IBS Part 2: How Can I Improve My IBS? Looking Beyond the Food You Eat

Last week I looked at why two people can both have IBS but experience very different symptoms – and why simply removing more and more foods isn't necessarily the answer.

So, if food isn't the whole story, what else can we look at?

Gut health is one of my specialist areas, and IBS is something I work with regularly in clinic. When someone comes to see me with digestive problems, I’m interested in much more than what they eat. How and when they eat, how their digestive system is functioning, stress, bowel habits and the health of the gut itself can all provide useful clues.

Here are some of the areas I consider.

How you eat matters too

We understandably focus a lot on what we eat, but digestion begins before food has even reached the stomach.

Eating quickly, eating on the go or barely chewing before swallowing can all influence the digestive process. Sometimes going back to basics and looking at how someone is actually eating is an important part of improving digestion.

It sounds simple, but simple doesn't necessarily mean insignificant.

Look at your meal timing

We're increasingly a society of grazers. A meal here, a snack there, a coffee and something mid-morning, another snack in the afternoon – and sometimes very little time when the digestive system isn't dealing with incoming food.

Meal timing is therefore something I often look at with clients experiencing IBS.

There isn't one eating schedule that's right for everyone, and IBS can present very differently from one person to another. But looking at someone's usual eating pattern, whether they are constantly grazing or regularly going for very long periods without eating, can tell us a surprising amount.

It is an area where relatively small, individual changes can sometimes make a significant difference.

How quickly is food moving through your digestive system?

Gut motility is simply the movement of food through your digestive tract.

If things are moving too slowly, symptoms can include constipation, bloating, discomfort, and gas. If they're moving too quickly, you may experience loose stools, pain, or urgency.

Rather than simply trying to suppress those symptoms, I like to consider why the digestive system might be behaving that way in the first place.

Supporting a healthier digestive rhythm is something I work on individually with clients – and it's one of the reasons an IBS approach needs to be much more personalised than a generic list of foods to avoid.

Don't overlook the gut-brain connection

The relationship between our gut and brain is a fascinating and continually developing area of research.

We know that stress can affect digestion. And by stress, I don't necessarily mean a major life crisis.

The everyday, always-switched-on variety counts too – rushing from one thing to another, eating while answering emails, worrying about what's next or simply never really stopping.

When our body perceives stress, digestion isn't necessarily its immediate priority. That's why I often talk to clients about what is happening around their meals as well as what's on the plate. How do you feel when you sit down to eat? Are you rushing? Distracted? Still working?

Finding realistic ways to support the gut-brain connection can be an important part of calming digestive symptoms.

What about your gut bacteria?

The gut microbiome – the huge community of microorganisms living within our digestive system – has become an enormous area of research in recent years, and we're still discovering just how wide-reaching its role may be.

What we eat and how we live can influence that environment.

Rather than becoming overly focused on individual 'good' or 'bad' bacteria, I prefer to think about whether we're creating an environment in which a diverse and healthy gut microbiome can thrive.

The typical Western diet doesn't always make that particularly easy, but supporting your microbiome doesn't need to involve an expensive cupboard full of supplements or unusual foods.

It's something I help clients realistically incorporate into everyday eating.

Do you need gut testing?

I used to carry out considerably more gut testing than I do now.

Testing can absolutely be useful for some people, particularly when symptoms aren't improving as expected, or there is a specific reason why further investigation could help guide what we do next.

However, I've found that once we've properly explored the fundamentals (rather than skipping over them because they sound too simple) additional gut testing isn't always necessary.

I prefer to use testing when the result is likely to genuinely change what we do, rather than testing simply because we can.

A word about food intolerance tests

One test I don't recommend is a commercial food intolerance test based on IgG antibodies.

Food intolerance is different from a true food allergy, and these tests aren't considered a reliable way of diagnosing which foods are causing IBS symptoms. They can also result in people unnecessarily removing multiple foods from their diet, creating more restriction and worry around eating.

Coeliac disease is different. If you have ongoing IBS-type symptoms and haven't previously been investigated, it's important to speak to your GP. NICE recommends testing for coeliac disease in adults with IBS, and you shouldn't remove gluten before testing because this can affect the accuracy of the results.

There isn't one IBS solution

If there's one thing I've learnt from working with digestive problems, it's that the answer is rarely just one thing.

Sometimes it's about food. Sometimes it's eating habits, digestive function, stress, or bowel motility. Often it's a combination.

The aim isn't to create a perfect diet or spend your life thinking about your gut. It's to understand what's contributing to your symptoms and gradually work towards calmer, more predictable digestion. This can often be achieved without unnecessarily restrictive diets or endless testing.

If you've been living with bloating, pain, or unpredictable digestion and feel you've simply got used to putting up with it, you can find out more about working with me here: https://www.gemmabarnes.co.uk/work-with-me

A quick note: 

New, persistent, or changing digestive symptoms shouldn't automatically be assumed to be IBS. If you're concerned about your symptoms, particularly if they've changed, speak to your GP so that appropriate medical investigation can be carried out.