These foods can be difficult to digest and people with IBS or who are prone to bloating may be irritated by some of the below. To find out which, start by excluding all of the below for 8 weeks (not an easy task but I found it worth it as it eliminated my symptoms). Then reintroduce each food one by one. Ensure you are symptom free before starting and allow three symptom free days between each test of a new food. Start with a small portion and record your symptoms. If you have none, double the portion the next day (day 2). If you have none again, double it again the next day (day 3). If you have none it is a safe food for you. If you get symptoms at any point you can record that food as an irritant and stop the test there. Keep a dairy of your safe and irritating foods and at what quantity you can eat them in.
You can revisit tests at later dates as time can change your tolerance levels both for better or for worse.
- Breadcrumbs/ bread coatings
- Wheat or bran based cereals
The following fruits
- Juices, sweets or foods containing apple or pear juice
Be cautious about drinking excessive amounts of fruit juices or consuming more than small portions of dried fruits.
The following vegetables
- Beans and pulses (baked beans, broad beans, butter beans, chick peas, kidney beans, lentils)
- Brussel sprouts
- Chicory root
- Garlic (including soups and sauces with added garlic)
- Mange tout
- Onion (including soups and sauces with added onion)
- Spring onion (white bit)
- Sugar snap peas
Sugar free mints, gum, sweets, drinks, desserts etc.
- Avoid sorbitol, mannitol, lactitol, maltitol, xylitol, erythritol or isomalt.
Avoid FOS, inulin or oligofructose in ingredients lists
Milk and products containing lactose. For example:
- Milk chocolate