6 Tips for Coping with IBS
IBS is an annoying condition, which can significantly alter one’s eating habits and enjoyment they get from food. Among the treatments to improve the symptoms is adopting the right kind of diet after a consultation with an IBS nutritionist.
There are various causes for IBS and similar digestive problems. Truth is that some simple changes to how you manage stress and your nutrition can have a very positive impact on IBS and even resolve the issue. Here are some tips that you should adopt:
- Stress management – many stress-related symptoms, bloating and abdominal pain included, are more frequent and intense with people that suffer from IBS. Managing stress then becomes an essential part of limiting flare-ups. There are many stress management techniques you can adopt: yoga and deep breathing for instance. The latter focuses on using your diaphragm to breath, not so much the chest, to relax muscles. In doing so, you can benefit from regular bowel activity.
- Progressive relaxation – this is a relaxation technique, well-known to target the muscles of the body. The soother, known as Jacobson’s technique, can relax an upset stomach. It involves tensing and relaxing of different muscles groups, starting from the feet and moving upwards to reach the scalp and face. Focus on easing the tension of each body part in the process.
- Counseling – outside help, whether it comes from an IBS nutritionist or a psychiatrist can have a positive impact on your IBS. If anything, you will learn how to respond to life events that trigger unpleasant symptoms. You will also manage stress more efficiently, which, as it was already described, is a major cause for such a condition.
- Eat more fibre – stress management can help, but you should not undermine the importance of a proper diet. This may not only ease the symptoms of IBS but also prevent it from coming upon you in the first place. Incorporating more fibre into your meals is a vital step in that direction. It should be noted, however, that such a change in your diet holds some risks as well. It can help with some gastrointestinal symptoms (constipation for instance), but it can worsen others (cramping and gas). To minimise the potential risks, you should consult with a nutritionist and implement a gradual approach to eating more fibre.
- Avoid certain foods – some foods make IBS symptoms way worse. Some known examples include sweeteners with no sugar content, broccoli, beans, cabbage, chocolate, cauliflower. It should be pointed that you may be perfectly well with some of these foods, so it is important to monitor your symptoms and see which foods worsen them.
- Drink plenty of water – don’t think that all fluids alike help to ease stomach distress. Water and water alone is the only safe choice when it comes to IBS. Alcohol, coffee, carbonated drinks and even tea can often cause severe stomach problems.
- The goal of these tips is not to provide instant relief, but rather introduce some long-term solutions. Try different techniques for stress management and see what chan ges to diet relieve your IBS symptoms the best. Be sure to consult with a nutritionist.
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