# The FODMAP diet...Your thoughts?



## chaz123

Hi Everyone,I thinking about going on the low FODMAP diet. Little bit wary of the drastic change in diet, mainly because I won't be able to have wheat (bread & pasta). Also I'm currently trying to gain weight by doing weight training because I very underweight. I'm worried that by cutting wheat out I won't get enough carbs in my diet to increase my weight.Anyone trying to gain weight on a Low FODMAP diet? Any success? And also has anyone found that a low FODMAP diet has drastically reduced IBS symptoms? Any help would be appreciate!


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## Korga

The FODMAP diet has helped my symptoms about 40%. That has made my IBS a lot more endurable and manageable. I am very athletic, and to get enough carbs I eat a crab-rich breakfast (the meal which seems to stay in my digestive system the longest) of either twice-cooked brown rice with almond milk and bananas, or a stew of Parsnips, sweet potato, carrots, ginger, and butternut squash (Both can be made in quantity ahead and cooked or browned before serving.) Something carb-rich post-workout is also important. I make a rice-milk smoothie with berries and a spoonful of almond butter or eat a sweet potato. Fats are important too. I cook liberally with olive oil and eat a spoonful of coconut oil with meals (test that; it doesn't agree with everybody). Since I have been on the low-FODMAP diet I have gained ten pounds, which I really needed (that occurred about the 3rd month)


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## chaz123

Korga said:


> The FODMAP diet has helped my symptoms about 40%. That has made my IBS a lot more endurable and manageable. I am very athletic, and to get enough carbs I eat a crab-rich breakfast (the meal which seems to stay in my digestive system the longest) of either twice-cooked brown rice with almond milk and bananas, or a stew of Parsnips, sweet potato, carrots, ginger, and butternut squash (Both can be made in quantity ahead and cooked or browned before serving.) Something carb-rich post-workout is also important. I make a rice-milk smoothie with berries and a spoonful of almond butter or eat a sweet potato. Fats are important too. I cook liberally with olive oil and eat a spoonful of coconut oil with meals (test that; it doesn't agree with everybody). Since I have been on the low-FODMAP diet I have gained ten pounds, which I really needed (that occurred about the 3rd month)


Hi Korga,Thanks for the advice! Yes I've started to put olive oil on everything as your right good fats are important! Unfortunately I've got a nut allergy so any nuts or nut oils are out of the question which is a shame as I know they are high in calories. I usually start the day with a smoothie... two bananas, cup of blueberries, cranberry juice and tablespoon of flaxseed oil. I'll put the weight on eventually will take time and persistents... but that's the same for everything I guess!


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## whiterose1713

FODMAP diet cured about 85% of my symptoms, and the other 15% are probably just from imperfect diligence in not consuming any FODMAPs. I'm in reductive phase pretty much permanently because my tolerance for all things FODMAP is basically zero.Because of that, I've lost 2 pounds per week without trying at all. I am pretty active as I train several times a week in hardcore Russian kettlebells and it's incredibly difficult for me to get enough calories. Yesterday I burned 600 excess calories through exercise and missed my calorie goal by 500 calories even though I felt like I was eating all day. I don't mind because it's improving my muscle definition and I am at the high end of healthy weight for my height, but I can see it becoming an issue within another month or two.I try adding protein shakes to my day for a boost and to balance out all of the rice-based things I eat (carbs are no problemo for me). Jay Robb makes an egg white protein powder that is totally FODMAP free, high quality protein, and it actually tastes pretty good. No grit, the chocolate is the best but they have vanilla and strawberry too.


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## whiterose1713

Oh and I forgot to mention - try using a food tracking site like www.livestrong.com/myplateIt really helpful in making sure you're getting enough nutrition and a balanced diet.


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## Mr 100

I use some of the gluten free Doves Farm products as alternatives for wheat based foods, eg some of the pastas are very good.







http://www.dovesfarm.co.uk/pasta/organic-tricolore-pasta-1x250g/I substitute ordinary bread for home made with white spelt flour, in a bread machine, on the 'low gluten' setting.


