What You Should Not Be Eating When You Have IBS

Irritable bowel syndrome affects roughly 20% of the population. The constant bloating, gas, cramping, and unpredictable bathroom urgency don't just wreck your digestion. They fuel anxiety, drain your energy, and keep you scanning every room for the nearest exit.

Your gut isn't broken because you're weak or dramatic. It's struggling because certain foods trigger inflammatory cascades and bacterial overgrowth that your intestinal lining can't handle anymore.

Here's what needs to go, and why.

Remove ALL Grains First

Yes, even the "healthy whole grains" the USDA and food pyramid told you to eat six servings of daily.

This includes: bulgur, whole wheat flour, oats, corn, popcorn, brown rice, rye, barley, farro, wild rice, buckwheat, triticale, millet, quinoa, and sorghum.

Why grains wreck your gut:

Most grains contain gluten and gliadin (proteins that trigger zonulin release in your intestinal wall). Zonulin blows open the tight juncti...

What Is Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

Most patients don't walk into the office saying "I have IBS." They describe gas, bloating, inconsistent bowel movements, abdominal discomfort—symptoms they've normalized because they've had them for years. When I ask about bowel habits, I hear "I'm regular—I go once a week, every week."

That's not regular. That's constipation.

Approximately 20% of the population suffers from some form of IBS. One in five people you meet has digestive dysfunction they've either normalized or don't recognize as abnormal. They live with chronic gas, constipation, diarrhea, or alternating between all three, assuming everyone feels this way.

Diagnostic Criteria for IBS

IBS is diagnosed when a person experiences abdominal pain or discomfort at least three times per month for the past three months, without other disease or structural pathology that explains the symptoms. The pain typically correlates with changes in stool frequency or consistency, and often improves afte...