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12.7.17

rainbow food on the floor for fodmap diet

We can hardly keep track of all the diet trends that roll through the wellness world, but you know we’re going to investigate them nonetheless. A popular of late is the FODMAP diet — an eating protocal that targets sugar consumption and gut health. For the outside, it looks a lot like our healthiest days, but is it worth committing to? Our friends at Food Matters are breaking it all down below…

The FODMAP diet, while originally designed to bring relief to the irritable bowel crowd, is now growing in popularity among Hollywood celebs. FODMAP is an acronym that stands for Fermentable Oligosaccharides Monosacaccharides and Polyols. Basically, this refers to types of sugars that are poorly absorbed in the intestines which some people are more reactive to. When these sugars reach the large intestine the bacteria in the gut can begin to ferment them, which can cause bloating, pain and wind.

The FODMAP diet eliminates fodmap foods, thereby reducing abdominal discomfort. In theory this all sounds wonderful, however following a FODMAP diet can be extremely restrictive as it does limit many foods.

FODMAP foods to avoid include: dairy products, legumes, many fruits and vegetables, grains such as barley, rye, wheat, semolina, couscous, bread, pasta, cake, etc.

PROS:  Many people find relief from uncomfortable tummy problems by following a FODMAP diet.

CONS:  There are a lot of foods that contain these sugars, therefore sticking to the FODMAP diet as a way of life is restrictive. A very restrictive diet can become mundane and limited, which makes it difficult to sustain. Cutting out foods could put you at risk of nutritional deficiencies if you do not ensure you are eating a variety of different nutrient containing foods every day.

Would you try the FODMAP diet? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The Chalkboard Mag and its materials are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. All material on The Chalkboard Mag is provided for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or other health related program. 

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Comments


  1. Hey Chalkboard mag! It’s so exciting to see the FODMAP diet covered in mainstream pubs like yours. It’s true that eliminating all FODMAPs is super-restrictive, but that part of the diet is designed to last for a short period of 6 to 12 weeks. Then you can strategically reintroduce high FODMAP foods by category to learn your personal tolerance levels. So IBS definitely doesn’t mean you’re stuck in food prison indefinitely! Happy to go into more detail.

    Julie O'Hara | 12.07.2017 | Reply
  2. YES, I took on a low FODMAP diet 3 years ago and while I cannot always be restrictive (i.e., work events, hanging out with friends, etc.) The diet truly does help and even more so helped me understand what it felt like to feel good. When I eat foods that are not within the diet, I tend to have a better understanding of how much I should eat, a.k.a portion control by listening to my body! I’m very excited to see this go main stream – mostly so people understand why I choose not to eat certain foods, they hurt my tummy!!

    Nikki McSherry | 12.07.2017 | Reply
  3. My husband has gout and he’s on blood thinners so his diet is restrictive through that but he has suffered from bloating for a long time so we have been trying to find out what makes him bloat up after eating and I was concerned to find he reacted badly to onion and garlic. When you discover this you realise that probably a large percentage of us are consuming onion and garlic, in some form, daily. We consume it also as onion powder and garlic powder in ready meals, gravy,stock cubes. It really is difficult to avoid. This could be the beginning of another time bomb like we have had with sugars and fats and salt.

    Kate Fraser | 12.07.2017 | Reply
  4. FODMAP DIET IS LITERALLY THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO ME. not exaggerating. i used to have IBS so bad i was ended up in the ER. i got debilitating stomach aches nearly twice a week and embarrassing bloat all the time. when i’m strict on fodmap i have zero symptoms!!! so despite the restrictiveness, i found it absolutely worth it.

    Emily A | 12.07.2017 | Reply
  5. It has saved my life. I have IBS and I can live again. The restrictive diet is much less restrictive than being sick!! Eventually, you can add in foods that have fodmaps and figure out which are particular ones agitate you. It gets pretty easy, I just stay away from garlic and onions!

    Devon | 12.09.2017 | Reply
  6. A low FODMAP approach is a great start and can help alleviate digestive concerns pretty quickly. I like for my clients to also employ the use of food sensitivity testing so they can revert to a less restrictive nutrition approach as soon as possible! Thank you for posting!

    kara louise | 12.14.2017 | Reply
  7. This is a very weird to present it… The Low FODMAP Diet is a symptom relief treatment for an actual illness. OF COURSE it is worth it if you actually have IBS. Going low FODMAP if you stomach is fine, sounds incredible stupid.

    Lise Klevstuen | 01.23.2018 | Reply

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