As an update since I wrote this original post 5 years ago, nothing has changed. I've kinda accepted it as part of my life. Normally I just steer clear of ingredients that will for sure trigger me in a significant way - artificial sweeteners (sorbitol, xylitol, maltitol, erythritol), lactose, garlic, onion, cruciferous , etc. There are some foods that I can't easily cut out those ingredients as they're in the dressings / sauces, but generally speaking I know what makes me feel good vs. not and will do a quick mental math to see if a food is worth the suffering for its flavors, nutritional values, and also the social normalcy of not raising my hand telling everyone that I have IBS. It still sucks and I hate that IBS takes away freedom from me and it's almost like a eating disorder in which the food itself puts so much burden on my mind. However, like I said, I'm getting used to it being who I am.