300+ best & worst foods for IBS

If you experience IBS, steering clear of these trigger foods may make it easier to manage your symptoms.

Food is one common trigger for digestive conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

And while we all understand the importance of eating a healthy, balanced diet, when you’re trying to avoid causing an IBS flare-up, managing to eat a diet full of essential nutrients can be a struggle.

Also, avoiding high FODMAP foods is the cornerstone of some of the most common IBS diets.

But is it really worth cutting out those fermentable carbohydrates and following a low-FODMAP diet?

To help, we’ve put together the following list of IBS-triggering foods that don’t belong on your plate – plus over 200 foods that do.

How do I know if I have IBS?

Although there’s plentiful evidence online to allow you to educate yourself on IBS symptoms, always seek a professional, medical diagnosis. This can often take time.

The condition is typically only formally diagnosed at the point when all other possibilities are ruled out.

Symptoms of IBS

• Stomach pain
• Bloating
• Diarrhoea
• Constipation

However, in addition to these main IBS symptoms, there are other complaints that are also associated with IBS.

For example, flatulence, nausea, back ache, incontinence, problems urinating and tiredness.²

Types of IBS

There are three varieties of IBS:

• IBS-C – Constipation dominant
• IBS-D – Diarrhoea dominant (IBS-D)
• IBS-M – Mixed bowel habits (constipation and diarrhoea)³

Your IBS symptoms depend on the type you suffer with.

Which foods trigger IBS attacks?

In many cases, high FODMAP foods are to blame for IBS symptoms. So, it makes sense to cut them out, right?

But whilst there’s growing evidence to show restricting these foods can drastically improve IBS symptoms, it takes serious commitment.

Why choose a FODMAP diet for IBS?

Some (but not all) carbohydrates are poorly absorbed in the small intestine. As a result, they move further through the gut and ferment in the large intestine.

In people with IBS, this can trigger symptoms such as bloating, constipation, wind, diarrhoea, stomach pain and flatulence.⁵

The guiding theory of a low FODMAP IBS diet is to replace high FODMAP foods that are poorly digested with low FODMAP foods that easily break down in the stomach.

This decreases the fermentation of sugars in the large intestine. Consequently, this can reduce bloating, constipation and other IBS symptoms.

However, IBS sufferers aren’t all sensitive to the same high FODMAP foods. To help reduce IBS symptoms, a dietitian may recommend you eliminate high FODMAP foods for a short period.

They are then gradually reintroduced in phases to identify which exact foods you are most sensitive to. It can also show which are better tolerated.

Summary

• It has been proven that some carbohydrates (FODMAPs) can trigger IBS
• The FODMAP diet can help you distinguish which cause your symptoms and which are ‘safe’

113 foods to avoid with IBS

High-FODMAP vegetables/legumes

277 best foods for IBS

Low FODMAP foods

How to start a low-FODMAP diet

It’s always recommended that any changes to diet are done in consultation with your GP or a dietitian.

Summary

• There are several stages to a formal FODMAP diet, all of which help you to determine which foods are a problem for you
• It is recommended that you consult a trained dietician for help with this
• Keeping a food diary can also help you find out which foods you may need to avoid

Before you consider a low FODMAP IBS diet

Following a low FODMAP IBS diet is not a decision to take lightly.

Only attempt it if:

• Your IBS is formally diagnosed by your GP
• You’ve tried other less restrictive diet strategies already (e.g. increasing your fibre intake and probiotics)
• You’re recommended this diet by a FODMAP trained dietitian. Don’t attempt it alone – you need ongoing professional nutrition advice and support to implement this diet plan effectively

This final point is particularly important.

If this is a diet change you would like to initiate, careful implementation is crucial.

A FODMAP trained dietitian can assess if it’s appropriate for your IBS symptoms and also ensure what you’re eating continues to be nutritionally sufficient.

This is not an allergy diet

Eliminating high FODMAP foods isn’t a long-term solution.

This is where IBS diets can differ from allergy diets.

It’s important to recognise, IBS is not caused by a food allergy. It has nothing to do with your immune system.

Whereas diets for food allergies and intolerances often involve permanent exclusion of an allergen, this is not usually required in IBS diets.

For example, after the initial elimination period in a FODMAP diet, most IBS sufferers can start to tolerate small to moderate quantities of high FODMAP foods.

Consider that food may not be causing your IBS

Can probiotics help IBS?

The gut contains trillions of bacteria. This diverse collection of microbes forms your gut microbiome, which helps to break down food and regulates bowel function.

The large intestine is home to 95% of the gut microbiome.

In people with IBS, symptoms may trigger when there is some kind of imbalance between helpful, good bacteria and the other not so friendly species.

This could manifest itself in the symptoms above.¹²

So, regaining balance is key to a healthy digestive system and for relieving IBS symptoms. 

Probiotics help by topping up the level of good bacteria in the gut, which muffles the impact of the more hostile varieties.

How can I get good bacteria?

Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that can contribute to a healthy gut microbiome. You’ll find them in certain types of food and in supplements.

Foods containing friendly bacteria in food

You can find probiotics naturally in a number of foods.

For example, eating cultured dairy products and fermented foods can help to ensure your friendly bacteria levels remain topped up.

Look out for yoghurts, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles, tempeh, natto, miso, and kombucha.

But there is one thing you need to be sure of – the probiotic bacteria must be alive when you eat it. Some food processes, such as pasteurisation kill live bacteria.

So, it’s important that yoghurts are ‘live’ or contain ‘active’ ingredients. Choose unpasteurised sauerkraut and select fermented pickles rather than ones soaked in vinegar.

Probiotic supplements

Friendly bacteria supplements are a useful alternative if eating fermented foods doesn’t appeal. 

There are a huge range of probiotic products available and the impact they have on IBS symptoms varies considerably. Here are two things to look out for:

1. What bacteria does the product contain? Two commonly studied friendly bacteria strains that may help with the reduction of IBS symptoms are Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium^13,14,15
2. Will the bacteria reach your gut? To get to the large intestine, a probiotic must survive the acidic environment of the stomach. Buying from a reputable source is strongly advised¹⁶

The final say

• FODMAPS are different groups of carbohydrates which may affect/worsen IBS symptoms
• A low-FODMAP diet is sometimes recommended to help determine which FODMAP foods affect you
• FODMAP diets can be very restrictive and should not be viewed as a long-term solution
• If you have been diagnosed with IBS and want to try a FODMAP diet, it is recommended that you consult a registered dietician to help
• Research suggests increasing the consumption of good bacteria can help to bring balance to the variety of microbes in the gut. This can aid the function of the large intestine and reduce IBS symptoms. As a result, if consumed in the right quality and dosage, probiotics can reduce bloating, cramping and constipation for those with diagnosed IBS.
• When changing your diet, take gradual steps with small changes at a time so you’ll be able to identify exactly what’s aggravating your symptoms.