IBS is known as a lifestyle disease and a diet chart for IBS is always considered to be a game-changer. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common conditions encountered in clinical practice but one of the least understood. It is characterized by recurrent abdominal pain or discomfort in association with abnormal defecation in the absence of any structural abnormality of the gut. Symptoms are chronic, sometimes severe and patients often respond poorly to treatment, resulting in reduced quality of life. It affects mostly the young patients before age 45.
Ayurveda Concept for IBS
There is no single disorder in Ayurveda that can be categorized as IBS because Ayurveda is based on different principles, however certain symptoms of IBS can be clinically correlated with “grahani”. Some of these symptoms are Atisara, Pravahika, Pakvashayagata Vata. IBS is believed to manifest if any of the doshas(Vata,Pitta, Kapha) are unbalanced or when toxins are present inside the body. Ayurvedic medication intends to reestablish the balance. It aims to achieve this by natural medications so that the manifestation of IBS symptoms can be eliminated.
In Grahani Roga, due to vitiated Jatharagni, digestion of food does not occur properly. Undigested food forms a vitiated material called “Ama’’ which is responsible for producing various disorders. It disturbs the normal flora of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, weakens the muscles and disturbs the acid fluid configuration of GI tract. Hence, the primary objective of Ayurvedic medication is to treat Ama then one can treat doshas. In today’s practice, one can come across a good number of patients suffering from complaints related to GI tract.
These complaints vary from loss of appetite to chronic abdominal pain, irregular bowel movement, chronic flatulence, constipation, diarrhea, etc. The important factors which play a significant role in most digestive disorders are malfunctioning of Agni and vitiated doshas.
Categorization of IBS
Based on the type of bowel movement problems some researchers categorize IBS as:
• IBS with constipation (IBS-C)- stool is hard and lumpy
• IBS with diarrhea(IBS-D)- stool is loose and watery
• IBS with mixed bowel habits (IBS-M)- both hard and lumpy bowel movements and loose
and watery on the same day.
Diet chart for IBS Patients
Early morning: take warm water or aloe Vera juice
Breakfast: veg upma /chapatti with veg or dal/oats
Mid-morning: coconut water/ fruit juice
Lunch: chapatti +rice +vegetable +dal
Evening: homemade soup
Dinner: chapatti+ vegetable +dal
Note: cereals must be wheat, rice, oats, finger millet, foxtail millet, buckwheat with ratio of wheat flour (50% +ragi flour (30%) +20 %( any millet)
Avoid – refined flour
Diet chart for IBS-C (Fiber makes stool easier to pass and relieves constipation)
Early morning soaked raisins
• Breakfast: oatmeal /vegetable upma
• Lunch: add multigrain in chapatti for fiber like 1tsf oats+ half cup all bran+1 cup
wheatflour+ cooked vegetable(carrot/beans/spinach/broccoli)/dal(moong dal)
• Evening: coconut water
• Dinner: Dal khichdi (moong dal(green)) +cucumber salad(a plate)
Diet plan for IBS Sufferers
Early morning: 1glass of warm water
Breakfast: veg poha/upma or chapatti with veg oats
Mid-morning: coconut water/ fruit juice/ 1 glass of buttermilk
Lunch: chapatti +rice +vegetable +dal
Evening: herbal tea/ vegetable soup
Dinner: khichdi (moong dal/oats/vegetable)+100ml buttermilk
Below are the things that you should consider and avoid for Irritable Bowel Syndrome
| Item | Things to Consume | Things to Avoid |
Vegetables | Zucchini, Sweet Potato, Pumpkin, Parsley, bottle gourd, potatoes, cabbage, pumpkin, Bottle gourd, Ridge gourd, round gourd, Turnip, radish, beetroot, ginger, broccoli, mushroom, cucumber, onion, carrot | Tomato, garlic, okra, eggplant |
Fruits | Papaya, Guava, Kiwi, Pomegranate, apples, pears, Apricots, Pear, Sapodilla watermelon, muskmelon, Banana (Avoid banana if there is excessive mucous in stool) | Orange, lime, pineapple, plum, strawberries, peaches, packaged and Citrus Fruits |
| Beverages | Coconut Water, Herbal Tea, Carrot juice, Cucumber juice, kiwi juice, pomegranate juice, Guava juice, Papaya juice, Amla juice, Sugarcane juice, etc. | Alcohol, Sweetened drinks, Squashes, Carbonated drinks, Canned fruit juices, Whole milk drinks, cream-based juices, canned soup, or packaged soup |
| Cereals | Wheat, Rice, Brown Rice, Oats, Quinoa, Sorghum, Amaranth, Finger millet, Foxtail millet, Pearl millet, Semolina, barley | Refined Flour |
| Pulses | Green gram and all split & skinned lentils (dhuli daal) | Chickpeas, Kidney beans, Black gram |
| Spices | Turmeric, Cumin, carom, Fennel, Mint, Coriander, Fenugreek, Limited quantity of salt, Thyme | Red Chili powder, Cloves. |
| Seeds and Dry fruits | Soaked Almonds, Raisins, Figs | Peanuts, Cashew Nuts, Walnuts, Pine nuts, and all types of seeds |
| Flesh Foods | Lean Meat, chicken, fish, boiled egg-white( twice a month) | Processed and fried meat, Red meat, beef, pork |
| Dairy Products | Goat Milk, Cow Ghee, Yogurt | High-fat milk, Cream, Cheese, buttermilk, Condensed milk, butter |
| Oils | Cow ghee, coconut oil, Olive Oil, Soybean Oil | Palm oil, mustard oil, Butter |
There is no specific treatment for the disease exact and the exact cause of the disease is still unclear. However, lifestyle modifications, dietary changes, regular exercises can be effective to deal with the disease. For desired results, you need to consult a dietician for a diet chart and follow the same.
FAQ Related to IBS Diet chart
• Is banana good for IBS
Banana is known for a good amount of potassium, and fiber. One banana has 3gms total fiber and 0.6 grams of soluble fiber which helps to soften stool in constipation and decrease diarrhea in those with IBS-D but one-third of a ripe banana is recommended because of higher levels of oligo-fructans in riped one which can trigger the IBS symptoms.
• Is Yoghurt good for IBS
Ayurveda prefers buttermilk over yogurt for better digestion in IBS.
• Is IBS a lifestyle disease
IBS is a type of functional gastrointestinal disorder in absence of any structural and physiological abnormalities which only occur due to improper diet and lifestyle habits.
• Can we eat spicy food in IBS
No spicy foods trigger the IBS symptoms.
Find a Diet Consultation Online: Get Personalized diet chart for IBS
At Life Aveda, we provide personalized diet consultation. In this, a doctor discusses the medical history of patients, does the root analysis on causes. After the deep analysis doctor suggest a diet chart for IBS patients as per their needs and requirement. To book a Consultation call on us at +91 7743002520 or click on the button to schedule an appointment with our expert doctors.
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NOTE- These dietary guidelines may vary from patient to patient according to their medical parameters. These are generalized guidelines that might help in getting rid of IBS.
