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Is IBS giving you food anxiety?
If you struggle with IBS you have likely experienced the stress that can come with eating. Food can leave you in pain, bloated, and frantically searching for the nearest toilet. This can lead to food anxiety and can greatly impact your health and relationship with food.
In this blog we will cover how you can manage IBS and reduce your food anxiety.
In this post, we will cover
IBS and diet
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a disorder of the digestive system that results in symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhoea, and constipation. There are many different things that can trigger IBS symptoms including our nervous system (the gut-brain axis), food, gut microbiome and exercise.
Dietary changes are a common way to manage IBS by cutting out foods that are perceived to cause symptoms. You might stop eating foods due to negative experiences e.g. when I ate an apple I had horrible stomach pain so now I avoid apples. Food exclusions may also come after doing elimination protocols like the low FODMAP diet where your symptoms improve after cutting out a number of foods.
While dietary changes can be an effective way to improve IBS symptoms, it can also be a slippery slope to food anxiety and disordered eating. It can leave with a list of only 5 foods you feel safe to eat and can greatly reduce your ability to socialise, travel, and feel comfortable in the world.
Food anxiety and disordered eating
Feeling anxious about food is common in people with IBS. Research shows that people with IBS have increased rates of anxiety, depression, and disordered eating. This can have an impact on your nutrition status and quality of life.
Food anxiety describes fear around eating. For many people with IBS, food can be a source of discomfort and pain. Because of this association, you might engage in disordered eating behaviours such as:
- Frequently skipping meals.
- Cutting out food groups.
- Avoiding social eating.
- Only eating a small list of ‘safe’ foods.
- Binge eating.
These disordered behaviours strengthen the idea that food is the main cause of your IBS, and your anxiety around food grows.
Disordered eating is a concern as it increases your risk of nutrient deficiencies and limits the variety of foods in your diet. You also miss out on the social and connecting nature of food and your growing anxiety can worsen your IBS (remember the gut-brain axis).
If this is sounding familiar, do not fear. It is possible to manage your IBS without creating anxiety around food.
How to manage IBS while having a healthy relationship with food
If you have found that IBS has led to a challenging relationship with food there steps you can take to combat your food anxiety. Because of the fear that IBS can create around food, they may be difficult to try at first, but with the right support you will be able to enjoy food again while having a happy gut.
These are the three main areas I address with clients who struggle with IBS and food anxiety.
Start eating regular meals again
You have probably been skipping meals in an effort to avoid your fear foods. But leaving long gaps between meals and snacks makes your IBS worse.
Your digestive tract is a muscle that contracts to help you digest, pass wind, and poop. The more you use this muscle, the better it is at digesting food. If you are hardly eating, your gut is missing its workout, and this can lead to constipation, bloating, and early fullness.
A helpful eating pattern is eating a meal or snack every 3-4 hours. This may look like breakfast, lunch, and dinner plus a few snacks. At first it will likely feel uncomfortable as your gut is adjusting to this new rhythm. But over time your digestion should improve along with other behaviours like binge eating and intense food cravings.
Foster your gut-brain connection
We know that anxiety and stress are common in people with IBS and can worsen symptoms. This is because, when our emotions are heightened, our sympathetic nervous system switches on.
The sympathetic nervous system is all about action, not digestions. Blood and nutrients are diverted to our brain and muscles not to the calm digestion of food.
Learning to manage stress and anxiety, particularly around food and eating, is so important for IBS management. This might include learning deep breathing techniques, practicing mindful eating, or eating with a supportive friend.
Challenge your fear foods
If you have IBS, you have likely developed some fear foods. These are foods that you are anxious to eat as they have previously caused uncomfortable and embarrassing symptoms. It makes sense to avoid these foods given your past experiences but they can also negatively impact your relationship with food.
Fear foods can mean you never eat out, you feel uncomfortable to eat at a friends house, and it can make travel and trying new foods difficult. Your life feels confined due to your IBS.
Challenging these fear foods is an opportunity to slowly bring these foods back into your life. As you go through these challenges, you will learn more about your body, IBS, and what foods you can tolerate. The goal is to have a more fulfilled life where food is no longer controlling your day.
Getting support
If you want to improve your relationship with food while, Kim is a dietitian who provides gentle nutrition counselling through a virtual clinic Australia wide (international customers please get in touch). Kim takes an approach that is personalised to each individual and seeks to understand what you need to reach your health goals. Kim is a Credentialed Eating Disorder Clinician and has a special interest in digestive health and chronic dieting.
About
Kim Lindsay, APD
Kim Lindsay is an accredited practicing dietitian and credentialed eating disorder clinician.
She provides online dietitian appointments for people who want to improve their health while developing a positive relationship with food. Kim has a special interest in disordered eating, chronic dieting, and digestive health.
