A lot of different vegetables with the text: the low FODMAP diet - a beginner's guide

The low FODMAP diet

You probably ended up on this page because your doctor or dietician advised you to follow a low FODMAP diet or because you have gut issues and read something about this diet.

On this page, I am going to tell you all about the low FODMAP diet and if this diet is something you should consider or not. 

What is the low FODMAP diet? 

The low FODMAP diet is a diet created by Monash University in Australia. This diet is used to help people manage the symptoms of medically diagnosed IBS: the Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

IBS is a common chronic gut disorder. Symptoms that most people suffer from include abdominal pain, wind, bloating, diarrhoea or constipation or a combination of both. 

The goal of the diet is to find out which food groups you react to and that trigger your IBS symptoms. So that in the end you will have clear knowledge of which foods you have to avoid and which foods you can introduce back into your diet.

Like this, you won’t avoid foods that you actually tolerate unnecessary and you’ll be able to enjoy foods with as little stomach issues as possible. 

What does FODMAP stand for?

FODMAP stands for Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides And Polyols. Ahh, that doesn’t really clear it up a lot, right?

Believe me, I have been familiar with the low FODMAP diet for over 5 years now and I still stumble when I have to explain what this acronym stands for.

FODMAPs are sugars (short-chain carbohydrates) that are not completely digested in your intestines. They move slowly through the small intestine and attract water.

Then they move to the large intestine, where they are fermented by gut bacteria. These bacteria produce gas as a result. The excess gas and water causes the intestines to expand.

Because people with IBS have a very sensitive gut, this causes IBS symptoms for them, such as bloating, discomfort and diarrhoea / constipation.*

This video by Monash FODMAP explains it very clearly: 

*Source: monashfodmap.com

Okay, we know what FODMAP stands for now, but we still don’t really know what those difficult words mean. We are getting to this now. Hang in there, from now on it is only going to get more clear!

The different FODMAP groups

Oligoosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols are the four different carbohydrates groups that the low FODMAP diet focuses on and those contain six different food groups that can cause your IBS symptoms.

Let’s see what those six FODMAP groups are: 

Fermentable: the F in FODMAP stands for fermentable and this is the process where the gut bacteria ferment the FODMAPs and produce gas. Basically the process that has been explained in the video above. 

Oligosaccharides: this FODMAP group consists of two food groups:  fructo-oligosacharides (fructans / FOS) and galacto-oligosaccharides (galactans / GOS). Fructans are found in foods such as onions, garlic and wheat. Galactans are found in legumes and pulses. 

Disaccharides: this FODMAP group is lactose. Lactose is found in dairy products, such as yoghurt, milk and cheese. 

Monosaccharides: this is the FODMAP group fructose. Fructose is found in different fresh fruits, dried fruits, honey and is often used as a sweetener, for example in the form of high fructose corn syrup. 

And

Polyols: this FODMAP group consists of two food groups: sorbitol and mannitol. Both are found in different fruits and vegetables and are also used as an artificial sweetener.

Sorbitol can for example be found in avocado, broccoli and blackberries. Mannitol is found in cauliflower, celery and sweet potato. 

So, when following the low FODMAP diet, we focus on the following food groups: fructans, galactans, lactose, fructose, sorbitol and mannitol. 

The phases of the FODMAP diet

We know what the different FODMAP groups are now, but what are we going to do with them? The FODMAP diet is split up into three different phases: 

1. The elimination phase

In the elimination phase, you are going to eliminate high FODMAP foods from your diet and swap them for low FODMAP alternatives.

The goal of this phase is to get your symptoms under control. This phase usually lasts 2 to 6 weeks. If your symptoms have improved enough during this period, you can move on to the reintroduction phase. 

Click here to read my blog about the elimination phase

Together we go for a calm belly!

Subscribe to the Karlijn's Kitchen e-mail newsletter for more tips and recipes and receive the ebook 10 things I wish I had known when I started the FODMAP diet for free!

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2. The reintroduction phase

In the reintroduction phase, you are going to reintroduce the different FODMAP groups back into your diet one by one.

