What the Heck is a FODMAP?

So, you’ve been told that you could benefit from a Low-FODMAP diet by your practitioner and you leave the conversation thinking “um, did they just curse at me?  What the heck is a FODMAP???? 

FODMAP are types of carbohydrates that are:

Fermentable (rapidly broken down by bacteria in the gut)

Oligosaccharides (fructans and galacto-oligosaccharides)

Disaccharides (lactose)

Monosaccharides (fructose)

AND

Polyols (sorbitol, mannitol, maltitol, xylitol, polydextrose, and isomalt)

*Saccharide is another word for sugar

The issue with FODMAPS:

• They either CAN’T be broken down or they are slow to be absorbed so they pass from the stomach all the way to the large intestine.
• Because they are small molecules and our bodies have a tough time absorbing them, our bodies try to dilute them by sending water to the gastrointestinal tract (hello bloating and diarrhea!!!!)
• If the molecules are not absorbed in the small intestine, they go to the large intestine. The large intestine has tons of bacteria (billions!) which see these molecules as yummy fast food.  Those bacteria have a food fest, break down the molecules and produce hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and methane gasses (hello awful, foul smelling gas!!!).

When I started really looking into my gut health, I was suffering from bad bloating that would get worse over the course of the day.  I could also clear a room with my gas! My gut health doctor suggested I take a stool test and it confirmed that I had dysbiosis, an imbalance of bacteria in my gut. The foods that I was eating were VERY HEALTHY but these bad bacteria in my gut were FEASTING on all of these “fast foods” that contained FODMAPs. Removing FODMAPs from my diet gave me relief very quickly.  If nothing else, removing these foods can give you a great deal of INFORMATION. If you get relief from your symptoms when removing these foods, you may be on to something!!!!

Table of High and Low FODMAP Foods:

Advice from your friend who has been through it:

• Really dedicate yourself to removing FODMAPs from your life for at least 2 weeks. This may mean that you have to eat at home to ensure that you do not eat food with garlic or onions in it.
• Garlic and onion POWDER/SPICES also count as FODMAPs. Be very careful about spices. You can create your own spice blends that are made without onion powder or garlic or you can buy low FODMAP spices. Missing garlic like crazy? Have no fear – garlic INFUSED olive oil is perfectly fine to use. In fact, I HIGHLY suggest it!
• FODY and FODMAPPED FOR YOU brands were a LIFESAVER when I first started. I was able to find them at my local grocery store, which was really helpful. If your local store does not carry them, Thrive market has the full FODY line and gets shipped directly to your home (see next tip!).
• Thrive Market has a great feature where you can search for foods based on your specific needs. Type “low fodmap” into the search bar and you will be pleasantly surprised at the amount of foods YOU CAN EAT! My FAVORITE snacks are the GoMacro bars (these can be found in most grocery stores and at Trader Joe’s). They are so delicious and really come in handy when you are on the go!

Have you ever tried a low FODMAP eating plan? If so, I’d love to hear from you in the comments. Click the “leave a comment” by the title of this post to let us know your experience! Been told to go low FODMAP and anxious to start? I’d love to hear from you too. Drop a comment and let’s help each other navigate these gut health issues!