7 Essential Tips I Use to Make Life Better with IBS

Having spent many years battling IBS, I’ve picked up some tricks along the way that have been extremely helpful in managing my various symptoms. I hope you find them as helpful as they have been to me! 1. Morning Fruit: I mostly keep fruit intake to the mornings as I am able to digest a good amount without triggering an IBS reaction, whereas if I eat fruit later in the day I often develop abdominal pain and gas. Prior to transforming my diet I would suffer from brain fog as well as anxiety. Feasting each morning on low FODMAP berries such as blueberries and raspberries has completely changed my life! I now have more focus and energy than ever before. 2. Fresh Ginger Root and Fennel Oil: Another IBS symptom is frequent nausea! I keep fresh ginger root in my house at all times, adding it to water and white tea when I feel an episode coming on. I also cannot live without fennel essential oil: When you have nausea, take a fennel bath, relax and breath deeply. 3. Nutrients for Female Health: Controlling hormones is a vital part of IBS. Now that I am confident with IBS-friendly eating, I simultaneously focus on eating for female health as well. Each day I try to get calcium, vitamins B, B-complex and D, and magnesium into my diet. That means brown rice, oily fish, eggs and bananas - all of which I love! 4. Remove Sugars and Carbs: Removing these common IBS triggers from my diet actually helped reduce my fibromyalgia-style symptoms as well as my digestive issues. 5. Yoga: When you suffer from fibromyalgia-style pains you have to be very careful as to how you exercise. I choose power-walking, swimming and yoga. One of the worst things about IBS is the amount of gas that develops in your digestive system - and stays there! Bloating and trapped gas can be incredibly painful. Yoga, even for a brief time in the morning, is very helpful at shifting trapped gas and reducing bloating. 6. More Bath Time: Whole body pains (often associated with fibromyalgia or vitamin D deficiency) are becoming linked to IBS more and more. When I feel these symptoms starting, I take a deep bath with lavender as the heat and buoyancy of the water helps. 7. Listen to your body: When learning to control IBS you must listen to everything your body is telling you and learn from it. I've learned numerous little things that have a big impact on my quality of life like saving fruit for the morning, keeping acidity to a minimum, never drinking with meals, and crushing seeds before eating them. Want more? You might also like: What’s Really Causing Your IBS? The Diet That Changed My Life with IBS and Improved My Thyroid Symptoms My Doctors Said They Couldn’t Help My IBS and Leaky Gut, So I Helped Myself. Here’s How When an IBS Attack Strikes, These Solutions May Just Save Your Gut Note: PLEASE consult with your doctor before making any changes to your diet or medications. The material on this site is provided for educational purposes only, and is not to be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.