What's your experience with low fodmap diet and reintroduction?

[As1992]

As far as I'm aware low formap diet is only for 6-8 weeks. Did you notice any difference when you removed the trigger foods within that period and did you notice any difference when you started the reintroduction phrase, slowly reintroducing common trigger foods? Where you able to tolerate the foods that you once had problems with?

[Luisa22]

My Fodmap diet was too mixed up to really be helpful. Many of the low Fodmaps triggered me so I couldn't eat them. A handful of low Fodmaps suited me well though, and became generally 'safe food' for me. Some high Fodmaps were okay for me from the beginning.

But what I found was I would get easy symptom free times randomly and flare ups randomly no matter what I ate or didn't eat.

Re-introducing high Fodmaps seemed to go quite well. I started with very small amounts. Did okay. But again flare ups happened and even on bland low Fodmap foods I would flare. Then I'd be fine again and could almost eat anything, with good bowel movements, not much bloating, wind etc.

I could even eat some lentils, chick peas, etc and have no symptoms when I am in a good phase (which could be days, or even weeks)

But as I say, those switches happened randomly, so I might not be the best person to ask.

[Fencinggirl]

Personally I did not experience any improvement during the removal phase so I was told not to bother with the reintroduction and to just start eating normally.

[RButus]

I noticed the difference immediately (and still do) when I exclude triggers. Reintroduction could take longer than 6-8 weeks. If you try a little of your trigger food and it still causes problems, ease off it again for a while longer and then try again, in a measured amount as per Monash's advice. Have you done the online course by Monash on FODMAP training for patients? It's well worth it if not. I assume you have their app? I still have certain foods I cannot tolerate after years on this, such as rye, pears and hazelnuts, but they are okay in tiny amounts. But I'm old and menopause is not always kind to the gut.

[Andann]

Some foods will never be acceptable on reintroduction but you may be able to tolerate small amounts, e.g. I cant handle fructans but I can usually tolerate 2 slices of some breads. I find it is hard to keep up with the correct method, I probably need a chart; over 3 days reintroduce a food in increasing amounts, then if it starts a reaction, dont try anything new for 3 days. I recently had 2 glasses of tonic (fizz is not recommended) with gin and lime 2 days in a row and suffered badly with nausea and other disturbances for 4 days. I have previously been ok if I just have it with lemon on one day only. Kind of puts you off trying anything else for more than 3 days! And hard to trust your judgement, maybe I ate something from the back of my fridge that was a bit off......

[IBSNetwork Partner IBS Network]

Take a look on our website in our shop, at present these are the only books we recommend , these have been reviewed by our qualified FODMAP trained dietitians theibsnetwork.org/shop/books

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.

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.

[Tess359]

I started the Low Fodmap diet about 5 years ago and noticed an immediate difference, but I have not been successful in re-introducing excluded foods. My body rejects just about all of them even even in ridiculously small amounts. I find it difficult to keep my weight up and have to eat huge amounts of potato to do so. I am also sensitive to the fillers in supplements. I have bought some cod liver oil and oral Vit d3 spray. but am frightened to try either of them because I suffer nausea, dizziness, vertigo and myalgia which can last for up to two weeks after trying something new. Everyone is different, but it is important to re-introduce foods one at a time in small amounts.

[corpgov10]

The strict low fodmap regime for a period of six weeks, supplemented with Fybogel, worked really well for me until I travelled and resorted to junk food. Then I went through a relationship break up and allied to what I'm currently doing, a stressful teacher training course, find my flare ups to be more frequent.

Ultimately, we cannot always have a handle on the variables in our life. But certainly controlling food intake and limiting how much high fodmap is reintroduced and when, does help.

[Edgar77 in reply to corpgov10]

The low fodmap diet has helped. Iam a celiac so already used to gluten free and must remain so for life, but found lactose free has helped too. Fruit and veg is very limited and I find d it hard to know if I'm having a bad reaction or just one of my off days. As it really is 50/50. I kept a food diet for over a year and still non the wiser. Blood tests show I am not deficient in any thing despite the fodmap diet that I have been on for about 6 months! Not 6 weeks. Must admit I'm not as strict with it as I used to be. As eating out is impossible.

[Pajarorose]

I found I could not eat all low fodmap foods. I am all lactose intolerant, basically fructose intolerant, but for applesauce and canned in syrup pears; Also, fructan intolerant so have to avoid wheat breads and high fructan vegetables. I can eat peas and beans at one-half cup with supplement Alpha Galactosidase. I take Pancreatin supplement with all meals. Trial and error will get you there. If I get too much fiber and bloat, I take Meclizine to calm my gut. Meclizine works well if you get nausea or vertigo.

[Luisa22]

Well, I was doing okay reintroducing celery for an example. I started with 3", then progressed to half a celery stick (steamed) No bad reaction. Did a whole celery stick steamed and was constantly fine on it.

I left gaps in between, so I didn't eat that too regularly, just sometimes.

Then last night I had a whole celery stick steamed with foods that normally don't upset me (not processed food of any kind), and oops. I am finding it hard to make sense of that. It's obvious to me whatever trigger there is has nothing to do with the celery basically.....or the avocado, or any other food. But something else, and I suspect serotonin.