Understand the Low Fodmap Diet

You will learn [hide]

• Understanding Fodmaps
• Understanding Fodmaps Diet
  • Understanding How fodmaps work in your body
  • What the low fodmap diet does
  • Which foods contain FODMAPs?
    • Fodmap Fruits
    • Fodmap Grains
    • Fodmap Lactose-Containing Foods
    • Fodmap Legumes
    • Fodmap Sweeteners
    • Fodmap Vegetables
  • Safe Fodmap Foods
    • Safe Fodmap Fruits
    • Safe Fodmap Sweeteners
    • Safe Fodmap Lactose Alternatives
    • Safe Fodmap Vegetables
  • Reintroducing foods/Moving beyond the elimination phase

Understanding Fodmaps

Fodmap is an abbreviated term to describe, fermentable short-chain carbohydrates, that are poorly absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract and may cause digestive problems.

Fodmap stands for:

• Fermentable,
• Oligo-
• Di-
• Mono-saccharides
• Saccharides is a term to describe sugar, and polyols are also known as sugar alcohols.

Understanding Fodmaps Diet

The fodmap diet helps you to understand and alleviate the symptoms of Ibs and other digestive problems by helping you to identify trigger foods. Restricting your diet of fodmaps, that are poorly absorbed has been proven to help manage Ibs, and other gastrointestinal disorders, which burden your everyday life.

More info on the Low Fodmap Diet

Understanding How fodmaps work in your body

It is believed Fodmaps draw liquid from the intestinal tract, and when you eat food that is high in fodmaps, the fodmaps produces large volumes of liquid and gas in the small and large intestines, which can become fermented, causing abdominal pain and bloating and diaroherra. The more you fodmaps you consume together the more symptoms you will have, as food has it’s own fodmap value, if you eat food in isolation the fodmap value won’t be so high, resulting in fewer symptoms.

What the low fodmap diet does

The fodmap diet helps you manage your Ibs and other digestive problems with a diet that can be tailored for each person’s needs. The low fodmap diet it is not a cure for Ibs, but it can help you manage your Ibs, allowing you stay symptom-free, and easing the pain of IBS.

During your elimination trial, it is recommended that you eliminate all FODMAPs either significantly or entirely. Most patients will begin to feel significantly better within a few hours and a few days, but will take up to two weeks to feel fully healthy. A minority of patients have reported that it took up to three months to fully recover. After recovery, you can begin to gradually reintroduce foods using the steps outlined at the end of this article.

Many IBS sufferers with generally mild symptoms will find that a general reduction of fructose intake alone significantly relieves them of their symptoms. Other individuals will find that they must significantly reduce their intake of all FODMAPs to experience relief. You may find over time that eating certain FODMAPs does not bother you.

Finally, it should be noted that fructose – the ubiquitous simple sugar – is often allowed in “safe foods” if the food also contains a glucose-to-fructose ratio greater than one. This is because research shows that ingesting glucose at the same time as fructose (and in the same quantities as fructose) eases fructose absorption.

Which foods contain FODMAPs?

Fodmap Fruits

1. Apples
2. Apricots
3. Cherries
4. Mango
5. Pears
6. Nectarines
7. Peaches
8. Pears
9. Plums and prunes
10. Watermelon

Fodmap Grains

1. Rye
2. Wheat

Fodmap Lactose-Containing Foods

1. Custard
2. Ice cream
3. Margarine
4. Milk (cow, goat, sheep)
5. Soft cheese, including cottage cheese and ricotta
6. Yogurt
   1. Greek yogurt

Fodmap Legumes

Many legumes contain Galacto-Oligosaccharides (GOS).

1. Baked beans
2. Chickpeas
3. Lentils
4. Kidney beans
5. Bortolotti beans

Fodmap Sweeteners

Sweeteners which end in -ol are excluded because they are fermentable polyols.

1. Fructose
2. High fructose corn syrup
3. Corn syrup solids
4. Palm sugar
5. Honey
6. Agave nectar
7. Isomalt
8. Maltitol
9. Mannitol
10. Sorbitol
11. Xylitol

Fodmap Vegetables

Vegetables may be on this list for containing fructans.

1. Artichokes
2. Asparagus
3. Avocado
4. Beets
5. Broccoli
6. Brussel sprouts
7. Cabbage
8. Cauliflower
9. Garlic
   1. Garlic is possibly okay to consume, but should not be ingested in large quantities.
10. Fennel
11. Leeks
12. Mushrooms
13. Okra
14. Onions
    1. Onions have recently been reported to be especially troublesome. It is best to completely avoid them.
15. Peas

Safe Fodmap Foods

It’s best to obtain your calories principally from a source that is indisputably fodmap-friendly. In moderation, however, the following foods are safe to eat on a low-FODMAP diet.

Safe Fodmap Fruits

1. Banana
2. Blueberry
3. Grapefruit
4. Grapes
5. Honeydew melon
6. Kiwi
7. Lemon
8. Lime
9. Orange
10. Raspberry
11. Strawberry

Safe Fodmap Sweeteners

1. Artificial sweeteners that do not end in -ol
2. Glucose
3. Maple syrup
4. Sugar (sucrose)

Safe Fodmap Lactose Alternatives

1. Butter
2. Hard cheeses
3. Lactose-free products, such as lactose-free ice cream and yogurt
4. Rice milk
5. Sorbet

Safe Fodmap Vegetables

1. Bok choy
2. Carrots
3. Celery
4. Corn
5. Eggplant
6. Green beans
7. Lettuce
8. Parsnip
9. Scallions
10. Tomato

Reintroducing foods/Moving beyond the elimination phase

Once you are symptom-free, you may attempt to reintroduce foods in order to determine exactly what was causing your symptoms. There are really no established guidelines on how to best do this – it varies from individual to individual. Key concepts, however, follow:

1. Write it down! Be scientific. Keep a food diary. Your future self will thank you.
2. Only reintroduce one food at a time.
3. Wait 3 Days for symptoms to reappear before moving on to the next food.

Learn more about the Low FodMap Diet at Lowfodmap.com