Bacteria are never inclined to take no for an answer, and if they are left to their ways unimpeded then they will colonize like crazy and take over fast. The intestines of the human body are an ideal place for them to set up shop, and that is exactly what happens with SIBO – small intestine bacterial overgrowth – and resulting in bloating, flatulence, abdominal pain and more. Xifaxan is an effective medication for SIBO treatment and the means of saying no emphatically. And here we will look at what to eat while taking Xifaxan for SIBO.  

The fact the overgrowth is occurring in the intestines should make it fairly obvious why dietary choices are important if you are needing to overcome SIBO. The bacteria have preferences in the same way you do and naturally you do not want to be accommodating to them in any way. They need to go, and they need to go ASAP so what you choose to eat while taking antibiotic medication is going to be a primary consideration if you are hoping to get past all this quickly.  

What is best is to go on a low-FODMAP diet, and that is something you may have the opportunity to speak to a nutritionist or dietician about. This is where to start with what to eat while taking Xifaxan for SIBO. There are two types of SIBO, methane-dominant SIBO and hydrogen-dominant SIBO. If you have methane-dominant bacterial overgrowth in your gut you are going to be nastily flatulent, so another recommendation will be eating foods with more soluble fiber. One easy fix here is to eat a serving of All-Bran cereal once a day.  

Amino Supremo  

Expanding on what to eat while taking Xifaxan for SIBO, you should also eat more foods that have limited fat content. Alternately you can increase your intake of foods that have high levels of essential and non-essential amino acids. Can Xifaxan be crushed? No, tablets should be swallowed whole with water. With the Low-Fodmap diet you are going to see that these foods and food ingredients are recommended for SIBO treatment: 

• Vegetables - eggplant, green beans, cucumber, lettuce tomato, zucchini 

• Fruits - cantaloupe, strawberries, grapes, kiwi 

• Dairy - feta, hard cheeses, almond or soy milk (do not take soy milk if you have an MTHFR gene mutation) 

• Protein - eggs, firm tofu, tempeh, seafood 

• Grains - corn flakes, oats, rice cakes, corn pasta, barley-free breads 

• Sweets - dark chocolate, maple syrup, table sugar 

• Nuts and seeds - macadamia nuts, peanuts, sunflower seeds 

There is more to what to eat while taking Xifaxan for SIBO, but what we will conclude with here is looking at it from the opposite perspective and what foods to avoid while taking Xifaxan. The same principles for the Low-FODMAP and / or elemental diet for SIBO will be adhered to here as well. If you have a good understanding of the diet needed for gut bacteria overgrowth this medication will work that much more effectively.