Low FODMAP Diet

Who can the low FODMAP diet help?  Reportedly, the low FODMAP diet can help those suffering from IBS and other functional gastrointestinal disorders.  Most recently I heard that it *may* be helpful for those with gastroparesis or funtional dyspepsia.

What does FODMAP mean?  FODMAP is an acronym that stands for: Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols.  These are names for a collection of molecules found in foods that cause digestion issues for some people.

What foods have FODMAPS?  

• Fructose: Honey, Apples, Mango, Pear, Watermelon, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup Solids.
• Fructans: Artichokes (Globe), Artichokes(Jerusalem), Asparagus, Beetroot, Chicory, Dandelion leaves, Garlic (in large amounts), Leek, Onion (brown, white, Spanish, onion powder), Raddicio lettuce, Spring Onion (white part), Wheat (in large amounts), Rye (in large amounts), Inulin, Fructo-oligosaccharides.
• Lactose: Milk, icecream, custard, dairy desserts, condensed and evaporated milk, milk powder, yoghurt, margarine, soft unripened cheeses (eg. ricotta, cottage, cream, marscarpone).
• Galacto-Oligosaccharides (GOS): Legume beans (eg. baked beans, kidney beans, bortolotti beans), Lentils, Chickpeas.
• Polyols: Apples, Apricots, Avocado, Cherries, Longon, Lychee, Nectarines, Pears , Plums, Prunes, Mushrooms, Sorbitol (420), mannitol (421), xylitol (967), maltitol (965) and Isomalt (953).

Why do these foods cause problems?  Since some people have trouble digesting the above mentioned foods, and the molecules travel past the small intestine to the large intestine.  Upon their arrival, they act as a food source to the bacteria that live there normally.  The bacteria digest/ferment the FODMAPS, which in turn causes unpleasant IBS-like symptoms.

Source for foodlist and information above:  http://shepherdworks.com.au

Low FODMAP Resources:

• About the low FODMAP diet
• Low FODMAP books
• Long list of FODMAP foods
• Foods to Avoid & Why
• Low FODMAP Shopping List
• When Everyday Foods Are Hard to Digest
• List of FODMAP friendly dieticians
• Symptom rating worksheet
• Food Diary
• FODMAP Diet Recipes
• The FODMAPS Approach
• Fructose Malabsorption & FODMAPS
• Recipes for low FODMAP dressings
• LowFODMAP.com

Next week I will feature a list of FODMAP friendly recipes, in addition to my own recipes.  I am only a few weeks into this diet, but I've found that a bit of creativity has kept in manageable so far.  I should also probably mention that I do NOT have IBS, but rather an undiagnosed functional GI disorder than I am in the process of figuring out.  It surfaced after a case of food poisoning, so there is some speculation as to what is causing the persistent symptoms (ie. a parasite, a newly developed food intolerance, post infectious gastroparesis, functional dyspepsia, etc.).