Dietary Modifications That Can Help You Make the Most of Your IBS Treatment
Living with IBS can be a challenging experience. For starters, this disorder comes with an array of symptoms ranging from stomach cramps, diarrhoea, bloating, constipation and so on. Thus, you are probably in a constant state of discomfort as you do not know which symptoms will manifest with each passing day. Secondly, the embarrassing symptoms associated with IBS can make socialising difficult for some people; you find yourself cooped up in your home to avoid any unpleasant situations.
With that in mind, it is not surprising that many IBS patients will resort to pharmaceutical intervention to help manage these symptoms. However, if you are not changing your diet, you are not taking measures to diminish your food intolerances. Fortunately, the changes that you make do not have to be drastic. Instead, check out the following dietary modifications that can help you make the most of your IBS treatment.
Reduce your food portions
One of the biggest mistakes that people living with IBS make is eating large meals under the assumption that since they are filling, they will not resort to snacking on foods that will irritate their irritable bowel syndrome, but this is likely incorrect. The reality is that the more filling your meals are, the higher the chances of developing either diarrhoea or constipation, as your digestive system will be overwhelmed.
A better way to maximise your IBS treatment is to reduce your meal portions. One of the leading benefits of eating small meals is that your digestive system has time to break down the food, so you are at a reduced risk of IBS symptoms. Furthermore, when you space out these reduced portions throughout the day, you mitigate the risk of overworking your digestive system.
Increase your hydration
Most people are aware of the fact that drinking a lot of water throughout the day is healthy for their bodies. Nonetheless, what you may not be aware of when living with IBS is that increasing your hydration will help with maximizing your treatment in a couple of ways. To begin with, the more water you drink, the higher the likelihood that you will feel full throughout the day and this will likely stop cravings for foods that aggravate irritable bowel syndrome.
In addition to this, the more you hydrate, the softer your stool becomes. Consequently, you will be at a reduced risk of developing constipation. Lastly, individuals that develop diarrhoea from IBS will find that the higher their water intake, the lesser the threat of becoming dehydrated. Reach out to a professional for more information about IBS treatments.