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## chaz123

Cheers Guys.... definitely going to give that pasta a go! I've tried so many different protein shakes... recently went for the Sunwarrior brand which is hyper-allergic, no gluten etc... it was the best I've found for digestion but still made me feel a bit ill so I just sicking with good old natural foods... just have to prepare my meals more which can be a pain!


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## whiterose1713

Try the egg white protein for shakes. I'd never meet my protein needs without it on some days and it's 100% FODMAP-free (even the chocolate flavor). I get an iced decaf coffee from the Starbucks downstairs and use that in a shaker to mix up my protein shake. It's actually pretty tasty.


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## Tori

Hi I'm new to this forum and thought I'd ask for some advice. Most of my life I have suffered from bloating, bad gas and occasional diarrhea. However, over the last year my symptoms have gotten dramatically worse and I have now been diagnosed with IBS-D. I was tested am not allergic to gluten, lactose or fructose. Recently I tried the low FODMAP diet and my symptoms got 10 times worse! My diarrhea used to come every few days and bloating was generally bearable. However, on the low FODMAP diet gave me diarrhea after every meal, even things like plain rice with chicken. I was on it for 2 months but that's all I could handle. The same thing happened when I cut out gluten from my diet. Now I'm eating most things again (except foods that really set me off, like pears and apples) but my symptoms are still present and I am lost on what to do!!!! Should I try the low FODMAP diet again?? Any foods you can suggest I should eat more of or cut out?? Thanks in advance!


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## KJL

Tori said:


> Hi I'm new to this forum and thought I'd ask for some advice. Most of my life I have suffered from bloating, bad gas and occasional diarrhea. However, over the last year my symptoms have gotten dramatically worse and I have now been diagnosed with IBS-D. I was tested am not allergic to gluten, lactose or fructose. Recently I tried the low FODMAP diet and my symptoms got 10 times worse! My diarrhea used to come every few days and bloating was generally bearable. However, on the low FODMAP diet gave me diarrhea after every meal, even things like plain rice with chicken. I was on it for 2 months but that's all I could handle. The same thing happened when I cut out gluten from my diet. Now I'm eating most things again (except foods that really set me off, like pears and apples) but my symptoms are still present and I am lost on what to do!!!! Should I try the low FODMAP diet again?? Any foods you can suggest I should eat more of or cut out?? Thanks in advance!


Maybe ask your doctor for referral to a dietician?


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## Dan133269

Hello all,Hope everyone is coping well with their illness. I'm about to start the low fodmap diet and wondering can people answer a few questions.It seems a little confusing. I've gone through the "complete" list of foods but there is a lot of stuff which isn't clarified.It says you should try get gluten free bread and pasta, so I'm assuming thatWeetabix and Digestive biscuits are out?Are gluten free breads and pastas a good source of carbs?Any blogs/articles I've read on the diet doesn't seem to make any mention of meat or fish. What's the story with this? I know some people with IBS react very badly to red meat. Then again, if you're cutting red meat out of your diet completely, what's going to be a good source of iron? I suppose composing a balanced diet while halving your available foods is a bit of a challenge.I'm certainly not looking for medical advice, just trying to stimulate a discussion. I've been a little bit sick recently and think I can eat a bit better but the foods I ate before never bothered me in the slightest. I went 5 years completely in remission, so I'm wondering does that mean my illness is not triggered by certain foods? Then again my body may have changed.1 thing that shocked me a little bit is the statement that IBS sufferers should avoid mint and broccoli. I'm 100 % sure I read in some article that broccoli has been shown in scientific tests to be extremely beneficial for IBS sufferers. A quick google search shows up this: http://naturalibstreatment.com/elimi...ccoli-and-ibs/Peppermint oil has also been shown to be extremely good for IBS complaints, yet mint is branded as a food to avoid? Not that I use much mint anyway but just wondering. Quick google search - http://zerodisease.blogspot.com/2010...-syndrome.htmlAs you can see, there doesn't appear to be 1 clear explanation and definitive list for this diet. I'm aware it's relatively recent, but there seems to be a lot of inconsistencies and misinformation. I'm hoping someone can clear this up.Another thing is that I usually do a lot of training and eat a lot. When I'm going to the gym regularly, I eat at least 4,000 calories a day. Recently haven't been training or eating that much. Just wondering if protein powders made from whey and casein are ok? I've taken them for years and they've never seemed to give me a problem. Then again casein contains lactose which you're meant to avoid, if I'm not mistaken.One final thing, will sticking to this diet hurt my pocket? Are gluten free and lactose free foods much dearer in price? I used to work in a supermarket but never took much notice of these foods.Thanks for any thoughts,Danny.


