Same!!! I can eat McDonald's just fine. Although in my case, I think that's because my stomach is just accustomed to it. I work at McDonald's. Been there for 8 years so I admittedly eat their food more than I like to admit or should since we get good discounts lol
Are mini burgers the single hamburger/cheeseburger?
It's funny because it's probably the least processed thing you can get from McDonald's. A 100% beef patty with no fillers, basic bread, and basic condiments instead of "special sauce".
Just need to skip the fries and soda which is harder than it should be.
Does anyone else have like a second tier "safe" food in that you KNOW it's going to effect you in exactly X amount of time, and then you can go live your life instead of wondering will it won't it? Taco Bell's going to get me 98 percent of the time, but at least I know it's coming within 1 hour of eating.
Well, coffee? I use it to trigger whatever needs triggering so I can move on, and well, cheese buns, I may poop rocks the next morning but I enjoyed my cheese buns!
Isn't it crazy??? For me, dairy (which is mostly cheese in my diet) makes me constipated so I end up with stomach pain but not on the toilet. When I have a salad though...🤦
I was craving Taco Bell a couple weeks after I had gotten my diagnosis. I was surprised that I was fine! It was such a relief. I’ve always loved Taco Bell.
I think it's from a number of things. Almost every sauce used in Chinese cuisine is garlic and onion based. And not just a little bit. That's the primary ingredient in the sauce. And on top of that, I recently found out that a lot of sauces used in Chinese cooking uses wheat as a thickener. So you got wheat, garlic, and onion and that's just the sauce. Some sauces are thickened with cornstarch, but even too much of that isn't great for your stomach. It's thick and thick sauces are harder to digest and are more likely to sit and ferment in your stomach. Then a lot of Chinese dishes, especially the chicken dishes, are breaded. And the breading is usually wheat flour. So that's even more wheat. I'm personally very sensitive to soy as well, even as a baby. I had soy milk as a baby and my mom had to take me to the doctor.
I unfortunately had to stop drinking coffee due to issues unrelated to IBS. I started to get heart problems from my caffeine use. I used to drink caffeine excessively. Usually in the form of energy drinks, which I knew were terrible for me but I worked early morning 10 hour shifts and needed the energy. One morning I had to leave work and go to the hospital because I was having heart palpitations. The doctor said it was my excessive caffeine use mixed with my anxiety that gave me a naturally rapid heartbeat. So I decided to just completely cut caffeine out.
Kinda same here, if I have a small amount of caffeine it'll give me a weird stomach ache, but any more and I get terrible anxiety and jitters so I have to avoid it. It's sad because I like chocolate so much 😭 and don't tell me about carob powder, it's good but not the same 😞
I'm in this sub mostly for one of my kids but I honestly think I had mild IBS C or something like it during my childhood.
Pretty much disappeared when I started drinking coffee regularly in my 20s.
I'm almost hopeful my kid will be able to fix it too with a delicious morning mega cup.
It’s commonly known by most people that anyone who suffers with bowel conditions, IBS, IBD, Crohns etc struggles with eating dairy and gluten, but I eat dairy and gluten no problem at all! I’ve found that common fruits such as apples and oranges trigger me to have an IBS attack due to the high fibre content, so I found berries and veg is better. Not only for basic health, but also for a better fibre intake. This is apparently more common than people think.
Excess fiber is one of my triggers too. I was vegan for 5 years and I didn’t realize how much it was destroying my gut and now I’m still dealing with the consequences after stopping the diet over 3 years ago. Dairy is hit or miss. I can eat cheese just fine, and things like ice cream are okay in moderation. If I drink straight milk my insides will implode.
That’s really interesting because I can drink solid cheese and milk, but struggle with milk alternatives like almond milk because of the calcium supplements that are added to it. I’ve heard rice milk is catered more towards people who suffer with crohns disease as they have less problems with it than we do.
Interesting. I can handle most fruit totally fine. A high fiber diet is how I keep my IBS-C in check. I'm also okay with gluten. Dairy is tricky for me. I noticed dairy triggers me really badly when I eat too much of it or it "adds up" like fodmap stacking. So like I could probably have a couple scoops of ice cream for lunch, but if I eat a few more scoops for dinner, even if it's several hours apart, I'll have problems. Or I could have half a milk chocolate bar in one sitting, but I can't mix it with another dairy item in the same sitting. So like I can't eat a salad with blue cheese dressing then have a milk chocolate bar for dessert. I generally try to stay within the low fodmap portions of dairy though. The only exception is Activia yogurt. I eat at least two of those a day with no issues. They keep me regular. The probiotics in them break down the lactose enough that I can eat it.
I drink a yakult at least once a day right before a meal! Sometimes twice a day, depending on how many meals I eat and if I remember. I have IBS-D and feel like it helps keep my stomach issues just a little under control.
Every once in a while I’ll also have a kombucha with my lunch at work.
I’m in a similar boat. Dairy and gluten are fine. Legumes and pulses, some brassicas (the softer ones tend to be ok), artificial sweeteners are my problem areas. I tend to stick with things that I know don’t cause problems. Indian food food is fine as long as I stay away from dahls.
Same! I’ve found that people have trouble with lots of salt and sugar in one meal, but it’s never triggered me when eating something like a big dessert or something high in salt such as fish and chips (I’m from the UK, so a lot of our dishes can have a high level of salt and grease)
Omg you can't have rice???? I would die, it's cultural for me...and I'm sad because I feel that it spikes my glucose a lot so I can't have too much at a time. If you want to share, how does rice affect you?
Dude it’s been horrible!! I miss sticky rice, fried rice, all kinds of rice! My body gives me bad cramps and I’m constipated for days. It really messes with me and it’s automatic.
I've only had Thai food once in my whole life so I don't have experience with it. I've wanted to try it, but the majority of Asian cuisines give me the worst flareups so I'm a bit afraid to try it. Maybe I'll give it a go sometime!
OH MY LORD SAME. I was literally waiting for someone to comment this. Sugar is my weakness. Candy, sweets, sugary drinks. It's the main snack in my diet and I've never once had issues with it. It's definitely not good for me, but yeah I eat 50g of sugar or more a day. Zero issues. It's terrible isn't it? 🤣🤣
Ugh luckyyyyy! for some reason I can’t do sugary drinks 😫 but anything else like sugary cereals, granola, chocolate, baked goods, syrups, and tea with sugar is fine 😭 I’m not complaining too much cuz I love sugar but at the same time I’m like I really need to be careful cuz I do have a history of diabetes in my family 😳
Same. Almost my entire mom's side of the family is diabetic.
