Help with fodmap diet please

[Cimmy]

Hi all, read and heard a lot about the fodmap diet, could anybody on here enlighten me, I’m just so confused, can you put in layman’s term please, I just need a list of things I can eat and things I can’t if possible. Thanks everyone

[Maureen1958]

Hi Cimmy, basically you should avoid high fodmap foods and eat low fodmap foods. You are supposed to do it with the help of a dietitian or nutritionist. You are supposed to eliminate high fodmaps and then reintroduce them after a while to see if you are okay with them or not. It's not something you should do on your own. The idea is to find out which foods suit you and which do not. But I haven't done this myself so that's about the extent of my knowledge. I am sure someone else can explain it much better than me. Crazyfitness might be able to help you with this.

[Cimmy in reply to Maureen1958]

Hi Maureen, thanks for your reply, I’ve had a little look at it but not quite sure it’s for me, it seems so involved and complicated or I’m just stupid, probably the latter🤦‍♀️, I’m so tired of trying to sort myself out, the fodmap is the only thing I haven’t tried, I just want to get up one day and feel good. Hope your well, take care x

[Maureen1958 in reply to Cimmy]

I have looked at it several times but it comes back to the fact that I can eat a lot of the things that are high fodmap and equally find there are a lots of things that are low fodmap which I avoid, so it seems pointless for me to try it. After all these years, I have learned which things to avoid and equally how much of a certain thing I can eat, and indeed how to mix and match foods. Also I can eat the same thing one day and its fine and another it's not, so I really don't think it really comes down to food for me.

[violetmycat]

Hi CimmyI went on the internet and 'Googled Foodmap' in 'Images' and it showed lots of different lists that you can pick from with information. Best wishes Kathy

[Viklou]

You can download an app to your phone. It's great for looking at each food and can scan bar codes on products telling you if its green low fodmap, amber or red for high fodmap

[asbayford]

Monash University fodmap app, has a one off cost but its incredible. Has safe foods in green and anything in red (some at different serving sizes) is avoid. Very user friendly

[Merlin8]

Viklou’s advice to use the app is good. I downloaded the Monash app and Cara app (UK based here) and they have both been invaluable. My GP told me about FODMAP. I did it by myself with the option to ask him for further advice. It looks complicated but you soon get the hang of it. Initially it is quite a faff but for me it has definitely been worth it. It took about six months to ascertain what fodmaps I could eat and what I couldn’t. For instance I can eat onion in meals now but only once a week. A useful alternative is garlic salt or oil and onion salt so I get the flavour but not the after effects. There is an extensive list but in the app you can see how much of particular foods you can eat as they all have a traffic light system. Like weaning a baby it’s best to introduce them one at a time and be free of effects before adding another. Honestly it has really changed my ibs. I do have the occasional flare up but find that’s around festivities and holidays and quite often self inflicted by bad food choices.

The Cara app has quite a lot of input areas. I use it to record pain and motions. It plots them so you can see your good days and bad days with pain and stools. It also is useful as you can see that not every day is bad and you can see those things improving. Give both a go and, hopefully like me, it will result in more pain free MONTHS. You don’t know if you don’t try. Good luck

[Susan72]

I suggest you get the Monash app. It has the safe servings of foods

[Carlettejaque]

Hi, its quite simple really. Don't eat anything with high fibre. Only eat low, soluable fibre. DONT eat cauliflour, garlic, onion, anything in the onion family. Cabbage, sprouts, broccoli. I, personally would steer clear of turnip and swede. No nuts, lentils or seeds. No spicy food or alcohol or fizzy drinks. Fizzy drinks are a real no no. Be careful with fruit. Don't eat anything with high sorbitol content such as apples, pears, peaches and nectarines, plums.You can eat blueberries, strawberries and bananas but in moderation.

You can eat lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots and spinach. Bread products.

If it doesn't help, try an elimination diet taking out one food at a time. A lot of IBS sufferers are lactose or yeast intolerant. Ifvyou search for list of foods for IBS Google should tell You the full list. If you need further help let me know. I've had IBS for 30 years. Happy Xmas.

[Jane_T1D_IBS-D]

Hi! I've been on the FODMAP diet for a few years now. It is quite involved in that, depending on which food groups you personally need to cut out, there can be quite long lists of things to either restrict portions of, or cut out completely. The ideal is to see a dietician and talk through it with them. I was referred to an NHS dietician by my GP. She then went through all my symptoms and from that identified which of the five FODMAP food groups I should try cutting out (three out of the five for me). This both makes the diet easier if you don't have to cut out everything (for example I'm fine with the dairy group thankfully, which I would find it very difficult to cut out) and ensures that you're not cutting out things you don't have to, as obviously as varied a diet as possible is best for your health. I wouldn't have been able to do it if I hadn't had this initial dietician support, even though it was only a couple of appointments. Following the diet has helped massively with my IBS-D, as I have much more energy and no longer have to go to the toilet three or four times every morning. As long as I stick to the diet the only thing that sets me off now is stress. And obviously you can choose to eat things that you shouldn't, but it means that you then know you're going to have a reaction and can plan for it and know what caused it. The Monash app (full title on Google Play store "Monash Uni Low FODMAP Diet") is extremely helpful as it tells you exact foods and quantities, although as it's developed in Australia there are a few foods that aren't on there. Good luck!

