Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a chronic condition of the gut and is a common type of bowel disease. Women are at a higher risk of developing this condition as compared to men. There is no cure for this condition, but treatment can help manage the condition and prevent the worsening of the symptoms. Besides treatment, simple dietary and lifestyle tips can go a long way in treating and alleviating the symptoms of IBS, along with preventing flare-ups.

These changes can include regular exercise and stress management. Apart from that, maintaining a health journal to monitor the symptoms and how their severity is affected by the foods you eat is helpful. This helps identify possible trigger foods and enables you to eliminate them from your diet to prevent the adverse effects.

Diet modifications
Some foods often trigger the symptoms in people with IBS and some may even worsen the existing symptoms. Using a staged approach with diet modification is useful in treating IBS, so it is important to maintain a diary and note the foods consumed and their effects on the symptoms. This will help you identify the trigger foods and avoid them to prevent flare-ups. On the other hand, some dietary tip for people with IBS help alleviate the symptoms and improve the condition:

• Fruits and vegetables
  A healthy diet should include plenty of starchy carbohydrates, like bread, rice, cereals, potatoes, pasta, and plantain. Include two to three portions of milk and dairy products in the daily diet. If you are intolerant to lactose, include dairy alternatives like soy, rice, or oat milk and yogurt in your diet for calcium. Add protein-rich food like meat, fish, eggs, beans, and pulses to your diet.
• Saturated fats
  Foods that are high in fats and sugars should be avoided. Also, limit the intake of saturated fat, which is usually present in animal products like, meat, butter, and cheese, along with cakes and pastries. Unsaturated fats found in vegetable oils like sunflower, rapeseed, and olive oils are healthy alternatives for these. A helpful dietary tip for people with IBS is to include avocados, nuts, and seeds as they are also good sources of unsaturated fats.
• Fluids
  At least two liters of fluid intake is required on a daily basis, and this can include herbal teas as they are also helpful in treating IBS. People who suffer from diarrhea need water to replace the lost fluids, and adequate water intake also helps people with constipation. Golden linseeds are effective in alleviating symptoms like bloating, constipation, and diarrhea. They can be added to soups, stews, porridge, casseroles, cereals, yogurt, and dessert to the amount of one tablespoon a day.
• Regular meals
  Following a regular meal pattern is important for treating IBS effectively. Also, chew the food properly and do not eat in a hurry. It is also important to know that skipping meals would aggravate the condition just as much as eating too late at night.