Help with IBS and diet - Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Message Board

patlath · 11-06-2008, 03:29 PM

Hello

I am a 21yr old female from Sydney. The past 6 months I have been having bad stomach problemsn and now find I cannot digest properly. I am always bloated to the point where it hurts, feel I am pregnant and have put on weight. I try to eat healthily but it seems that I cannot eat nearly as much as I used to, and although I don't eat a lot I feel I can't stop putting on weight.

Can anyone help me with suggesting foods to avoid or to include in a diet?

I have started having a tub of skim yoghurt for breakfast each morning to increase god bacteria, but I'm not sure it is helping.

Audrey-B · 11-07-2008, 08:35 PM

Firstly, IBS can result from stress which will also affect food digestion. IBS can also be due to food intolerances or your digestive system might have difficulty digesting certain things eg: carbs, fats or protein. Inability to digest carbs can be due to intolerance to lactose in dairy products.

Other's who suffer IBS are people who have a gluten intolerance. The best way to really know whether gluten is affecting you is by having a bowel biopsy done. You can have a blood test, but it can show up false negatives and false positives.

Some with a gluten intolerance only suffer mildly while others are actually have Celiacs and have a range of symptoms from severe bloating, to diarrhea, to vomiting after eating foods with gluten in them.

I have low stomach enzymes and wasn't able to digest protein effectively. I never knew this until the doctor i was seeing ordered a stool test and they checked my stools for the ability to digest carbs, fats and protein. I only have a problem with protein digestion. Now that i'm on prescription digestive enzymes i hardly ever get the bloating. I now mostly only get a bit of bloating a week or so prior to getting my period, so i know that's hormonal and not diet related.

I also had a blood test to check for gluten intolerance and my test results came out a little over range. I ought to still get the bowel biopsy done to verify whether gluten is causing me any real damage.

Gluten intolerances also lead to malabsorption of nutrients and once gluten is totally eliminated out of the diet people tend to notice improvements for the better.

I had IBS way back in 1996 and mine was caused by stress as well as an overgrowth of too much yeast in my stomach as i had a doctor who loved giving out antibiotics for everything. Once i went on a yeast free, gluten free, no alcohol, no caffeine, no dairy, no sugar and no sugar high fruits eg: grapes, i eliminated my yeast and the IBS went away and i felt terrific. I did this diet for one month. I also took a probiotic powder and a quality multivitamin.

Hope some of this info helps as i know what it's like to have a lot of the symptoms you are suffering from.