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## whiterose1713

Dan133269 said:


> Hello all,Hope everyone is coping well with their illness. I'm about to start the low fodmap diet and wondering can people answer a few questions.It seems a little confusing. I've gone through the "complete" list of foods but there is a lot of stuff which isn't clarified.It says you should try get gluten free bread and pasta, so I'm assuming thatWeetabix and Digestive biscuits are out?Are gluten free breads and pastas a good source of carbs?Any blogs/articles I've read on the diet doesn't seem to make any mention of meat or fish. What's the story with this? I know some people with IBS react very badly to red meat. Then again, if you're cutting red meat out of your diet completely, what's going to be a good source of iron? I suppose composing a balanced diet while halving your available foods is a bit of a challenge.I'm certainly not looking for medical advice, just trying to stimulate a discussion. I've been a little bit sick recently and think I can eat a bit better but the foods I ate before never bothered me in the slightest. I went 5 years completely in remission, so I'm wondering does that mean my illness is not triggered by certain foods? Then again my body may have changed.1 thing that shocked me a little bit is the statement that IBS sufferers should avoid mint and broccoli. I'm 100 % sure I read in some article that broccoli has been shown in scientific tests to be extremely beneficial for IBS sufferers. A quick google search shows up this: http://naturalibstreatment.com/elimi...ccoli-and-ibs/Peppermint oil has also been shown to be extremely good for IBS complaints, yet mint is branded as a food to avoid? Not that I use much mint anyway but just wondering. Quick google search - http://zerodisease.blogspot.com/2010...-syndrome.htmlAs you can see, there doesn't appear to be 1 clear explanation and definitive list for this diet. I'm aware it's relatively recent, but there seems to be a lot of inconsistencies and misinformation. I'm hoping someone can clear this up.Another thing is that I usually do a lot of training and eat a lot. When I'm going to the gym regularly, I eat at least 4,000 calories a day. Recently haven't been training or eating that much. Just wondering if protein powders made from whey and casein are ok? I've taken them for years and they've never seemed to give me a problem. Then again casein contains lactose which you're meant to avoid, if I'm not mistaken.One final thing, will sticking to this diet hurt my pocket? Are gluten free and lactose free foods much dearer in price? I used to work in a supermarket but never took much notice of these foods.Thanks for any thoughts,Danny.


