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[groundhog]

I don't have IBS but I do have celiac and several other minor intolerances, but classify myself in the group with insouciant intestines. My son is celiac and also casein (milk protein) intolerant, meaning that lactose (the milk sugar) is not the problem so Lactaid and such don't help him: He is able to have a little bit of butter, though, as it has very little protein.  He, too, loves almond milk, as soy is out due to my worry about it's adverse effect on male hormones in teenagers (based on some research that I've found).  Luckily we can both have eggs.  

The good thing about celiac is that no drug treatment is necessary. The bad thing is that the diet is tricky and cross-contamination is a problem...the tiniest of amounts make me want to be near a bathroom for 24 hours or so and feeling crummy for 2-3 days after, and this happens at least monthly.  

I find the "White diet" of white rice, mashed potatoes and rice noodles (no wheat bread of course) is the best thing to eat when I'm hurting.  
 

[niobe]

I was diagnosed with IBS when I was about 15. I cut out red meat and dairy at that time, which helped enormously. For most of my 20s, I was a vegan (just a vegetarian now), but I found that upping my fiber intake by eating mostly whole grain foods was more helpful than vegetarianism, generally speaking. (Red meat is a terror for me though; you couldn't pay me enough to eat a steak.)

I have also found that hormonal fluctuations make my IBS worse--which makes pregnancy a bit tricky.

Limiting my portion sizes also helps. I find that overloading my system with mostly "good" foods and just a little "bad" food can have disastrous consequences.

On the whole, for me, it's a series of trade-offs. Would I rather have a little bit of cheese--or a glass of wine--or a cup of coffee? (Alcohol and caffeine are triggers for me.) Of all the things I could give up, I miss meat the least--so I just never eat it. I consider all other trigger foods permissible but generally ill-advised.