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Irritable Bowel Syndrome diet is a really important factor in your treatment if you have got the disorder. An estimated 15-20% of all Americans have Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and it's a devastating (not to mention incurable) condition. If you want to know about the Irritable Bowel Syndrome diet, you are NOT alone. Fortunately, symptoms (pain, diarrhea, constipation, bloating) can be controlled through Irritable Bowel Syndrome diet.

More good news - the Irritable Bowel Syndrome diet is also beneficial for inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis, plus diverticulosis and diverticulitis.

Despite the fact that diet plays a direct role in gut function (which is instinctively obvious to IBS sufferers, who are desperate for a reliable Irritable Bowel Syndrome diet as they know this will help them), many doctors fail to give their patients any Irritable Bowel Syndrome diet guidelines at all.

Worse still, much information available for Irritable Bowel Syndrome diet is outdated and useless - or likely to trigger symptoms (have you been told to eat bran? lots of raw veggies for fiber? this is wrong!)

The proper Irritable Bowel Syndrome diet (and yes, there is one - IBS is not so highly individualized that no accurate generalizations can be made) makes a world of difference for almost everyone with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. For many, the Irritable Bowel Syndrome diet makes the difference between living a normal, happy, outgoing life versus spending every single day stuck in the bathroom enduring blinding pain, bowel dysfunction, bloating, and other Irritable Bowel Syndrome symptoms.

I would bet you already know from personal experience that some foods nearly always cause IBS problems, while others never seem to bother you. On the other hand, you've also probably noticed that sometimes a specific food will trigger an Irritable Bowel Syndrome attack, while at other times you can eat the exact same item without difficulty. Odds are it doesn't seem like there's any rhyme or reason to this. Odds are also that you've been wracking your brain to figure out why.

There are, in fact, very clear guidelines to follow for an Irritable Bowel Syndrome diet, based on the well-established effects certain categories of foods have on the GI tract. The key word here is categories – most people with IBS drive themselves bonkers trying to find that one specific food that is triggering their Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

The problem is, it isn't a single food that causes Irritable Bowel Syndrome symptoms. It's ANY food that is high in fat, insoluble fiber, caffeine, coffee (even decaf), carbonation, or alcohol. Why? Because all of these food categories are either GI stimulants or irritants, and can cause violent reactions of your gastrocolic reflex. This directly affects the muscles in your colon and can lead to pain, constipation AND diarrhea, gas, and bloating.

In fact, the happy truth is that eating safely for an Irritable Bowel Syndrome diet does not mean deprivation, never going to restaurants, bland food, or an unhealthily limited diet. Nor does it mean living on "rabbit food" available exclusively at health food stores, or following brutal elimination diets, or keeping endless food diaries for the rest of your life.

An Irritable Bowel Syndrome diet does mean learning to eat safely by realizing how different foods physically affect the GI tract, and how the same foods can help or hurt both Irritable Bowel Syndrome diarrhea AND constipation, as well as bloating, gas, nausea, and painful abdominal cramps. Following the Irritable Bowel Syndrome diet simply means learning how foods can prevent or trigger a spastic colon. To find out more about IBS and how to relieve the symptoms visit http://www.web-find-it.com/articles/irritablebowelsyndrome/index.html

Mike Spencer is committed to helping people promote and protect their health, and has been doing so for many years. Here Mike talks about how to help yourself if you're suffering with Irritable Bowel syndrome (IBS) and make your life much easier. Read more about IBS here: http://www.irritable-bowel-syndrome-help-online.org Mike Spencer http://www.ibs-irritable-bowel-syndrome-news.com