[xjrs]

Ideally this needs to be done under the guidance of a dietitian via a GP referral.

In the mean time, here is the bit in my standard reply about FODMAPs. There are apps that can help you:

If you download the Monash University FODMAP app and Kings College fodmap apps, they will tell you which foods contain FODMAPs and in what quantities. You can eliminate all FODMAPs for 2 weeks and then introduce each type of FODMAP one at a time starting in small quantities, increasing over a 3 day period and wait up to 4 days for symptoms. I go much slower than this - only introducing a small amount (1/4 to 1/3 of a normal portion size) of the same food for 3 days and then increase if tolerable or no symptoms and cut back to the previous amount if symptoms for longer and then try to increment again . I've read your microbiome can adapt to handling a new food if introduced very slowly and your bad bugs are under control with a good probiotic. Ideally you want to eat as many FODMAPs as you can since they are good for your health. Many people with IBS don't have diverse gut bacteria - it has been found that people who lack a diverse microbiome are more prone to diseases in general. In the long run, if you can get your symptoms under control, the ideal situation is to have a very varied diet - lots of different coloured fruits and vegetables, a variety of protein and carbohydrate sources including cereal fibres. This may seem a long way off, but with the right treatment all of this is possible. Last year all I could consume to control my IBS was white rice, protein and limited low fodmap veg. Using the approach above (particularly introducing Alflorex) I am now able to consume far more foods - more than I've ever dreamed of including wholewheat bread which is unheard of for me.

Personally I would try Alflorex probiotic before doing FODMAP elimination & reintroduction if you haven't tried this already. It may make you more tolerate to foods so that you don't need to eliminate so many unnecessarily.

[Cats15]

Hi Cimmy. I’ve been following FODMAPS diet for a month now and it’s made a huge difference. There is nothing complicated about it. One list of foods you should cut out (high FODMAPS food) and one list of food that you can eat (low FODMAPS food)Just print out both lists and go shopping with them. After a while you know what’s a no no. It’s basically no wheat, gluten and certain fruit and veg. I’ve also cut out dairy and all fats except olive oil.

If you use APPS, downloaded the Monash FODMAPS app. You can look up a food and see if it’s low or high FODMAPS. It’s not rocket science and you can also find great recipes to help make life interesting!

[Hidden]

Hi Cimmy

I was diagnosed with IBS in 1996 but coped with it absolutely fine, there were times I had severe pain but it didn't happen often, I had IBS C (IBS with Constipation). In November 2018 I had food poisoning from eating a ready prepared lunch in a pot, it had rice in it, and my IBS changed from IBS C to IBS D (IBS with diarrhoea) with acute nausea, I was feeling sick just about every day, it was awful. Finally after a Colonoscopy, Endoscopy, Ultrasound and a myriad of blood tests I was told it was Post Infectious IBS so basically the food poisoning made my IBS a lot worse.

In December 2019 I'd really had enough, it was impacting greatly on my mental health and my ability to keep fit so I begged my doctor to refer me to a Dietician. I asked to be referred to a Dietician as I'd read a few comments online about needing a Dietician to guide you through it but to be honest I could have done this on my own with the help and guidance of following the Kings College London and Monash University websites.

I saw the Dietician in January this year and she put me on the Low Fodmap diet, it changed my life, no more nausea, unless I ate the wrong food of course, and the diarrhoea had stopped. This diet has really worked with me and it's meant I can live my life again, I'm at the gym, riding my bike when the weather is okay and power walking.

I see Maureen1958 has said below that the diet wasn't for her as she can eat quite a lot of high fodmap foods but there are quite a few low fodmap foods she cannot eat. The low fodmap diet works in around 75% of people so it's definitely worth a try. I would definitely suggest that you look into it and would suggest going on the Monash University website, they were the ones that created the diet and are in Australia. If you want to UK version then look on the Kings College London website. I also have 2 apps for the low fodmap diet but I have to say I don't think much of the Kings College one and I will feed back on that as they'll need to know how they can improve it. The Monash University one is much better as it lists all of the 'normal' foods i.e. fruit, vegetables, pulses etc.

Please think about giving it a try as it's definitely made a huge difference to my life.

[Cimmy in reply to Hidden]

Hi, thanks for your very informative and caring reply, I will be looking into the diet as I need to do something, I can’t go on like this, I’m just so tired of feeling like crapTake care and Merry Christmas

[Hidden in reply to Cimmy]

You are most welcome Cimmy and I really hope it helps, I'm not just saying it has changed my life, it has. I know I have to read labels more now but I make nearly all my own food and once you get into it it become second nature.

It's awful feeling like you have been feeling and you deserve to feel so much better.

Please let me know how you get one.

Take care and Merry Christmas to you.

Alicia 🎄

[cypresstree]

Hi there is an app called monash which is very helpful if you want to try the diet. It gives you a list of all high FODMAP foods to avoid in the first phase. Also recipes etc. My symptoms completely went away during this phase. I am now reintroducing high FODMAP foods one at a time to see what my triggers are. It is working really well for me. The idea is that in the end you only have to avoid a few things that set off your symptoms