IBS - soluble or insoluble fibre?

[BriarRose]

Hi - I've suffered agonies with constipation type IBS (and diverticular disease) for years. I keep getting told to increase the fibre in my diet, but I know some fibres - I think the soluble type - also increase stomach gas, and i produce more than enough of that all by myself, thanks! I understand insoluble fibres produce less gas, but aid constipation - BUT I'm TOTALLY confused as to which foods contain which type of fibre, and which would be best to help the constipation without blowing my stomach up like a balloon and having me almost rolling around in agony!!!

Please, can anyone help?

Many thanks

Rose

xxxxx

[kiwimiwi]

A quick search on the net should come up with foods and their fibre content. My gatsroenterologist made a point of saying that current research suggests fibre is really good for people with a healthy gut but people who suffer from IBS or other bowel conditions can find fibre doesn't react in the desired way in their gut. I suffer with IBS-D and my he said foods high in soluble fibre are the best for me. This in no way means I shouldn't eat insoluble fibre; this is still needed as it is a bulking agent and required for a healthy gut but too much can irritate the gut! This is also the case in IBS with constipation; too much insoluble can clog you up more. This is one of those things where IBS reacts differently in different people and it is a case of finding the foods that irritate/constipate/motivate your gut! I personally find that I bloat heavily with high insoluble fibre foods and as such, I avoid wholegrains completely, get my insoluble fibre from non-peelable vegetables and eat more food with soluble fibre. I found this website explained it well and also gave a pretty decent list of foods - helpforibs.com/diet/fiber1.asp. This first page is about soluble fibre but there is a link to a page on insoluble too. I hope this helps!

[kiwimiwi in reply to kiwimiwi]

Apologies, the link is acting a bit weird because I put a full stop at the end! You can either take the full stop off or click here - helpforibs.com/diet/fiber1.asp

[BriarRose]

Awww thanks, Kiwimiwi - I had got just SO confused - doctors etc keep telling me to eat more fibre, then I get the bloating from hell I'll check out that link, thanks very much, the stuff i found on the net wasn't very helpful

All the best

Rose

[poing]

I had constipation until I cut out foods containing wheat and gluten - and that fixed it completely. I was really quite surprised because I had other reasons for cutting gluten out of my diet and wasn't particularly expecting the result that I got.

I still don't know if its the gluten or the insoluble fibre in the wholewheat that was responsible for the constipation, but really all I need to know is that it works - for me anyway!

[marky555]

Hi

As a thirty year sufferer from IBS I certainly understand what a struggle it is to cope with this condition. The symptoms and causes are so varied and changeable it's very difficult

to treat the symptoms alone and I've learnt over the years to take a holistic approach, this has finally lead me to a place where my IBS is currently under control and I'm living a full life again. I would suggest the following as a holistic and lifestyle approach to the condition......

Firstly and most importantly get a proper diagnosis of IBS, in my case my doctor referred me to a gastroenterologist and I had a raft of tests to rule out any underlying medical causes. Once they could found no medical issues I was diagnosed with IBS .

If you can afford it join a self help group such as the IBS network for support and information and in my experience I really needed both.

Research: you are already doing this by posting your question, Unfortunately as a typical young guy I tried to ignore my condition, especially as I was told it was all in my mind.This led to many years of unhappiness until desperation finally forced me into self help. Research into my symptoms led me to the following......... leaky gut syndrome...which can cause food intolerences and all sorts of other digestive issues which then led me to the four r's approach

The four r's

Remove, replace , re-innoculate and repair. Along with that Iwould add relax as I suffered from anxiety and stress, a great deal of which was caused by the IBS itself ! I researched this approach and implemented into my life along with relaxation techniques.This approach helped me greatly.

Remember that we are all different and to tailor your self help to you.Also within your self help approach you may find one particular element that is a silver bullet and leads to a drastic improvement in your condition. In my case this was taking vitamin B12,for you it may be something else.

I apologise for the length of this post and also if I don't reply to questions ( just don't have the time at the moment ) you may also find this same answer to other questions on the board as I feel I needed to share my experience. Please remember there is HOPE that you can control this condition