Hey Danny! I really can't speak to your question about if food may or may not be your IBS trigger given that you had a few years of remission. To a few of your points, though, I have not had any issues with meats, not even red meat, although any meal that is too fatty will upset my tummy and trigger the D immediately. There are plenty of lean red meats that don't seem to bother me though- I can even handle a burger on a gluten-free bun. Meat is basically considered the safest food on a low-FODMAP diet.Gluten-free breads and pasta can be a decent source of carbs, but not all brands are and you also need to be careful to read the ingredients. Many gluten-free items contain chickpea flour or other bean flours (soy flour is also a no-go during the elimination phase) and honey sometimes, too. Don't eat these. Brown rice flour, tapioca, yucca, and other non-legume based flours are the way to go. Some are very low-carb, such as a recipe I have for GF pita which uses almond flour, and kelp noodles which have no carbs. Certain days can be a challenge to eat enough carbs.To track your calorie intake and nutritional balance I suggest using a tracking tool like the one on www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate. Consuming more than 2000 calories can be extremely challenging but it's doable, you just need to plan ahead and always keep food with you. I have found that protein shakes made of egg white protein powder (Jay Robb brand chocolate and vanilla are both low-FODMAP) are a good way to boost my nutritional intake and they're pretty tasty. I use the chocolate kind and mix it with iced decaf coffee and a little rice milk.As far as food lists constantly changing or not agreeing, I sympathize that it can be really frustrating. I rely on www.ibsfree.net to get an accurate list of allowed versus not allowed foods. Use the search feature to look up "2011 Updates" and you will find new nutritional info for each food category. The reason there's so much disagreement is that each list pulls from different test results of food nutritional composition. Some of these tests weren't looking for FODMAPs specifically but incidentally display certain levels. Some tests were done quite some time ago. Foods can be bested in different stages of ripeness, different varieties may have different levels of FODMAPs, there are just so many variables. For example spelt is much debated but it turns out certain spelt tests used a sourdough spelt bread, which has been allowed to ferment and therefore eliminate its FODMAPs, while others tests were done on unfermented spelt bread. Tricky stuff.Personally, peppermint does nothing for my IBS, good or bad, and broccoli tears me up. Whey and casein protein powders really give me problems but the egg white powder has been great. The diet is a little hard on the wallet in some ways - you definitely spend a lot more on groceries especially when you're buying specialty snack foods - but on the other hand you will find you order takeout very rarely if at all so I think it evens itself out.On a final note, do check out my blog for product reviews, meal plans, and recipes! www.happytummyhappylife.blogspot.com


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## Dan133269

Thanks for your response, White Rose.I agree about broccoli, I started eating more of it when I read that medical study online, and every time I ate it, I felt sick. I couldn't understand what was happening. I can't understand how 2 different scientific tests can reach such different conclusions about the particular effects of the same foodstuff however.Regarding peppermint oil, I find it helps a little bit for me. Again, previous scientific research has shown it to be beneficial, and now the low-fodmap diet says it's not, with no clarification of the reasoning/methodology for finding such a different conclusion. Is there any official line on whey and casein powders? I understand they don't agree with you, but a lot of IBS trigger foods can be subjective, so just trying to find the standard medical advice to start with. If I do need to change to an egg-based protein powder, is that digested quickly? As in, would it be effective for taking straight after the gym the same way that whey protein is. Another random question, I assume oat-biscuits are ok, depending on what other ingredients are in there?Blog looks very interesting, some nice recipes there, thank you. In your blog you have recipes involving onions and other stuff prohibited on a low fodmap diet, you've successfully re-introduced them into your diet I assume?That's another question I have. Since my remission lasted 5 years and I was eating every type of food without having a bad reaction, how do I know if certain foods do not agree with me if they do not give me a bad reaction straight away? In other words, if I re-introduce onions into my diet after starting on the strict low-fodmap list of foods, and the onions seem to give me no problems at all, but further down the line they may contribute to a flare-up, how can I tell if a particular food is causing my upset stomach unless the reaction is instantaneous?I've been researching the diet for best part of a week (albeit only an hour here and there) but it just seems pretty confusing and frustrating, I've heard a few different things from different people. Just hoping to get back to good health and back to the gym. I have to say I will miss my fast food!







lol


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## FODMAPPER!

Dan133269 said:


