Festive Stress: How Stress And Anxiety Can Aggravate IBS Symptoms

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With Christmas approaching, it can be a stressful time of year to prepare, whether it's organising family events, finding the right gifts for friends and family, or even battling the supermarkets during the holiday season. Preparation can also bring a lot of anxiety  which can be a trigger point for many things including IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome).  

Here at Deliciously Different Foods we specialise in IBS-friendly foods and how to better handle the symptons in your daily life. Preparing a nutritious range of award-winning gut and IBS-friendly store cupboard foods to make life with IBS a whole lot easier. Being experts in the field and with a Nutrition Coach on board,we’re here with the answers on how to de-stress this Christmas in order to keep your IBS at bay. 

How Can Stress Affect IBS? 

Being a common condition that affects the digestive system IBS  (known as Irritable Bowel Syndrome) can result in a variety of symptoms. Caused by what we eat and any daily stressors, IBS can result in many symptoms including that of abdominal cramps, cramping, boating, gas, diarrhoea and constipation.

Since IBS is a stress-sensitive disorder, IBS treatment should focus on stress management and stress-induced responses. When you're stressed, nervous, or upset, your colon will spasm. These spasms can cause stomach cramps and discomfort, which can aggravate your IBS symptoms. As a result, it's critical to try to de-stress as much as possible this holiday season. Accept flaws when planning your Christmas and don't lose sight of what really matters, remembering how to celebrate food with IBS and not letting it stress you out. 


Tips for Being Less Stressed This Christmas 

1.Take it Slow 

Beyond all of the planning and preparation, Christmas is primarily a time for all of us to relax. The most effective way to deal with stress is to rest both mentally and physically.

According to studies, people with IBS are more likely to report poor sleep and wake up more frequently, due mainly to triggering symptoms. As a result, sleep deprivation can cause overall stress, which can be a trigger for IBS symptoms. With the vicious cycle, it's critical to get enough rest and sleep not just this festive season but all year round. 

2. Remember To Plan Ahead 

There is no doubt that at Christmas time we all plan our meals more than any other time of the year. However, it’s important to note not to get too stressed about planning. 

Planning meals is an important part of staying away from trigger foods with IBS and also for Christmas time. Whilst planning for Christmas remember to plan for yourself, taking time to plan ahead and sticking to a meal plan will help when trying not to be overly stressed. Swapping out trigger ingredients for IBS friendly alternatives is also a great way to avoid those symptoms on Christmas day, opting for dairy free alternatives as well as choosing other options to fried foods is a great tip to avoid triggers where you can. 

Stocking up ahead of time with IBS-Friendly Table Sauces and IBS-Friendly cooking sauces for those extra meals on and around Christmas is also a great way to keep on top of your IBS. 

3. Know Your Trigger Foods

In order to avoid symptoms of IBS it’s key to know what sets it off. By judging what is good and bad for your gut and with meals prepared ahead, it’s easy to  replace those trigger foods with equally tasty IBS friendly alternatives. 

Knowing your symptoms and introducing Low FODMAP ingredients is a great solution for not just the holiday period but all year round. Sticking to the traffic light system showcasing and helping highlight low FODMAP food  is a great way to avoid those trigger foods and stick with nutritious IBS friendly products. 

Here at Deliciously Different Foods we’ve made it easier than ever to maintain a nutritious IBS friendly diet, with all our products being fully certified 100% FODMAP friendly and free of all 14 major allergens including gluten and dairy, there a great go-to this holiday season for a stress free meal. 

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