You test one or several foods per group (depending on the FODMAP group) and increase the amount of the food that you take each day, for a total of three testing days.

During the testing days, you monitor your reaction and find out whether you react to that FODMAP group or not. 

Click here to read my blog about the reintroduction phase

3. The personalization phase

After the reintroduction phase, you know which FODMAP groups you can and cannot tolerate. Then you can introduce the groups that you reacted well to back into your diet and created a FODMAP diet that is adapted to your personal tolerance levels.

It is advised to repeat tests of foods that you didn’t tolerate well over time, to see if your tolerance changes. You can also test combinations of different FODMAP groups to expand your knowledge what you can and cannot tolerate.

How long does the low FODMAP diet take? 

The duration of the diet depends a bit on how quickly you move through the different phases. On average it takes people 3 to 4 months to get through the elimination phase and reintroduction phase of the diet.

Sometimes it takes people a little longer to do all reintroduction tests, for example because a stressful period in their lives makes it impossible to test foods for a few weeks or because it takes longer to get their symptoms under control again after a test. 

It is very important to not stay in the elimination phase of the diet for too long. The elimination phase of the diet is quite restrictive and it is important for your gut to get a high variety of foods.

The quicker you can start including more foods back into your diet, the better. 

Is the diet suitable for me? 

The low FODMAP diet is meant for people with medically diagnosed IBS. If you have gut issues and think it might be IBS, please go to your doctor, gastroenterologist or dietician first to rule out other things.

IBS symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhoea and/or constipation can also be symptoms of other gut diseases, such as celiac disease, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS).

Therefore it is important that those other gut diseases are ruled out first before you start the low FODMAP diet. 

If you have been diagnosed with IBS and experience common IBS symptoms like bloating, diarrhoea and/or constipation, excessive gas or abdominal pain, this diet might be for you.

Research has shown that up to 75% of people with IBS experience symptom relief when following a low FODMAP diet, so it is definitely worth trying if you have been diagnosed with IBS. 

If you have been following the low FODMAP diet and you don’t experience improvement in your symptoms, you can talk with your doctor on what to do next.

There is a possibility that you have not been following the diet in the right way (if you didn’t follow the diet under the guidance of a dietician) or the FODMAP diet might simply not be the solution for you.

Other treatments that are prescribed for people with IBS are gut directed hypnotherapy, stress reduction and fiber supplementation*. Discuss with your doctor what could be a good next step for you. 

*Source: monashfodmap.com

FODMAP-certified dieticians

Because the low FODMAP diet is a difficult diet and a restrictive diet, it is always advised to follow the diet under the guidance of a FODMAP-certified dietician.

A dietician can help you to avoid common mistakes, move through the elimination and reintroduction phase smoothly and can help you to make sure that you get all the necessary nutrients when following the FODMAP diet. 

Monash University has a directory with Monash FODMAP trained dieticians. Often, you can also find a FODMAP-certified dietician by Googling “FODMAP dietician + place name”. 

FODMAP diet resources

Are you looking for more information about the low FODMAP diet? Check out these informational blogs about the low FODMAP diet: 

General information

Information about different food groups

FODMAP diet recipes

Starting the low FODMAP diet, but don’t know what to eat anymore? On my blog, you can find over 400 low FODMAP recipes, head on over to the recipe index to check them all out.

In this blog, you can find my tips for good FODMAP cookbooks. Or check out the recipe round-ups below for lots of inspiration: 

If you are going to start the low FODMAP diet: good luck! The first few weeks can feel challenging, but once you get the hang of it, it is only going to get easier.

If you have any questions feel free to join the Karlijn’s Kitchen low FODMAP Facebook community: a safe place where you can ask questions about the diet and share your experiences. 

Together we go for a calm belly!

Subscribe to the Karlijn's Kitchen e-mail newsletter for more tips and recipes and receive the ebook 10 things I wish I had known when I started the FODMAP diet for free!

You subscribe to the newsletter and email updates from Karlijn's Kitchen. You can always unsubscribe. Powered by ConvertKit
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