LOW FOD MAP DIET FOR IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME

Food is a common trigger of digestive symptoms. Interestingly, restricting certain foods can dramatically improve these symptoms in sensitive people. In particular, a diet low in fermentable carbs known as FODMAPS is clinically recommended for the management of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

What Are FODMAPs?

FODMAP stands for fermentable oligo-, di-, mono-saccharides and polyols. These are the scientific terms used to classify groups of carbs that are notorious for triggering digestive symptoms like bloating, gas and stomach pain.

A low-FODMAP diet is more complex than you may think and involves three stages.

Stage 1: Restriction

This stage involves strict avoidance of all high-FODMAP foods.

People who follow this diet often think they should avoid all FODMAPs long-term, but this stage should only last about 3–8 weeks. This is because it’s important to include FODMAPs in the diet for gut health.

Some people notice an improvement in symptoms in the first week, while others take the full eight weeks. Once you have adequate relief of your digestive symptoms, you can progress to the second stage.

If by eight weeks your gut symptoms have not resolved, stop the diet.

Stage 2: Reintroduction

This stage involves systematically reintroducing high-FODMAP foods.

The purpose of this is twofold:

To identify which types of FODMAPs you tolerate. Few people are sensitive to all of them.

To establish the amount of FODMAPs you can tolerate. This is known as your “threshold level.”

In this step, you test specific foods one by one for three days each.

It is worth noting that you need to continue a low-FODMAP diet throughout this stage. This means even if you can tolerate a certain high-FODMAP food, you must continue to restrict it until stage 3.

It is also important to remember that, unlike people with most food allergies, people with IBS can tolerate small amounts of FODMAPs.

Lastly, although digestive symptoms can be debilitating, they will not cause long-term damage to your body.

Stage 3: Personalization

This stage is also known as the “modified low-FODMAP diet.” In other words, you still restrict some FODMAPs. However, the amount and type are tailored to your personal tolerance, identified in stage 2.

LOW FOD MAP DIET FOR IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME

Food is a common trigger of digestive symptoms. Interestingly, restricting certain foods can dramatically improve these symptoms in sensitive people. In particular, a diet low in fermentable carbs known as FODMAPS is clinically recommended for the management of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

What Are FODMAPs?

FODMAP stands for fermentable oligo-, di-, mono-saccharides and polyols. These are the scientific terms used to classify groups of carbs that are notorious for triggering digestive symptoms like bloating, gas and stomach pain.

A low-FODMAP diet is more complex than you may think and involves three stages.

Stage 1: Restriction

This stage involves strict avoidance of all high-FODMAP foods.

People who follow this diet often think they should avoid all FODMAPs long-term, but this stage should only last about 3–8 weeks. This is because it’s important to include FODMAPs in the diet for gut health.

Some people notice an improvement in symptoms in the first week, while others take the full eight weeks. Once you have adequate relief of your digestive symptoms, you can progress to the second stage.

If by eight weeks your gut symptoms have not resolved, stop the diet.

Stage 2: Reintroduction

This stage involves systematically reintroducing high-FODMAP foods.

The purpose of this is twofold:

To identify which types of FODMAPs you tolerate. Few people are sensitive to all of them.

To establish the amount of FODMAPs you can tolerate. This is known as your “threshold level.”

In this step, you test specific foods one by one for three days each.

It is worth noting that you need to continue a low-FODMAP diet throughout this stage. This means even if you can tolerate a certain high-FODMAP food, you must continue to restrict it until stage 3.

It is also important to remember that, unlike people with most food allergies, people with IBS can tolerate small amounts of FODMAPs.

Lastly, although digestive symptoms can be debilitating, they will not cause long-term damage to your body.

Stage 3: Personalization

This stage is also known as the “modified low-FODMAP diet.” In other words, you still restrict some FODMAPs. However, the amount and type are tailored to your personal tolerance, identified in stage 2.

LOW FOD MAP DIET FOR IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME

Food is a common trigger of digestive symptoms. Interestingly, restricting certain foods can dramatically improve these symptoms in sensitive people. In particular, a diet low in fermentable carbs known as FODMAPS is clinically recommended for the management of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

What Are FODMAPs?

FODMAP stands for fermentable oligo-, di-, mono-saccharides and polyols. These are the scientific terms used to classify groups of carbs that are notorious for triggering digestive symptoms like bloating, gas and stomach pain.

A low-FODMAP diet is more complex than you may think and involves three stages.

Stage 1: Restriction

This stage involves strict avoidance of all high-FODMAP foods.

People who follow this diet often think they should avoid all FODMAPs long-term, but this stage should only last about 3–8 weeks. This is because it’s important to include FODMAPs in the diet for gut health.

Some people notice an improvement in symptoms in the first week, while others take the full eight weeks. Once you have adequate relief of your digestive symptoms, you can progress to the second stage.

If by eight weeks your gut symptoms have not resolved, stop the diet.

Stage 2: Reintroduction

This stage involves systematically reintroducing high-FODMAP foods.

The purpose of this is twofold:

To identify which types of FODMAPs you tolerate. Few people are sensitive to all of them.

To establish the amount of FODMAPs you can tolerate. This is known as your “threshold level.”

In this step, you test specific foods one by one for three days each.

It is worth noting that you need to continue a low-FODMAP diet throughout this stage. This means even if you can tolerate a certain high-FODMAP food, you must continue to restrict it until stage 3.

It is also important to remember that, unlike people with most food allergies, people with IBS can tolerate small amounts of FODMAPs.

Lastly, although digestive symptoms can be debilitating, they will not cause long-term damage to your body.

Stage 3: Personalization

This stage is also known as the “modified low-FODMAP diet.” In other words, you still restrict some FODMAPs. However, the amount and type are tailored to your personal tolerance, identified in stage 2.