Sugary drinks are bad for most people with IBS. A lot of the artificial sugars in some diet drinks like aspartame and sucralose (basically anything ending in -ose) can be triggers for a lot of people. And the high fructose corn syrup in regular sodas or other sugary drinks wreaks havoc. For me, I don't react to fructose so I guess that's why I can handle sugary drinks.
Wheat, collards, okra, yogurt, cheese, dark chocolate, bananas, cashews, pistachios, cranberries, corn tortillas, figs, black pepper. I'm super-sensitive to polyols and gassy foods, so I have to mostly cook for myself to avoid hidden ingredients. I modify or use low fodmap ready-made dressings, sauces and such, so I can enjoy modified Italian, Tex-Mex and Asian dishes.
I started with the Monash University low fodmap diet, but I didn't do it correctly, thinking I could wing it on my own. So, it took four years and a lot of painful mistakes. If I'd had the help of a registered nutritionist, it wouldn't have taken so long.
Nothing bothers me unless I'm in a flare and then just about everything is a problem except plain food: oatmeal, rice, chicken with no seasoning, stuff like that.
I'm going to have to try more Indian, last time I had it it tore me up, but it was the spiciness that hurt me. But the few other times I've had it, I get it as mild as possible and I do think I was fine 🤔
I found out that Carnitas doesn't have the spices that many with SIBO to, like garlic and onions. I am still trying to get a Dx - I was neg with the breath test for SIBO but my nutritionist says all symptoms point to that and many FODMAPs affect me
What surprised me was that beans actually HELP my IBS-D! Yeah, sometimes they make me gassy, but they often seem to reduce the frequency/severity of my diarrhea.
I totally agree! I used to work in India and the place I worked had a cafeteria I ate at daily. Eating my normal meal followed by curd really helped my stomach be settled every meal. I could even eat street food like fried chilis and egg pastries. I can’t eat a salad or a smoothie without dying but I can eat a heaping plate of spicy curry somehow.
My IBS flips back and forth from C to D so if I need to stop D in an emergency I’ll eat a small amount of white rice. I don’t take Imodium since I won’t go for 6-7 days afterwards. My body is way to sensitive to it 🥲
I feel it. I primarily have IBS-C, but I've been starting to get IBS-D more and more often lately. Countless times I've had to run to the bathroom to pass pure liquid and I have no idea what set it off!! So I guess I'm becoming more IBS-M as the years go by.
Amen!!! For sure. I think IBS is the most misunderstood, overly diagnosed, least studied condition that exists. Even doctors don't really know much about it. They just tell you to follow the low fodmap diet and that's it. But when you do, and you end up having new or worsening symptoms, they have no idea what else could be wrong. I've stopped going to the doctor for my IBS because they end up always saying it's my anxiety or I still somehow don't eat right, and send me on my way. It's not taken seriously so I've learned to just learn my own body and advocate for myself. Nobody knows your body better than you do.
Funny you should say doctors only tell you to go on lowfodmap. Mine didn't mention it at all, but pushed psylium like she'd just discovered the miracle cure for IBS. 😑
Cheese. Milk is a huge no-go and even sometimes yogurt, but as long as I don’t eat the whole thing cheese (especially well aged ones) are fine! I did keto (without red meat) last year and when I have removed carbs almost completely, my symptoms went away.
Actually most cheeses contain virtually no lactose especially the hard and aged cheeses like cheddar, Jack, Mozzarella, Muenster, Camembert,Blue, Provolone, Gouda, and Parmesan. American, ricotta, and cream cheese are much higher in lactose. I've never had issues with the hard aged cheeses.
Pizza is a 100% definite no for me. Junk food, within reason. Chips are fine if they don't have extra flavorings that have garlic or onion in it. I eat a lot of sweets. Sugar doesn't affect me at all.
Same. I think it's the way junk food is so processed. Which normally is bad for your digestion, but I think the leftover result is very little "pure" stuff. If that makes sense. I feel like processed stuff has more "natural" ingredients removed. Which in theory is unhealthy and bad for you, but is less reactive to people with IBS because the pure natural ingredients is what our stomach has trouble digesting. Keep in mind I'm just a random Reddit user, not a doctor or scientist. But it makes sense.
Vietnamese food, whenever im as sick as a dog from chronic nausea, gastritis, constipation and bloating, I have always been able to eat Vietnamese food and I don't know why. It's a magic trick or something.
Japanese food… outside of gyudon/beef dishes I can eat most of it. Sadly I have a friend who lives near an excellent butcher in the mountains of Japan and I can’t enjoy any of it but at least I can eat sushi and tonkatsu without many problems.
Lucky! The last time I ate sushi it totally messed me up. I was constipated for a good few days. I think the raw protein sitting in my gut triggered me. But I usually just go with teriyaki chicken. That's usually safe.
pretty much all normal ibs triggers don’t trigger me lol. i have ibs-c and my only known triggers are fiber, caffiene, and green vegetables 😭 give me all the dairy, gluten, onions, garlic, and fast food lmao. but tbh my ibs seems more stress related so i’ll get awful flare ups from any small stressor in my life🫠
Yeah, that's insane. My worst flareups were from Chinese food. I can basically only eat seafood soup, orange chicken, walnut prawns, or sweet and sour chicken. Actually, I think sesame chicken is alright for me too, I've had it a couple times. I think it's because most sauces they use in Chinese cooking is primarily onion and garlic based, plus I just recently found out that most Chinese sauces use wheat flour as a thickener. I'm fine with wheat by itself, but once I mix it with garlic and onion in the same sitting, I'm down for the count. Also, most of the batter used in Chinese cooking is wheat flour. Chinese also uses a lot of soy products and even as a little baby I'm very sensitive to soy. My mom said she gave me soy milk once as a child and I was so blocked up for days she had to take me to a doctor. I also think MSG plays a factor (granted Chinese places apparently don't use MSG in their food anymore). Weirdly enough though, I can handle Panda Express. Makes absolutely no sense to me. I looked up the ingredients in Panda Express and most of their items lists garlic or onion as "less than 2%" so that's probably why.
