Table 2.

General Recommendations for the Traditional IBS Diet^28,80

Encouraged Habits and Behaviors	Limited Intake	Other Considerations
Eating regular meals and limiting the volume/amount of food per meal	The intake of fat, spicy foods, and sorbitol (an artificial sweetener found in diabetic/ slimming/sugar-free drinks and sweets) should be minimized in patients with diarrhea-predominant IBS or mixed IBS.	If increasing the fiber intake is advised, the option should be for soluble instead of insoluble fiber, as insoluble fiber is discouraged for patients with IBS.
Eating slowly and chewing thoroughly	Daily fruit intake should be limited to 3 portions.	Although adding probiotics is safe in patients with IBS, they do not seem to provide benefit regarding symptom control and, therefore, are not recommended.
No long gaps between meals or skipping meals	The intake of coffee, tea, alcohol, and carbonated beverages should be reduced.

IBS, irritable bowel syndrome.