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...

Food Allergy 101: The Basics of Food Allergies and Sensitivities

Exhausted after a full night's sleep? Constantly bloated? Digestive issues that won't resolve?

Your body might be reacting to what you're eating.

Food allergies and sensitivities don't always show up as hives or anaphylaxis. More often, they present as chronic low-grade symptoms that chip away at your energy, digestion, immune function, and overall health—without you realizing food is the culprit.

Here's what you need to know about how food sensitivities work and why they matter.

Two Types of Food Reactions

Food reactions fall into two distinct categories, and understanding the difference is critical for identifying what's affecting you.

Immediate Food Reactions (IgE-mediated)

These are classic food allergies. Your immune system recognizes a specific food (shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts) as a threat and launches an immediate response.

Symptoms appear within minutes to eight hours after eating the trigger food. Rea...

What Causes a Food Allergy

Food allergies and sensitivities are increasing at rates that don't match genetic timelines. Your genes didn't change in the last 30 years. Something else did.

Understanding what causes food allergies requires looking beyond "your immune system overreacts" and examining the specific breakdowns in digestion, gut barrier function, and immune regulation that create allergic responses.

Here's what's actually happening and why it matters.

The Mechanism: How Food Allergies Develop

A food allergy is an immune system response to a protein your body recognizes as a foreign invader.

About 70-80% of your immune system lives in your digestive tract. When food proteins trigger immune reactions in the gut, the response cascades throughout your entire system.

The breakdown process:

1. Incomplete digestion. When your stomach doesn't produce enough hydrochloric acid or your pancreas doesn't secrete adequate digestive enzymes, food proteins don't break down completely i
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