What lifestyle modifications should I recommend to patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders to help alleviate their symptoms?

Lifestyle modifications recommended for patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders, such as IBS, include:

• Encourage regular physical activity and assess activity levels, providing brief advice to increase activity if low.
• Advise patients to create relaxation time and make the most of leisure time to reduce stress.
• Recommend dietary adjustments: have regular meals without long gaps, drink at least 8 cups of fluids daily (mainly water or non-caffeinated drinks), limit tea and coffee to 3 cups per day, and reduce alcohol and fizzy drinks intake.
• Advise limiting high-fibre foods, especially insoluble fibre like bran; if increasing fibre, focus on soluble fibre such as oats or ispaghula powder.
• Limit fresh fruit intake to about 3 portions per day (approximately 80 g per portion) and reduce resistant starch found in processed or re-cooked foods.
• For patients with diarrhoea, avoid sorbitol-containing products (e.g., sugar-free sweets and some diabetic or slimming products).
• Suggest inclusion of oats and linseeds (up to 1 tablespoon per day) to help with wind and bloating symptoms.
• Encourage patients who choose probiotics to take them for at least 4 weeks at the manufacturer’s recommended dose while monitoring effects.

These lifestyle and dietary modifications should be part of a self-help approach to managing symptoms effectively.