Diet in IBS

"How you eat" comes before "what you eat"

Meal timing, portion size, chewing, hydration and the gap between dinner and sleep often move the needle more than swapping one ingredient for another. Steady these first, then work on specific triggers.

Common trigger habits

• Long gaps between meals, followed by one heavy meal
• Eating very fast, or talking through a meal (swallowing air)
• Late dinners and lying down straight after eating
• Very oily, very spicy or very cold food
• Too much tea or coffee on an empty stomach
• Aerated drinks

The general direction

Freshly cooked, warm, simple food; three main meals at roughly fixed hours; moderate portions; water spread through the day; and dinner finished two to three hours before sleep. Increase fibre gradually and raise water alongside it, or bloating can get worse.

Don't cut whole food groups

Dropping milk, wheat or entire food groups on your own is a common mistake — nutrition suffers and the real trigger still goes unidentified. Keep a two-week food-and-symptom diary and test one thing at a time. Make any major dietary change under guidance.

Please note

This page is general health education, not a diagnosis. Persistent, severe or new symptoms — and warning signs such as blood in the stool, unexplained weight loss, fever, repeated vomiting or anaemia — need a qualified healthcare professional. Our guidance works alongside your doctor's care, never in place of it.