If you’ve been following me for the last few months, you know I embarked on a two-month journey to hopefully find the causing factor of my stomach discomfort and pain. My intention of the FODMAP diet was to see if my diet was playing a leading role in it all.
I was initially told by my primary care doctor that the symptoms I was experiencing could be IBS or irritable bowel syndrome. Essentially this is a blanket term used to describe a variety of digestive and stomach problems. OH and there’s no cure for it all.
This disorder impacts 45 million Americans and can present itself as irregular bowel movements, stomach discomfort, bloating, etc. When my symptoms flare up, I would have a distended stomach and have cramps. Sometimes my stomach was fully distended and I swear a stranger could have mistaken me for a full-term pregnant woman. This is not a look that anyone is going for. 😂
It was time to get help.
It wasn’t until I sought out a nutritionist that I heard about the FODMAP diet. She mentioned it as a possibility for treatment that could make me feel better, or at least determine if my pain was a result of my diet. Keep in mind I eat pretty healthy. I get in my daily fruits and vegetables and a balance of proteins, fats and carbs.
I decided to embark on the FODMAP journey shortly after seeing the nutritionist. I did my fair share of research, listened to podcasts about the diet and IBS and purchased some materials to guide me through the process. It was go time.
What even is the FODMAP diet?
The FODMAP diet is a relatively new diet that has been used to manage the symptoms of IBS. As mentioned before, these symptoms could look like stomach pain, bloating, gas and change in bowel movements.
Back in 2005, researchers from the Gastroenterology at Monash University identified a group of short-chain carbohydrates found in food that are not absorbed properly in the small intestine or are impossible to digest. This group of carbs was named FODMAPs: Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, and Polyols.
This group contains a variety of fruit and vegetables, gluten, artificial sweeteners, nuts and seeds, beans, dairy, among others foods. Even things like certain teas are included in the list, like chamomile, chicory coffee, fennel and oolong tea. Most protein and fat sources are untouched like oils, meats and fish.
When doing the FODMAP diet, all items that are considered high FODMAP needed to be eliminated. Bye-bye apples, pears, bread, candy and cashews.
Before you get started
This process was not easy. There’s a lot of conflicting information online which can be hard to sift through. I highly suggest purchasing a book or speaking with a nutritionist to help guide your way. I decided to embark on the journey on my own rather than regularly seeing a nutritionist.
I started off by buying two books on Amazon:
Danielle Capalino’s Healthy Gut, Flat Stomach: The Fast and Easy Low-FODMAP Diet Plan
I researched different book options to guide my FODMAP journey but ultimately settled on Danielle Capalino’s book. I loved how easy she laid out the process, plus the recipes and the workbook/notes pages in the back of the book were super helpful & delicious.
Her book offered two options for the diet itself making it suitable for anyone to complete, as long as you were determined.
She also had a detailed list of items that were considered high and low FODMAP foods making it easy for me to determine what I needed to avoid altogether and what portion of foods were acceptable.
FODMAP Food Journal
Get ready to write down everything you eat, how much water you consume and your bowel movements. Sounds like a lot but it’s worth it. The reason I bought the journal rather than writing all of this down manually was that having the journal reminded me to write in it every day and make sure I was taking down the correct information.
The reason tracking your food, water, bowel movements, stress and symptoms are so important is it allows you to go back and review what could have played a role in any discomfort. This is especially important when you begin reintroducing high FODMAP foods again. If you’re going to stick to a notepad of your own, make sure you are keeping track of these different factors every day.
After you purchase the books and are ready to get started with the diet, stock your fridge of low FODMAP foods and throw out or hide anything that’s not. I gave my roommate all my apples and yogurts and threw some items in the freezer I knew I couldn’t have for a while.
Phase 1: Elimination
The key to this phase is having enough food that is acceptable easily accessible. I’d say the first week was hard finding snacks that I could have when I got hungry. I typically had the same meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner each week so it was easy to stick to.
