Every day, researchers are learning more about that everything is connected.
This is true for our minds, bodies, and what we choose to eat.
For example, studies have found that eating certain kinds of food affects mood. Known by the acronym FODMAPS, these foods can not only influence your mood but even cause IBS (irritable bowel syndrome).
If you are concerned about how diet and stress are affecting your health, learn more about how they are all connected.
What Is Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?
IBS is a physiological condition that causes you to experience heartburn, as well as other symptoms. These may include bloating, constipation, cramping, or diarrhea. These symptoms can come and go over time, making it unpredictable. And not everyone who experiences IBS may even realize that they have it in the first place.
The condition is caused by a couple of factors. One is eating foods that fall into the FODMAP category. This is short for fermentable oligo-di-mono-saccharides and polyols.
Essentially, these are carbohydrates that are not absorbed by the body during the digestive process. Instead, they ferment in the gut bacteria within your digestive tract. And that results in the production of short-chain fatty acids, or SCFA’s, which cause inflammation and IBS.
Foods that fall into the FODMAP category include garlic, onions, wheat, beans, and lentils.
How Is IBS Connected with Anxiety and Stress?
It turns out that anxiety and stress can have a big influence on your gut health. Research has found that chronic stress influences the growth of certain kinds of gut bacteria. The problem with this is that these bacteria overtake other kinds of gut bacteria. Also, they spread into places within the intestinal tract where they shouldn’t be.
Moreover, for those who struggle with IBS, eating foods that are FODMAPS actually causes them to feel angry and sad. This occurs not long after eating these foods, so the impact is almost immediate.
Research shows that it’s true that food affects mood. If you struggle with IBS and mood swings, what can you do?
Managing Chronic Anxiety and Stress When Treating IBS
There are several food-related things you can do to address IBS and treat your symptoms, which include:
- Reduce your intake or entirely eliminate FODMAPS foods from your diet. Consult with a nutritional coach and your health care provider about designing a diet plan that will work for you. An elimination diet will help you to identify which FODMAPS are harmful.
- Keep a food journal to track what you eat and in what proportions.
- Eat foods that are rich in probiotics, such as yogurt, to address your gut health.
The other important part of treating IBS is taking a careful look at how anxiety and stress affect your life. Then, find ways to address the problem.
For example:
- Identify in which ways stress creeps into your life (work, school, home, etc.)
- Practice meditation and yoga
- Listen to relaxing music
- Use lavender oil
- Avoid taking in alcohol or caffeine
- Journal to process your thoughts
- Spend time outdoors in nature
- Exercise to release endorphins and improve mood
- Create a separate space that allows for reflection
- Get plenty of rest every night
- Take a break from social media and “unplug”
The Bottom Line
It’s fascinating how interconnected the relationship is between our bodies, minds, and food. If you are struggling with IBS, consider how this relationship may be making your condition worse. Then, take steps to eliminate potential causes of IBS, both connected to your diet and your mind.
This includes reducing anxiety and stress in your life, as well as understanding how food affects your mood. By working to improve diet and stress, you will find that your IBS symptoms will diminish, and with that will come relief and a stable mood.
If you would like to know how my approach to anxiety treatment can help you even with physical problems, please contact me.