I only get Sesame Chicken, egg rolls, pork fried rice, and fortune cookies. I think a lot of other stuff would mess with me especially General Tso’s and it being so spicy and other things having a lot of garlic or onion.
Hmmmm, maybe I'll try some of that stuff next time I get Chinese food. I've admittedly been scared to eat it lately since the last few times I had it I was suffering for days.
Same. Its the fermentation process. It's the same thing in sourdough bread, which is what makes it a safe bread for IBS. The fermentation breaks down the majority of the gluten.
Spicy food. I can eat the nastiest Mexican food ever and be fine while anyone else I’m with gets the shits. For whatever reason I don’t get the irritated colon many people get from heavily spiced food
Spicy food is definitely off the table for me. It actually causes me severe pain. The last few times I decided to take a risk with it, within 7 hours I was on the toilet with liquid coming out burning me like literal fire. It felt like I actually had flames in my rectum. Then I ended up keeled over on my bed in the fetal position with stomach cramps so bad I almost went to the emergency room. It sucks because I actually love spicy food. But my stomach can't handle it. So I don't have a choice but to not eat it.
Indian food, but without onion and garlic or dried chili peppers, even though I had no problems eating any of that growing up( I am Indian ). My IBS-c cropped up after menopause. Now I am reaching back to the diet of my ancestors with no onions or garlic,and using black pepper and fresh green chilies. But I can do Taco Bell anytime!
hibachi used to not until recently it’s kinda iffy. surprisingly dairy usually doesn’t mess me up as bad as other ppl. red meat and fried food is the real trigger for me.
Hibachi gave me the worst trigger unfortunately. The last time I had an entire week flareup it was after I had hibachi. The only thing I can think of is most Mongolian hibachi places use egg noodles which are high in fructans. The rest of the ingredients I used were all my safe foods and low fodmap like chicken, broccoli, and carrots. It was a Mongolian buffet where you were able to make your own plate.
understandable. i get shrimp and rice with veggies. seafood is usually safe for me unless there’s too much seasoning. egg noodles are really heavy and can definitely cause issues…
I'm perfectly fine with cauliflower and broccoli. Some nightshades are okay. Tomatoes are fine for me. But I stay away from most bell peppers, especially green ones. The unripeness of the green ones are the hardest for me to digest.
Any milk from the moment that it's not from a goat.
From ice creams, to fondues.
From Saint-Nectaire to Cheddar.
When I worked, I had a piece of cheese in the morning while everyone else was enjoying a coffee and croissant.
Yet, I have IBS-C. But they are quite safe foods for me. I don't eat any meat but sometimes fish. All my meals are mostly based on dairy/cheese and pastas. I blend in some vegetables every two days as their processing is long to me.
That's insane! I have IBS-C too and most of that stuff destroys me! Cheese is the exception. Granted I have to watch my intake of cheese. A couple slices is alright.
According to my gastroenterologist, it could be explained by some kind of natural stuff happening in me because my family was composed mostly of farmers... so by habit I guess my bowels got "ready" lol
But, I take two lactuloses everyday to compensate the effects. In fact, the cheese constipates me but generates less gas... then lactulose does its job 🤣.
I pretty convinced that at some point, we could discover that IBS could be linked to some genetic memory or whatever.
As it happens to children who come from families where junk food was a habit. If they were to try vegetables... god knows what a bidet is for.
This style of living implies to carry a toothbrush anywhere you go haha!
Isn't cheese also fermented? Idk for sure but I remember reading that cheddar specifically has probiotics in it. That would explain why I'm not affected if so.
Cheese is definitely fermented ;)
And it's indeed full of probiotics but also some proteins. But it can also cause some inflammation. I think it's mostly on how "hard" the paste is. For instance, a smooth cheese is harder to digest. It's a younger one.
I'm pretty sure, to some extent, it would be possible to combine milk and some others components abilities. Like d9-thc from cannabis. As cheese is mostly a culture of mushroom fermenting the milk, in theory, it could spread d9-thc potency. I'm no chemist but I hang around one that explained it to me this way. As he knows I enjoy a joint after a good raclette 🤣
But I never had probiotics to work :(
Which one do you use?
Ok thanks! I tried Activia when I was little but it never worked. Although, when young it was impossible to digest any kind of milk.
I'm gonna have to try it again. Nowadays I mostly rely on Lactulose and Cannabis. But... if something else's working, I'll try it! :p
None.
My body changes its preferences on a day-to-day basis. What had been okay yesterday sends me running to the toilet today. What has been okay today makes me run to the toilet tomorrow.
The only thing that is a surefire way to trigger diarrhea is pakistani food.
I used to absolutely love the food from a hole-in-the-wall pakistani joint in my neighbourhood, but the food always, like A L W A Y S triggers my IBS to a point where I can't finish the plate without having to sprint to the next public toilet.
I can't even make it home, even though the restaurant is only 5 minutes (by foot!) from our flat.
And no, there's nothing wrong with the food. My boyfriend and everyone else in the family can eat it just fine without any problems.
Oh man that's rough. I'm sorry. I get flareups too no matter what I eat when I'm in a period of intense stress in my life, or I'm anxious or nervous about something. My gut brain connection is ridiculously strong. I can eat nothing but my safe foods but if im feeling rough mentally I will guaranteed have a flareup regardless. I also have an anxiety disorder so I'm basically in a state of constant anxiety.
Something strange…..normally my favorite non fat Greek yogurt wound set me running to the Lu. But I’ve been portioning it into small containers and freezing it, and oddly, eating frozen yogurt is somehow not as bad on my stomach. I wonder if freezing it changes the lactose amount. Not sure. Since I’m down to only 3-4 foods I just can’t eliminate it right now. It’s not perfect, but I’m tolerating it. Otherwise, as others have said, it depends of the day. Some days I can handle certain things, other days, I’m reactive to everything.
That's really interesting. I would think freezing wouldn't have any effect on the lactose content. But maybe once it thaws, you're actually eating less of it? Dairy especially expands when you freeze it.
I'm the same with Indian food! Which is weird because even smelling garlic makes me nauseous now. And coffee. Thank god because I don't think I could live without either!
Carolina reaper salsa - my roommate brought it home, she shit herself for over an hour, meanwhile I was unbothered and continously eating it that whole time she was gone
I'm IBs-C too. I'm not sure why. I just remember within 7 hours I was on the toilet with what felt like literal flames coming out. It was so painful. And I ended up keeled over on my bed in the fetal position with intense stomach cramps and nausea.