> Thanks for your response, White Rose.I agree about broccoli, I started eating more of it when I read that medical study online, and every time I ate it, I felt sick. I couldn't understand what was happening. I can't understand how 2 different scientific tests can reach such different conclusions about the particular effects of the same foodstuff however.Regarding peppermint oil, I find it helps a little bit for me. Again, previous scientific research has shown it to be beneficial, and now the low-fodmap diet says it's not, with no clarification of the reasoning/methodology for finding such a different conclusion. Is there any official line on whey and casein powders? I understand they don't agree with you, but a lot of IBS trigger foods can be subjective, so just trying to find the standard medical advice to start with. If I do need to change to an egg-based protein powder, is that digested quickly? As in, would it be effective for taking straight after the gym the same way that whey protein is. Another random question, I assume oat-biscuits are ok, depending on what other ingredients are in there?Blog looks very interesting, some nice recipes there, thank you. In your blog you have recipes involving onions and other stuff prohibited on a low fodmap diet, you've successfully re-introduced them into your diet I assume?That's another question I have. Since my remission lasted 5 years and I was eating every type of food without having a bad reaction, how do I know if certain foods do not agree with me if they do not give me a bad reaction straight away? In other words, if I re-introduce onions into my diet after starting on the strict low-fodmap list of foods, and the onions seem to give me no problems at all, but further down the line they may contribute to a flare-up, how can I tell if a particular food is causing my upset stomach unless the reaction is instantaneous?I've been researching the diet for best part of a week (albeit only an hour here and there) but it just seems pretty confusing and frustrating, I've heard a few different things from different people. Just hoping to get back to good health and back to the gym. I have to say I will miss my fast food!
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How bizzare - I'm from the UK and my booklet says peppermint is ok and is on the good list! It also said brocolli was a no no! I found it expensive getting all the stuff but now it's not too bad, it's just the bread that's expensive. I don't know if people have heard of asafoetida? it's usually found in the asian foods aisle and is a good substitute for onion - my dietican recommended it to me and it does taste similar! I've been on low FODMAP for 6 weeks but unfortunately my symptoms don't seem to be improving and I feel bloated/sick every time I eat now. Not to mention feeling sorry for myself that I can't have any alcohol or delicious junk food/meals out!!!!!! Bad times!


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## whiterose1713

Dan133269 said:


> Thanks for your response, White Rose.I agree about broccoli, I started eating more of it when I read that medical study online, and every time I ate it, I felt sick. I couldn't understand what was happening. I can't understand how 2 different scientific tests can reach such different conclusions about the particular effects of the same foodstuff however.Regarding peppermint oil, I find it helps a little bit for me. Again, previous scientific research has shown it to be beneficial, and now the low-fodmap diet says it's not, with no clarification of the reasoning/methodology for finding such a different conclusion. Is there any official line on whey and casein powders? I understand they don't agree with you, but a lot of IBS trigger foods can be subjective, so just trying to find the standard medical advice to start with. If I do need to change to an egg-based protein powder, is that digested quickly? As in, would it be effective for taking straight after the gym the same way that whey protein is. Another random question, I assume oat-biscuits are ok, depending on what other ingredients are in there?Blog looks very interesting, some nice recipes there, thank you. In your blog you have recipes involving onions and other stuff prohibited on a low fodmap diet, you've successfully re-introduced them into your diet I assume?That's another question I have. Since my remission lasted 5 years and I was eating every type of food without having a bad reaction, how do I know if certain foods do not agree with me if they do not give me a bad reaction straight away? In other words, if I re-introduce onions into my diet after starting on the strict low-fodmap list of foods, and the onions seem to give me no problems at all, but further down the line they may contribute to a flare-up, how can I tell if a particular food is causing my upset stomach unless the reaction is instantaneous?I've been researching the diet for best part of a week (albeit only an hour here and there) but it just seems pretty confusing and frustrating, I've heard a few different things from different people. Just hoping to get back to good health and back to the gym. I have to say I will miss my fast food!
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I check the www.ibsfree.net site for ingredient lists. I searched mint and there are several posts indicating that mint is OK. Never seen it on a "not allowed" list before. The reasons that scientific testing can come up with different results include different methods of measurement, different varieties of food, and different degrees of ripeness. It's complicated stuff and not an exact science.I can't find a solid conclusion on whey/casein protein powders but take a close look at their ingredients. If they contain a ton of artificial stuff and fake sweeteners then it could be a problem. I like the egg white stuff because it's sweetened with stevia. I'm not certain if it is absorbed as quickly, my guess is that it's probably not but some internet research would probably give you a decent answer on that. Oat biscuits should be fine as long as they don't contain any forbidden sweeteners or dairy.Any of my recipes that show onion or garlic as an ingredient use them in a way that they are left whole and then taken out before eating. This is supposed to be a safe practice and I have not had problems, but probably should not be attempted during the elimination phase in my opinion. Sugars do not dissolve in fats so things like garlic oil are totally safe. Now, putting a few whole garlic cloves into some sauce may impart some of the sugars to the sauce because it's water based but I think it's so small an amount as to be insignificant. I'm very sensitive to fructans but someone who is more sensitive might have trouble with that. Toasting a bit of onion or garlic on oil to infuse the oil is a perfectly safe practice, however. Some of my recipes do include a small amount of brown sugar, which is supposedly not allowed, but I have not had issues with this. During the elimination phase just substitute maple syrup.An understanding of chemistry is incredibly helpful in adapting to this diet. Certain concepts like the way fructose bonds with glucose to become sucrose are essential to understanding why some sugary things are OK and some aren't.As far as reintroducing foods, I have found that I tend to react to things quite quickly and will not right away if a new food has caused me problems. I honestly eat pretty much 100% elimination diet all the time. I hate the pain so much that I go to great lengths to avoid it. I haven't be able to relax any of the standards very much at all.


