First Week on FODMAPs

A week ago I started a food program low in FODMAPs to help ease my severe IBS symptoms.  My IBS has gotten to the point where I was completely incapacitated with the pain and nothing was helping. We couldn't figure out what was setting it off either, other than stress. The IBS would kick in with little rhyme or reason. Even reading labels trying to find a common denominator amongst the ingredients would not help to suss out an answer to this dilemma. 

After searching for the umpteenth time for answers regarding IBS that I hadn't tried already, I saw an obscure remark about FODMAPs and how those particular sugars could be causing the symptoms to be so bad. Some foods containing FODMAPs can build up in the system, so there is no way to associate the symptoms with a particular food. This program is being studied and developed in Australia, so the food lists are far from complete, but there seemed to be a lot of good press on it from there. The theory has apparently not stretched as far as America yet, particularly among the majority of dieticians and as always, our doctors are clueless about nutrition in general. (don't get me started)

FODMAPs are these sugars: Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols. It is believed that these sugars are difficult (or impossible) to completely digest which makes the gut work harder and can contribute to IBS pain.

For those who do not know, IBS stands for: Irritable Bowel Syndrome. This is basically a catch all for any digestive problem that the doctors can't find an observable reason for. After ruling out Crohn's, ulcers or other intestinal issues, this is what you get stuck with. The unfortunate part is that most people do not realize how bad IBS can be. I, personally, have been immobile with pain from IBS, and as I age it just keeps getting worse. Please understand that I am not wussy about pain normally. My second child was a c-section and while I was on the table, the epidural stopped working. I handled it until I was being put back together, at which point my husband saw my face and realized what was going on. I didn't yell or scream, I don't even remember it with too much horror (except when a conscious head surgery was suggested to me, that didn't sit well). Pain is something I have lived with my whole life, so when I say this pain is excruciating, I am not talking about a stubbed toe.

IBS usually comes with either constipation or diarrhea or, as in my case, both. Sometimes in the same day. We believe that it is responsible for my extreme nausea and even the 100 pound weightloss (in six months) that happened a year ago. If you have these types of symptoms SEE A DOCTOR! Do NOT self diagnose whatever you do. There are many really awful problems that could be going on that could kill you. As bad as IBS pain gets, it won't kill you. If you find that it is IBS (or more accurately, not something else that can be seen and understood), then look into this as a possible solution.

This first week was very rough. The list includes items that are in things all the time. Trying to find a snack that doesn't have onions or garlic in it for flavors is not an easy task. Wheat is in everything, fructose and HFC is in everything. This is a lifestyle change, at least during the elimination phase. Try to not let it stress you out too much, because that just makes it worse.

There are many different lists out there. Some say a few slices of beets are fine, while others warn to stay away from them completely. I am of the opinion that if the item in being questioned, then it is not allowed for now. It can always be reintroduced at a later time, once your system has cleared out a bit. People with IBS are not necessarily affected by everything on the FODMAP list, but some of these foods do build up in your body. Eating a slice of bread today may not hurt, but if you heat wheat products all day for a couple of days, then it could cause issues. Since you ate it for a few days with no problems, it would be unlikely to associate the reaction with the product, hence, the elimination portion of the program.

I have started a job which keeps me out of the house and away from the internet for the most part, so this page can not be updated daily, but I will be popping on to discuss my progress and tips on trying to live with this plan as I learn. Below is the list that I am using. There are items to avoid, plus a list of things that are fine to eat. This is important I think because the avoid list can look daunting and impossible, so having whole foods that are always fine is a good thing to have. Since the testing of these foods is happening in Australia it may be a long time before the brands of foods available to us are made available, so until then, we are stuck examining all of the labels the best we can.

Another thing to remember is that very trace amounts of the avoid are unlikely to cause problems. Soy sauce (a fermented soy is allowed) has a trace of wheat. As long as you are not celiac, this is not a problem. It was advised on all of the sites that I have found to avoid all onion and garlic, no matter what or what form. Garlic can be sauteed in oil, the solids removed, and the oil used for flavoring, but that is it. 