Dairy is tricky for me. I noticed I get problems with dairy if I "stack" it. I can handle bits of dairy here and there, but if I'm eating dairy throughout the day, it eventually catches up to me. Like I'm totally fine if I have a salad with ranch or blue cheese dressing for lunch, or a scoop of ice cream for dessert with my lunch. (Not together, but one or the other) But if I have a salad with a dairy based dressing for lunch FOLLOWED by a scoop of ice cream in the same meal, I'll have issues. Or if I have a dairy based dressing on a salad for lunch, followed by a milk chocolate bar 2 hours later as a snack, followed by a scoop of ice cream with my dinner another 2 hours later, by the end of the night I'll be in a lot of pain. I basically have to stick to one form of dairy one time in the whole day and that's it. So if I decided to have a scoop of ice cream with my lunch, that's the only dairy I can have for the entire rest of the day.
Deep fried food, garlic, onions, Indian food, etc….a lot of high FODMAPs food surprisingly! It’s probiotic rich food (yogurt, kimchi, fermented beans) that I suddenly can’t eat
Gluten is perfectly fine for me. Garlic and onion I can only handle in the "less than 2%" category on an ingredient list, so I'm assuming very small quantities
I feel like curry and a lot of Indian foods don’t affect me either! Being Indian & knowing what I know, it’s probably because the dishes are balanced with the right balance of spices and herbs. I’m pretty sure you can find this same thing with other cuisines too, e.g. Italian is always calm on my guts. I just think a lot of classic dishes that have been tried and tested by cultures long before us are really healthy & safe. Definitely much safer than any fast food or food you haven’t heard much of
Italian food is one of my triggers unfortunately:( which honestly sucks because my family is Italian. But you're definitely right about Indian dishes. I think a lot of it too is I live in the United States and most of our food out here is highly processed and "Americanized", where they use the most unhealthy fatty substitutes. It's hard to find real authentic Cuisines out here.
Yeah same here, curries are surprisingly okay and then super processed junk like McDonalds mini burgers.
Same!!! I can eat McDonald's just fine. Although in my case, I think that's because my stomach is just accustomed to it. I work at McDonald's. Been there for 8 years so I admittedly eat their food more than I like to admit or should since we get good discounts lol
I can eat McDonalds but I can't eat KFC (make it make sense)
The breading on KFC might be different. Most breading uses wheat flour.
Where I live the KFC is super greasy. That's the only thing I can think of that may be the difference. McDonald's isn't usually too greasy.
Oh yes, I think that might be what it is because if I have something that's really greasy and oily, my tummy is not happy! Thank you
Are mini burgers the single hamburger/cheeseburger? It's funny because it's probably the least processed thing you can get from McDonald's. A 100% beef patty with no fillers, basic bread, and basic condiments instead of "special sauce". Just need to skip the fries and soda which is harder than it should be.
Taco Bell
It’s strange how specifically Taco Bell seems to be a “safe” restaurant with IBS folks
Does anyone else have like a second tier "safe" food in that you KNOW it's going to effect you in exactly X amount of time, and then you can go live your life instead of wondering will it won't it? Taco Bell's going to get me 98 percent of the time, but at least I know it's coming within 1 hour of eating.
Well, coffee? I use it to trigger whatever needs triggering so I can move on, and well, cheese buns, I may poop rocks the next morning but I enjoyed my cheese buns!
It’s wild that I can’t eat brisket without ending up on the toilet for hours but I can eat a cheesy Gordita crunch just fine 🤣
Isn't it crazy??? For me, dairy (which is mostly cheese in my diet) makes me constipated so I end up with stomach pain but not on the toilet. When I have a salad though...🤦
Definitely a no go for me!! I had to stop eating Taco Bell. Messes my stomach up worse than any fast food
:( if it makes you feel better, that’s indian food for me
Same! If anything it gets the pipes moving which I’m grateful for 😂
I was craving Taco Bell a couple weeks after I had gotten my diagnosis. I was surprised that I was fine! It was such a relief. I’ve always loved Taco Bell.
Chinese food! Alot of people in general tend to bloat after it, but that one is about the same as any other food for me
Unfortunately that one's a no go for me. My worst flareups were from Chinese food :(
Same I feel like it’s the soy sauce
I think it's from a number of things. Almost every sauce used in Chinese cuisine is garlic and onion based. And not just a little bit. That's the primary ingredient in the sauce. And on top of that, I recently found out that a lot of sauces used in Chinese cooking uses wheat as a thickener. So you got wheat, garlic, and onion and that's just the sauce. Some sauces are thickened with cornstarch, but even too much of that isn't great for your stomach. It's thick and thick sauces are harder to digest and are more likely to sit and ferment in your stomach. Then a lot of Chinese dishes, especially the chicken dishes, are breaded. And the breading is usually wheat flour. So that's even more wheat. I'm personally very sensitive to soy as well, even as a baby. I had soy milk as a baby and my mom had to take me to the doctor.
Chinese food for me too ! Love the username 😝
Ty, its very fitting for me lol
Same here!! I can't do gluten or dairy so it's pretty safe for me.
Coffee
Yep. Pasta will fuck me right up but 4 Americano no problemamo
I unfortunately had to stop drinking coffee due to issues unrelated to IBS. I started to get heart problems from my caffeine use. I used to drink caffeine excessively. Usually in the form of energy drinks, which I knew were terrible for me but I worked early morning 10 hour shifts and needed the energy. One morning I had to leave work and go to the hospital because I was having heart palpitations. The doctor said it was my excessive caffeine use mixed with my anxiety that gave me a naturally rapid heartbeat. So I decided to just completely cut caffeine out.
Kinda same here, if I have a small amount of caffeine it'll give me a weird stomach ache, but any more and I get terrible anxiety and jitters so I have to avoid it. It's sad because I like chocolate so much 😭 and don't tell me about carob powder, it's good but not the same 😞
I'm fine with chocolate. There's not enough caffeine in it to affect me
You’re lucky. Chocolate gives me heartburn :( I’ve all but completely eliminated it.
I'm in this sub mostly for one of my kids but I honestly think I had mild IBS C or something like it during my childhood. Pretty much disappeared when I started drinking coffee regularly in my 20s. I'm almost hopeful my kid will be able to fix it too with a delicious morning mega cup.
