An IBS dietitian’s top tips for managing IBS symptoms
DAMIAN POUSTIE Poustie 
Managing IBS can be a delicate balance at times, but may involve easing stress, changing your diet, exercising regularly and watching your alcohol.
Living with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is not easy. The discomfort, distress and unpredictable nature of the condition can make it difficult to go out at times. There’s often a strong link with diet but it’s not always easy to know which foods are problematic for you and which are fine.
So, what are the main things you can do to manage IBS? First, let’s be clear about what it actually is.
What is irritable bowel syndrome?
Irritable bowel syndrome is a common gastrointestinal disorder than can be very challenging to live with.
It causes a range of symptoms including:
Abdominal pain
Constipation, diarrhoea or a mix of both
Feeling bloated or having a distended belly
Breaking wind a lot
Urgently needing to poo (and sometimes not making it to the loo in time).
While the causes of IBS are not fully understood, many people first experience it after a long period of stress or after something has affected their stomach such as a bout of gastroenteritis, food poisoning, infection or illness.
IBS is a chronic (long-term) condition that tends to go through good and bad patches. We can’t cure it but we can help you manage your symptoms.
What helps to manage IBS symptoms?
Many different things can help to ease IBS symptoms, though it’s often a case of trying different combinations of treatments until you find an approach that works for you.
Treatments for IBS can include:
Medications for depression, constipation or diarrhoea
Dietary changes
Fibre or probiotic supplements
Herbal remedies
Exercise
Psychology treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy and hypnotherapy
Top tips from an IBS dietitian
We asked The Health Collective’s very own IBS dietitian, Maddy Lawson, for her top tips on managing IBS symptoms. Here’s her advice.
1. Get a proper diagnosis
While there’s plenty of good information online about IBS, it’s not wise to diagnose yourself. Go to see your GP who can listen to your symptoms and, if necessary, order tests to rule out any more alarming conditions like inflammatory bowel syndrome, coeliac disease or endometriosis.
If your doctor does make a diagnosis of IBS, they can also refer you to appropriate healthcare providers such as an IBS dietitian, exercise physiologist or psychologist and arrange the relevant paperwork to allow you to claim a Medicare rebate for those services.
2. Ease stress
You’ve probably felt butterflies in your stomach before a job interview. That’s because stress is often felt in your belly, thanks to the gut-brain axis. This communication network relies on millions of nerves to send rapid messages between your brain and your belly.
Stress can therefore affect your gut. You may notice that your IBS symptoms worsen at stressful times such as the anniversary of a loved one’s death, a busy time of year or even the excitement and change involved in going on holiday.
Helpful ways to relieve stress and ease associated IBS symptoms include:
Exercise
Hypnotherapy.
Many patients find it helpful to see a psychologist to explore ways to relieve stress or change their response to it. Cognitive behaviour therapy and mindfulness techniques are often used.
It may also be worth talking to your GP about medication to reduce stress. This can have a positive effect on your IBS.
3. Exercise
Low- to moderate-intensity exercise can help to ease IBS symptoms. Try something like walking, yoga or a swim.
How does exercise help, exactly? There are a few possible ways. Exercise helps to:
Relieve stress
Improve sleep
Make it easier for your body to get rid of gas, which decreases bloating, pain and discomfort
Promote bowel movements
Improve your overall health and well-being.
Strenuous exercise doesn’t usually help, especially if it’s done in hot weather when you’re dehydrated.
4. Reduce your alcohol intake and consider cutting back on coffee
Alcohol irritates your gut and can affect the way your muscles contract and propel food through your system (gut motility). Some types of alcoholic drinks also contain FODMAPs, a collection of indigestible sugars that cause problems for many people with IBS.
As for coffee, 75% of Australians have at least one cup per day and 28% have 3 or more! There’s (as yet) no conclusive evidence that coffee and other forms of caffeine are bad for IBS but observational studies and anecdotal evidence do suggest there’s some link. Many IBS patients find that coffee triggers their symptoms so it may be worth eliminating it for a while to see if your symptoms improve.
5. Do the low-FODMAP diet – properly!
FODMAPs are a group of sugars that aren’t absorbed properly in the gut. They’re found naturally in many foods and food additives but they can trigger symptoms in people with IBS.
Developed by Monash University, the low-FODMAP diet has been shown to improve symptoms in 75% of people with IBS. That’s why it’s now recommended as a first-line treatment for IBS.
The low-FODMAP diet involves three stages under the guidance of an IBS dietitian:
Swap high-FODMAP foods for low-FODMAP alternatives for 2-6 weeks
Gradually introduce FODMAPs over the next 8-12 weeks and monitor the results
Learn which FODMAPs (and how much of them) you’re able to tolerate.
The ideal outcome? The ability to eat a varied and nutritious diet that avoids triggering your IBS but requires as few restrictions as possible.
How can The Health Collective help?
IBS dietitians have undertaken additional training at Monash University in the dietary management of IBS using a low-FODMAP diet.
An IBS dietitian can help you to:
Make the right dietary changes to ease IBS symptoms
Manage acute flare-ups
Troubleshoot problems
Access other support with the emotional or physical aspects of IBS.
With the right diet and lifestyle changes, most people with IBS are able to manage their symptoms and improve their quality of life.
If you’d like help, please book a consultation with The Health Collective’s IBS dietitian, Maddie Lawson.
Disclaimer
All information is general and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The Health Collective can consult with you to confirm if a particular treatment is right for you.
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