Diet Lifestyle And Medicines

Things you can do to help with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome)

There's no single diet or medicine that works for everyone with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). But there are things that can help if you have been diagnosed with IBS, to help improve your symptoms or avoid making them worse.

Do

try to eat a healthy, balanced diet
keep a diary of what you eat and any symptoms you get - try to avoid things that trigger your IBS
try to drink at least 8 to 10 drinks of fluid (around 1.5 litres) a day, such as water or non-caffeinated drinks such as herbal tea
try to find ways to relax
get plenty of exercise
try probiotics for a month - they may help any symptoms caused by gut bacteria changes

Don't

do not delay or skip meals
do not eat too quickly
do not eat lots of fatty, spicy or processed foods
do not eat more than 3 portions of fresh fruit a day (a portion is 80g)
do not drink more than 3 cups of tea, coffee or any other caffeinated drink a day
do not drink lots of alcohol or fizzy drinks

If you worry about getting IBS symptoms while you're away from home, you can buy a key from the Disability Rights UK shop to help you access public toilets.

How to ease bloating, cramps and farting

To help reduce symptoms like bloating, cramps and farting:

eat oats (such as porridge) regularly
eat up to 1 tablespoon of linseeds (whole or ground) a day
avoid foods that are hard to digest (like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, beans and onions)
avoid products containing a sweetener called sorbitol
ask a pharmacist about medicines that can help, like Buscopan or peppermint oil

How to reduce diarrhoea

To help prevent diarrhoea, you can:

cut down on high-fibre foods like wholegrain foods (such as brown bread and brown rice), nuts and seeds
avoid products containing a sweetener called sorbitol
ask a pharmacist about medicines that can help, like loperamide (Imodium)

If you keep getting diarrhoea, make sure you drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration.

How to relieve constipation

To help ease constipation, you can:

drink plenty of water to help make your poo softer
increase how much soluble fibre you eat - good foods include oats, pulses, carrots, peeled potatoes and linseeds (whole or ground)
ask a pharmacist about medicines that can help (laxatives), like Fybogel

Find out more

British Dietetic Association: IBS and diet

See a GP if:

diet changes and pharmacy medicines are not helping your IBS symptoms
you need to avoid lots of different foods to control your IBS symptoms

They may refer you to a dietitian or specialist for advice, and can also suggest other treatments to try.

Sexual Health Advice

Throughout this series we have help and advice on staying healthy, dealing with Sexually Transmitted Infections, the risks of each type of the most popular gay sex and what to do if the sex you have is not consentual. The topics covered in this series include:

	This item was in brought to you association with NHS website. Follow the links above for more information and don't forget to check out OutUK's A to Z of Gay Health which features items on everything from relationships, sexual health, mental and physical conditions and how to stay fit. This week our topic is: L - Lung Cancer.
Photos: OutUK and LightFieldStudios.