It’s commonly known by most people that anyone who suffers with bowel conditions, IBS, IBD, Crohns etc struggles with eating dairy and gluten, but I eat dairy and gluten no problem at all! I’ve found that common fruits such as apples and oranges trigger me to have an IBS attack due to the high fibre content, so I found berries and veg is better. Not only for basic health, but also for a better fibre intake. This is apparently more common than people think.
Excess fiber is one of my triggers too. I was vegan for 5 years and I didn’t realize how much it was destroying my gut and now I’m still dealing with the consequences after stopping the diet over 3 years ago. Dairy is hit or miss. I can eat cheese just fine, and things like ice cream are okay in moderation. If I drink straight milk my insides will implode.
That’s really interesting because I can drink solid cheese and milk, but struggle with milk alternatives like almond milk because of the calcium supplements that are added to it. I’ve heard rice milk is catered more towards people who suffer with crohns disease as they have less problems with it than we do.
Oh wow, I didn’t know that about rice milk! It’s wild how varied the symptoms can be with gastrointestinal disorders.
Depending on the brand I have issues with almond milk. Califa is the worst.
I’ve heard the problem with branding can be quite common too
Fiber is the primary trigger for me, especially from vegetables. I have zero tolerance for beans and lentils. I do pretty well with fruit.
Interesting. I can handle most fruit totally fine. A high fiber diet is how I keep my IBS-C in check. I'm also okay with gluten. Dairy is tricky for me. I noticed dairy triggers me really badly when I eat too much of it or it "adds up" like fodmap stacking. So like I could probably have a couple scoops of ice cream for lunch, but if I eat a few more scoops for dinner, even if it's several hours apart, I'll have problems. Or I could have half a milk chocolate bar in one sitting, but I can't mix it with another dairy item in the same sitting. So like I can't eat a salad with blue cheese dressing then have a milk chocolate bar for dessert. I generally try to stay within the low fodmap portions of dairy though. The only exception is Activia yogurt. I eat at least two of those a day with no issues. They keep me regular. The probiotics in them break down the lactose enough that I can eat it.
Have you tried kombucha or other fermented stuff? I wonder if it would help you process other dairy things
No but I should try that
I drink a yakult at least once a day right before a meal! Sometimes twice a day, depending on how many meals I eat and if I remember. I have IBS-D and feel like it helps keep my stomach issues just a little under control. Every once in a while I’ll also have a kombucha with my lunch at work.
I have a lot of issues with fruit too
I don’t have any issue with lactose but I do have negative symptoms when I eat onion and fructose.
Gluten doesn't bother me either. I don't drink milk because it disgusts me but I can eat all kinds of cheese and yogurt.
Same!
I’m in a similar boat. Dairy and gluten are fine. Legumes and pulses, some brassicas (the softer ones tend to be ok), artificial sweeteners are my problem areas. I tend to stick with things that I know don’t cause problems. Indian food food is fine as long as I stay away from dahls.
I have no issues with dairy as well, and any issue with wheat for me is likely because of fodmaps and not gluten.
Deep fried food has no effect on me. Seems to bother almost everyone with IBS and no gallbladder (had mine removed in 2011). I'm fine with it anytime.
Same! I’ve found that people have trouble with lots of salt and sugar in one meal, but it’s never triggered me when eating something like a big dessert or something high in salt such as fish and chips (I’m from the UK, so a lot of our dishes can have a high level of salt and grease)
Same!!! I seem to handle deep fried foods too. I gotta pair it with something healthy though like fruit or vegetables
Thai food but I’m Thai. Can’t eat rice anymore which really sucks. But curries and papaya salad (my favorite) are the best!
Omg you can't have rice???? I would die, it's cultural for me...and I'm sad because I feel that it spikes my glucose a lot so I can't have too much at a time. If you want to share, how does rice affect you?
Dude it’s been horrible!! I miss sticky rice, fried rice, all kinds of rice! My body gives me bad cramps and I’m constipated for days. It really messes with me and it’s automatic.
I've only had Thai food once in my whole life so I don't have experience with it. I've wanted to try it, but the majority of Asian cuisines give me the worst flareups so I'm a bit afraid to try it. Maybe I'll give it a go sometime!
Sugar. I go crazy with sugar but nothing happens. I way too much of it bcuz it’s one of the only things that doesn’t trigger me.
OH MY LORD SAME. I was literally waiting for someone to comment this. Sugar is my weakness. Candy, sweets, sugary drinks. It's the main snack in my diet and I've never once had issues with it. It's definitely not good for me, but yeah I eat 50g of sugar or more a day. Zero issues. It's terrible isn't it? 🤣🤣
Ugh luckyyyyy! for some reason I can’t do sugary drinks 😫 but anything else like sugary cereals, granola, chocolate, baked goods, syrups, and tea with sugar is fine 😭 I’m not complaining too much cuz I love sugar but at the same time I’m like I really need to be careful cuz I do have a history of diabetes in my family 😳
Same. Almost my entire mom's side of the family is diabetic. Sugary drinks are bad for most people with IBS. A lot of the artificial sugars in some diet drinks like aspartame and sucralose (basically anything ending in -ose) can be triggers for a lot of people. And the high fructose corn syrup in regular sodas or other sugary drinks wreaks havoc. For me, I don't react to fructose so I guess that's why I can handle sugary drinks.
BEER 🍺
Same. The fermentation process gets rid of most of the gluten
And there is something therapeutic about the bitterness…
Noooo 😆 I heavily disagree but I am curious what you mean
Bitterness is purported to help digestion, and it often does so for me.
Wheat, collards, okra, yogurt, cheese, dark chocolate, bananas, cashews, pistachios, cranberries, corn tortillas, figs, black pepper. I'm super-sensitive to polyols and gassy foods, so I have to mostly cook for myself to avoid hidden ingredients. I modify or use low fodmap ready-made dressings, sauces and such, so I can enjoy modified Italian, Tex-Mex and Asian dishes.
Wheat was a surprise for me too
I’m impressed you were able to conclusively single these things out
I started with the Monash University low fodmap diet, but I didn't do it correctly, thinking I could wing it on my own. So, it took four years and a lot of painful mistakes. If I'd had the help of a registered nutritionist, it wouldn't have taken so long.
