi fruits have an equal blend of insoluble and soluble fiber. Therefore, unlike other fruits such as apples, pears, and watermelon, kiwi fruits are deemed to be low-FODMAP food.
Potatoes
Potatoes are healthy, tasty, and ideal for an IBS high-fiber diet. Potatoes include baking not only potatoes but also purple-skinned, red-skinned, and yellow-skinned kinds.
What’s more, potatoes are an excellent source of B vitamins, magnesium, potassium, protein, and vitamin C. Potatoes are rich in both insoluble and soluble fiber.
Still, you can reduce your intake of insoluble fiber by removing and discarding the skin.
Okra
Okra is a good source of soluble fiber as well as a ton of nutrients such as B vitamins, calcium, potassium, and vitamin C. However, similar to green beans, okra should be eaten in moderation to avoid setting off IBS symptoms.
Okra has relatively high levels of fructans and can trigger IBS symptoms if you take more than half-cup. Ensure your okra is well-cooked because it makes it more digestible.
Oranges
Similar to bananas, oranges are portable, readily available and have low FODMAPs levels. As a result, oranges are a superb source of soluble fiber and perhaps the best source of vitamin C.
To collect the benefits of fiber, eat the entire fruit rather than drinking the pressed juice. Orange juice enhances the number of FODMAPs per serving, and it can set off IBS symptoms.
Therefore, professionals prescribe you restrict yourself to one orange per day.
Peanuts
If you’re searching for something to quench those late-night munchies, look no further than peanuts. Peanuts are tasty and packed with nutrients such as folate.
Peanuts are also impressive in an IBS high-fiber diet because they have minimal amounts of FODMAPs compared to cashew nuts and pistachios.
That said, you need to restrict yourself to a one-eighth-cup serving because if you go higher, you will experience more elevated amounts of fructan. Always read labels carefully to ensure that your peanut butter doesn’t contain added sugars.
Summer Squash
Summer squash is a brilliant source of B vitamins, potassium, soluble fiber, and vitamin C.
It also has low FODMAPs and can be combined with no-FODMAP foods such as carrots and potatoes to make a fulfilling creamed soup or healthy roasted veggies.
Sunflower Seeds
Like peanuts, sunflower seeds are a portable and sumptuous snack. They are rich in B vitamins, iron, protein, soluble fiber, and a daily necessity of magnesium per once-cup portion.
That said, most professionals prescribe that you restrict sunflower seeds intake to three tablespoons if you’re suffering from IBS. This is because sunflower seeds have fructan that can trigger IBS attacks in some people.
In addition to using sunflower seeds as snacks, you can also add them to cooked veggies, mashed potatoes, or salads for a pleasant, nutty munch.
Zucchini
Zucchini is also a good addition to an IBS high-fiber diet, but it has a bit more fructan than its yellow-skinned brother. To limit IBS symptoms, take about half a cup of zucchini.
Foods to Avoid On an IBS High Fiber Diet
A lot of foods can set off IBS symptoms. These foods either aggravate or stimulate the gastrointestinal system, which can cause bloating, diarrhea, discomfort, and gas.
These include foods with alcohol, caffeine, gas, and insoluble fiber. Such foods include:
- Chocolate
- Coffee and tea
- Fried foods
- Seltzer and soda
Most IBS-trigger foods are FODMAPs (Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols). Sticking to a low-FODMAP regimen can enable you to isolate which foods trigger your symptoms.
FODMAPs are foods with hard-to-breakdown carbs. Because they are hard to absorb, they can aggravate the colon and take the additional water to the bowel. This triggers bloating and diarrhea. Therefore, the objective of a low-FODMAP diet is to restrict or eliminate FODMAPs.
High FODMAP foods you should eliminate include:
- Baked goods, rye, and wheat products such as bread, cereals, and pasta.
- Candy and gum-inclusive sweeteners such as maltitol, sorbitol, and xylitol.
