Help with the FODMAP app

[mum1981]

I paid £7 to download the FODMAP diet on my iPhone. It asked me to put on a scale certain things I am sensitive too. So I just put them all as super sensitive as I didn't know what some of these things were. I was suprised that it says I'm allowed cheese but said I can have lactose free milk (which I do already) . I'm 31 and have had IBS for 10 years. Over the years has got so bad that pretty much ALL food give me bloating and Wind which is incredibly embarrassing. I might try this Symprove vitamins people go on about as no medication from the Dr has ever worked. Any help with the FODMAPS would be great.

[Hidden]

This is an Australian app so you won't recognise some of the foods on there and, of course, loads of UK foods aren't listed. Patsy Catsos has written the best FODMAP info in her book 'IBS - Free At Last', once again though, she's American so some of our foods aren't listed and others you won't recognise, but she does give you a plan to follow. I'm on this diet too and it has really worked for me, I'm about 90% symptom-free and it only took 3 days to work. The app guide is very useful when you're shopping or eating out.

There is no lactose in hard cheese, e.g. cheddar, parmesan or some of the soft ones either,

e.g. camembert, mozzarella, nor in butter either. The lactose in milk is in the whey which is separated out when making these products. You can check this out by reading the ingredients list, lactose is a sugar, so provided it only says 'trace' or a very low percentage it's safe to eat if lactose is a problem for you.

Hope this helps, come back if you need more info.

[PatV]

I fell for the lactose free milk but I have IBS-C and man did I get C. Otherwise very helpful. I'm avoiding the food group with broccoli.

[marky555]

Hi

As a thirty year sufferer from IBS I certainly understand what a struggle it is to cope with this condition. The symptoms and causes are so varied and changeable it's very difficult

to treat the symptoms alone and I've learnt over the years to take a holistic approach, this has finally lead me to a place where my IBS is currently under control and I'm living a full life again. I would suggest the following as a holistic and lifestyle approach to the condition......

Firstly and most importantly get a proper diagnosis of IBS, in my case my doctor referred me to a gastroenterologist and I had a raft of tests to rule out any underlying medical causes. Once they could found no medical issues I was diagnosed with IBS .

If you can afford it join a self help group such as the IBS network for support and information and in my experience I really needed both.

Research: you are already doing this by posting your question, Unfortunately as a typical young guy I tried to ignore my condition, especially as I was told it was all in my mind.This led to many years of unhappiness until desperation finally forced me into self help. Research into my symptoms led me to the following......... leaky gut syndrome...which can cause food intolerences and all sorts of other digestive issues which then led me to the four r's approach

The four r's

Remove, replace , re-innoculate and repair. Along with that Iwould add relax as I suffered from anxiety and stress, a great deal of which was caused by the IBS itself ! I researched this approach and implemented into my life along with relaxation techniques.This approach helped me greatly.

Remember that we are all different and to tailor your self help to you.Also within your self help approach you may find one particular element that is a silver bullet and leads to a drastic improvement in your condition. In my case this was taking vitamin B12,for you it may be something else.

I apologise for the length of this post and also if I don't reply to questions ( just don't have the time at the moment ) you may also find this same answer to other questions on the board as I feel I needed to share my experience. Please remember there is HOPE that you can control this condition