If you suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) or any other digestive disorder, there are various foods that you will want to avoid.  The foods listed below are known to cause digestive distress and can make conditions such as IBS much worse.  In fact, for those unaware, intestinal inflammation plays a key role in the development of IBS.

With that said, foods that are prone to cause intestinal inflammation must be avoided.  Also, fungal overgrowth’s such as candida can also play a vital role in the development of several different digestive diseases including IBS.  Research has shown that the majority of IBS patients often unknowingly suffer from a fungal overgrowth such as candida in the gut (1).

For more information on candida, be sure to go to our Candida and IBS post.  Also, it’s important that you not only avoid the foods listed below, but that you also follow a correct IBS diet plan.  This will allow the gut to fully regenerate and will help reduce intestinal inflammation.  For more information on best diet for IBS, go to our Diet Protocol Page.

Now, let’s get into the top 8 foods you must avoid if you suffer from IBS!

The 8 Worst Foods for IBS

1. Wheat

Although we may sound like a broken record, wheat is extremely damaging to gut lining.  In fact, if you could avoid only one food, it should be wheat.  Modern wheat has been overly hybridized in order to yield better profits. 

When compared to ancient wheat varieties, modern wheat contains way more gluten.  Gluten is an anti-nutrient that can severely irritate the gut lining and promote conditions such as IBS.  Also, wheat is extremely rich in the anti-nutrient phytic acid.  Research has shown that phytates coming primarily from cereal grains can cause inflammation in the intestines and bind to minerals in the gut (2).

Solution:

Use an ancient wheat variety such as einkorn, barley, millet, sorghum, teff, and spelt in your cooking.  Also, soaking and fermenting (sourdough breads) can significantly reduce the anti-nutrient content in these grains making them more gut friendly and more easily digestible.

2. Sugar

If you’re eating sugar on a regular basis and suffer from a digestive condition such as IBS, you must stop this behavior immediately.  Sugar is extremely toxic to the human body and can trigger severe inflammation in the digestive tract.  This is mainly because sugar feeds pathogenic bacteria, yeast, and fungus in the intestines.

In particular, sugar feeds the yeast/fungus candida which can become extremely problematic when overgrown.  When overgrown, candida burrows itself into the digestive lining creating all kinds of intestinal inflammation.  It also releases toxic byproducts which can contribute to not only intestinal inflammation, but poor overall health.

Solution:

Instead of using sugar, switch to a local raw honey.  Research has shown that raw honey can help inhibit the growth of several different candida species in the gut (3).  Also, raw honey contains live bacteria and enzymes that can be beneficial for the health of the gut.  Pure maple syrup is also a good option due to its anti-microbial properties (4).

3. Starchy Vegetables

Cooked starchy vegetables should be avoided by anyone with IBS.  Although not typically problematic, starchy vegetables can pose problems for those with poor digestive health.  Again, like sugar, starchy vegetables can feed pathogenic bacteria, yeast, and fungus in the gut which can cause intestinal inflammation.

Furthermore, many with poor gut health often struggle with some form of blood sugar dysregulation.  Consuming starchy carbohydrates can make this issue much worse.  Until the gut is properly healed, starchy vegetables are best avoided.

Solution:

Try making your own homemade fermented vegetables.  Fermented vegetables are already predigested by the large amounts of live bacteria and can be great for boosting the good bacteria in the gut.  Also, fermented vegetables make a great side dish.  In fact, fermented vegetables go great with all the gut friendly meals in our Intestinal Health Cookbook!

4. Vegetable Oils

Vegetable oils can be extremely inflammatory to the gut and play a significant role in the development of several different inflammatory conditions in the body.  This is primarily because of its high omega 6 to omega 3 ratio.  However, vegetable oils, when cooked, become rancid and toxic to the body and can cause almost immediate inflammation in the body.

Research has shown that those who use vegetable oils regularly are more prone to suffer from inflammatory conditions in the body (5).  As a result, vegetable oils such as corn, safflower, soy, grape seed, and canola should be avoided.

Solution:

Instead of cooking with these oils, try cooking with an extra virgin coconut oil.  Coconut oil does not have an imbalance in its omega 3 to omega 6 ratio and has an extremely high smoke point.  As a result, coconut oil will not create toxic byproducts when heated like vegetable oils do.  High quality animal fats are also excellent for cooking.

5. Modern Fruit

Modern fruit can be extremely problematic for those suffering with IBS.  This is because almost all modern food has undergone a selective breeding process which causes it to produce far too much fructose (sugar).  It should be mentioned that fruit growing in the wild is extremely low in fructose, contains seeds, is extremely small, and only occurs in seasons.

The privilege of consuming big sugary seedless fruit is a byproduct of importation and modern farming techniques.  However, make no doubt about it, eating such fruits is extremely unnatural and can be extremely hard on the body.  In fact, research has shown that diets high in fructose can contribute to fatty liver disease in the body (6).

Solution:

Only eat fruit that has been grown locally and is in season.  Also, most berries that can be found at the supermarket are still good choices.  In fact, most grocery stores will sell a wild blueberry variety in the frozen fruit section.

6. Raw Vegetables

Contrary to popular belief, raw vegetables aren’t all that healthy.  In fact, many raw vegetables, especially cruciferous vegetables, contain goitrogens which can contribute to health conditions such as hypothyroid and can be extremely harsh on the digestive tract. 

Cooking, significantly reduces these goitrogenic compounds and other anti-nutrients found in many raw vegetables.  In fact, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, raw food in general can be extremely damaging to the body, especially to the spleen.

Solution:

If you’re are going to have vegetables, make sure you cook them first.  Again, cooking can help reduce the anti-nutrient content significantly which makes it more digestive friendly.  Also, be sure to cook them in grass-fed butter, animal fat, or coconut oil in order to increase their absorbability in the body.

7. Processed Foods

Processed foods must go if you suffer from IBS or any other digestive disorder.  This is because packaged foods often contain synthetic ingredients which can wreak havoc in the body.  In particular, processed foods contain dietary emulsifiers.

It’s been shown that mice fed dietary emulsifiers will develop intestinal inflammation and are more prone to developing metabolic disorders such as diabetes (7).  It’s for this reason that we highly recommend anyone dealing with IBS to check out our Intestinal Health Cookbook for healthy recipe ideas.

Solution:

Cook all your own meals and avoid anything that comes in a package.  Food eaten should be whole and unprocessed.  If it contains a list of ingredients, it’s best to avoid such foods.  As a rule of thumb, if you can’t find it growing in nature, don’t eat it!

8. Corn

Like wheat, modern corn can be disastrous for anyone suffering from digestive conditions such as IBS.  This is because the majority of corn produced in the U.S. is genetically modified (GMO).  It also resembles nothing of the ancient corn varieties that were often consumed by early Native Americans.

As a result, the corn that you buy at the supermarket is nothing more than a science experiment.  In fact, you would never find such corn growing naturally in nature.  It should be mentioned that modern corn is one of the most pesticide sprayed crops on the entire planet.  Avoiding these pesticides would be in your best interest if you suffer from digestive disorders such as IBS.

Solution:

Instead of eating modern corn,  try consuming wild rice.  Wild rice can still be purchased at most health food stores and has not been genetically modified.  Like corn, wild rice was also consumed by early Native Americans and was most likely a staple due to its nutritive value.  Just be sure to soak the rice overnight before cooking.  Soaking reduces the amount of anti-nutrients present in the rice and makes it more easily digestible.