- Cashew nuts and pistachios
- Dairy products such as cheese, ice cream, milk, and yogurt.
- Fruits and fruit juices such as apples, apricots, blackberries, cherries, mango, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums, watermelon, etc.
- High fructose syrup and honey.
- Legumes and lentils
- Veggies such as artichokes, asparagus, cabbage, cauliflower, beans, mushroom, etc.
IBS High Fiber Diet Supplements
Acacia Fiber
Acacia fiber, also called acacia gum, is a soluble fiber that enables your body to promote promptness. Acacia fiber mixes well, and it doesn’t thicken up like some fiber supplements making it a bit simpler for some people to take.
Calcium Polycarbophil
Calcium Polycarbofill occurs in FiberCon, which is effective for both IBS-C and IBS-D.
Methylcellulose
Methylcellulose occurs in Citrucel and MiraFiber. It’s a non-fermentable source of fiber, and it’s ideal for people with IBS. Both the ground form and tablets are efficient; however, ensure you read the instructions for suitable dosing.
Partially Hydrogenated Guar Gum
PHGG (Partially Hydrogenated Guar Gum) is also called Sunfiber. PHGG is soluble in water in addition to being a non-viscous fiber supplement.
As a result, PHGG has become a more common fiber supplement in the FODMAP society. In fact, a lot of PHGG fiber supplements are certified to have low FODMAP levels.
Some of them include Nutrisource Fiber and Regular Girl.
This fiber supplement breaks up in pretty much all fluids. Sunfiber is a probiotic fiber that can help fill the stomach microbiome, which can be negatively impacted when you adapt to a low FODMAP regimen. Studies prove PHGG‘s effectiveness for both IBS-C and IBS-D.
Psyllium Husk Fiber
Psyllium husk fiber has water, and it generates bulky and easy-to-pass soft tools.
In addition, psyllium has been proven to be more efficient than stool softeners for people suffering from chronic idiopathic constipation, and it’s also hyped as one of the ‘go-to’ fibers sources for IBS.
It has been proven to help cut IBS symptoms and standardize stool. You can have clean psyllium husk powder combined with a bit of cranberry juice, lactose-free milk, or milk low in FODMAPs such as almond or rice milk.
It coagulates quickly, so be ready to drink it soon as it’s ready.
Wheat Dextrin
Wheat dextrin, also called Benefiber, is a soluble fiber and not well-researched for IBS patients. But, clinically, it seems to be well-tolerated so that you can discuss this with your nutritionist.
Final Thought
Persons with IBS are sensitive to foods with insoluble fiber. Other popular IBS triggers include foods with sugars called FODMAPs that cause bloating and cramps.
So to avoid IBS symptoms, eat foods that have high amounts of soluble fiber and are low in FODMAPs.
Printable Irritable Bowel Syndrome High Fiber Diet (PDF)
| Foods to Take On an IBS High Fiber Diet | Foods to Avoid On an IBS High Fiber Diet |
|---|---|
| Blueberries | Chocolate |
| Eggplant | Coffee and tea |
| Green Beans | Fried foods |
| Kiwi Fruit | Seltzer and soda |
| Potatoes | High FODMAP Foods You Should Eliminate |
| Okra | Baked goods, rye, and wheat products such as bread, cereals, and pasta. |
| Oranges | Candy and gum-inclusive sweeteners such as maltitol, sorbitol, and xylitol. |
| Peanuts | Cashew nuts and pistachios |
| Summer Squash | Dairy products such as cheese, ice cream, milk, and yogurt. |
| Sunflower Seeds | Fruits and fruit juices such as apples, apricots, blackberries, cherries, mango, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums, watermelon, etc. |
| Zucchini | High fructose syrup and honey. |
| Legumes and lentils | |
| Veggies such as artichokes, asparagus, cabbage, cauliflower, beans, mushroom, etc. |
See Also
Mediterranean Diet Lunch Ideas