Unable to have Fodmap diet

[howarddavies]

I've read a lot of positive stories on here about the Fodmap Diet. But, having looked into it, I've found that I can't have it as a lot of the foods you should have as part of the diet are foods I can't eat. Has anyone else found this or has anyone tried the diet & found that it didn't work?

[dipsy14]

Doesnt work for everyone!! It didnt for me and I tried two versions. I stuck to it but like you some of the foods was actually aggravating my symptoms. However I do avoid foods that cause a problem. Had to make my way through by trial and error and its taken a long time .... still going through it sometimes where a food has caused major problems. No cure for me whatever I have done but I have lessened the severity overall. You might want to make a list what you can eat and add to it when a particular food is okay for you and build up a better menu choice. Good luck.

[Lanidove in reply to dipsy14]

Please take your time

Start with just one or two foods and gradually reintroduce mono foods . One at a time . If you have a flare youlol know for certain something triggered it with in the last day or more. I’ll get really sick and my body will be affected for days but my quick resources work very well for me in crisis . My body is amazing . Some foods are taboo . Sit with which ones . On FODMAP or not and eventually you can free yourself from this diet go round ....

THERE WILL ALWAYS BE FOODS' TO STAY AWAY FROM

BUT WE ARE ALL DIFFERENT .. Be patient.

[sammysmum]

I too was advised to follow FODMAP about 4 years ago, still doing it! A lot of the foods I am supposed to be able to eat I cannot, e.g. citrus and several vegetables, however some due to being on blood thinners for life (green vegetables). My list of foods is limited but manageable. I have the odd hiccup when I find that a food I have always eaten affects me, like last night and Sunday, not been affected like that for ages. Have tried some foods off the "red list" and can eat them in moderation and not regularly. I carry a typed list of "red list" and "green list" foods with me everywhere, and on cruise holidays they are usually very helpful, the bigger lines are better though. In restaurants, those that we visit are helpful in the main, those that say they can help me and then I am ill we just avoid eating there again. A friend in the village is the same, and been on FODMAP for about a year longer than me. I agree the diet is not suitable for everyone, however prior to being put on it by the Dietician at the Hospital, I had an allergy test, and the list I came away with was very similar to the FODMAP, I was amazed. Since then I have visited another allergy clinic and most of the foods came up there also, even thought this time she knew nothing of most of the foods I had problems with. She also tested for environmental things, this was quite enlightening.

[jillyb47 in reply to sammysmum]

How do you to about arranging an allergy test. Is this through a Gp, gastroenterologist or a private clinic ? Thanks

[sammysmum in reply to jillyb47]

I was initially referred to the hospital who put me on FODMAP however due to furtger problems I went privately to Allergy UK who has a local office. A lot of environmental things came up, yeast came up but I had been on several antibiotics for chronic bronchitis, when out of system I could have yeast again. As LCat says its not a diet as such, some people can say tolerate more fructose than others, myself I cannot tolerate any citrus whereas it is "allowed" with FODMAP! Its a case of finding out what you can eat and eventually keep testing new foods to see if they are tolerated.

[LCat]

I think you don’t have to stick ‘strictly’ to the FODMAP diet. It’s NOT a strict diet. For example 90% of North Europeans won’t have a problem with milk products like myself. So I’m still eating milk products. So if you notice that milk products don’t cause problems you can eat them. The products you’re ‘allowed’ to eat ... doesn’t mean you SHOULD eat ...... some products that are allowed I can’t have. e g after my latest flare-up I got problems with tomatoes, citrus fruit, lots of other fruit, and oats. So I don’t eat them. The FODMAP diet just gives you an idea which foods are likely to make you blotated as they’re highly fermenting foods : the worst being onion and garlic (very annoying because I love those but I’m not eating them). All sorts of cabbages and legumes aren’t ideal either = very bloating. It also gives you an idea about yeast : lots of beer is not good = very bloating but 1beer is ok. Other alcoholic drinks are ok even Gin, Whisky etc are strangely ok as they’re they don’t contain yeast. All fish and meat products are ok just no processed meat etc because it contains so much other rubbish (always contains yeast powder, onion and garlic powder and all sorts of other chemical nasties).

[Marykilroy in reply to LCat]

I love to cook and being deprived of onions and garlic was a blow, the bases of most of my cooking. I go to the farmers market where I can buy leeks with plenty of green leaves. I use the green as a substitute for onions then sprout them in water on my kitchen window to regrow. The garlic I make garlic oil every few weeks, 500mls of olive oil, 2/3 cloves into the slow cooker overnight, or could do on stove top at a very low just breaking the surface simmer. It’s a strong garlicky taste, great in dishes, super made into gluten-free bruschetta, helps the woolly taste of gluten-free bread. I too can’t eat many things on FODMAP diet, as you say it’s trail and error, I’m finding quantity plays a big part.