Okay, here is the list:

ELIMINATING FODMAPs

AVOID:

FRUITS:		VEGETABLES:
Fructose: Blackberries Apple Mango Nashi fruit Pear Persimmon Rambutan Watermelon Grapes Dried Fruit		Excess Fructose Sugar snap peas
Fructan: Persimmon Rambutan Watermelon		Excess Fructan vegetables: Artichokes (Globe & Jerusalem) Asparagus Beet Brussel Sprouts Cabbage Chicory Dandelion leaves Fennel Garlic	Leek Legumes Okra Onion (brown, white, & Spanish) Peas Radicchio lettuce Shallot Spring onion (white section).
Polyol: Apple Apricot Avocado Blackberries Cherries Longon Lychee Nashi Fruit	Nectarine Peach Pear Plum Prune Watermelon	Excess Polyol vegetables: Avocado Cauliflower Mushrooms Snow peas
PROBLEM WHEAT & Rye products: Bread (white, wholemeal, multigrain, sourdough, pita, & many rye) Pasta & noodles (regular, two minute, spelt, egg noodles, hokkien & udon) Breakfast cereals (containing wheat, excess dried fruit &/or fruit juice). Sweet and Savory biscuits (wheat based) Cakes & baked goods (wheat based) Pastry & breadcrumbs (wheat flour made) Others (semolina, couscous, bulger) OTHER FODMAPs FOODS (containing, FRUCTOSE &/or Fructans) to AVOID: Honey Corn syrups Corn syrup solids Fruisana Chickory Dandelion tea Inulin Artificial sweeteners (see GOS) Sugar free or low carb sweets, mints, gums, & dairy desserts. Baked beans, lentils, & chick peas		Special notes on vegetables: Onion is one of the greatest contributors to IBS. Strict avoidance is recommended. Avoid: • Onion (brown, white & Spanish), Onion powder, White section of spring onion. • Leeks,  Shallots, Garlic. There is undeclared onion hidden in many processed foods including, chicken salt, vegetable salt, vegetable powder, dehydrated vegetables, stocks, gravies, soups, marinades, & sauces **edit** I forgot! No dairy! Supposedly you can have lactose free dairy which I am told means all hard cheeses are fine, as well as brie for some reason. All other products need a lactose free label, even yogurt it seems. That makes sense as I had a very poor reaction to some greek yogurt once.

SUITABLE

FRUITS: Banana Blueberries Boysenberry Cantaloupe Star fruit Cranberry Durian Grapefruit Honeydew melon Kiwi Lemon Lime Mandarin Orange Passion fruit	Paw paw Pineapple Raspberry Rhubarb Strawberry Tangelo dragon fruit grapes papaya pineapple prickly pear rambutan	Special notes on fruit: Limit intake of suitable fruits to one serve per meal. e.g. One whole banana or orange. Third to half a glass of suitable juice. Small handful of berries or grapes. Small amount of suitable dried fruit (e.g. 10 sultanas).
VEGETABLES Alfalfa Bamboo shoots Bean shoots Beans (green) Bok choy Capsicum Carrot Celery Chives Choy sum Cucumber Endive Ginger Lettuce (may be ok or not) Marrow	Olives Parsnip Parsley Potato Pumpkin Silverbeet Spring onion (green section) Spinach Squash (this may be troublesome for some) Sweet potato Taro Tomato Turnip Yam Zucchini (this may be troublesome for some)	AROMATIC SUBSTITUTIONS: Chives Green part of spring onion Asafoetida powder (* contains gluten). Fresh & dried ginger, coriander, basil, lemongrass, chili, mint, parsley, marjoram, oregano, thyme, rosemary & others.
GRAINS: Rice Potato Amaranth Tapioca Quinoa Millet Sorgum Buckwheat Arrowroot Sago Cornmeal Popcorn Corn meal		WHEAT PRODUCTS: (alternatives) Gluten free bread, 100% spelt bread, wheat free rye. Gluten free pasta, rice noodles, wheat free buckwheat noodles. Porridge, wheat free muesli, rice bubbles, corn flakes, & gluten free cereals. Corn thins, rice cakes & crackers, gluten free crackers, ryvitas, & rye cruskits. Gluten free cakes, flourless cakes. Gluten free biscuits. Gluten free pastry mixes, & bread crumbs, polenta, cornflake crumbs. Buckwheat, polenta, millet, sorghum, sago, tapioca, rice, & corn flours.
Golden syrup Treacle Maple syrup White, brown, raw & castor sugar (sucrose) eaten in moderation. herbal teas Nuts & seeds (moderation) Oat bran Barley bran. Psyllium. Rice bran Coconut meat,milk, and cream (I have heard different things about coconut. I say be careful and don't use it as a regular part of the diet for now) Chia seeds are allowed in a 1 1/2 Tb. portion. Coconut water cocoa and chocolate (Not milk chocolate. Even with lactaid I had one of the worse reactions when I introduced this too early. Ow.)