| Hi Olivia,
I hope you had a great first weekend - can you believe it is April already? Summer is in sight!
Today's topic is all about navigating fiber when you have IBS. Because it is so frustrating knowing that something is really good for your gut health and ironically it actually causes symptoms. Do not worry, I will be sharing the Take Control approach to getting past this one.
Before I go on, I have some positivity to send your way also! Because IBS is a very isolating condition which takes up a lot of your brain space throughout the day. It can often feel like you have tried it all before and that you have to now live with your symptoms. At the end of this email I am providing living proof that this is not the case. Our lovely client Rebecca has bravely told her story and it is so inspiring. So if you want to watch her video (it is 6 minutes long) then I have added the link at the bottom which will take you to YouTube where the video is saved.
OK, back to the topic of fiber. The ultimate question is 'how do I eat enough fiber to support my gut and overall health without flaring my IBS.'
Here is my step by step approach.
1. Figure out how much fiber you currently eat. Do this by keeping a diary for 3-4 days and then using an app like MyFitness pal to check what your average intake is.
2. The recommended amount per day is 30g - where does yours fit with this? If it is too high this could cause issues for some and if it is less than this then that could equally cause problems. From this baseline you can then make a goal to either generally increase or reduce your intake. I wouldn't suggest more than 3-4g changes per day week to allow your bowel to get used to the change.
3. When looking at fiber sources, go for low FODMAP foods. So foods like wholegrains, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables but make them low FODMAP. This means you will get the lovely bulking effect of the fiber without the gas production and water being drawn into your large bowel which can cause symptoms.
4. Consider fiber supplement. If you are on one of our Take Control programmes you may be sick of me talking about my favourite supplement... psyllium husk. I won't lie to you, it is pretty disgusting but it works SO well for constipation and diarrhoea. And it is also quite cheap in comparison to some of these so called IBS supplements you see online.
And that is it. You can get all caught up in soluble vs soluble if you really want but honestly that doesn't really make a difference. Or perhaps you will lean into the concept that your body can not tolerate a good amount of fiber - this is not true at all.
I hope this helps debunk some concepts and once again make gut health and IBS control simple.
As always, any questions, please reach out!
Best Wishes
Kirsten Jackson BSc Hons PGCert RD - The IBS Dietitian Founder |
