Food spotlight: Are you FODMAP-intolerant?

Cooking, Health , , , , ,

You’ve likely heard of lactose intolerance and gluten sensitivity but do you know about FODMAPs?

FODMAPs, which stands for Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols (we definitely prefer the acronym), are carbohydrates and sugar alcohols in your diet that are poorly absorbed by your body.

If you’re experiencing gas, bloating, abdominal pain or diarrhea and you’re suspected of having Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), high FODMAP foods may be a culprit.

IBS is a disorder that affects 10 to 15% of the population and women more often than men. Reducing intake of foods that contain FODMAPs can help alleviate IBS symptoms as well as autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, eczema, fibromyalgia, and migraine headaches.

Foods that should be avoided on a low-FODMAP diet include:

·       Vegetables like onions, garlic, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, artichokes, leeks, celery, sweet corn, brussels sprouts, and mushrooms

·       Fruits including peaches, apricots, nectarines, plums, prunes, mangoes, apples, pears, watermelon, cherries, and blackberries

·       Beans, lentils, and nuts

·       Wheat and rye

·       Dairy products that contain lactose

·       Sweeteners including high fructose corn syrup, honey, agave, and sorbitol

·       Drinks including alcohol, sports drinks, and coconut water

 Food usually safe to eat on a low-FODMAP diet include:

·       Vegetables like alfalfa sprouts, bell peppers, carrots, green beans, cucumbers, lettuce, potatoes, olives, and tomatoes

·       Fruits including oranges, grapes, honeydew melon, bananas, blueberries, kiwis, and lemons.

·       Lactose-free dairy, hard cheeses and soft cheeses like brie, camembert, and feta

·       Beef, pork, chicken, fish and eggs, as well as non-dairy milks like almond milk, rice milk, and coconut milk

·       Soy products

·       Grains like rice, oats, corn flour, and quinoa

·       Tea, coffee, and water

·       Nuts and seeds like almonds, peanuts, pine nuts, and pumpkin seeds

If particular foods containing FODMAPs are suspected of aggravating your IBS symptoms, you may want to try a FODMAP elimination diet, limiting or avoiding certain foods and drinks for 3 to 8 weeks at a time, after which time individual foods are reintroduced to see whether IBS symptoms return. Consult with your doctor for more information.

To learn more about FODMAPs, click here. Do you have IBS or suspect you have sensitivity to foods with FODMAPs? Please share your tips and experiences with the Shop Talk blog community forum.

Did you know: IBS triggers

Beside high FODMAP foods, Irritable Bowel Syndrome can be triggered by stress, anxiety, antibiotics, antidepressants, and menstrual pain.

32 thoughts on “Food spotlight: Are you FODMAP-intolerant?”

  1. I have lactose intolerance. I cannot drink milk and avoid dairy milk based products. Cheese and lactose-free dairy products almond, soy, and rice milk are foods I always buy.

  4. I was diagnosed with IBS 13 years ago & it has been a struggle to give up certain foods but i deal with it very well. Fried foods affected me most so i cut them out altogether.

  7. Wow, after reading more about IBS I am very, very thankful that I do not suffer from it. Seems everything impacts/irritates it..

  8. This article confirms my own personal trial and error experimentation with veggies to narrow down the culprit to my supposed IBS. Thank you very much for verifying what I felt and determined on my own.

  9. I typically find drinking to many carbonated drinks give me symptoms of IBS. I’ve learned the hard way to limit my consumption.

  11. i had to follow this plan a while back when i was recovering from digestive surgery. now i use it on and off.

  12. I.b.s. from what I’ve been taught and my experience isn’t the foods as it was an elevated caffeine issue. as soon as I reduced the caffeine just about to zero % the i.b.s. stopped.

  13. I was diagnosed with IBS in 2002 after colonoscopy,subsequently Multiple Sclerosis in 2008. That said, in 2018, diagnosed with Gastroparesis. Lettuce, cabbage, carbonation, &anything spicey are not my friend.

  14. Just as I am about to begin life anew at my age, a new man and a new home to go with it, up pops this ugly thing called Lymphatic Colitis. Oh my, lots of diarrhea, doctor has prescribed a prednisone medication and now a different list of what to eat and what not to eat. I appreciate your article so much and to,top this off, my doctor is retiring, here I go breaking in another new doctor after 35 years.

  15. I have IBS have had 3 surgerys and now having all kinds of problems again if they have to do .1 more surgery then i will have to have the clostame bag and i dont want it but it is what it is.

  16. Looks like the food you can eat is hard roughage that smells bad when you cook it anyway and ask for the spices like garlic and onions and probably all kinds of peppers it’s the flavoring for foods and to hear that some fruits also bad for IBS it’s really bad news how to maintain a good diet when having diabetes like I’m scared enough this article was very helpful thank you very much

  17. Looks like all the food you can eat for IBS it’s hard roughage it smells bad when you cook it anyway and spices like garlic and onions very aromatic and probably all kinds of peppers it’s also bad to hear that some fruits are bad also and to top it off on top of having diabetes makes it’s scary enough this article was very helpful thank you very much

Comments are closed.