[b1b1b1 in reply to LCat]

My FODMAP dietician told me to eat sourdough bread, which I have been doing. I have been wondering about the yeast, though. I would be interested in your thoughts about this. Thanks.

[LCat in reply to b1b1b1]

This is a tricky one. I know the sourdough bread is ok with the Fodmap diet, probably, because when they bake the bread, there is no yeast added but there, instead a ‘sourdough starter’ is used, which has other cultivated bacteria in it (instead of yeast) which make the bread ‘rise’. During my previous flare up I ate sourdough bread which didn’t seem a problem at the time. However during my present flare-up I dont dare to do this (I’ve been too ill to take risks too quickly ). At some point I was super sick after eating bread.....so I started thinking ..... and reading ......The Fodmap diet is very good (as it eliminates fermenting foods) but it’s not perfect and has been criticised that it allows a few things it shouldn’t. The main culprit is (surprisingly) ‘whole fiber’ which we’ve been brainwashed for decades to eat. Whole fiber are indigestible carbo-hydrates which are undesirable at any cost. Those top GI Consultants highly specialised in IBS say that the ‘old fashioned view’ to eat a low/no fat diet and instead eat lots of whole whole fibre carbs is out of date, has been proven to be TOTALLY wrong, and has been mainly advertised and marketed by the food industry for almost 5 decades. Whole fiber as well as high carb diet must be avoided. Instead a low carb diet (usually the right kind of vegetables) is advised for IBS. You have to make of course your own decision. I’m staying at present away from it. Initially I found it hard as I was so used to taking sandwiches with me.... the convenience !! But then I found ways around it.

[b1b1b1 in reply to LCat]

Thanks a lot. I was not aware that sourdough bread did not have yeast. Interesting.

[LCat]

The above post was a reply to you but strangely went to myself

[LCat]

The above 2 replies were meant for Howard Davies but went to myself by mistake

[howarddavies in reply to LCat]

Don't worry. I got the original message

[fedup01]

It didnt work for me turns out i needed to give up wheat instead

[SophieC22]

Didn’t work for me, but has helped me eat healthier and therefore feel a bit better in myself! Have learnt the big no no foods in terms of causing me agonising pain, eg to stay clear of fatty take aways, but bloating has never gone! I suggest to do it so you can say you’ve tried it to any doctors in the future

[Fancymom33]

I have had a much better result following the blood type diet!! Fodmap didn't really help me much. I'm a type O and cannot tolerate wheat, dairy, corn or white potatoes. Also don't tolerate a lot of sugar. If I avoid those, I feel great!

[Joannehurst]

Hi everything I thought set of my ibs seemed to be a good food on FODMAP so I was left confused to be honest. I am now into day two of the worst bout of ibs ever which has made me miss two days of work due to the severe pain. I looked at what I had eaten and checked FODMAP and it seems corn on the cob has done this to me as it was the only food that I had eaten different on Monday. The annoying thing is I only ate it because my little one didn’t want it!!! So perhaps it is useful and I will not be eating 🌽 ever again. Good luck with your search x

[Supersonicwoman]

Its fine, just go for low FODMAP things and miss out the things your diet says you can't have - it really works for me but I get lazy and then I suffer.........I think there are very few people who have IBS that it doesn;t work for.......its just a case of remembering to be strict with yourself.

[howarddavies]

Thank you for the replies everyone. I think I'm going to have to look at the diet & see what I can & can't have

[ibsisshit]

Does not work for I found it made me worse

[jeanette-bkworms]

I think dipsy14's advice is right on. I try to keep on going lists of what I can and what I can't eat. But I was beginning to feel like the list of "can'ts" was taking over and I was starting to get overwhelmed. Recently, I came across a company called ModifyHealth that provides meals for the FODMAP diet. More important, they are willing to work with you to include other dietary restrictions. In my case diabetic, GERD and weight loss. They will also try to accommodate reasonable personal preferences, for example, I don't like eggplant or sweet potatoes. They have dieticians you can work with or you can use your own. I will be getting my first delivery of meals this Friday. I'll let you know how it goes.

[Viklou]

Didn't really work for me either. I also reacted to some of the stuff on the list. Through trial and error I know what's ok and what isn't. It's taken a while but the best thing is to make up stuff yourself. This way you know exactly what's in it.