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## glengarry

Hi, I'm new to the board and want to share my short experience with low Fodmap, both to help others and for feedback. Looking at the Fodmap lists, I knew that some of the bad foods kill me all the time (garlic, lactose, kale are deadly to me), others some of the time (apples, dried fruit), and some don't bother me and often make me feel better (pasta, avocado). My doctor's office said that a good approach is to follow the diet religiously for a few weeks, then add items in one at a time to gauge their effects. When adding in, best to try moderate amounts for many days to get more useful feedback.This is not foolproof but a good way to start getting an idea of what works and doesn't work _for you_. Clearly, some foods can pass this test but cause problems over time. If you get into trouble, try as best you can to figure out which foods might be causing the problem. And you'll learn which foods you can occasionally cheat with and which never to touch. And how much of certain foods you can tolerate. This is particularly useful when traveling, because although getting sick is much more inconvenient, it's hard to control your foods and you want to enjoy yourself.Also, if you get really bad, you can go back to the diet.I know that this won't work for everyone and some people have worse problems and need to stick to the diet strictly, but it is a sensible approach. I think.


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## Korga

Note: The Sunwarrior Protein powder is made from sprouted ingredients and I have found that sprouts set me off, so it may not be FODMAP-free.Oats contain FODMAPS and should not be eaten.Onions cooked in a dish and then removed still cause me flare-ups so caution with that.Whey kills me.


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## whiterose1713

Korga said:


> Note: The Sunwarrior Protein powder is made from sprouted ingredients and I have found that sprouts set me off, so it may not be FODMAP-free.Oats contain FODMAPS and should not be eaten.Onions cooked in a dish and then removed still cause me flare-ups so caution with that.Whey kills me.


Question: what source do you have that indicates oats as containing FODMAPs? I've never seen it on the not-allowed list before.I did not believe that Jay Rob's egg white protein powders contain any FODMAPs but now that I look again all of the flavored varieties have xylitol as the second ingredient. DAMN! They do, however, make a plain unflavored version with nothing but egg albumen and lecithin.I've always felt that cooking with onion and removing it was probably a little dicey. I wouldn't recommend doing it during the elimination phase, but once you start branching out you can test your tolerance level and see what you can handle.


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## Dan133269

Hello, hope everyone is in good health.I was hoping someone could help me with a few more questions.- Is linseed (flaxseed) low fodmap? found differing answers online.- Are red peppers ok and green peppers not ok? That seems to be my understanding.- Is Brie ok? I've seen it listed as ok but other lists say to avoid soft cheeses.Regarding whey protein, I've found this information http://www.sportsdietitians.com.au/resources/upload/110518%20FODMAPS%20Fact%20Sheet_Public%20version.pdfThey this about whey protein:"Whey Protein Isolate (WPI) and Concentrate (WPC), may or maynot contain lactose. This depends on the amount used and thequality of the powder. The higher the concentration of protein(e.g. in a high-quality WPI powder), the less lactose there is in theformulation (as these products can be up to 99% protein, leavingvery little margin for lactose to be present). It is advised thatindividuals assess their own individual tolerance"My friend went to a dietician and she told her that ALL protein powders and ALL sports supplements are not allowed.I'm flabbergasted by this to be honest, that is such a sweeping statement. This person is a qualified gastroentologist and dietician apparently. It doesn't instil me with confidence to trust a lot of the so called experts out there.Any thoughts?


