It is very common to come across a friend, family, or neighbour complaining of stomach upset after eating specific food items. Digestive upset and distress caused by certain food types in the offices is a common problem globally.
When one has digestive upset after eating some foods, their mood is significantly ruined. This also leads to their day getting ruined. Many people are ready to adopt any solution available to prevent digestive upset.
After numerous studies, a link between FODMAPs and digestive distress after eating was established. This created the avenue for avoiding foods that contain FODMAP to avoid getting digestive upset after eating.
Low FODMAP diets have been studied keenly by several institutions to get the best diet plans. The Monash University FODMAP application was developed by Monash University to help people plan their low FODMAP diets. The diet plans in the app include low FODMAP foods list, shoppist list, recipes, etc.
Many people are seeking to plan and start their low FODMAP diets. Before embarking on this, there are a couple of basic guidelines and information that one should be conversant with.
What are FODMAPs?
The narrative about reducing FODMAP in your diet to prevent digestive upset is popular. However, very few people understand what FODMAPs are.
FODMAPs are carbohydrates. They are found in certain foods. The name FODMAP is an acronym for the specific components in carbohydrates.
The letters in the acronym represent:
- Fermentable – This means that the components are broken down by certain bacteria in the intestinal tract.
- Oligosaccharides – Oligosaccharides consist of two words. The first word is Oligo, which means few. The second word is saccharides, which is a type of sugar. The molecules consist of individual sugars that are chain linked together.
- Disaccharides – The word consists of two words. The words are Di, which means two, and saccharides which is a type of sugar. It is a twin sugar molecule.
- Monosaccharides – The word consists of two words. The words are mono, which means one, and saccharides which is a type of sugar. It is a singular sugar molecule.
- Polyols – They are alcohol sugars. It is vital to keep in mind that they cannot intoxicate a person when consumed.
A look at the components in FODMAP shows that they consist of four main groups of saccharides. All the saccharides are a type of carbohydrate referred to as short-chain. These carbohydrates easily ferment in the colon if they are poorly digested.
During the fermentation process, a lot of water is drawn in from the rest of the body. The fermentation process of these carbohydrates produces gases. The gases are methane, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen. These gases cause a lot of expansion and contraction in the digestive tract. The stretching and expansion cases bloating, pain, abdominal distension, and other symptoms. These symptoms are what are felt as digestive upset.
Now that one is aware of how FODMAP cause digestive upset, you can work on eliminating FODMAP from your diet till you develop some resistance.
Low FODMAP Diet
A low FODMAP diet is structured and planned with foods that contain low levels or no FODMAP to avoid getting digestive distress. While low FODMAP diets are primarily used to help with digestive distress problems, they also help in other conditions such as:
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
- Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)
- Migraines caused by certain meals
A key factor to keep in mind when adopting a low FODMAP diet is that it cuts out a lot of foods. Due to the number of foods that it cuts out, this diet cannot be a permanent thing. Low FODMAP diets are temporary treatment plans.
After a while of using a low FODMAP diet, one slowly reintroduces some foods that contain FODMAP in their meals. This slow reintroduction allows one to know the level at which they can eat foods with FODMAP without getting digestive distress. Once one identifies this level, they can embark on always monitoring their FODMAP intake level to ensure it does not go beyond what their body can handle.
Stages of Low FODMAP Diets
Low FODMAPs diet has three stages.
- Elimination
The first stage of a low FODMAP diet is elimination. This stage entails cutting out all foods that contain FODMAP in your diet. This stage lasts for 3-9 weeks depending on one’s preferences.
- Reintroduction
The second stage of a low FODMAP diet entails reintroducing foods with FODMAP into one’s diet. As stated earlier, the reintroduction of FODMAP allows one to know the FODMAP intake level that their body can handle. This concept is similar to that used by lactose-intolerant people.
Knowing one’s tolerable level of FODMAP intake allows you to have meals without the restrictions that come with eliminating FODMAP from one’s diet.
When reintroducing FODMAPs into your diet, you should do this strategically. You should reintroduce low-FODMAP foods one group at a time. This also allows you to note FODMAP food groups that affect your body a lot.
- Custom FODMAP Diet
Initially, a low FODMAP diet entails cutting off all foods with FODMAP from your meals. However, with the second stage of FODMAP diets, you get to know the FODMAP food groups that your body can handle.
Once you are aware of the FODMAP food groups that your body can handle and those that it cannot handle, you create a custom diet plan. The custom diet plan will include FODMAP foods that do not cause digestive distress to you.
Low FODMAP Recipes
Numerous recipes offer low FODMAP diets without compromising the nutritious value of the foods. The Monash University FODMAP app houses several low FODMAP foods and recipes that you can use to make meals.
Conclusion
Low FODMAP diets are the recommended solution for people who get digestive distress after eating certain foods. When looking to get on a low FODMAP diet, you can get a diet that is specifically tailored for you from a nutritionist or dietician. You can also get a custom diet plan from the available accredited FODMAP apps. This will ensure you get the best results from your new diet.