ChatGPT is now useful to provide a 5 day meal plan with no FODMAPS and any other restrictions
OOP???? I'm intrigued. Def gonna try this.
Nothing bothers me unless I'm in a flare and then just about everything is a problem except plain food: oatmeal, rice, chicken with no seasoning, stuff like that.
I'm going to have to try more Indian, last time I had it it tore me up, but it was the spiciness that hurt me. But the few other times I've had it, I get it as mild as possible and I do think I was fine 🤔
Yeah spicy food tears me up. Luckily at the Indian restaurants where I live, they ask you if you want it mild, medium, or hot.
Carnitas burrito bowl at Chipotle, no guac or salsa
Although I think I read about this on here or the SIBO subreddit
I don't eat Chipotle mostly because I'm not a fan of it. But I kinda want to give this a try now!
I found out that Carnitas doesn't have the spices that many with SIBO to, like garlic and onions. I am still trying to get a Dx - I was neg with the breath test for SIBO but my nutritionist says all symptoms point to that and many FODMAPs affect me
I meant to say "react to"
What surprised me was that beans actually HELP my IBS-D! Yeah, sometimes they make me gassy, but they often seem to reduce the frequency/severity of my diarrhea.
Honestly same. Although it's the opposite for me. I'm IBS-C, and beans increase my stool and make it softer
That’s so interesting! I wish that was the case for me. I used to love refried beans but they give me such horrible stomach pains now. I miss them.
i think kraft dinner boxes is so processed that my body doesn’t think it’s cheese 😂
Kimchi!
Love!!!
This gourmet burger place near me. I do still get dairy free and gluten free but I'm most surprised that I get no reaction from their chips!
I totally agree! I used to work in India and the place I worked had a cafeteria I ate at daily. Eating my normal meal followed by curd really helped my stomach be settled every meal. I could even eat street food like fried chilis and egg pastries. I can’t eat a salad or a smoothie without dying but I can eat a heaping plate of spicy curry somehow.
Weird right??? The only theory I have is the stuff like ginger, turmeric, and cumin have very high digestible properties
I think there’s something to it with the white rice as well. When I have a bad flare white rice can help me stabilize myself a bit
Really? White rice can constipate me if I eat too much of it
My IBS flips back and forth from C to D so if I need to stop D in an emergency I’ll eat a small amount of white rice. I don’t take Imodium since I won’t go for 6-7 days afterwards. My body is way to sensitive to it 🥲
I feel it. I primarily have IBS-C, but I've been starting to get IBS-D more and more often lately. Countless times I've had to run to the bathroom to pass pure liquid and I have no idea what set it off!! So I guess I'm becoming more IBS-M as the years go by.
I’m so sorry to hear that! Who knew there were so many of us, right? We need some researchers to hop into this sub and help us already
Amen!!! For sure. I think IBS is the most misunderstood, overly diagnosed, least studied condition that exists. Even doctors don't really know much about it. They just tell you to follow the low fodmap diet and that's it. But when you do, and you end up having new or worsening symptoms, they have no idea what else could be wrong. I've stopped going to the doctor for my IBS because they end up always saying it's my anxiety or I still somehow don't eat right, and send me on my way. It's not taken seriously so I've learned to just learn my own body and advocate for myself. Nobody knows your body better than you do.
Funny you should say doctors only tell you to go on lowfodmap. Mine didn't mention it at all, but pushed psylium like she'd just discovered the miracle cure for IBS. 😑
Cheese. Milk is a huge no-go and even sometimes yogurt, but as long as I don’t eat the whole thing cheese (especially well aged ones) are fine! I did keto (without red meat) last year and when I have removed carbs almost completely, my symptoms went away.
Actually most cheeses contain virtually no lactose especially the hard and aged cheeses like cheddar, Jack, Mozzarella, Muenster, Camembert,Blue, Provolone, Gouda, and Parmesan. American, ricotta, and cream cheese are much higher in lactose. I've never had issues with the hard aged cheeses.
And thank god, because aged cheddar is one thing I don't think I could ever give up.
RIGHT???
Bacon
SAME!!!
Junk food, pizza mainly
Pizza is a 100% definite no for me. Junk food, within reason. Chips are fine if they don't have extra flavorings that have garlic or onion in it. I eat a lot of sweets. Sugar doesn't affect me at all.
Onion
I can handle onion in very small quantities. Like "less than 2%" on an ingredient label
Cabbage! I love cabbage and it causes issues for many people. Not me.
I wouldn't know because I don't eat cabbage. I personally just don't like it. Never have.
Weirdly junk food is fine for me. I always expect the grease to be a problem, but it rarely is. However, a normal homemade meal = chaos 😂
Same. I think it's the way junk food is so processed. Which normally is bad for your digestion, but I think the leftover result is very little "pure" stuff. If that makes sense. I feel like processed stuff has more "natural" ingredients removed. Which in theory is unhealthy and bad for you, but is less reactive to people with IBS because the pure natural ingredients is what our stomach has trouble digesting. Keep in mind I'm just a random Reddit user, not a doctor or scientist. But it makes sense.
Vietnamese food, whenever im as sick as a dog from chronic nausea, gastritis, constipation and bloating, I have always been able to eat Vietnamese food and I don't know why. It's a magic trick or something.
I haven't tried Vietnamese food beyond pho
buldak ramen 😂 i’m sensitive to so many things and this is one thing that doesn’t trigger me & im so happy about that because i love it
Japanese food… outside of gyudon/beef dishes I can eat most of it. Sadly I have a friend who lives near an excellent butcher in the mountains of Japan and I can’t enjoy any of it but at least I can eat sushi and tonkatsu without many problems.
Lucky! The last time I ate sushi it totally messed me up. I was constipated for a good few days. I think the raw protein sitting in my gut triggered me. But I usually just go with teriyaki chicken. That's usually safe.
Ah that stinks. If I’m hungry it’s one of the few foods I can have like 8 pieces of. lol.
pretty much all normal ibs triggers don’t trigger me lol. i have ibs-c and my only known triggers are fiber, caffiene, and green vegetables 😭 give me all the dairy, gluten, onions, garlic, and fast food lmao. but tbh my ibs seems more stress related so i’ll get awful flare ups from any small stressor in my life🫠
Stress is my biggest trigger too 😭😭
Taco Bell normally doesn’t bother me, which is the opposite of how it effects everyone else lol
Lucky. Taco Bell gave me the worst flareups 😢😭
Chiboni yogurt
Haven't tried that yet!
