The IBS–Anxiety Loop

Why Perfect Eating Isn’t the Answer

If you have IBS, you’ve probably been told to track your food.

Log everything. Identify the trigger. "Fix" the problem.

But unless you have a true food intolerance or a condition like celiac disease, most people never find one consistent culprit. Instead, they cycle through diets—low FODMAP, elimination plans, “clean eating”—and maybe feel better for a short time. Then symptoms return, often during periods of stress, poor sleep, or transition.

When that happens, the assumption is usually the same: I must have eaten something wrong.

This is where many people get stuck—not because they lack willpower, but because they’re trying to solve a gut–brain problem with food rules.

The IBS–Anxiety Loop

IBS and anxiety tend to reinforce each other through a predictable pattern.