Does a bland diet
help with IBS?

Many years ago, I read a book where it mentioned an older man with stomach ulcers who subsisted on a 'bland, dreary diet' of steamed fish and white bread. This was before IBS became a great problem, but now, after occasionally living on, yes 'steamed fish and white bread', I can verify that it is an extremely boring diet.

Bland diets can be helpful and may even be suggested by a doctor at times. After a long and severe bout of stomach pain and diarrhea in the mornings, my doctor, after listening to me relate what I ate in a day, wondered if it was fruit which was causing me the problem.

'I hate to tell any-one not to eat fruit,' he said. 'But perhaps you should see if leaving it out of your diet improves things.'

I remembered then that my grandmother used to suffer badly eating fruit, which she loved, but would often eat it anyway, simply because she enjoyed it so much.

There have been many time when I have imposed a bland diet upon myself. I suffer sometimes severe stomach acidity and acid reflux due to a Hiatus hernia, as well as IBS and at times I know my stomach will not react well to certain foods. For a few days I may only eat porridge, chicken soup, scrambled eggs or toast. However, this is not always the case. I will go through phases where spicy foods, such as curries will not trouble me. I have come to almost know when my stomach feels strong enough to cope with rather more exciting foods, although there are some I can never eat. I have discovered this over many years and by keeping a note of the foods I eat, thereby discovering what foods caused me problems.

Unless you are specifically told by a doctor, or are in a post-operative situation, it may not always be necessary to eat a bland diet, but since every person is unique, it may take some time for you to find out what foods your stomach and bowels will tolerate. For instance; anything very acidic or fatty will have repercussions if I eat it, affecting both my IBS and gastric reflux. But, if you enjoy Indian or Mexican food, Cajun recipes or some wine, do not feel that you must avoid them forever. I found I could eat spicy food at times, if it did not use red, green or yellow peppers in it, taking that one food-item out made all the difference.

If you are going through a very bad phase of IBS, or if, like me you suffer from acid reflux, a bland diet for a day or two will do no harm, especially if it involves porridge, which is very good for the bowels. But long-term IBS sufferers often keep a food diary and slowly learn which foods to avoid. This is not something a doctor can do, it is something we have to do for ourselves to make life with IBS more bearable. And often, if you eat for instance some nuts and find you develop stomach cramps not long after, it is relatively easy to know that those nuts caused the stomach ache.

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