Q: What is a portion of fruit or vegetables?
One portion is 80g or any of the following:
Fruit:
- 1 banana, orange, pear or apple or a similar sized fruit
- half a grapefruit or avocado
- 1 slice of large fruit such as melon or pineapple
- 2 satsumas, plums or similar sized fruit
- 1 handful of grapes, blueberries or raspberries
- 1 heaped tablespoon of dried fruit, such as sultanas, currants or cranberries, or three heaped tablespoons of fruit salad (fresh/tinned in fruit juice)
Vegetables:
- 3 heaped tablespoons of vegetables (raw, cooked, frozen or tinned)
- 1 dessert bowl of salad
Q: Should I have allergy testing or food intolerance testing for my IBS symptoms?
Probably not. Allergies are related to the immune system and IBS is not. In addition to this, many of the food intolerance tests you can purchase online are expensive and, often, unreliable. If you want to know more about food intolerance testing, please follow the link to the BDA food facts sheet: https://www.bda.uk.com/foodfacts/food_allergy_intolerance_testing
Q: Is adding Bran helpful for my IBS symptoms?
We recommend that you do not use bran to help your IBS symptoms. This could actually make your symptoms worse.
Q: Should I avoid gluten in my diet to reduce my IBS symptoms?
There is very limited scientific evidence that avoidance of gluten improves IBS symptoms. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. You should only avoid gluten if you have coeliac disease, dermatitis herpetiformis or a diagnosed allergy.
Q: Should I avoid wheat in my diet to reduce my IBS symptoms?
Not at this stage. Should you need further dietetic input, we may look at reducing the carbohydrate part of wheat (fructans) as part of a low FODMAP diet. It is important that you seek dietetic support before imposing further dietary restrictions. For further dietary input please complete the self-referral form. The exception to this is if you a diagnosed allergy/intolerance, when you should continue to exclude this from your diet.
Q: Should I avoid dairy or lactose in my diet?
Not at this stage. Should you need further dietetic input, we may look at reducing lactose as part of a low FODMAP diet. It is important that you seek dietetic support before imposing further dietary restrictions. For further dietary input please complete the self-referral form. The exception to this is if you a diagnosed allergy/intolerance, when you should continue to exclude this from your diet. Please note that reducing dairy/lactose could result in a reduction in calcium intake.
Q: I’m not sure if I am getting enough calcium?
For information on how much calcium you should be aiming for and what foods and drinks contain calcium, please view the following link, https://www.bda.uk.com/foodfacts/Calcium.pdf.
Q. What is second line advice?
Second line advice for IBS is a low FODMAP diet. This diet should only be undertaken with dietetic guidance. It can be very restrictive and may exclude foods which are beneficial for your future gut health, so should only be followed for a set period of time, followed by a structured reintroduction process.
If you require further dietetic advice, please complete the following dietetic referral form and post to the following address:
NHS Lothian IBS Dietetic Service
2nd floor
Leith Community Treatment Centre
12 Junction Place
Edinburgh
EH6 5JQ
0131 536 6281
Your feedback helps us to continue to develop our service and content. After watching the online video on 1st Line Dietary Advice for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) please complete the following survey:
https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/nhslothiansurveys/first-line-diet-and-ibs-video-feedback
