# FODMAPS, Constipation and Cheese



## chmil (Sep 29, 2012)

hm, Just starting the low FODMAPS after after being diagnosed with IBS -C. I had avoided all cheeses for roughly a year, simply because I am aware it can cause constipation. but recently I've been incorporating white cheeses such as feta and Cottage Cheese into my diet. On Low FODMAPS, I understand Cottage Cheese is off limits however feta is allowed. This evening I ran into a bit of a situation;Without evening realizing I ate half a block of freshly opened Feta cheese. This is quite a bit more than I would usually eat. When I finished I was rather frustrated with myself, however my mother insisted that there is nothing wrong with eating so much cheeseas it says it is a permissible food. She believes that the only food triggers that exist are high in FODMAPSSo my question is, Just because Feta is allowed on the Low FODMAPS diet, doesn't mean that it will not cause constipation, does it?Also, is white cheese less constipating that yellow cheese?I thought that every body is different, and some might be triggered by foods that aren't FODMAPS.May be a bit confusing. Sorry


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## Goldfinch (Sep 9, 2012)

Fodmaps is considered an "elimination" diet. The idea is to start out very strict for at a certain period of time, and see it if helps. If the answer seems to be yes, then very slowly add back into your diet one new food at a time. The foods on the fodmaps lists are really just guidelines, based on a scientific principal, numbers of test subjects and responses of those suffering various forms of IBS or gut irritation; as you suggest, everyone is different and ultimately will come up with a very personalized diet that works best for them.Some people might find that all dairy products are irritating. Others might find all that the culprit is wheat or gluten. Others might find both are problematic. The idea is to give your body a chance to adjust to the least offensive diet you can imagine for whatever your condition. The more restrictive and careful the diet you start with, the best chance of finding out what your trigger foods are in the shortest amount of time. Just make sure to start with a diet that is balanced, so you get protein, some carbs, and some fruits and veggies etc as per the fodmaps list.Here's what I started with: no red meat, no dairy, no wheat, no beans or legumes and generally low fat. Eggs in moderation. Only fruits and veggies on the low fodmaps scale, and nothing that seemed questionable. In a week I felt a lot better, so I had a piece of white bread toast. Several hours later I had terrible diarrhea. Okay, so back to no wheat, and no more diarrhea. I don't know if this means I should stay away from wheat for the rest of my life or whether I should be on a gluten-free diet, but the next time I try wheat will be with only a few bites at a time and not yet--it's only been two weeks since I've been on a strict fodmaps diet. I wish there was a magic bullet, but I'm thinking no. Oh, and I also eat small meals and snacks, rather than three large meals a day. And I chew my food like a lunatic to break it down and to stop me from eating too much too fast. Since you have IBS-C you may want to look carefully into the various types of fibre available on the diet. You probably need a reasonable amount of fibre, but it's possible that one type is better for your system than another or there's a supplement that will work for you. It's a science experiment. I have PI IBS-D, so your needs will not be the same.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

High Fodmap foods usually aren't so much about triggering constipation as foods you can create gas from. (and may be more likely to trigger diarrhea as some of the fodmaps are also dietary osmotic laxatives).Cottage cheese has more lactose as it is a fresh cheese. Lactose tends to increase gas and pull water into the stool, so may not be so bad for you if you tend to constipation. If you can tolerate the gas.Constipation isn't quite as much of a food triggered thing as diarrhea and gas symptoms (like more farting or bloating/cramps/pain) and usually tends to be more of a finding the right combination of fiber, water and sometimes using high fodmap foods that are osmotics to help keep the stools wet (if you won't use an artifical osmotic, some of which won't increase gas the way dietary ones will).If gas volume triggering pain is more the problem than the constipation than low fodmaps may be the way to go but know that a diet low in all dietary osmotics may be more constipating than a diet that includes them.


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## Korga (Sep 8, 2011)

Thoughtful relies! Cheese constipates me a lot, it may be the high salt content plus no fiber. I find that the saltier the cheese, the more this is a problem for me (in which case Feta would probably constipate me)


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