How to Eat When You Have Abdominal Pain

If you are suffering from chronic abdominal pain and cramping related to IBS, making some changes as to how you eat may help you in your efforts to ease your symptoms. Keep these three easy guidelines in mind as you make your food choices throughout your day:

1. Avoid Fatty Foods

Fatty foods contain substances that can exaggerate the strength of intestinal contractions, thus resulting in increased pain and cramping. Aim to eat low-fat meals, avoiding anything greasy, fried or fatty.

2. Eat Small Meals

Large meals can also strengthen intestinal contractions. Aim to eat small meals frequently throughout your day so as to not strain your system.

3. On Bad Days, Minimize Your Intake of Gas-producing Foods

Foods that produce intestinal gas can contribute to abdominal pain and cramping. Unfortunately, these same foods tend to have high nutritional benefits. It is therefore not a good idea to eat an overly restrictive diet on a regular basis. However, on days in which your pain is particularly bothersome, you might want to try to eat non-gassy foods and avoid those that are more likely to produce gas. The following articles will help you to know which is which:

• Top 6 Gassy Foods
• Non Gassy Foods

Be sure to call a doctor for any significant worsening of your cramping (beyond your regular pattern), or for associated symptoms of vomiting, fever, bloody or black stools or inability to pass gas.

Source:

Sjolund, K., Ekman, R., Lindgren, S. & Rehfeld, J. “Disturbed motilin and cholecystokinin release in the irritable bowel syndrome.” Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology 1996 31:1110-1114.