Short Answer: Pizza is bad for IBS. Because it has fat, gluten, and lactose and they can trigger or worsen IBS symptoms.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a condition that affects your large intestine.
In IBS, your body has abnormal muscle contractions or nerve signals in your intestine.
This can lead to various health problems, such as abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea, or constipation.
One of the key factors in managing IBS is diet.
What you consume can affect your bowel movements, which can impact your IBS symptoms and overall health.
To effectively manage IBS, you should consume fiber-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and avoid fat-rich foods like fried foods, cheese, and butter.
Now, pizza is a dish of Italian origin consisting of a flat base of dough topped with tomato sauce, cheese, and various other ingredients.
People usually eat pizza as a lunch or dinner meal, sometimes with a salad or a drink.
Pizza is bad for IBS because it contains fat, gluten, and lactose.
These ingredients can trigger or worsen IBS symptoms, depending on the type of IBS you have.
One slice of pizza can give you about 12 grams of fat (18% of your daily needs), 36 grams of carbohydrates (12% of your daily needs), and 12 grams of protein (24% of your daily needs).
Fat can slow down the digestion and cause constipation or bloating in people with IBS-C (IBS with constipation).
Gluten can cause inflammation and irritation in the intestine and trigger diarrhea or pain in people with IBS-D (IBS with diarrhea).
Lactose can cause gas, cramps, and diarrhea in people with lactose intolerance, which is common among people with IBS.
Furthermore, pizza is a high-FODMAP food and high-FODMAP foods are bad for IBS.
FODMAPs are short-chain carbohydrates that are poorly absorbed in the small intestine and can cause fermentation and gas production in the large intestine.
Because of this, they can aggravate IBS symptoms in many people.
That’s why I suggest you limit your pizza intake to avoid flare-ups of your IBS.
Stick to one or two slices of pizza per week to minimize the risk of adverse effects.
You can also choose pizza with less cheese, more vegetables, and gluten-free crust to make it more IBS-friendly.
Also, you shouldn’t eat pizza if you have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity to prevent damage to your intestinal lining.
Because pizza contains gluten, which is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye that can cause an immune reaction in people with these conditions.
You can buy fresh pizza in your local pizzeria or can order it from online.
Always choose pizza from reputable sources that use quality ingredients.
Because pizza can be contaminated with harmful bacteria or allergens if not prepared or stored properly.
You can store pizza in the refrigerator for up to four days or in the freezer for up to two months.
Finally, remember, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including a balanced diet, regular exercise, stress management and essential medical care is key to managing IBS effectively.
I always recommend my IBS patients to follow a low-FODMAP diet to improve their overall well-being, and enjoy a longer and healthier life.