When dealing with the different (and often divergent) symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), it can be difficult to know which foods you can and cannot eat safely. While people will often focus on the food types they need to avoid, it is just as important to find the foods that may actually help improve your symptoms.

Here are some practical tips that can help if you find yourself suffering with either constipation-predominant IBS (IBS-C), diarrhea-predominant IBS (IBS-D), or alternating-type IBS (IBS-M):

Foods to Avoid If You Are Constipated

White Bread — Ross Durant Photography/Photolibrary/Getty Images

If you are constipated, the last thing you need is to eat anything that is binding. To this end, here are some key foods you need to avoid:

Anything made with white flour, especially white bread and baked goods made with hydrogenated fats
Processed meat including bacon, bologna, sausage, and hot dogs
Deep-fried foods (including food labeled "oven-fried")
Chips of any sort
Dairy products such as cheese, sour cream, ice cream, and whole milk
Red meats
Bananas
White rice

Foods to Eat If You Are Constipated

Fruits and vegetables on display. — Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

If you are suffering from constipation, you will need to eat foods that get your system moving. Key to this is digestive fiber, also known as roughage.

Especially useful is a type is known as insoluble fiber which does not dissolve in water but rather absorbs water as it passes through the intestines, softening stools in the process.

The best food sources for this are:

Fresh fruits (the best of which include berries, peaches, apricots, plums, and rhubarb)
Whole grains which include wholegrain bread and cooked oats, brown rice, whole wheat, quinoa, or barley
Fresh vegetables
Dried fruit, especially prunes and raisins
Prune juice
Nuts and nuts

Beans and legumes (such as chickpeas, soybeans, lentils, navy beans, and kidney beans) are good sources of fiber but are also on the list of high FODMAP foods that can trigger IBS-D symptoms if you eat too much.

Foods to Avoid If You Have Diarrhea

fish and chips — Elaine Lemm/Getty Images

If you have diarrhea, the last thing you want is to eat foods that can aggravate your condition or cause you painful intestinal spasms.

Some of the foods to avoid include:

Dairy products, particularly high-fat cheeses, ice cream, whole milk, cream, and sour cream
Creamy foods or foods with gravy
Deep-fried foods
Sugar-free foods made with artificial sweeteners including candies, gum, and diet sodas
Gas-producing foods like beans, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, onions, peaches, pears, and plums
Dried fruits
Caffeinated coffee, tea, or sodas
Carbonated drinks
Alcohol

Foods to Eat If You Have Diarrhea

Grilled skinless chicken breast entree — Lew Robertson/Getty Images

A basic, bland BRAT diet (consisting of bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast) is often recommended to help bind loose or watery stools. However, the restrictive diet should not be used as anything more than a short-term solution as it can deprive you of much-needed nutrition.

To this end, you would want to compose a more balanced diet consisting of the following foods:

Bananas
White rice
White toast (not whole-grain)
Mashed potatoes
Butternut, pumpkin, acorn squash, and other winter squashes
Steamed, baked, broiled chicken or lean meat
Yogurt or kefir with a live bacterial culture
Chicken broth
Farina, oatmeal, or cream of wheat
Fresh vegetables
Pretzels
Fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, or pickles that have a probiotic effect
Sports drinks to prevent dehydration and replace electrolytes