Gut Check: Trigger Foods

by Lisa Breitenwischer

April 17, 2022

Gut Check: Trigger Foods

About 15-20% of all Americans suffer from irregular bowel syndrome (IBS). 

For many, most IBS episodes occur right after consuming dairy. However, often times, symptoms don’t occur until the following day. This can lead to confusion as to the cause of your digestive issues. The problem can be frustrating, trying to pinpoint one specific food that causes IBS, as oftentimes insoluble fiber, caffeine, coffee, carbonation, alcohol or ANY food that’s high in fat, can also exacerbate the issue.

Why? All of these food categories are classified as either GI irritants or stimulants, which can cause painful and exasperating reactions. This directly affects the muscles in your colon and can lead to the common IBS symptoms: pain, constipation, diarrhea, gas, and bloating.

The IBS trigger foods list below may frustrate you even further, thinking you can never again eat any of these IBS “ bad foods”, causing despair. They are all IBS trigger foods, and yes, some of them you will probably have to completely eliminate from your diet. Others may be eaten in small quantities and many of the items listed have safer substitutes you can use freely.

So take heart, this isn’t the end of the world – it’s just the end of IBS bad foods and the beginning of a better IBS diet.

IBS Trigger Foods List:

Red meat (ground beef, hamburgers, hot dogs, steaks, roast beef, pastrami, salami, bologna, pepperoni, corned beef, ham, bacon, sausage, pork chops, and anything else that comes from cows, pigs, sheep, goats, deer, etc.)

Poultry dark meat and skin (skinless white meat is fine, as is seafood by the way – try to buy organic turkey and chicken)

Dairy products (cheese, butter, sour cream, cream cheese, milk, cream, half-and-half, ice cream, whipped cream, yogurt, frozen yogurt) Dairy is an Irregular Bowel Syndrome trigger even if you’re not lactose intolerant. It’s simply not just the lactose. It’s also not just the high-fat content of most dairy products that can cause your IBS to flare. Even skim and lactose-free dairy can trigger IBS attacks. In addition to fat and lactose, dairy contains components such as whey and casein proteins, which can cause severe digestion problems. Though yogurt is traditionally recommended as an “easily digestible” dairy product because fermentation has reduced the lactose levels, even non-fat versions contain whey and casein and should be avoided.

Egg yolks (whites are fine, do try to buy organic)

Meat, dairy products, and egg yolks are particularly dangerous for all aspects of Irregular Bowel Syndrome. In some people, their high-fat content causes violent, rapid colon spasms and triggers diarrhea. Alternately, for others, their heavy animal proteins, complete lack of fiber, and very low water content can lead to drastically slowed colon contractions (or one prolonged colon spasm, which is extremely painful) and severe IBS constipation. No matter what Irregular Bowel Syndrome symptoms you’re prone to, these three categories of foods pose high risks and are trigger foods really best eliminated from your diet altogether.

Other high fat IBS trigger foods to watch out for:

  • French fries & Onion rings
  • Fried chicken
  • Corn dogs
  • Anything battered and deep-fried or skillet-fried in fat of any kind
  • Shortening, margarine, mayonnaise
  • All oils, fats, spreads, etc.
  • Salad dressings
  • Tartar sauce
  • Cool Whip
  • Coconut milk & shredded coconut
  • Solid chocolate (baking cocoa powder is fine) & solid carob (carob powder is fine)
  • Olives
  • Nuts and nut butters
  • Croissants, pastries, biscuits, scones, and donuts
  • Pie crust
  • Potato chips (baked is ok)
  • Corn chips and nachos (baked is ok)
  • Store-bought dried bananas 

The thought of this can be shocking, but giving up these foods does not equal deprivation. Honestly, it doesn’t. There are many IBS substitutions available on the market that will let you cook and eat safely. There’s also a lot of fun to be had in trying a wide variety of new ones.

An IBS diet plan is highly individualized and can make the difference between living a normal, happy life, versus spending every day in the bathroom or bound over with cramps. If you need support with your IBS, 

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