There are millions of individuals around the world who suffer from the inability to gain weight and rapid weight loss.  Although this may make some envious, there is nothing healthy about rapid weight loss and the inability to gain weight.  In fact, if not corrected, this type of condition can become life threatening.

Unfortunately, those suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) often experience rapid weight loss and muscle wasting in the body.  Many have tried everything in order to correct the problem only to find that what they do only seems to make the problem worse or have no effect at all.  In fact, many will opt for pharmaceutical drugs in hopes to correct the problem, but soon find that these drugs come with their own list of side effects.

Luckily, there is hope for those suffering with IBS and rapid weight loss.  As a matter of fact, there have been millions of individuals who have cured themselves of digestive disorders such as IBS all through eliminating problematic foods and following the correct diet.  In this post we will get into the correct diet all IBS patients should be following in order to stop negative symptoms such as rapid weight loss and muscle wasting.

However, before we do this, let’s first talk about how IBS can cause rapid weight loss and muscle wasting in the body.

The Three Reasons for IBS

To fully understand why IBS is causing rapid weight loss, you must first understand what is happening in the body when an individual is suffering from IBS.  Despite what experts may tell you, IBS is a direct result of high amounts of intestinal inflammation.  This inflammation can occur for several different reasons, but below are 3 most common reasons for this intestinal inflammation.

• Poor Diet
• Fungal Overgrowth’s
• Overuse of Antibiotics

We aren’t going to get into how fungal overgrowth’s such as candida can contribute to IBS.  In fact, we’ve covered this topic extensively already, so if you haven’t done so, please head over to our IBS and Candida Post.

With that said, poor diet is the number reason an individual will suffer from IBS.  Interestingly, many so called “healthy diets” advocate to consume foods which can severely aggravate the intestines and lead to chronic inflammation.  In particular, the vegan, raw vegan, and vegetarian diet which advocates for high amounts of plant foods can be extremely damaging to the intestines. 

This is because all plant foods contain high amounts of anti-nutrients such as phytates, lectins, oxalates, and tannins.  These anti-nutrients are present in the plants in order to protect it from being eaten by predators.  Symptoms of poor digestion, diarrhea, constipation, and intestinal inflammation is the plants warning to the humans to stop eating them. 

It should be mentioned that cooking can lower the anti-nutrient content in plants, but this is often not enough for individuals with problems with their digestion.  It’s for this reason that we do not recommend high amounts of plant foods for anyone dealing with IBS or rapid weight loss.  For full details on what we do recommend you eat, go to our Diet Protocol Page for more information.

IBS, Weight Loss, and Muscle Wasting

Once you understand that IBS is a symptom of high amounts of inflammation in the intestines, it becomes quite clear why weight loss and muscle wasting is a symptom.  It’s important to understand that when the intestines are inflamed, they will become more permeable and will naturally lose their ability to absorb nutrients.  When this occurs, those suffering are unable to obtain the necessary nutrients needed in order for bodily repair and healthy weight maintenance.

 As a result, the body will begin to loose large amounts of weight due to lack of nourishment.  This is extremely unhealthy and can be dangerous in the long.  In fact, an individual can develop several different nutritional deficiencies under such circumstances.

Luckily, the body is incredibly smart and will begin to break down muscle tissue and in order to obtain the necessary nutrients needed for survival.  To put it simply, the body will begin to cannibalize itself in order to survive.  If you notice that you’re loosing muscle and suffer from IBS, this is a red flag that you need to change your diet immediately.

Follow the Correct Diet

If your suffering from rapid weight loss due to IBS, you need to change your diet.  As mentioned before, our Diet Protocol Page is perfect for anyone wanting a clear outline of what they should be eating in order to help combat IBS. 

Also, in our experience, the following foods below are the best when it comes to correcting digestive disorders in the body.

• Animal Organs
• Grass Fed-Beef
• Bone Broth
• Wild Caught Fish
• Pastured Chicken
• Gelatin
• Raw Milk Kefir

These foods should be consumed abundantly by anyone suffering from IBS or any other digestive disorder.  Unlike plant foods, these foods contain no anti-nutrients which will irritate the gut lining causing further inflammation.  Also, they contain all the nutrients the body needs in order for healthy repair and healing of intestines.

With that said, we highly urge you to go easy on the plant foods, especially the starch.  Both experience and research shows that patients who follow a low carbohydrate diet show significant improvements in their IBS (1).  Again, all plant foods contain anti-nutrients which can have a damaging effect on the intestines in those with poor gut health.

Try our Intestinal Health Cookbook

As well as following a correct IBS diet, you may find our Intestinal Health Cookbook to be of great value to you.  Our cook book contains over 20 different gut friendly recipes that can help reduce inflammation in the gut and improve the gut microbiome.  Also, the foods in our cookbook are not only extremely healthy for you, but they also taste amazing!

That being said, preparing gut friendly meals at home is must for anyone dealing with weight loss due to IBS.  If you’re constantly eating out, you need to give up this habit until the intestines properly heal.  It’s extremely easy to consume ingredients in food that that will irritate an IBS condition when not prepared by your own hands.

It’s for this reason that we highly recommend the Intestinal Health Cookbook to anyone looking for great tasting recipe ideas that are extremely gut friendly!

Other solutions for IBS and Weight Loss

As well as eating a correct diet, there are various foods that should be emphasized by anyone dealing with weight loss due to IBS.  These foods are extremely nourishing to the gut and contain all the vitamins, minerals, and amino acids that are desperately needed by those with IBS induced weight loss

1. Organic Animal Liver

Animal liver contains every single nutrient needed for optimal health in the body.  It contains a wide array of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids that are often deficient in those with IBS.  No other food on the planet is as nutrient dense as animal liver.  It’s for this reason that Native American hunters viewed the liver as sacred and would always consume it first after the conclusion of a successful hunt.

Many may have difficulty finding high quality animal liver in their area.  If this is the case, we highly recommend you try out US Wellness Meats.  They will deliver high quality animal products right to your door!  Also, a high quality extra virgin cod liver oil supplement can be extremely helpful as well.

2. Bone Broth

Bone Broth is highly recommend for anyone dealing with IBS.  Bone broth has the ability to make the gut less permeable and reduce intestinal inflammation.  It also contains an abundance of nutrients which can help repair a damaging intestinal lining.

3. Gelatinous Cuts of Meat

Focusing on fatty cuts of meat, especially ones that are naturally gelatinous are extremely soothing to the digestive lining.  This is because gelatinous cuts of meat, such as oxtail and shank, naturally contain high amounts of collagen.  This collagen can help assist in the repair of the mucosal lining of the intestines and can significantly reduce inflammation.

We’ve found that slow cooking works best for gelatinous cuts of meat.  The slow cooking process breaks down the tuff animal fibers and which can help improve the digestibility.