The diet to relieve symptoms of irritable bowel should be low in substances that aggravate intestinal inflammation or that increase the intensity of peristaltic movements. Thus, one should avoid eating foods with a lot of fat, caffeine or sugar, as well as eliminating alcohol consumption.
It is also important to ensure correct hydration, as water is essential to prevent cases of dehydration, when the irritable bowel causes diarrhea, or to improve the functioning of the intestine, when constipation arises.
In addition, eating several small meals throughout the day is better than eating a very large meal, as it avoids excessive work on the part of the stomach and intestine, preventing or relieving symptoms.
Foods to Avoid
In order to control the symptoms of irritable bowel it is advisable to avoid, or remove from the diet, foods such as:
- Fried foods, sauces and cream; Coffee, black tea and soft drinks with caffeine; Sugar, sweets, biscuits, cookies and candies; Alcoholic beverages.
Since almost half of cases of irritable bowel syndrome have high sensitivity to lactose, it may be necessary to exclude milk from the diet to see if this food irritates the intestinal intestinal mucosa. Likewise, a diet rich in fiber should also be studied because in some cases it can regulate bowel function, while in other cases it can worsen symptoms, especially when there is associated diarrhea.
In the diet for irritable bowel syndrome it is also important to control the amount of water ingested. It is determined that the patient with irritable bowel syndrome should drink about 30 to 35 ml of fluids per kg of weight, which means that a person of 60 kg should drink about 2 liters of water. The calculation is made by multiplying the patient's real weight, in Kg, by 35 mL.
Watch this video to learn more about irritable bowel syndrome and what to eat or not:
Example of diet for irritable bowel
- Breakfast and snacks - chamomile or lemon balm tea and French bread with Minas cheese or an apple with a yogurt and two toasts Lunch and dinner - grilled turkey steak with rice and salad or hake cooked with boiled potatoes and broccoli.
This diet is just one example, and each diet for irritable bowel must be prepared by a nutritionist or gastroenterologist.
