FODMAP - What is it? Why Should You Know About It?
HI!
At some point in our lives we'll experience physical discomfort owing to our diets. If you enjoy the odd indulgence like me then donuts, cakes, street food, pizza & all manner of snacks are on the table. Unfortunately, at some point all this excess will catch up with you. At which point you may visit your GP complaining of a range of symptopms. During your visit you'll be advised to reduce your sugar, reduce your saturated fat, reduce gluten, try going vegan, and then some. Essentially you'll be advised to remove any number of elements from your diet that cause inflamation of internal organs, IBS, heartburn, constipation, abdominal cramping, muscle spasms, and various other horrible conditions. Once you establish the element that doesn't agree with you, you'll end up making a dietary lifestyle change to remove it or if your lucky, just cut back. The speed at which you'll find yourself making these choices all depends on what you do beforehand. You can prolong your ability to eat what you want, when you want but the work starts when you're young. Being care free is great! I love it, but planning for the future is also a wise choice & those who execute this planning effectively get to have their cake & eat it! & LETS FACE IT, WE ALL LOVE CAKE! so be smart, get glued up and stay healthy for a long as possible!
SO WHAT IS FODMAP?
FODMAP stands for Fermentable Oligo-, Di-, Mono-saccharides And Polyol. These are short-chain carbohydrates (sugars, Starches & fibers) that the small intestine absorbs poorly which can lead digestive distress when consumed. FODMAP foods draw water into your digestive tract which can make you bloated. If you eat too much of them they can sit in your gut and ferment. NOT GOOD!
FODMAP types:
Fructose: Fruits, honey, high-fructose corn syrup, agave
Lactose: Dairy
Fructans: Wheat, onions, garlic
Galactans: Legumes, such as beans, lentils, and soybeans
Polyols: Sugar alcohols and fruits that have pips or seeds, such as apples, avocados, cherries, figs, peaches, or plums
Who is likely to benefit from a low FODMAP Diet?
Anyone diagnosed with the following disorders!
Functional Gastrointestinal Disorder (FGID)
Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
Certain auto-immune conditions
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
Crohn's disease
Ulcerative Colitis
Other health issues triggered by certain foods
Bear in mind that IBS or any other form IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) isn't strickly having the shits, or for people of a more senior age, and it can effect anyone at any age in a number of ways, this means any irritation across the entire digestive system. That could mean stomach pain, intestinal pain, colonic pain even esophageal pain. All with a spectrum of severity from mild to totally debilitating. Sadly these disorders also have huge impact on mental health. You may have any number of these conditions & not be aware. Especially if the pain or discomfort is acute and you decide to live with it. Which isn't advisable at all. Any kind of physcial pain should be taken seriously and investigated to establish the the root cause. This is, afterall what your nerves are for. Your body's own signalling system telling something isn't right.
HOW TO SAFEGUARD YOURSELF
In order to protect yourself from developing inflammatory or intolerance induced symptoms from these short-chain carbohydrates you just need to limit your intake of high FODMAP foods. Doing so before the problem starts means you'll ensure your digestive system is preserved long into your lifetime. Speak with any health expert and they'll tell you the major issues as you get older start with the gut. Once this region of your body becomes compromised the whole body follows, & thats bad news! The tricky part when it comes to a low FODMAP diet is that many of the high FODMAP foods are quite nutritious & actually help contribute towards the growth of good bacteria in the gut. Therefore a low FODMAP Diet simply means moderating your intake and observing which foods trigger a sensitivity in your own body. Once you narrow it down you can eat foods that may be high FODMAP & beneficial to your health simply because your body doesn't have a problem processing it. Sounds Complex? Well, it can be, but most things worth doing aren't easy & if you're serious about good health then you'll take an interest in learning what fuel works best with your body.
So here's your extensive guide to high & Low FODMAP Foods.
LOW FODMAP VEGETABLES
Alfalfa Arugula/Rocket Asian & Collard greens Aubergine/Eggplant Beans, green Beansprouts Beetroot (1/2 cup) Bell peppers/Capsicum Broccoli Brussels sprouts (2-4 sprouts) Cabbage Carrots Celery and celeriac Chard/Silverbeet Chilli, red or green Corn (1/2 cob max)
Courgette/Zucchini Cucumber Edamame beans Fennel bulb or leaves Ginger and Galangal Kale Lettuce and Endive- all types Mushrooms- tinned, shimeji, oyster Okra Olives, green or black (15 small)) Potato- regular Potato- sweet potato (1/2 potato) Pumpkin/Squash- kent/Japanese
Pumpkin/Squash- butternut (1/2 cup) Radish Rhubarb Scallion/Spring onion (green tops) Seaweed/nori Snow peas/Mangetout (5 pods) Spaghetti squash (1 cup) Spinach, baby and English Tomatoes- Turnip, Swede, Rutabagas Water chestnuts Yam
HIGH FODMAP VEGETABLES
Asparagus Artichokes Cauliflower Garlic Leek (white bit) Onions Mushrooms- all other types Peas Scallions
spring onions (white bit)
LOW FODMAP FRUITS
Banana - Firm/green
Blueberries
Cantaloupe (1/2 cup)
Coconut-desiccated (1/2 cup)
Grapes all types
Honeydew melon
Kiwi fruit
Lemons & Limes
Mandarins
Oranges
Passion Fruit
Pineapple (1 cup)
Raspberries
Strawberries
HIGH FODMAP FRUITS
Apples Apricot Avocado (very small quantities may be tolerated) Bananas, ripe Blackberries Cherries Grapefruit Mango Nectarine Peaches Pears Plums Raisins and sultanas
Watermelon
LOW FODMAP CEREALS, GRAINS & FLOUR
Amaranth Arrowroot Flour Bread, gluten-free Bread, true sourdough (no yeast) Buckwheat flour
Cacao powder (2 tsp)
Cereal- gluten-free, no honey/dried fruit
Corn flakes Corn/maize flour
Corn tortillas Muesli, fruit-free
Oats, rolled (1/2 cup)
Rice krispies (rice bubbles) Spirulina Tapioca flour Teff Wheatgrass powder
HIGH FODMAP CEREALS, GRAINS & FLOUR
Barley Besan flour Cereal, muesli or granola with wheat or dried fruit Chick pea flour Coconut flour Rye flour Soy flour Wheat and rye flour, includes bread, cakes, biscuits, cookies, muffins.
LOW FODMAP PASTA, RICE AND NOODLES
Noodles, Noodles, rice
Pasta, gluten free
Polenta
Quinoa, all typles
Rice, all typles
Rice noodles
HIGH FODMAP PASTA, RICE AND NOODLES
Cous cous Gnocchi Pasta Noodles- egg, udon,
Ramen, wheat
Semolina
LOW FODMAP DAIRY & ALTERNATIVES
Cheese-all firm
Varieties
Cheese-cottage & ricotta
Coconut milk - small quantities
Yogurt-plain lactose free
Milk - Lactose-free
Almond milk
Hemp milk
Rice milk