FODMAP DIET

[Irene]

I've noticed several references to this diet on various threads and thought it might be useful to share my experience.

I was advised to try this diet out by my Gastroenterologist after experiencing digestive symptoms caused by atrophic gastritis (due to B12 deficiency Pernicious Anaemia) FODMAP is basically is an EXCLUSION diet and should really be attempted whilst being supported by a dietician.

You cut out foods that are known FODMAPs i.e. foods that can ferment in the digestion process and cause lots of gas and discomfort. When these are excluded you then start adding them back into your diet, one at a time, over a period of time and note down any impact on your symptoms.

I think we can all name a particular food that we know causes us symptoms. In my case it was definitely pulses, including my favourite chickpeas. It was no surprise to me to see these were labelled FODMAP.

I didn't go the whole hog and exclude all FODMAPs as I was pretty confident that I knew most of the foods that affected me. I now keep these out of my diet and also reduce the amount of dairy I eat. Moving to lactose free milk to have with my various cups of tea.

I've noticed a big improvement with symptoms. If you have a more extreme problem, and know that many foods cause you discomfort, you may want to discuss with your GP being referred to a dietician who can support you through the FODMAP diet process.

Here's a link to our FODMAP board on Pinterest that you might find useful

If you're not used to Pinterest you just click on the picture to go to the web page it was pinned from. You can also leave a comment beneath the pics.

pinterest.com/gfguerrillas/...

[Hidden]

Glad you have had a good response with FODMAPS Irene! I have too, and onions and garlic were a big revelation to me.....I used to eat them in everything but now realise they are a huge problem for me with malabsorption. It was only through following the FODMAPS diet that I recognised this.

Are you in the UK Irene? I have not found a dietician here that knows anything about the diet. Instead, I found a book by Patsy Catsos very easy to follow - IBS Free at Last, available on Amazon. There are also books available in Australia from Sue Shepherd who was part of the team that originally developed the protocol.

[Hidden]

Oh, and thanks for the FODMAP board - very helpful Irene!

[Irene]

Hi Inndie. Yes I'm in the UK. My local hospital dietician knows a little about FODMAPS (she attended a training course) and passed me the books on this topic, produced by Kings College Hospital. Kings is the main place in the UK which is dealing with this diet which seems to have originated in Australia.

Here's the link to their web page for hospitals to order in the booklets. You will see they also offer courses. It may be that they keep a list of dieticians who've attended and will be able to tell you if there are any covering your local hospital/area

kcl.ac.uk/medicine/research...

[Hidden]

Hi Irene and Inndie

Inndie, I went to see a dietician at the end of November and she will be referring me to someone at my local hospital for the FODMAP diet but that person has yet to be trained. I am due to hear from the hospital in around 5 months' time. In the meantime, I have cut out Broccoli, Cauliflower and Red Grapes from my diet and it has improved a great deal. These are foods I ate in ambudance and I will be reintroducing them slowly in a few months' time to see how they affect me.

Thanks Irene for you post as well and the web address.

Also, I can confirm that I am in the UK.

[Irene in reply to Hidden]

You're welcome. I think it has always been intended that this diet is attempted with support of a trained dietician but it may be the case that some docs try to get patients to go it alone, as they've no understanding of what's involved.

You may also find it useful to keep a food diary. This doesn't have to be elaborate. Just a jotter to note down what you've eaten per day and any reaction you've experienced. This way you quickly build up a picture of what bothers you. I had all my fingers crossed that I would be ok with onions and garlic as I can't contemplate trying to find replacements for these in my recipes Thankfully they don't seem to bother me.

I also printed off the FODMAP diagram (linked above on Pinterest) and keep this pinned in my kitchen as it's easy to forget which are the troublesome foods.

Good luck with your appointment.

[Hidden]

Thanks Irene, that's really helpful and I will start to keep a diary. I cut out broccoli and cauliflower as I know they are from the Brassica family of vegetables.

Best of luck to you as well.