How to Prevent IBS Flare Ups

If you suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome then you will know just how much of a discomforting problem that this can be and that a flare up can cause all kinds of anxiety and distress. I’m not sure about you but it seems to me that a flare up always seems t strike at the worst possible moment and I cannot tell you how many special events have been marred for me by the flaring up of my IBS. A good friend of mine, Lisa Marie Cannon works as a surgeon and specializes in bowel issues, she was talking to me a few months ago about how I can minimize the flaring up of my IBS and I wanted to share her tips with you in the hope that it can help.

Watch Out For Stress 

It isn’t just food that can give you flare ups of your IBS, stress levels can also contribute greatly to your problems and you need to watch out for the triggers which can kick things off. In order to reduce your stress levels it is important that you understand how you can remain relaxed in potentially stressful situations. Breathing exercises can help you a great deal and learning how two use your breathing to reduce stress will be a tonic to your problems.

Tweaking Your Daily Diet

Your diet can help greatly when it comes to reducing your risk of an IBS flair up and one of the most important nutrients that you need to introduce to your diet is more fiber. Whilst ramping up the fiber can help with regards to your bowel issues you need to be careful because sometimes it can turn into a double edged sword. Additional fiber in your diet can help you a great deal with your constipation but too much of it can cause gas and stomach cramps, for this reason it is important that you carefully manage how much fiber you receive in your diet. There is a fine balance to be struck and the level of fiber which you need does change from body to body, the testing process may cause you problems but once you ahem worked out how much fire you need, you will be able to better manage your IBS symptoms.

Cut Them Out

There are some foods which you will need to cut out entirely if you wish to avoid a flare up of your IBS, The foods on the blacklist are broccoli, cabbage, beans, cauliflower, chocolate and sugar replacements such as mannitol or sorbitol. Regardless of how much you enjoy these foods you should understand that eating them will cause you discomfort and distress.

Managing IBS can be tricky at times and the key is to understanding what it is that contributes towards your flare ups. Try keeping a diary of what you have eaten in order to identify what is causing the problem, whilst there are some foods which will generally cause problems, there are also some that only cause problems to individuals and you should try your best to find out which foods or drinks are the main culprits for you.