User Stories on the Low-FODMAP Diet

My Story on Low Fodmap Diet – Sarah UK

I struggled with digestive issues long before I realised I had issues and long before I sought help. Most people I have spoken to with similar issues also experienced the same indifference.

Reflux, indigestion, bloating, stomach pain, diarrhoea, constipation, food intolerances, and blood in your stools are not symptoms of a healthy digestive system if you experience them regularly, and yet we put up with them.

Is it because we think that they are normal and that everyone gets them? Is it because we are not paying enough attention to our bodies and what they are telling us? Is it because we enjoy the food we eat so much that we put up with the side effects? I know that it was a little of all of those points for me.

So if you are reading this is it likely that you either know you have an issue or perhaps you have an inkling that something is wrong. If you’ve been experiencing these issues for some time and if you haven’t already, then I recommend that you see a GP, a naturopath or a nutritionist (me in a couple of years!) because it’s important that you get expert advice to determine if there could be more serious issues that should be investigated.

If you have been given the all clear then there may be other factors at play and different practitioners will suggest different ways to manage and resolve your issues based on your unique situation.

When all my tests came back negative for anything serious, my GP suspected Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). IBS is a collection of symptoms of bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhoea or constipation (or both) that have no definable cause and as such it is hard to diagnose. I have seen a huge improvement in my symptoms by discovering what foods cause my symptoms through the low FODMAP diet. You can watch a 3 minute video explaining the low FODMAP diet and IBS here.

I also ensure that I consume whole foods, prebiotics and probiotics on a daily basis to maintain healthy bacteria in the gut and I also make a daily conscious effort to exercise and manage stress and other triggers. I also seek help from health experts (a naturopath, chiropractor, myotherapist, counsellor, acupuncturist, GP etc) when I need to.

Whether you have a diagnosed condition or whether you just want to improve your gut health, I hope that through my blog posts and recipes, my experiences and education, you can find the inspiration and motivation you need!

My Story on Low Fodmap Diet – Kara NYC

To cut a long story short – for the reasons listed above my doctor has suggested that I am PROBABLY suffering with IBS – Irritable Bowel Syndrome – (I have blood tests and things booked to rule out anything else) and that I should have a look at the FODMAP diet to see if that improves my symptoms.

Now I want to just clarify before going forward that I am definitely suffering from a mild case of IBS. My stomach pains and nausea don’t occur all that frequently, my main issue is the bloating and that’s more annoying than anything else.

However, I’m still going ahead with this diet because quite frankly I am just sick of looking like I’ve swallowed a balloon after every meal.

So, FODMAP… What is it?

It’s an acronym and it stands for ‘Fermentable Oligo-, Di-, Mono-saccharides And Polyols’. Very fancy.

Really though, from what I’ve gathered it’s a collection of sugars that are in certain foods and have been found to cause digestive issues in certain people.

Okay, so you can’t eat any of those sugars ever again?

No, not exactly.

The diet begins with an elimination phase where, yes, you cut out all foods that contain FODMAPs. You do this for 2-8 weeks (depending on how long it takes for your symptoms to go away) and then you enter a reintroduction phase.

During this phase you slowly reintroduce foods and monitor how your body reacts to them. If you eat something and your symptoms return then you know it’s something you should avoid, if you eat something and your symptoms don’t return then it’s fine to keep eating it.

Phase three is the maintenance phase, this is where you’ve figured out what you can and can’t eat and you basically go about your life.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the main culprit of my symptoms is going to be fructans which are found in wheat, soya, onion, garlic etc. I say this because in preparation for the diet I made the horrendous decision to try and use up all of the high FODMAP food that had just come in our weekly food shop.

This meant I all of a sudden started overloading my body with Super Noodles, Heinz Hoops (yes, I’m a child), egg custard tarts, onions, garlic, and so on. I will tell you right now, I felt AWFUL.

I basically spent an entire day in bed because I became so severely lethargic, my stomach felt constantly heavy and uncomfortable and it was just a terrible idea.

So yeah don’t be like me.

That’s a very brief summary of it all though. I’ll be talking about my progress here so if you’re going through something similar and are curious to know how I get on then definitely keep an eye out for more posts!