Novice/beginner been advised to attempt low FODMAP diet. Any tips?

[IBSIrritableMe]

Recently been told by the dr to start a low FODMAP diet and I’ve tried a few things but my stomach just doesn’t agree with any of it. Anyone got any tips? How should I begin this journey?

[Smiley23]

Sorry to hear you are suffering, the fodmap is a very strict diet and you have to follow it to the letter for it to work. I was very successful on it but it was hard work. Best to stay away from all processed foods. Just protein and allowed veg works best. When reintroducing foods you have to do them one at a time ie. broccoli for instance and even if successful you have to exclude that again to say try mushrooms and so on. There are IBS clinics that specialise in fodmap if you can get referred Hope that helps stick with it as it does work for many peeps😀

[IBSIrritableMe in reply to Smiley23]

Hello, thank you so much for taking the time out to reply to me :). I really appreciate it!

I have been temporarily loaned about 5 FODMAP cookbooks to have a look through. I went to do a food shop today mainly of fruits and veg I can have. Hoping that in a few days I will feel a bit better than I currently do but I know it’s not a quick fix or something that will go straight away!

My doctor was very vague about it, literally just said google FODMAP diet and then ring back if it doesn’t help and that was it…

Thought it would be a good idea to reach out on this forum for some advice

[Gardenlover2020 in reply to IBSIrritableMe]

For the FODMAP diet I followed Calmbellykitchen.com by Julie O’Hara she simplified the diet & made it easier to understand , also get the Monash university FODMAP diet app , £7.99 it gives you all your food quantities & what to eat & what not to eat , also recipes etc

If you’re unsure get a Dietican to help , there are recognised dieticians on the IBS Network .org.

I hope this helps x

[Smeese in reply to Gardenlover2020]

Calmbelly website was a great source of new ideas - especially marinades and dressings - thank you. Will get the book.

[Smiley23 in reply to IBSIrritableMe]

Um yes my doctor didn’t know much about it either but he did know about the specialist clinic and was very good to refer mePersonally I have never bothered with the cook books, when starting out keep it simple, no mixed up food, steak and allowed veg or fish and allowed veg and grow from there to more complex dishes

[Eadaoin]

I made 2 lists: one headed No the other Yes denoting which said ok to eat on FODMAP and which was not. I then eat as normally as I could. When my bowel played up’ I checked my lists and stopped eating the problem foods. This has worked for me and has helped me feel a bit in control. I think my IBS is probably not as serious as some I have read about on here but it can easily rule my life. It started along with ptsd following emergency heart surgery where I was seconds away from dying. So it is a daily reminder that I am lucky to be alive and is a relatively small price to pay for that.

[ouch421]

Have a look at youtube nhs patient webinars. This one describes fodmap: youtu.be/m1U7NyBBbT0(Not working as expected?)

[BlackIsleGirl]

Omg! I really really wish GPs would stop doing this! You cannot just cut every red and amber food on the list out of your diet forever as it will cause long term damage to your body. And a diet sheet or a Google search is not the answer either! So unless you are willing to spend some time learning about diet and nutrition before you start you need to go back to your doctor and ask for a referral to a dietician. They will say no but you need to keep asking. It took me 13 months, 2 different surgeries and 4 different doctors but if you keep politely and firmly asking they will give in.

I'm now on a modified fodmap diet which allows me to live with very little pain and very little medication but I couldn't have done that without assistance from a professional.

[Tinkypete in reply to BlackIsleGirl]

Hi, what is the modified fodmap diet? Do you only cut out a few fodmaps?

[BlackIsleGirl in reply to Tinkypete]

When you go through the correct process with a dietician, you'll know which fodmaps are triggers for you and which aren't. And also how much of certain foods you can tolerate. So yes I only cut out the high fodmaps that I need to and not the ones that I don't need to. For example pulses (such a chickpeas and lentils) are red foods or high fodmaps but I have no issue with them at all and mushrooms which are also red or high I can tolerate in small amounts.

A qualified, medical dietician will be able to take you through the process so that you can tailor your diet to your needs. If you just cut all the red/high fodmap foods from your diet you'll do harm long term so you need to know your tolerances etc.

[Tinkypete in reply to BlackIsleGirl]

Okay thankyou. Out of curiosity, did you have to complete a food/symptom journal for your dietician to work out which are problem foods?

[BlackIsleGirl in reply to Tinkypete]

I completed one before I attended the first appointment. I just kept a spreadsheet for a couple of months with columns for date, time, food/drink, stress level and symptoms.

[Tinkypete in reply to BlackIsleGirl]

Thankyou

[IBSNetwork Partner IBS Network]

A FODMAP diet is second line advice and should not be embarked on as a first port of call for managing IBS symptoms there are many other things that can be tried first.

Dietitians are the only practitioners with training and up to date information about the low FODMAP diet, we don’t publish a list of foods as the diet should be completed under the supervision of a dietitian. It isn’t just about food groups it’s about the amount of each food and the amount of each food that is put together within a meal.

A dietitian should be doing a full assessment with you to see if you are suitable for the diet, as it isn't a solution for everyone, it very much depends on what your symptoms are. GP's are not trained to be given out this advice.

The diet is complex and it is vital that the foods removed from a person’s diet are replaced with suitable alternatives to prevent nutritional deficiencies.

We recommend that people are cautious of obtaining information via the internet, much of the information on the internet is no longer accurate because it’s out of date.

Monash the creators of the diet provide data that is evidence-based, it’s been peer reviewed and published in major journals around the world so it can be trusted.

Hence to obtain good results and maintain a healthy balanced diet it is advisable to ask your IBS specialist or GP for a referral to a trained dietitian who will use the latest information. With that in mind, be very careful from where you obtain your information and FODMAP food lists as much is out-of-date or just simply incorrect.

[Smeese]

Martin Storr published the Fodmap Navigator which was only 99p when I bought it on Amazon. It does make it really simple as you get a long list of what you CAN have and it helps to focus on that. It does take a long time to calm your gut with just the diet - I'm talking at least a month and probably more as none of us are perfect or iron-willed You can help the clearing process with a soluble fibre and by cutting right down on sugar (which is allowed but inflammatory). Oats, flaxseed or psyllium husk are all okay. I use all three and vary them during the week so that they aren't overdone. Also trust your own instincts as to what works - you'll get better at it as your gut heals - we are all different.

[Zedi39]

Hiya.

As a few others have said, this should never be tried alone. It is so incredibly restrictive and there is a process to be followed whereby foods are re-introduced - and it should be followed with GP and/or dietitian guidance/oversight.

Please go back to your GP and ask for a referral to a dietitian. If the first answer is no, ask why - and KEEP asking.

Check out the info from Monash Uni. Researchers at Monash (in Aus) created the low FODMAP diet.

Arm yourself with some research and book an appt - good luck 👍👍👍

[medds]

Hi please don't google, request a dietitian immediately. I didn't 8yrs ago and was handed a printed sheet and told by GP to excl, be then carried on the same advice for 2yrs. I now have anorexia and have been in and out of specialist services.

[Saraia]

try adding some antibloating foods drinks to your diet; e.g. cucumber, avocado, banana, asparagus, peppermint

[Saraia]

How did it go? It would be good to compare notes incase we can help each other.

[Tinkypete]

I've found that salad can be a problem for me even though it is low fodmap. I would probably stick to cooked vegetables at first to see how you get on.

When I'm bloating up green tea and peppermint tea have really helped. I thought wheat was a trigger so I cut right down on how much I eat.

I haven't actually jumped into the low fodmap diet yet but I'm already seeing a massive improvement just from these small changes. Hope you start to feel better soon.