Yes, not eating or skipping meals can make IBS symptoms worse by disrupting digestion, causing cramping, pain, and bloating, and slowing the gut, so health professionals recommend eating regular, smaller meals to help regulate your system. While some people find short fasts helpful, long gaps between meals can trigger pain and sluggishness because the gut needs regular input to function effectively.
Eat more fiber
Fiber may improve constipation in IBS because it makes stool soft and easier to pass. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020–2025 recommends that adults should get 22 to 34 grams of fiber a day. Research suggests that soluble fiber is more helpful in relieving IBS symptoms.
Skipping Meals
IBS sufferers are often tempted to skip meals, believing that this will reduce symptoms. This isn't a good idea, though, because the goal is regularity. Help your digestive system learn to operate efficiently by eating five smaller, more frequent meals according to a well-structured routine.
Skipping meals may may symptoms easier but it can also make IBS worse. This episode includes intermittent fasting for IBS & meal regularity.
Treating IBS during pregnancy focuses on dietary changes, stress management, and gentle exercise, working closely with your doctor, as many typical IBS medications aren't safe. Key strategies include eating small, frequent meals, increasing soluble fiber slowly (like psyllium), staying hydrated, and avoiding common triggers like caffeine, gas-producing veggies (broccoli, beans), artificial sweeteners, and fatty/spicy foods. Stress-reduction techniques and light activity, such as walking, are also crucial for managing symptoms.
But many people have worse IBS symptoms when they eat or drink certain foods or beverages. These include wheat, dairy products, citrus fruits, beans, cabbage, milk and carbonated drinks. Stress. Most people with IBS experience worse or more-frequent symptoms during periods of increased stress.
The adjusted odds of clinical pregnancy was 52.1% lower in patients with IBS (OR 0.479, 95% CI: 0.27, 0.82). The adjusted odds of live birth was 47.8% lower in patients with IBS (OR 0.52, 95% CI: 0.30, 0.90). The adjusted odds of miscarriage was 2.32 times higher in patients with IBS (OR 2.32, 95% CI: 1.16, 6.45).
Because high-fat foods can sometimes trigger IBS-D symptoms, we generally recommend avoiding fried items, buttery dishes, and heavy creams during a flare. Additionally, spices, especially the hotter ones, can irritate the gut and may cause or worsen diarrhea in some people with IBS-D.
Certain foods: Food triggers vary from person to person. Still, common culprits that can trigger an IBS symptom flare-up include dairy, foods that contain gluten (like wheat) and foods/drinks known to make you gassy. Stress: Some researchers suggest that IBS is your gut's response to stress.
Main symptoms
To avoid constipation in Japan, focus on hydration, fiber-rich Japanese foods (seaweed, soy, daikon, fruits/veggies), regular exercise, and routine, while also trying local fiber drinks like Fibe-Mini or Zero Cider and considering traditional remedies like daikon radish soup or herbal supplements like Daikenchuto (TJ-100) if needed.
Studies from Japan have shown that, in IBS patients, complete fasting for 10 days induces symptom relief 4, as well as improvement in duodenal and colonic motility, visceral perception and mucosal inflammation 5.
In a small, non-randomized study, ten-day supervised fasting led to notable improvement in moderate-to-severe IBS symptoms where drugs and psychotherapy had failed, suggesting potential for gut “rebooting.”
Tips for managing IBS
Here are six other conditions that may be mistaken for IBS
Do
IBS poop varies greatly, often fluctuating between hard, lumpy, and difficult-to-pass stools (IBS-C) and loose, watery, and urgent stools (IBS-D), or alternating between both (IBS-M), sometimes with mucus present, but not blood. Shapes can range from small pellets to thin, pencil-like forms, and color might shift due to speed of passage (e.g., green/yellow for fast, darker for slow).
One of the most common habits that worsen IBS symptoms is irregular meal timing. Skipping meals or eating too late can disrupt digestion and trigger flare-ups. Tip: Try to eat at the same time every day. Smaller, more frequent meals are often better tolerated by IBS sufferers.
Lifestyle and home remedies
The worst foods for IBS often include high-FODMAP items (like onions, garlic, apples, beans), dairy, gluten, caffeine, artificial sweeteners (sorbitol, xylitol), spicy foods, and high-fat/fried foods, as these can trigger gas, bloating, pain, and diarrhea, though triggers vary by individual, making a low-FODMAP approach often helpful.
When you ignore IBS, it can wreak havoc on your life. Unmanaged IBS can contribute to frequent and sudden changes in your bowel habits, which can be frustrating and embarrassing whether you're at home or at work.
It has since been found that 82% of IBS sufferers are also low in vitamin D (less than 20 ng/mL)2 so naturally we come to question if there is a link between vitamin D and IBS symptoms. The University of Sheffield has been spearheading this important area of research.
While its symptoms can be felt in the pelvic area, IBS affects the large intestine, causing abdominal cramping, bloating, constipation and diarrhea. Unlike painful periods and most cases of endometriosis, the pain from IBS doesn't coincide with your period.