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## Korga

I don't know about the Flaxseed.yes, green peppers are out and red ones are in.Brie and Camembert are ok because (my understanding) is that they are made from cream (which has little lactose) and not milk, but otherwise all soft cheeses made from milk should be avoided. That's interesting information about the Whey protein; thank you.


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## Korga

About Oats: I believe that all the wheat-related grains are out. This includes Rye, Barley, Oats, Triticale, and for some People, even Spelt.In my own experience, a single serving of Oats results in a 10 day flare-up.


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## whiterose1713

Korga said:


> About Oats: I believe that all the wheat-related grains are out. This includes Rye, Barley, Oats, Triticale, and for some People, even Spelt.In my own experience, a single serving of Oats results in a 10 day flare-up.


Do you have any data on oats being high in FODMAPs? I've asked you this before because you assert that oats are not allowed but I believe that may be a personal intolerance for you and not something necessarily FODMAP-related. It has become clear to me that people who follow the low-FODMAP diet may have additional intolerances that don't seem to be related to FODMAP content and these things could be different for everyone. I wish you wouldn't say NO OATS with such authority since it seems that a majority of people who follow the low-FODMAP diet do not have trouble with it. I don't know what I'd do without oatmeal, on many days it's my primary source of fiber and carbs.


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## Kathleen M.

Oats are technically not a wheat related grain, they do not naturally have any gluten in them. Oats are not in the same genus as wheat so not a closely related plant.However, most oats are processed in factories that also process wheat so if you are very sensitive to gluten (like people with celiac disease) you may need to be very careful with where the oats are processed. There are some that are produced in wheat-free factories.A 10 day flare up from a single serving of oats sounds more like celiac disease to me than the usual IBS intolerences. I have several friends with celiac and incidental/accidental contact with gluten (like someone stired the pot with a spoon they didn't wash) can lead to that sort of multi-day flare up of symptoms.People may also be intolerant to oats for some reason that isn't gluten related, and, like most carbs, some of the starch in oats will be fermentable so if you don't tolerate any other starch you may not tolerate oats or even rice. Rice is usually the grain with the least about of fermentable, resistant, starch.


