The painful gastrointestinal symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, may make you cautious about the foods you eat. Soup is a nutrient-rich food that can be easy to digest when you're having flare-ups of abdominal pain, gas or diarrhea related to IBS. Vegetables or grains that are difficult to eat raw or moderately cooked may be easier to tolerate when their fiber is softened in a warm soup stock. Soup can provide the protein, carbohydrates, fiber and other essential nutrients your body needs in a comforting form that won't aggravate your sensitive digestive tract.
Symptoms
In IBS, your digestive system may be highly sensitive to certain foods. The muscles of your colon, which normally push wastes through your digestive tract after absorbing most of their fluid content, are overly active or sporadically active, causing either diarrhea, constipation or alternating episodes of both, according to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. High-fiber vegetables, wheat, legumes and milk products trigger gas, diarrhea, bloating or abdominal pain in many people who have IBS. When you're having a flare-up of symptoms, a mild, low-residue soup made of pureed, creamed or well-cooked vegetables may offer nutrients without triggering abdominal cramps or diarrhea.
Nutritional Benefits
If you avoid high-fiber vegetables or grains because of the abdominal cramps, diarrhea or gas they might cause, you may find these foods easier to digest when they're softened in a nourishing soup. Soft potatoes, carrots, squash or beans provide complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins A and C, folate and potassium. Chicken, beef or fish in soup offer protein, iron, zinc and B vitamins. Buy low-sodium canned soup or prepare your own soup at home using ingredients that don't irritate your system. The fluid in soup may help you stay hydrated during bouts of diarrhea.
Bowel Regulation
Soup made with high-fiber ingredients may help regulate your bowel activity. To help correct diarrhea or constipation, try adding barley or lentils to soup if you can tolerate grains and legumes. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, soluble fiber may help normalize bowel function and improve stool consistency in people with IBS. Barley and lentils are rich in soluble fiber, a type of fiber that can add bulk to watery digestive wastes by absorbing their liquid content. If lentils or barley give you gas, try rice as a soup ingredient to correct diarrhea. Rice has a binding effect on loose stools.
Gas and Bloating
Avoid using cauliflower, beans, cabbage or onions in soups if you often suffer from painful gas and bloating. To add an anise-like flavor to soup and relieve gas caused by IBS, try blending chopped fennel stalk or fennel seeds into your soup. Although clinical evidence has not shown that fennel is effective at relieving gas or bloating caused by IBS, this edible herb has been used as a digestive home remedy for centuries because of its carminative, or gas-reducing, properties.
References
- National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse: Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- University of Pittsburgh Medical Center: Irritable Bowel Syndrome Diet
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Fruit & Vegetable Benefits: Color Guide
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Fiber
- AboutIBS.org: IBS Diet
