If you want to change your diet to support a sensitive digestion how do you know which is the best diet for IBS?
There are many diets reported to improve Irritable Bowel Syndrome. After years of working in this field as an IBS nutritionist I find with my Gut Reset clients each person will have their own individual reaction to certain foods, and there is never a one size fits all diet.
In a 2019 study into IBS researchers took a group 45 people through three diets to see which one had the biggest impact on their pain and bloating.
What diet works for best for people with IBS?
Each of the people in the study followed each of the diets for four weeks. They tried a low FODMAP Diet, a gluten-free diet and a Mediterranean based diet in turn.
The good thing about this kind of study is that they all got to try out each kind of diet
Measurements were taken of the gut bacteria, inflammation, blood tests and assessment of their bloating and quality of life.
What are IBS Diets like?
There are several diets common tried for people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. As well as elimination diets, these have been studied:
- A low FODMAP diet excludes fermentable carbohydrates and restricts wheat, beans & pulses, garlic, onions, stone fruits such as nectarines, apples, cows milk and others
- A gluten free diet cuts out all gluten containing foods such as wheat, spelt, barley, rye and others
- A Mediterranean diet is based on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, nuts, seeds, a moderate intake of of cheese and eggs, and small amount of meat
Results of the IBS Diet Trials
In this particular study each of these diets provided some benefit to the participants in terms of
- quality of life,
- stool type,
- pain and
- bloating.
