Questions:
What the heck is a fodmap?
"FODMAPs" is a term used to describe a collection of short-chain carbohydrates found in many common foods. FODMAPs stands for Fermentable Oligo-saccharides (eg. Fructans and Galactans), Di-saccharides (eg. Lactose), Mono-saccharides (eg. excess Fructose), and Polyols (eg. Sorbitol, Mannitol, Maltitol, Xylitol and Isomalt). Also known as "Spell Check"s worst nightmare.
What is the idea behind this diet?
The idea behind the diet is simple, yet difficult to follow because from what I've gathered, the only way you can be sure that you're doing it right is either to A) buy this book: IBS--Free at last! or B) consult a physician. I didn't do either, which I may regret later but as I said before, I got excited and I was feeling inspired so I took it and ran with it... wildly and clumsily all the way.
But the idea is to take a list of fodmap containing foods and strictly eliminate everything on that list from your diet for a period of time, preferably a minimum of two weeks. There are even lists available that include the basic foods that do not contain fodmaps, which is very helpful. During this process, it's important to take note of your body's reaction to the omission of fodmaps from your diet. If your symptoms are reduced or stop completely, then you know you're onto something. When the two weeks are over (and you're done jumping around, squealing in excitement and relief), you are then ready to start the reintroduction process which is basically reintroducing the restricted fodmaps one at a time in three day intervals, allowing adequate time for your body to react in it's natural way (however unnatural it's 'natural' way is). By the end of it, if it turns out that fodmaps are the issue for you, you'll have a better grip on things and hopefully you'll have found some relief.
My Experience
I began the process on December 28, 2011, and I am now at the end of day 11 of elimination.
I've been recording all of my meals and snacks since day 1, and I've only been drinking water (which I was mostly already doing). I've been making notes of symptom flare-ups as well. It's been a difficult process for me, personally, mainly because I'm a food-addict (and temptations are everywhere) with the other reasons being (because it's good to know what to expect before starting anything like this):
- The rules seemed to change with every website referencing the diet. Everyone seems to have their own idea of how it should be done, as with anything.
- I live in a small town that doesn't offer any healthy/organic food options, so it has been a bit more difficult to buy groceries than I expected.
- At the start I felt like I was experiencing withdrawals from my usual eating habits. I had mild headaches, I was extremely irritable, and I just felt "off". Not a big deal.
- The frustration I felt when I realized I was still having symptom flare-ups was a bit much.
I have made a few mistakes, but it's to be expected when you're depending partially on information you found on the internet and partially on your own judgement.
So far I've still had nausea at least once a day, but it has been greatly reduced, and I'm still getting bloated (I did bloat up for at least 3 days and it's just now going down). My bowel movements have been more frequent but are still irregular.
But even so, at this point in the process I feel like fodmaps aren't really the big issue here. I still can't pinpoint the irritants. It seems like the cause of my symptoms is ever-changing, impossible to unmask and I just can't keep up. But there is still a ways to go before I'm done with the fodmaps experiment. I have to finish this elimination phase, and begin and finish the reintroduction phase. I'm definitely interested to see what happens when I try drinking milk and eating cheese again. That's the big question swirling in my head now because I've been blaming lactose for my symptoms all along and it may not be the problem after all... oops. But I do love me some cheese. MmMmMm. I am a latina, after all. Cheese just comes with the territory. So this is great news for me :)
I'm not disappointed about the presumed outcome of the experiment, though. I did learn a lot, like that fodmaps, including lactose, are not my biggest concern. I have learned that the U.S. still isn't prepared enough and offers little support for people with food related allergies, intolerances and illnesses. And that's a shame. I've learned that I have a lot more willpower and strength of mind than I ever realized. Which is great - personal growth is a very special part of life, I always greet it with a smile :)
Other benefits of the diet have been that my mind is sort of straying away from that run away train type of mentality when it comes to food, where I'd have intense cravings for all the wrong things and it was too big of a problem if I didn't get what I was craving. I feel that my energy levels have risen, and overall I feel a little more "alive" than I did, not weighed down by the heavily processed, fatty foods I was eating before.
So it may not be a total success for me in the way it was intended, but the Fodmap Elimination Diet has been a personal success in many other ways which I am grateful for.
I would definitely recommend trying this diet/trial if you, like me, are struggling with any kind of mysterious digestive illness and are looking for answers. It wouldn't hurt to try, and it could end up being exactly what you needed.
Resources:
Foods on the Fodmap Diet: Helpful information and common high and low fodmap foods list
Common High and Low Fodmap Foods: A helpful chart
fodmap.com: Credit where credit is due
Irritable Bowel Syndrome Self Help and Support Group: A trusted community for IBS and digestive health sufferers
The Low-Fodmap Diet: Helpful information and lists
IBS Free: A Fodmap-free brand name guide/list
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