Simple Guide to a Balanced IBS Diet for Everyday Life

Living with IBS can be a pain. Since there’s no one cause or specific treatment, flare-ups have to be managed by the individual. Navigating daily life with IBS means paying constant attention to everything from your sleep to your stress levels to your diet, trying to find your specific triggers in hopes of reducing the discomfort that all too often derails your routines.

Despite what you may have read online, restrictive diets and fad-driven rules are not the solution. While there is no definitive one-size-fits-all fix for IBS, there are effective solutions and best practices that let you eat satisfying meals that help alleviate your IBS symptoms. 

This guide will show you how to build a balanced IBS-friendly diet for everyday living. If you’re looking for convenient meals specifically designed for IBS support, Field Doctor has a diverse range of ready-made meals approved by the IBS Network. 

How does diet affect IBS?

Common digestive symptoms, such as bloating, abdominal pain, and irregular bowel movement,  can be caused or exacerbated by what you eat, whether or not you have an underlying condition like IBS. 

While diet is not the only thing that affects IBS, it is one of the most influential factors, and among the easiest to directly control. This is why it’s so important to pay attention to your body’s patterns concerning what you eat, as there is no single diet that works for everybody. 

A few complicated terms crop up frequently when discussing appropriate diets for people with IBS. It’s worth defining them now, as understanding these concepts will make creating your everyday menus much easier: 

• FODMAP: FODMAP stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols. In terms that are much easier to understand, these are short-chain carbohydrates that appear naturally in many foods, like apples, milk, and mushrooms, and can be tough for certain people to digest. In general, they can be beneficial to your health by promoting gut biodiversity, but they can also cause issues if you suffer from gastrointestinal disorders that make you sensitive to water and gas retention, like IBS. Low-FODMAP diets are commonly suggested as a short-term way of managing IBS symptoms. 

• UPF: Ultra-processed foods are difficult to define, but typically come from factories and contain ingredients you wouldn’t use in home cooking. They might contain chemical colourings, sweeteners, and preservatives, and contain high amounts of fats, salts, and sugars to keep them shelf-stable for a long time. Certain meat products like hot dogs, and store-bought snacks like chocolate and crisps are considered ultra-processed. 

Now let's dive into the most important aspects of an IBS-friendly diet. 

Core Principles of a Balanced IBS-Friendly Diet

There aren’t many concrete rules when it comes to building an IBS-friendly diet; it’s more about learning what your gut tolerates, building consistency, and focusing on sustainability. These are core principles that leading health organisations recommend:

1. Eat regularly and don’t skip meals

Try to eat at the same time every day to regulate digestion and prevent your gut from becoming overstimulated. Evenly spacing out your meals can reduce bloating, gas and regulate your bowel movements. 

2. Opt for soluble fibre over insoluble fibre

Fibre is essential for a healthy and balanced diet, but insoluble fibre can be more difficult to digest. 

Great sources of insoluble fibre include: 

• Bananas
• Oats
• Kidney beans
• Brocolli 
• Carrots
• Chia seeds

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases suggests people with IBS gradually add more fibre to their diet over the course of a few weeks to avoid suddenly overwhelming their gut. 

3. Understand FODMAPS, but don’t obsess over them

The low-FODMAP diet is a temporary measure designed to help you learn which triggers to avoid so you can build a less restrictive diet over time. You, as an individual, might tolerate specific high-FODMAP foods in limited quantities that would cause pain and discomfort in someone else. 

4. Limit common IBS triggers

Alcohol, fried foods, caffeine, fizzy drinks, and garlic and onions are all commonly reported triggers for IBS. These should all be consumed in moderation by everybody, but you can still test your tolerance by consuming small amounts once you have built a consistent daily IBS-friendly diet. 

5. Hydration and mindfulness

Be sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day, and pay attention to when and how you’re eating. Studies have linked “distracted eating”, such as watching TV or using your phone while you eat, to increased calorie consumption and worse meal recall. Consider giving yourself time to sit and enjoy your meal without the presence of a screen, so you can pay closer attention to what you’re eating and how your body reacts. 

Everyday IBS Meal Ideas

Here are some practical ideas to help you get started with building a simple, IBS-friendly meal plan. These are built around a few key ideas, such as avoiding common triggers, and choosing gentler cooking methods like steaming and boiling over frying: 

Breakfast:

• Oatmeal with banana
• Soft-boiled eggs on sourdough toast
• Berry and oat smoothie with dairy-free yoghurt 

Lunch

• Grilled chicken and roasted carrots with quinoa 
• Low-FODMAP vegetable soup
• Tuna salad with green vegetables 

Dinner

• Baked salmon with boiled new potatoes and courgette 
• Rice noodle stir-fry with ginger, spinach, and tofu 
• A Field Doctor IBS-friendly meal

These are just jumping-off points for you to put your own spin on as you test and experiment with what your body reacts well to. You can slowly expand the variety of plants and fibres as you go, and cut back to basics when you experience a flare-up of IBS symptoms. 

Build a flexible foundation for a sustainable IBS-friendly diet

With simple ideas focusing on a few key ingredients, you can develop a truly unique and personalised diet that you look forward to every meal time. Prepared mealscan support you on those evenings you’re too busy to cook, and inspire you next time you step into the kitchen.