![]() Rye bread and crackers, and cereals made from corn, rice or oats make good alternatives to standard wheat-based foods. While I agree that a high-fibre diet is a good thing, I generally advise that people get their fibre from non-wheat sources such as oats, beans, pulses, fruits and vegetables. People prescribed a high-fibre diet often gravitate to high-bran breakfast cereals and wholemeal bread, both of which are based on wheat. It is perhaps sensitivity to wheat which explains why a high-fibre diet often makes IBS sufferers worse. I see wheat as perhaps the most problematic food of all, and often find that the elimination of this foodstuff alone leads to considerable relief from symptoms. ![]() ![]() While any food can trigger IBS, the most common offenders are wheat, milk, cheese, citrus fruits and coffee. In one study, published in 1994, 113 people with IBS were put on a diet which excluded offending foods.Ībdominal bloating was relieved in 88 per cent, colic in 90 per cent, diarrhoea in 85 per cent and constipation in 65 per cent. IBS, it seems, is often triggered by specific foods causing adverse reactions in the lining of the gut which provoke symptoms such as bloating and pain. In fact, peppermint oil is just one of a host of natural approaches which can be very effective in restoring health to the digestive tract. Last week, research was published showing that peppermint oil - a folk remedy for digestive complaints - could be effective in treating IBS in children. However, high-fibre diets quite often worsen symptoms in sufferers, and medication is very rarely a long-term solution. ![]() The orthodox medical approach is based on a high-fibre diet and medication to reduce spasm in the lining of the gut. Thought to affect at least 10 per cent of the population, and 30 per cent of elderly people, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is today's most common digestive disorder.Ĭharacterised by abdominal bloating and discomfort, it is often associated with wind and problems with bowel habit. ![]()
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