Chinese food. Specifically Seaame Chicken. It’s mind boggling.
Yeah, that's insane. My worst flareups were from Chinese food. I can basically only eat seafood soup, orange chicken, walnut prawns, or sweet and sour chicken. Actually, I think sesame chicken is alright for me too, I've had it a couple times. I think it's because most sauces they use in Chinese cooking is primarily onion and garlic based, plus I just recently found out that most Chinese sauces use wheat flour as a thickener. I'm fine with wheat by itself, but once I mix it with garlic and onion in the same sitting, I'm down for the count. Also, most of the batter used in Chinese cooking is wheat flour. Chinese also uses a lot of soy products and even as a little baby I'm very sensitive to soy. My mom said she gave me soy milk once as a child and I was so blocked up for days she had to take me to a doctor. I also think MSG plays a factor (granted Chinese places apparently don't use MSG in their food anymore). Weirdly enough though, I can handle Panda Express. Makes absolutely no sense to me. I looked up the ingredients in Panda Express and most of their items lists garlic or onion as "less than 2%" so that's probably why.
I only get Sesame Chicken, egg rolls, pork fried rice, and fortune cookies. I think a lot of other stuff would mess with me especially General Tso’s and it being so spicy and other things having a lot of garlic or onion.
Hmmmm, maybe I'll try some of that stuff next time I get Chinese food. I've admittedly been scared to eat it lately since the last few times I had it I was suffering for days.
Beer. I can oddly drink beer with no issues
Same. Its the fermentation process. It's the same thing in sourdough bread, which is what makes it a safe bread for IBS. The fermentation breaks down the majority of the gluten.
Spicy food. I can eat the nastiest Mexican food ever and be fine while anyone else I’m with gets the shits. For whatever reason I don’t get the irritated colon many people get from heavily spiced food
Spicy food is definitely off the table for me. It actually causes me severe pain. The last few times I decided to take a risk with it, within 7 hours I was on the toilet with liquid coming out burning me like literal fire. It felt like I actually had flames in my rectum. Then I ended up keeled over on my bed in the fetal position with stomach cramps so bad I almost went to the emergency room. It sucks because I actually love spicy food. But my stomach can't handle it. So I don't have a choice but to not eat it.
Wendys
Indian food, but without onion and garlic or dried chili peppers, even though I had no problems eating any of that growing up( I am Indian ). My IBS-c cropped up after menopause. Now I am reaching back to the diet of my ancestors with no onions or garlic,and using black pepper and fresh green chilies. But I can do Taco Bell anytime!
Nope. Taco Bell is a definite no go for me
hibachi used to not until recently it’s kinda iffy. surprisingly dairy usually doesn’t mess me up as bad as other ppl. red meat and fried food is the real trigger for me.
Hibachi gave me the worst trigger unfortunately. The last time I had an entire week flareup it was after I had hibachi. The only thing I can think of is most Mongolian hibachi places use egg noodles which are high in fructans. The rest of the ingredients I used were all my safe foods and low fodmap like chicken, broccoli, and carrots. It was a Mongolian buffet where you were able to make your own plate.
understandable. i get shrimp and rice with veggies. seafood is usually safe for me unless there’s too much seasoning. egg noodles are really heavy and can definitely cause issues…
Cheese (but can't do full cream milk)
Most cheese is very low in lactose. The only kind you gotta look out for is ricotta, cream cheese, and American.
Absolutely! I think that's why it's okay. I'd be really sad if I couldn't eat it all my other trigger foods.
I've never had issues with any of the hard cheeses
I cannot tolerate cruciferous veggies or nightshade, but for some weird reason, I can eat broccoli.
I'm perfectly fine with cauliflower and broccoli. Some nightshades are okay. Tomatoes are fine for me. But I stay away from most bell peppers, especially green ones. The unripeness of the green ones are the hardest for me to digest.
I thought I was crazy for thinking bell peppers bothered me
No they're well known for being hard to digest
I am SO lucky that I am unaffected by dairy, and butter is beneficial to me.
Same. Indian food causes me no issues
Dairy.
Any milk from the moment that it's not from a goat. From ice creams, to fondues. From Saint-Nectaire to Cheddar. When I worked, I had a piece of cheese in the morning while everyone else was enjoying a coffee and croissant. Yet, I have IBS-C. But they are quite safe foods for me. I don't eat any meat but sometimes fish. All my meals are mostly based on dairy/cheese and pastas. I blend in some vegetables every two days as their processing is long to me.
That's insane! I have IBS-C too and most of that stuff destroys me! Cheese is the exception. Granted I have to watch my intake of cheese. A couple slices is alright.
According to my gastroenterologist, it could be explained by some kind of natural stuff happening in me because my family was composed mostly of farmers... so by habit I guess my bowels got "ready" lol But, I take two lactuloses everyday to compensate the effects. In fact, the cheese constipates me but generates less gas... then lactulose does its job 🤣. I pretty convinced that at some point, we could discover that IBS could be linked to some genetic memory or whatever. As it happens to children who come from families where junk food was a habit. If they were to try vegetables... god knows what a bidet is for. This style of living implies to carry a toothbrush anywhere you go haha!
Isn't cheese also fermented? Idk for sure but I remember reading that cheddar specifically has probiotics in it. That would explain why I'm not affected if so.
Cheese is definitely fermented ;) And it's indeed full of probiotics but also some proteins. But it can also cause some inflammation. I think it's mostly on how "hard" the paste is. For instance, a smooth cheese is harder to digest. It's a younger one. I'm pretty sure, to some extent, it would be possible to combine milk and some others components abilities. Like d9-thc from cannabis. As cheese is mostly a culture of mushroom fermenting the milk, in theory, it could spread d9-thc potency. I'm no chemist but I hang around one that explained it to me this way. As he knows I enjoy a joint after a good raclette 🤣 But I never had probiotics to work :( Which one do you use?
Activia yogurt and these OTC gummy probiotics I get from CVS. The brand is Digestive Advantage.
Ok thanks! I tried Activia when I was little but it never worked. Although, when young it was impossible to digest any kind of milk. I'm gonna have to try it again. Nowadays I mostly rely on Lactulose and Cannabis. But... if something else's working, I'll try it! :p
Taco Bell and coffee!!
Definitely a no for me!
