When people are first diagnosed with IBS, they tend to avoid most of the food groups and go on a very strict diet. This is not a good idea as our body needs the nutrients to function. The best thing is to start with an elimination diet of all the common IBS trigger food. Here are a list of the most common IBS trigger food:

- Fat : These types of food has high oil content and should be avoided in your diet: butter, cooking oil, spread, salad dressing, sauces and all types of fried food. Not forgetting fast food which is very high in fat as well.

- Milk or dairy products : This food group should be avoided if you have lactose intolenrance.

- Solid chocolate

- Alcohol

- Coffee and carbonated drinks which contain caffeine

- Preservatives, MSG, artificial flavoring and sweeteners. Make a habit to read food labels.

- If you use sugar substitutes, avoid sugar alcohols which tend to cause dirrhea. This is not digestable so they can get to the colon. apples, pears, cherries, peaches and plums. Some foods that use "no added sugar" may use apple or pear juice as a sweetener/liquid ingredient and can be a problem because of natural levels of sugar alcohols.

- Avoid gassy food such as corn, broccolli, cauliflower and carbonated drinks.

- Starchy foods such as potatoes, pumpkin, pasta, rice and noodle may cause IBS for some people.

The common IBS safe food includes:

- Food which contains soluble fiber such as oatmeal, white bread (no wheat), rice and banana. Oatmeal is a great source of soluble fiber which is gentle to the digestive system.

- Food which contains insoluble fiber such as raw fruits and vegetables.

- Tofu is a great source of protein which is very easy to digest and highly versatile in cooking.

- probiotics - those are great for building up good bacteria in your gut, which over time will help strengthen your digestive system.

Once your digestive system has stabilized - that is, once your symptoms have calmed down - you can start gradually adding back other foods. Try just one new food at a time, for a day or two. If your digestive system seems to accept it with no major reactions, you can keep the new food in your diet and try another one. This method can be painstaking and is necessarily based on trial and error at first. It requires a lot of patience and persistence but this will help you determine your personal IBS trigger food and save yourself a lot of unnessary pain and discomfort.

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