Food Intolerances Causing IBS
One of the most obvious causes of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is food intolerance. When your body is simply unable to process the food you consume, it affects your body, gut, and digestion. Food intolerances are a significant contributing factor to IBS, even though there are many other root causes.
To manage the illness and enhance general digestive health, it’s critical to comprehend how specific food intolerances could worsen the symptoms of IBS. PEAK Integrative Medicine focuses on the root causes of IBS, including food intolerances, to help you reach PEAK health.
What Is A Food Intolerance?
Food intolerances can cause various gastrointestinal symptoms because the digestive system cannot break down a specific food or part of a food. Food intolerances mostly impact the digestive tract, as opposed to food allergies, which can affect the immune system. Reactions to dairy, wheat, certain fruits, cereals, and even spicy meals are examples of common food intolerances that result in IBS.
Common Food Intolerances
There are a variety of IBS-specific food intolerances that we see result in irritable bowel syndrome. Below are a few common IBS food intolerances we have dealt with at PEAK:
1. Lactose Intolerance Causing IBS
Many individuals with IBS are lactose intolerant, which means they are deficient in the enzyme lactase. Lactase is required to break down the lactose in dairy products. Bloating, gas, diarrhea, and stomach discomfort are typical symptoms of lactose intolerance.
Some people do not realize that lactose intolerance is the cause of their IBS. Since all bodies respond differently, they can only display symptoms when consuming large amounts of dairy products.
2. Wheat and Gluten Sensitivity Causing IBS
People with an adverse reaction to gluten, a protein in wheat, barley, and rye, may have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms. Many people who suffer from gluten intolerance have bloating and stomach discomfort as symptoms.
3. Fructose Intolerance Can Cause IBS
Fructose is a sugar present in many fruits. However, it can be difficult for certain people to digest, resulting in diarrhea, gas, and bloating. Fruits high in fructose, such as pears, apples, and cherries, are frequently to blame.
4. FODMAPs Causing IBS
FODMAPs stands for Fermentable Oligo-, Di-, Mono-Saccharides, and Polyols. Essentially they area class of poorly absorbed carbohydrates that may be found in some grains. This is very similar to gluten intolerance, but it is specific carbs. FODMAPs symptoms are similar to many IBS symptoms.
5. Spicy Foods Can Result in IBS Symptoms
While it is normal for spicy foods to disrupt your diet, some people experience a bit more negatives from eating spicy foods when they have capsaicin sensitivity. Capsaicin sensitivity results in your digestive tract being irritated which results in a variety of IBS symptoms.
How Do Food Intolerances Cause IBS?
It’s not always a matter of determining food tolerances vs. IBS in a diagnosis. They can go hand-in-hand. Food intolerance sufferers find it difficult for their digestive tracts to handle meals that trigger their sensitivity. Increased fermentation in the stomach as a result may cause pain, bloating, and an abundance of gas. Food intolerances can further aggravate the symptoms of IBS by causing inflammation and upsetting the balance of intestinal flora.
Determining Which Foods Cause Your Intolerances
To treat our patients with their IBS symptoms, we at PEAK Integrative Medicine employ a comprehensive strategy to diagnosing and managing food intolerances. The actions we advise are as follows:
1. Elimination Diet to Determine Food Intolerance
To find particular dietary triggers, begin with an elimination diet. Take common items you may be intolerant to out of your diet for a few weeks.
2. Perform Food Sensitivity Testing
After removing food from your diet, you then reintroduce them one at a time while keeping an eye on your symptoms. Test yourself for food sensitivities to identify specific intolerances. This might provide you with important information about the foods that are triggering your symptoms.
3. Adjust Your Diet Entirely
After intolerances are detected, modify your diet to avoid items that cause them. Work with us at PEAK to be sure you are receiving all of the nutrients you need while avoiding unhealthy meals.
4. Reset Gut Health to Prevent Food Intolerance
Probiotics, a total gut restoration, and other products to support healthy gut microbiota can help you maintain gut health. This has the potential to lessen inflammation and enhance digestive health in general.
5. Monitor Gut Health and Modify Diet
Keep an eye on your eating habits and symptoms at all times. Because IBS symptoms can be erratic, it’s critical to be watchful and adapt as necessary to keep symptoms under control.
Keep a Food Journal to Learn Your Food Intolerances
One of the best ways you can figure out your IBS food triggers is by keeping a food journal. In your food journal, record:
- The name of the food you ate
- How hungry you felt before eating the food
- How much you ate of it
- How it was prepared (raw, fried, baked, blended, etc.)
- Sauces, condiments, or beverages you had with it
- What time of day you ate it and where you ate it
- How you felt in the couple of hours following
Detail in your food journal is key to helping you track how food affects you. Over time, you may begin to see patterns as a result of your food journal that give you clues to what foods might be causing your IBS symptoms. Food journals can also be a great tool to bring to your next functional medicine appointment so you can show your provider and go over your notes together.
Make an Appointment With PEAK Integrative Medicine
It might be difficult to manage food intolerances from IBS, but you don’t have to do it alone. Our goal at PEAK Integrative Medicine is to assist you in determining the root cause of your IBS and creating a customized treatment strategy. Get in touch with us right now to begin your path toward improved health and digestive wellness.
By being aware of and taking action against food intolerances, you can manage your IBS and enhance your quality of life. Get professional advice and assistance from PEAK Integrative Medicine on your path to PEAK health.