Irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, is a condition where intestines go into spasms when digesting food. Learn about the proper diet for irritable bowel syndrome in this video.
Avoid caffeine
Increase fiber intake
Drink 4 glasses of water daily
Eat five small meals daily
MARY HONDROS: Irritable bowel syndrome, also known as IBS for the general term, affects about 20 to 25 million Americans. Basically, it just--it means that your intestines, instead of producing regular rhythmic contractions to pass the food along end up kinda going into spasms. So people with IBS alternate between having diarrhea and being constipated, and it can kind of go back and forth. There's not really any known cause for IBS. A lot of other conditions like Celiac's disease and Crohn's disease are commonly mistaken for IBS. But in general--there's a couple of changes you can make to your diet to kind of help control irritable bowel syndrome. So first of all, it's good to try to avoid or limit your caffeine intake. And caffeine is obviously mostly found on things like coffees and also teas and sodas, so remembering to limit that. Increase your fiber intake. It helps kind of keep things regular, they're moving through you. Also remember to drink 3 to 4 glasses of water everyday, plain water. And that's in addition to other liquids that you might be drinking like juice or milk and things like that. And lastly, try eating 5 smaller meals throughout the day or eating smaller portions with your meals. It helps your body digest easier so that you don't have those--you don't irritate that bowel and get either severe diarrhea or constipation. So those are 4 tips on helping control your irritable bowel syndrome.
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