Food
Hi, I'm new to the forum, I have suffered with IBS on and off for about 3 years now. Some bouts are more painful than others. I have decided to do a food diary to see what triggers it. Also thought of going on a Mediterranean diet, has anyone else tried it, it's eating food cooked with olive oil
No, I haven't tried the Mediterranean Diet only because there are many foods in it which I know don't suit me, and tomatoes spring to mind, plus other fruits. I am also not keen on Olive oil and never was.
The only diet I have found helps me at all (with IBS D) is as low fibre as possible, while taking advantage of better phases, to up my vegetable intake. It's just my own kind of diet which evolved as I discovered which foods give me fewer symptoms generally. It basically revolves around plain cooked fish (of most kinds) eggs, carbs such as rice, Italian ciabatta white bread, peeled boiled potatoes (sometimes) and a number of steamed vegetables. Also butter is fine for me, and occasionally I can eat some raw vegetables like watercress or lettuce too.I am more sensitive to fruits and find introducing them quite a challenge. Nuts are okay in very small amounts, and I can eat chocolate and plain cake! No seasonings except Himalayan salt. And that's about it!
It's boring, but I try to put in as many healthy foods as I can tolerate (depending on what my gut is doing at the time.) It also involves very very plain recipes and cooking methods.
I would say yes, give the Mediterranean Diet a try! Why not? We are all different and those foods might be great for you. The only way to know, is to try.
Of course foods that help and foods that hinder, depend on whether you have IBS-D or IBS -C.Well, yes. But you might find a food doesn't suit you initially, or when you are having a flare up, but at another time, maybe weeks later, or if you go through a more normal phase, you might find you can eat small amounts of that food. I can now eat 18 different vegetables much of the time, but at first I couldn't, and had to stick to only about 3. I have to revert to that "diet" if I get a flare up, until things settle down, and I can gradually reintroduce vegetables I had been okay with before.
But I think the secret is trying to find which ones upset you right now, and maybe avoiding those for the time being and see if you feel better.
Some, you might find you always have to leave out, and some you might find you can eat at a later time.I wouldn't experiment with eating any food that had caused a gut upset in the past, while you are going through a rough patch, but wait to try that until your gut feels better.
Oh and, don't think you are obliged to eat something that doesn't suit you just because everyone rages about it being "healthy". Find your own way.
I totally agree with not trying foods that caused a gut upset in the past! I'm not sure if that's exactly what you meant, but for me, for example, tomatoes in large quantities and tomato sauce has always been an issue, even before IBS. It's become an even bigger trigger for me now, and I wouldn't ever eat anything with tomatoes sauce. Karina (team member)
hello, and welcome! We're so glad you joined our community, we help each other in lots of ways. A food diary is an EXCELLENT discovery tool! I ate a Mediterranean diet for years, it's very healthy, with a focus on vegetables and fruit. But it varies depending on where you are. Coastal towns will have seafood as a main ingredient, so fish, veg and fruit on the Amalfi Coast, where Tuscany would put more of the farm on the table. Hi
and welcome to our community! A food diary is a great way to figure out trigger foods. As for the Mediterranean diet, I haven't personally tried it. However, in my experience, no one diet has ever worked for me. Not even the Low FODMAP diet (https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/ibs-diet) which can be a good start for many. There are always some foods that work for me while others don't. In general, I do well with a low-fiber diet like , but I can have most fruits in reasonable quantities and root veggies are also fine for me. I can't tolerate gluten at all, but dairy (besides milk) is fine unless I eat too much or unless I'm in a flare.
If the Mediterranean diet sounds right for you, I would just give it a go and stay attentive to your reaction to different foods! If you keep doing your food diary at the same time, it might actually work really well.
Wishing you all the best, Karina (team member)
