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...

All Water Is Not Created Equal

Everyone's carrying a water bottle. But not all water hydrates the same way.

You can drink a gallon of the wrong type and still end up chronically dehydrated, running to the bathroom every hour while your cells stay thirsty.

The difference isn't just purity. It's mineral content, osmolarity, and whether your body can actually hold onto what you're drinking.

Here's how to choose water that actually works.

Why Water Type Matters for Hydration

Your body doesn't just need H₂O molecules. It needs water with the right mineral content and electrical charge to move across cell membranes and stay in your tissues.

Pure water (no minerals) has low osmolarity. It passes through your system quickly because there's nothing holding it in your cells. You drink it, you pee it out, and your intracellular hydration status doesn't change.

Water with minerals has higher osmolarity. The dissolved electrolytes (sodium, magnesium, calcium, potassium) create the osmotic g...