Does a Low-Sodium Diet Help Reduce IBS Symptoms?

I recently gained a fair amount of weight after developing hypothyroidism. My doctor suggested some of it could be water weight and recommended I reduce the amount of sodium in my diet. Of course, he also recommended I cut calories. I made drastic changes to my diet and was quite surprised by how it affected my IBS symptoms.

Does sodium affect IBS?

I do not think sodium, itself, is the issue, at least for me. I believe that foods that contain a lot of sodium tend to be processed foods, and those foods are the problem. Canned foods and greasy foods are off the table on a low-sodium diet, and those foods certainly did agitate IBS.

By eliminating a lot of foods that had been causing flares, some of which I did not even realize, I began to have a lot fewer issues. Persistent cramping I had been dealing with for several weeks suddenly disappeared.

Discovering that a low-sodium diet helps relieve IBS symptoms

I realized by accident that this new diet was indeed helpful. I splurged and ate a small portion of Chinese food and ended up with cramps not long after finishing the meal. The same thing happened when I splurged and ate Mexican food.

Of course, both those foods generally agitated my IBS so it was expected, but it made me realize that I had not had any symptoms of IBS since I had drastically reduced my sodium intake. Taking all of those processed foods out of my diet made a huge difference.

Cutting sodium and calories improved my IBS

My low-sodium, low-calorie diet improved my IBS symptoms seemingly overnight. So many foods I never thought about before were certainly agitating me and causing flares. I recognize that now.

So many of the processed foods I was eating caused symptoms. Again, I don’t think it was the actual sodium. I think a lot of the foods high in sodium contain ingredients that agitate IBS. Eliminating all those processed foods made a big difference.

Are low-sodium spices better for IBS?

I have found a number of spices with no sodium and no calories. I tend to use them on almost everything I eat now to spice up some of the very bland foods I am eating to maintain a healthier diet. Spices can be bothersome, but I have found that none of them have caused issues.

Despite these spices having almost everything you can imagine blended in, they have not bothered me. Is it because there is no sodium in these spices? I’m not sure, but I know they don’t cause me pain and that’s a win.

Maintaining an IBS-friendly diet

Cutting calories is far less difficult than cutting sodium. Everything has so much sodium. A fair bit of low-calorie foods tend to have a high amount of sodium. It isn’t easy finding foods that are both low-sodium and low-calorie.

Despite the difficulty I have had in finding foods to fit my diet, I have been able to stay committed. The relief of IBS symptoms has been a huge source of motivation. I haven’t had cramps, and I don’t bloat anywhere near as much as I did before. I just feel better.

Have you been on a low-sodium diet before? Did you have a reduction in IBS symptoms? I would love to hear about your experience.