Introduction to IBS (irritatable bowel syndrome)
00:00:00IBS is driven by abnormal colon motility, food triggers, and stress Irritated large-intestine muscles alternately over-absorb or barely absorb water, causing diarrhea, constipation, or both. Symptoms include abdominal pain, urgency after meals, a sense of incomplete evacuation, and erratic frequency. Food choices and emotional stress drive flare-ups through the strong brain–gut connection. Processed and deep‑fried foods, caffeinated drinks, and artificial sweeteners commonly trigger symptoms, while targeted dietary changes for one month often bring marked relief.
Swap wheat for millets and rice; use barnyard millet to heal Modern wheat and its gluten often inflame the gut and worsen IBS; replacing it reduces symptoms quickly. Choose oats, jowar, bajra, and ragi, kneading millet flours with boiling water to make soft rotis without compromising texture. Rice is generally well tolerated, and barnyard millet stands out for resistant starch and prebiotic fiber that nourish gut bacteria. Easy to digest, low-FODMAP, and gluten‑free, barnyard millet cooks like rice and fits into pulao, idli, dosa, and more.
Cook foods thoroughly; lean on soups and bananas, skip raw salads and apples Sprouts and raw salads demand strong digestion that IBS lacks, often causing gas and bloating. Prefer Indian‑style cooked vegetables with light tempering; homemade vegetable, tomato, or lentil soups are nourishing yet gentle. Ripe fruits digest more easily than raw vegetables; bananas help both constipation and diarrhea, while apples commonly bloat. Nuts like almonds, cashews, peanuts, and walnuts are fine only soaked or roasted and in small portions.
Limit rajma and urad; rely on green moong and soothing khichdi Rajma and urad dal tend to aggravate gas and bloating; if taken, keep portions small and timing to lunch, or prefer fermented urad in idli or dosa. Some may also react to chana dal and chickpeas, whereas other dals are usually tolerated. Green moong dal digests easily, cools inflamed intestinal walls, and suits all body types, making it ideal for any meal. Khichdi made with green moong and barnyard millet or rice is a gentle, restorative dinner; moong dal soup further soothes the gut.
Drop dairy for a month; take Bilvasa with lukewarm water after meals Modern milk often triggers lactose issues and gut irritation; avoiding milk and milk products for a month usually eases pain and bloating. If needed, take small spiced buttermilk with asafoetida and cumin at lunch; warm water itself helps by boosting digestive fire and reducing inflammation. Bilvasa, a classical syrup made by fermenting bael fruit with supportive herbs, safely relieves IBS and even helps ulcerative colitis. Take 15 ml after breakfast, lunch, and dinner, diluted in lukewarm water, for at least one month while maintaining the dietary changes.