The elimination phase is two weeks long and it helps determine if food really is the culprit. If you’re still having regular symptoms during this period and tracking everything correctly, then maybe your issues are something more serious and beyond your diet.
This phase was probably the best that I’ve felt in a long time. I didn’t have any issues or discomfort during this time. I will say it was a little annoying eating out during this diet, but you have to do what you have to do. If you’re going to do it, you have to be all in. Having these strick guidelines seemed to make it easier because there weren’t really any gray areas.
Phase 2: Reintroduction
This was the best part of the FODMAP diet because I was able to start reintroducing the foods I missed and determining which was causing issues if any.
I did eight “tests” which took two days to complete each. Day one was eating half a serving, while day two was a full serving. If you have a reaction on day one, you do NOT need to go through with day two. Take two days off to “washout” your system before starting the next test.
Everything you eat other than the items you are currently testing should be 100% low FODMAP. Keep the elimination phase diet but add in only the items you are testing. Once one test is done, STOP eating them. Do not stack multiple foods on top of each other.
These are the different categories I tried and what foods I introduced for each:
- Polyols: Sorbitol
- Day one: Five blackberries
- Day two: Ten blackberries
- Polyols: Mannitol
- Day one: 1/4 cup raw mushrooms
- Day two: 1/2 cup raw mushrooms
- Fructose
- Day one: 2 tsp honey
- Day two: 2 TBS honey
- Lactose
- Day one: 1/2 cup milk
- Day two: 1 cup milk
- Fructans: Garlic
- Day one: 1/2 clove of garlic
- Day two: 2 cloves of garlic
- Fructans: Onion
- Day one: 1/4 cup onions
- Day two: 1/2 cup onions
- Fructans: Wheat
- Day one: One piece wheat (white or whole grain) bread
- Day two: Two pieces of bread
- GOS
- Day one: 1/4 cup black beans
- Day two: 1/2 cup black beans
Some foods tend to fall into multiple groups, like apples and pears, so you can do a separate testing day on those to be sure your favorite foods are clear, if you’d like.
Without any mess ups, this portion takes about 32 days. I did have periods when friends came to visit or I was home for the holidays that I took a break. This is ok as long as you take two days afterward to “washout” before starting the next test. Honestly, this kept me a little sane during the whole process.
Phase 3: Customization
After you finish both the elimination and reintroduction phases, it’s time to evaluate how you felt, what groups may be causing issues and how to proceed.
The customization phase is really just deciding which foods you should avoid based on how you felt during the tests throughout the process. You can go back to enjoying the foods that did not cause any discomfort. And if you get this far, congratulations! It’s honestly such a long, tedious process, but I promise it was worth it.
I’ve listened to a handful of podcasts (like the Gut Loving Podcast and select episodes from Flexible Dieting Lifestyle) on the FODMAP diet and gut health and a common misconception is that this diet lasts forever. It doesn’t! It gives you the tools and knowledge to go about your life and understand what foods may trigger symptoms rather than avoiding all high FODMAP foods altogether. You don’t have to completely eliminate them from your diet, but now you know what foods are a no-go so you can make decisions on whether you want to risk feeling icky for eating them.
Reflection
As I look back, I’m so thankful I embarked on this FODMAP diet journey. I was able to understand the cause of my symptoms. In my case, it really wasn’t one single group that upset my stomach the most. It was a combination of multiple or foods that aren’t necessarily high FODMAP but are known to cause discomfort like fried foods, pizza, carbonated beverages, alcohol, etc.
Now I have a conscious eye and am able to make smart decisions when I am cooking at home or eating out. I can understand why I feel a certain way depending on what I ate, my recent exercise routine, water intake, etc.
If you have any additional questions about my experience, please reach out via email (breathesweateat0@gmail.com) or DM me on Instagram @breathesweateat.
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional, so please consult your doctor, nutritionist or purchase materials by one to ensure you are following the FODMAP diet correctly. I simply wanted to give my opinion on my experience to hopefully motivate others to endure the journey if they are having stomach and digestive issues.