# How do you learn what foods to avoid?



## liz12 (Oct 2, 2016)

I have been recently diagnosed with IBS (IBS-C) and have been reading up on all the possible dietary treatments to pursue. It seems like there are a number of options that have brought others varying levels of success (low-FODMAPs, low-carb, avoiding certain allergens, etc), but the choices are overwhelming. I have been closely tracking my eating habits + symptoms for a month now and I can't identify any clear parallels between a particular type of food and symptoms. Does anyone have recommendations for identifying food triggers or deciding what experiments to run? Especially ways to test in a more targeted way than eliminating almost everything for a long period of time.


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## joeyr2 (Jul 14, 2013)

liz12 said:


> I have been recently diagnosed with IBS (IBS-C) and have been reading up on all the possible dietary treatments to pursue. It seems like there are a number of options that have brought others varying levels of success (low-FODMAPs, low-carb, avoiding certain allergens, etc), but the choices are overwhelming. I have been closely tracking my eating habits + symptoms for a month now and I can't identify any clear parallels between a particular type of food and symptoms. Does anyone have recommendations for identifying food triggers or deciding what experiments to run? Especially ways to test in a more targeted way than eliminating almost everything for a long period of time.


Most people on here will likely strongly disagree with me telling you this, but fodmap free may not be the way to go. Fodmaps can draw fluids into the bowels making a softer bowel movement to help relieve C. This may not work for D, or in some people it can actually make C worse, but may be worth a shot if you think your symptoms are diet related.

Protien and Fat are usually the easiest to digest, with carbs usually being the toughest. Remember all Fodmaps are Carbs so if your eating no carb you by default are eating no fodmaps. For me, some of the most troubling foods are complex carbs (as opposed to fodmaps which are simple carbs). Also figuring out what foods are Fodmap free can be a nearly impossible task. Different websites will list different foods as both good and bad. Best bet is to keep the carbs to a minimum until you learn what works for you. Also any qualified allergist can test you for food allergies, which may be worth looking into.

good luck


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

Joey is right about how a fodmap free diet can worsen constipation. that was definitely my experience. a low fodmap diet does reduce bloating and gas but no, it does not help with constipation per se. like he said, a lot of fodmaps have compounds in them that in addition to being gassy also tend to draw water into the stool and so tend to loosen stools. these are the foods one often finds in diets recommended to help relieve constipation.

a lot of people find that eating foods with a lot of starch in them--like rice for example-- makes their C worse.

we're all different. there are people who have success with diet but for some people (and i was one of them) their diet really does not have a big effect on their constipation (beyond the obvious like loading up on starch, insoluble fiber and binding foods like cheese) because their C has other underlying causes--slow colonic transit, pelvic floor dysfunction etc. a good gastroenterologist can help you figure all this out.

good luck with everything.


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## Zulila (Sep 6, 2016)

I'm currently on the FODMAP elimination diet now. The first week was SO difficult because yes... there was NO movement in my bowels at all. The sudden shift away from the many fruits and veggies that I was used to really threw me off.

I'm now in week 6 and I'm having no issues at all with constipation. In fact sometimes I'll go twice a day, but normal bm's.

The trick is to eat low FODMAP but also very carefully track fiber from low fodmap foods so that you're giving your body enough to influence bm's but not so much fiber that the foods providing it are adding up to high FODMAP amounts.

here's a typical day of my diet so far:

Breakfast: 1/4 oats (or 1/2 c. brown rice) with 1 T. ground flax, handful of raspberries

this starts my day with a good amount of fiber, plus I microwave the oats with lactose-free milk and I usually eat a spoon of peanut butter in it or on the side. That way I also have protein and fat included.

If ground flax doesn't agree with you, you can either start it little by little or replace it with Chia seeds. They will absorb water and help elicit BMs

Lunch: egg whites, rice cakes, cheddar cheese stick

and then I'll usually have a snack either before or after that consists of something like 1/2 banana with peanut butter or some sort of citrus fruit.

Again, fiber but not high FODMAP foods. Especially the citrus --- that'll help

Dinner: grilled chicken, cooked spinach, 1/2 sweet potato. sometimes kettle cooked potato chips


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## Em792 (Aug 3, 2016)

joeyr2 said:


> Most people on here will likely strongly disagree with me telling you this, but fodmap free may not be the way to go. Fodmaps can draw fluids into the bowels making a softer bowel movement to help relieve C. This may not work for D, or in some people it can actually make C worse, but may be worth a shot if you think your symptoms are diet related.
> 
> Protien and Fat are usually the easiest to digest, with carbs usually being the toughest. Remember all Fodmaps are Carbs so if your eating no carb you by default are eating no fodmaps. For me, some of the most troubling foods are complex carbs (as opposed to fodmaps which are simple carbs). Also figuring out what foods are Fodmap free can be a nearly impossible task. Different websites will list different foods as both good and bad. Best bet is to keep the carbs to a minimum until you learn what works for you. Also any qualified allergist can test you for food allergies, which may be worth looking into.
> 
> good luck


That's such an interesting (in a good way I mean!) way of interpreting it. I've found the whole diet and fodmaps thing a minefield. So it's basically reducing carbs.

OP, I hope you find a food plan that works for you. I have IBS C as well so I empathise.


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## Lifesgood (Dec 22, 2016)

Just bear in mind that carbs are in everything, not just bread, pasta, grain-based foods. Carbs are in fruit and veg as well.


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