IBS Symptoms: Which Foods to Eat and Avoid

Foods to Avoid When You're Constipated and Bloated

If you're constipated, or have a tendency to get backed up, the last thing you need is to eat anything binding. Some key foods you need to avoid are:

• 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 to Improve IBS Constipation and Bloating

Some foods can get your system moving and relieve constipation. Key to this is digestive fiber, also known as roughage.

Especially useful is a type known as insoluble fiber, which doesn't dissolve in water. Instead, it absorbs water as it passes through the intestines. That water softens your stool.

The best food sources to improve IBS constipation are:

• Fresh fruits, especially berries, peaches, apricots, plums, and rhubarb
• Whole grains, including whole-grain bread and cooked oats, brown rice, whole wheat, quinoa, or barley
• Fresh vegetables
• Dried fruit, especially prunes and raisins
• Prune juice
• Nuts and seeds

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 to Reduce IBS Diarrhea

If you have diarrhea, it's important to know that certain foods can encourage painful intestinal spasms and loose stools.

Some foods to avoid if you have or tend to have IBS-related diarrhea include:

• Dairy products, particularly high-fat cheeses, ice cream, whole milk, cream, and sour cream
• Creamy foods
• Gravy
• Deep-fried foods
• Sugar-free foods made with artificial sweeteners, such as 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 When You Have Diarrhea From IBS

The BRAT diet is often recommended to help bind loose or watery stools. BRAT stands for bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast.

However, this restrictive diet is recommended as a short-term solution such as a 48-hour timeframe during diarrhea flare-ups. In rare cases it can cause nutritional deficiency when followed with extreme measures.

A more balanced anti-diarrheal diet consists of:

• Bananas
• White rice
• White toast (not whole-grain)
• Mashed potatoes
• Butternut, pumpkin, acorn squash, and other winter squashes
• Steamed, baked, or 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 with a ​probiotic effect
• Sports drinks to prevent dehydration and replace electrolytes