Finding foods that don’t triggerirritable bowel syndrome (IBS)symptoms is difficult, but turning them into healthy brown bag lunch ideas is even more challenging. Children and adults in school face the challenge of packing lunches that taste good and don’t cause IBS symptoms such aspain, bloating, and diarrhea.
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Challenges With School Lunches
Finding good IBS lunch ideas might be difficult and may even change from day to day. This is why packing a lunch, while time-intensive, might be the best idea to prevent IBS flare-ups.
Benefits of Packing a Lunch
Packing lunches for school is a good way to steer clear of unhealthy alternatives, but it does require some creativity and willingness to experiment. Food must also be handled properly to avoid spoiling—if there is no refrigerator or microwave available the choices will be a bit more limited.
Some important points to remember when creating IBS-friendly lunches are:
Using a Thermos
A thermos is an excellent way to carry IBS-friendly drinks such as chamomile tea, soy milk, or even sparkling water. Soups, stews, and rice dishes can fit in a thermos and be the main dish in a healthy lunch.
Recipes:
Upgrading Your Sandwich Game
The staple of brown bag lunches is the sandwich. It travels well, is easy to eat on the run, and has an endless variety. However, peanut butter and jelly on white may not sit well with people who have IBS, so sandwiches need some new ingredients. Bread such as sourdough and French are delicious alternatives to plain white bread. Skip the lunch meat, cheese, and mayonnaise and try soy, tofu, or seafood alternatives.
You Can Still Do Desserts and Snacks
Many of us have a craving for a sweet or salty snack after our healthy meal. The good news is that there are plenty of desserts and snacks that can satisfy both the craving and the need to follow an IBS diet.
Cut Down on the Time It Takes
Packing a lunch every day can be time-consuming. From time to time it may be tempting to skip the brown bag and purchase cafeteria or fast food which is not always nutritious or IBS-friendly. Use these tips to minimize the time and energy necessary to make lunches:
A Word From Verywell
People with IBS face an uphill battle with food but there is hope. There is more understood now about how diet affects IBS and how to navigate food choices with some sense of confidence. In the long run, it may be more beneficial to pack lunches than it is to rely on cafeterias or eating out, where ingredients are not always known and understood. Trial and error take time but it’s worth it in order to eat healthy, good tasting food that won’t contribute to an IBS flare-up.
1 SourceVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cozma-Petruţ A, Loghin F, Miere D, Dumitraşcu DL.Diet in irritable bowel syndrome: what to recommend, not what to forbid to patients!World J Gastroenterol. 2017;23(21):3771-3783. doi:10.3748/wjg.v23.i21.3771
1 Source
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cozma-Petruţ A, Loghin F, Miere D, Dumitraşcu DL.Diet in irritable bowel syndrome: what to recommend, not what to forbid to patients!World J Gastroenterol. 2017;23(21):3771-3783. doi:10.3748/wjg.v23.i21.3771
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Cozma-Petruţ A, Loghin F, Miere D, Dumitraşcu DL.Diet in irritable bowel syndrome: what to recommend, not what to forbid to patients!World J Gastroenterol. 2017;23(21):3771-3783. doi:10.3748/wjg.v23.i21.3771
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