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## FODMAP foodie

Hi, new to this forum and the FODMAP diet. I got started on it as a last ditch attempt by the dietician to try and ease my symptoms (long history of GERD and IBS-A leading to serious weight loss and surgery and then trouble getting back to a healthy weight post surgery despite trying every suplement under the sun and eating 24 hours a day). My aim on the FODMAP diet was try and alleviate my symptoms (bloating, odema, tiredness, low mood, bad pain post eating, wind, nausea, retching, failure to gain weight etc) and to gain back to a healthy BMI. I've found the FODMAP diet to be a miracle cure - sure it's hard but it's been worth it. Within 36hrs I found that my symptoms had completly resolved and initially I lost a shed load of water weight which was present due to the odema. Since the first couple of days I've steadily managed to gain about 2lbs per week, most of which seems to be muscle as opposed to fat. I also have found that previous food cravings that I had have completely disapeared (unless I'm really tired and then all I want is some real, not gf, bread!) which apparently is quite common in food intolerances - basically when you eat something that you are intolerant too it sets of an immune reponse part of which is an adrenaline type response which your body interprets as good rather than bad and therefore craves the same 'high' from the food that you are actually intolerant too. According to my dietician the reason that lists of allowed or disallowed food varies between sources and countries is due to the regional variations of some foods - for example the same brand or food product in one country may be made with slightly different ingredients than in another. The biggest difference is in lists from the USA and the UK due to the high prevalance of corn syrup and HFCS in the US which is less prevalant in the UK. Also as another user has already pointed out the fructose to glucose ratio that determines if a food is high or low FODMAP also varies depending on how ripe something is - this is particularly true of bananas. The list that will be given to you by your dietician in the UK is made of up of UK products that have been tested for their FODMAP content by Kings College London and therefore is specific to the UK. I have found though with some of the specific branded products that they mention that some of it is a little out of date (2011) and that manufacturers have changed their recipes since the initial list was published and therefore remember to always read packets!!As for expense, I've found that yes my food shop has been more expense but on the other hand I'm not spending money on prescriptions trying all the supposed 'cures' the GP and dieticians prescribed me, nor am I buying any supplements I can find that might help to alleviate my symptoms. At the end of the day with a bit of lateral thinking and pre-planning your food shop will get cheaper as you learn what you can and cannot eat - although I haven't braved venturing out of my normal supermarket as I don't want to repeat the 3 hour first FODMAP shop complete with nervous breakdown when I realised everything I picked up I couldn't have. In terms of specific food products that cause people problems, this is apparently quite common and similar to the variations of the FODMAP diet that people will end up once they have started introducing food post elimination phase and finding out what triggers their symptoms. Personally, I find that I cannot digest artificial sweetners of any kind (even those listed on my allowed list for the UK). I also find that cheese and high fat food of any kind really upsets my stomach and therefore I avoid those on the advice on my dietician. As I am still in the elimination phase my diet is very restricted and I've been advised to keep cutting out things that I have found to be an individual trigger as well as food high in FODMAPS in order to fully ascertain whether or not the FODMAP diet will be of benefit to me - which it is to overwhelming success! Once the elimination phase is over I can start testing different foods both from my personal list of suspected food intolerances as well as those on the disallowed list in order to create my own personalised version of the FODMAP diet of foods that I can and cannot tolerate and absorb. My dietician has told me that the list you ultimatly end up with won't be the same as any list that is published or produced by anybody else (there will of course be similarities) as it will be a list of foods specific to you and not anybody else.Hope this helps answer some questions


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## L21444

Get your info on FODMAP from the creators of the diet and sign up for their newsletters. http://www.med.monash.edu/cecs/gastro/fodmap/low-high.html

About a 16 months ago we decided to try the Low FODMAP diet. My husband was always constipated but had fecal explosions when walking periodically. For a few months he had diarrhea symptom which was worse than IBS/ Constipation. He had been on Glycolax for years. He Gastro said Gastroparesis but after a year agreed with me that it was IBS. We like traveling and I found the FODMAP Diet. My husband is very thin but has not gained or lost on the diet. It is not a healthy long term diet. I use the diet as a guideline for what is harder for him to digest. He also has a redundant colon (extra long) and GERDS. He is now managing with no meds for his GERDS. He still has constipation. He uses Magnesium Citrate for that (Solgar 50 mg or more as needed). I cut the pills in quarters. He is not cured. For a long period he was defecating everyday and very happy. I personally do not think FODMAP is a cure for him but is the best thing we could find. He is 78. We have minimal wheat and lactose. There are cheeses you can eat with FODMAP Diet. He eats rice cakes extensively and a small amount of walnuts. salmon and almonds. You have to limit the amount of fruit per serving. With GERDS we eliminated onions, garlic, tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage, oranges. He takes vitamins. We should do our own research on this site to find out how much success people are having with any one modality. He has less pain and bloating. I make my own baked snack food using oats and a mixture of mostly cooked veggies and fruits. If it wasn't so much work to bake this I would let him eat it liberally as he loves it. We have tried elimination diets and he is not allergic to wheat. Still these High FODMAP foods might be harder to digest. Once in awhile we go off and have pizza or falafel and pita out and he does not get sick. After being on the diet for a month we traveled and he had diarrhea in the airport going through security. It was awful. He had gone off the diet but was still using Glycolax. That was when I stopped the Glycolax. We will be traveling in a few days and I know that makes him nervous. He has a great appetite.


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## L21444

Low FODMAP Diet can be researched online and get the Newsletter from Monash University in Australia where it was created. They recommend using a dietitian. I met with 3-Dietitians and I knew more about it than they did.


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