What is the Low FODMAP Diet?
The low FODMAP diet is a two-phase elimination diet that is used to help decrease digestive symptoms and discover which foods may be causing digestive problems. To follow any elimination diet, certain foods are excluded from what is eaten each day for a certain period of time. In the case of the low FODMAP diet, this period can last anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks. Once the digestive symptoms have improved or disappeared, it’s time for the re-introduction phase of the diet, adding many of the foods containing FODMAPs back into the diet.
Which digestive conditions is it used for?
Although the low FODMAP diet has been scientifically proven to relieve the symptoms of IBS, it can also help with many other digestive disorders such as celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis.
What is IBS?
Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or IBS, is a functional bowel disorder that is diagnosed based on symptoms. The most common symptoms include: abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, and excessive gas. Symptom can range from mild inconvenience to severe and debilitating. IBS affects all areas of a person’s life—emotional, social, and professional. Symptoms may occur in episodes and are often associated with eating specific foods.
Benefits of the Low FODMAP Diet
After starting the low FODMAP diet, it usually takes between 1-2 weeks to get symptom relief. Once this happens, you will be amazed by the benefits you may see. Since you will no longer need to use the bathroom so often, you won’t need to plan your life around the location of every public restroom. You will feel better emotionally once those symptoms melt away and have more energy to do the things that are important to you. You may also need less sick days from work and be more productive when you are at work. You can enjoy holidays and social events again.
Does the Low FODMAP Diet really work?
Although research on the low FODMAP is still evolving, the evidence shows that 70-80% of people with IBS following a low FODMAP diet report significant improvements in digestive symptoms. Note: It is recommended to consult with a registered dietitian before starting this type of diet because it’s not always the right type of diet for everyone with IBS or other digestive disorders.
Facts about Digestive Issues
Over 70 million people in the US have a digestive disease, which is about 21% of the population. Within that group, 25-45 million have IBS. It’s interesting to note that 2 out of 3 are female and usually under the age of 50. It’s one of the most common reasons people see a gastroenterologist. In fact, 20-40% of visits are due to IBS symptoms.
There are several common mistakes that people make when trying to follow the low FODMAP diet on their own. Working one-on-one with a registered dietitian ensures that not only will you avoid these mistakes, but you will have the peace of mind that your nutritional needs are being met. As your dietitian, Jody will help you figure out what to eat during the elimination phase, and decide when it’s time to start re-introducing foods back into your diet. Jody can help with tips on what to do when things don’t go smoothly on the diet. And, of course, Jody offers a vast array of delicious recipes in order to make following any diet easier. For a sampling of recipes, visit Recipes
Finally, as your dietitian, Jody will help you create a customized diet that can be used long-term that will keep symptoms away and will be a healthy, balanced diet.
Low FODMAP Diet is not a long-term diet
Even though the low FODMAP diet can bring great relief from digestive symptoms, it is not a long-term diet. It was designed to be used as a short-term solution to help you discover which foods are causing you symptoms and in which quantities. Once your symptoms settle down, foods that you were not eating are slowly reintroduced back into your diet one by one, which will help you determine which foods are causing the problem.
Some of the foods you will be avoiding during the elimination phase of the Low FODMAP Diet are foods that are good for the bacteria in your gut. They are called prebiotics and they actually feed the good bacteria living in your large intestine. If you exclude these foods long-term, your gut bacteria will not be able to thrive. This can affect your overall digestive health over time, so it’s best to follow the Low FODMAP Diet for no longer than 6 months.
What exactly are FODMAPs?
FODMAPs are technically known as fermentable, poorly absorbed, short-chain carbohydrates—otherwise known as indigestible sugars that feed the bacteria in the gut. These sugars have been given the acronym: FODMAP.
Fermentable
Oligosaccharides (fructans and galacto-oligosaccharides)
Disaccharides (lactoses)
Monosaccharides (fructose)
And
Polyols (sorbitol and mannitol)
It’s not really important to remember this technical definition. Think of FODMAPs as tiny carbohydrates found in certain foods that some people don’t digest very well.