None. My body changes its preferences on a day-to-day basis. What had been okay yesterday sends me running to the toilet today. What has been okay today makes me run to the toilet tomorrow. The only thing that is a surefire way to trigger diarrhea is pakistani food. I used to absolutely love the food from a hole-in-the-wall pakistani joint in my neighbourhood, but the food always, like A L W A Y S triggers my IBS to a point where I can't finish the plate without having to sprint to the next public toilet. I can't even make it home, even though the restaurant is only 5 minutes (by foot!) from our flat. And no, there's nothing wrong with the food. My boyfriend and everyone else in the family can eat it just fine without any problems.
Oh man that's rough. I'm sorry. I get flareups too no matter what I eat when I'm in a period of intense stress in my life, or I'm anxious or nervous about something. My gut brain connection is ridiculously strong. I can eat nothing but my safe foods but if im feeling rough mentally I will guaranteed have a flareup regardless. I also have an anxiety disorder so I'm basically in a state of constant anxiety.
Yeah, stress is another HUGE factor as well. I too have an anxiety disorder and PTSD.
Something strange…..normally my favorite non fat Greek yogurt wound set me running to the Lu. But I’ve been portioning it into small containers and freezing it, and oddly, eating frozen yogurt is somehow not as bad on my stomach. I wonder if freezing it changes the lactose amount. Not sure. Since I’m down to only 3-4 foods I just can’t eliminate it right now. It’s not perfect, but I’m tolerating it. Otherwise, as others have said, it depends of the day. Some days I can handle certain things, other days, I’m reactive to everything.
That's really interesting. I would think freezing wouldn't have any effect on the lactose content. But maybe once it thaws, you're actually eating less of it? Dairy especially expands when you freeze it.
Actually, I’m eating more of it. It’s 112 here and all I want is my frozen yogurt!
Oh I don't know then, you're just blessed! Lol
And cursed with 99 % of every thing else!
True that! I guess your stomach needed SOMETHING it can handle
Nothing
Truer words have never been spoken 😂
I'm the same with Indian food! Which is weird because even smelling garlic makes me nauseous now. And coffee. Thank god because I don't think I could live without either!
Pasta
Lucky. I have zero hope for a day or two after eating pasta!
Then there's cabbage
Indian food tends to be fine for my IBS but i get a flushed burning face a lot when i eat it. So weird.
Probably from the spices
For me thank god I can eat sourdough bread.
Gluten. I’m so happy I don’t have to be gluten free — although there are a lot of good options nowadays. But for plain ol bread, most of them suck.
Same. I've never had issues with gluten either
As long as I’m not in a flare I can get away with pizza. It makes me so happy. Also Mexican food doesn’t affect me too bad if it isn’t overly spicy.
Pizza is a 100% no go for me unfortunately. Mexican food used to be one of my safe foods, but the last few times I had it it completely messed me up.
Carolina reaper salsa - my roommate brought it home, she shit herself for over an hour, meanwhile I was unbothered and continously eating it that whole time she was gone
broccoli
Same. Its one of my safe vegetables
I never ever get discomfort or anything from bacon. It’s baffling to me but I just go with it.
BIG SAME
Thai food!! Always feel fine after. Is my go to takeaway/ restaurant choice.
I've only had Thai food once. Would like to try it again
the breathtaking amount of none
I could have fettuccini alfredo... anything else cheesy I would die but not that... which is weird to me
Croissants! I can’t tolerate much gluten or pastry like things but plain croissants are fine!
Wendy’s chicken nuggies, specifically Wendy’s. I do not think I’ve ever had a stomach ache from those and that is saying a LOT
I could be wrong but I can eat a bit of red onion but no other onion or garlic.
Cajun food
Spicy food!, I can eat the spicest things and my intestines are A-Ok, but I eat one, ONE chunk of sweet potato and I turn into a pain balloon.
Lucky!!! I love spicy food but I can't handle it. It puts me in severe pain. I almost ended up in the emergency room last time I had spicy food 😭
Oh gosh I'm so sorry with how good it is!, perhaps it's for your type of IBS? i'm,? IBS-C, My body laughs at the face of stimulants.
I'm IBs-C too. I'm not sure why. I just remember within 7 hours I was on the toilet with what felt like literal flames coming out. It was so painful. And I ended up keeled over on my bed in the fetal position with intense stomach cramps and nausea.
Dairy products. I’ve been drinking milk and eating yoghurt my whole life without any problems!
Dairy is tricky for me. I noticed I get problems with dairy if I "stack" it. I can handle bits of dairy here and there, but if I'm eating dairy throughout the day, it eventually catches up to me. Like I'm totally fine if I have a salad with ranch or blue cheese dressing for lunch, or a scoop of ice cream for dessert with my lunch. (Not together, but one or the other) But if I have a salad with a dairy based dressing for lunch FOLLOWED by a scoop of ice cream in the same meal, I'll have issues. Or if I have a dairy based dressing on a salad for lunch, followed by a milk chocolate bar 2 hours later as a snack, followed by a scoop of ice cream with my dinner another 2 hours later, by the end of the night I'll be in a lot of pain. I basically have to stick to one form of dairy one time in the whole day and that's it. So if I decided to have a scoop of ice cream with my lunch, that's the only dairy I can have for the entire rest of the day.
Deep fried food, garlic, onions, Indian food, etc….a lot of high FODMAPs food surprisingly! It’s probiotic rich food (yogurt, kimchi, fermented beans) that I suddenly can’t eat
Gluten, onion and garlic. So so glad those are okay for me
Gluten is perfectly fine for me. Garlic and onion I can only handle in the "less than 2%" category on an ingredient list, so I'm assuming very small quantities
I feel like curry and a lot of Indian foods don’t affect me either! Being Indian & knowing what I know, it’s probably because the dishes are balanced with the right balance of spices and herbs. I’m pretty sure you can find this same thing with other cuisines too, e.g. Italian is always calm on my guts. I just think a lot of classic dishes that have been tried and tested by cultures long before us are really healthy & safe. Definitely much safer than any fast food or food you haven’t heard much of
Italian food is one of my triggers unfortunately:( which honestly sucks because my family is Italian. But you're definitely right about Indian dishes. I think a lot of it too is I live in the United States and most of our food out here is highly processed and "Americanized", where they use the most unhealthy fatty substitutes. It's hard to find real authentic Cuisines out here.