Low FODMAP Diet for Beginners: What Is It and How to Follow

You may have heard about the low FODMAP diet, probably from the internet or maybe a friend. When people talk of a low FODMAP diet, certain sugars that can cause intestinal distress should be reduced.

The diet is meant to help those with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). It also enables people with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) to figure out which foods are problematic and the ones that reduce their symptoms.

FODMAP is an acronym for Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, and Polyols. These are short-chain carbohydrates (sugars) that are absorbed poorly by the small intestines. As a result, those who eat them experience digestion distress. Some of the experienced symptoms include:

• Cramping
• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Stomach bloating
• Gas and flatulence

You must keep in mind that FODMAP meal plans are not bad for everyone. That’s considering that our digestive systems are designed to process some foods that you can’t fully digest on your own.

Also, feeding the bacteria in our gut is part of our symbiotic arrangement with the bacteria. However, some people have sensitive guts and as such, they experience a level of indigestion from those foods. This can significantly impact their quality of life with these healthy choices.

For people with a sensitive gut, the byproducts of fermentation cause chronic symptoms of:

• Gas
• Distention
• Bloating
• Abdominal pain

The extra water that’s drawn by the small intestines can cause diarrhea in excess. It can also cause constipation. 

Who Should Try a Low FODMAP Diet?

This diet is part of the therapy for those with IBS and SIBO. That’s because it helps to reduce the symptoms significantly. Having a low FODMAP meal delivery plan can help follow the diet and maintain proper nutrition.

Note that this diet can be challenging during the first and most restrictive phase.

You shouldn’t try this diet on your own if you’re underweight. Remember that the low FODMAP diet is not meant for weight loss. 

How a Low FODMAP Diet Works

Low FODMAP is a three-step elimination diet that starts with you stopping the consumption of certain foods, such as high FODMAP foods. The next step is the slow reintroduction of low FODMAP meals to see which ones are troublesome.

After identifying the foods that cause symptoms, start avoiding them. Alternatively, you can limit them as you enjoy everything else worry-free. It’s recommended that the elimination portion of your diet be done for 2-6 weeks, which will help to reduce the symptoms. But if you have SIBO, this change in your diet will help to decrease abnormally high levels of intestinal bacteria.

You can then start adding high-FODMAP foods back into your diet, one at a time every three days. This will allow you to notice what foods cause what symptoms.

The Best Low FODMAP Foods

There are a lot of foods that are considered to be low FODMAP. Due to this, it can be difficult knowing for sure which low FODMAP veggies, or Low Fodmap Fruit for instance, are good for a particular person. Note that during the restrictive phase, you may notice that some foods are better than others. Here is part of a low FODMAP food list:

• Olives
• Oranges
• Carrots
• Eggplant
• Peanuts
• Brown rice
• Maple syrup
• Almond milk
• Bell peppers
• Brown sugar

Eating a low FODMAP diet doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to be all low FODMAP all the time. You’ll majorly need to stick to a low FODMAP diet. However, there is some wiggle room to incorporate a serving of a moderate FODMAP at a meal.

How to Follow a Low FODMAP Diet

Step One

Follow a low FODMAP diet by swapping the high FODMAP foods in your diet for low FODMAP alternatives. Let’s assume that you usually eat wheat-based toast with honey for breakfast. You can switch to sourdough toast with jam instead.

A food guide from a nutritionist would be very useful in this step of the diet. You can use a simple traffic light system to identify high (red) and moderate (amber) FODMAP foods to help you swap a few low FODMAP alternatives.

Follow this step for 2 to 6 weeks and if your system improves, it would be time to move to step two of the diet. If you don’t get any improvements, it could be that your IBS systems are not sensitive to FODMAPs. As such, you’ll need to consider other therapies like:

• Stress reduction
• Gut directed hypnotherapy
• Over-the-counter medications like fiber supplements

Step Two

In this step, you’re supposed to continue your low FODMAP diet as it is in step one. But you’ll need to complete a series of FODMAP challenges. This will help you to identify the FODMAP meals that your system can tolerate and the ones that trigger symptoms.

FODMAP challenges involve eating foods that are rich in only one FODMAP group daily for 3 days. You need to do this while monitoring the symptoms. Be sure to consult a nutritionist or a doctor about the dairy foods needed in every FODMAP challenge. Such foods are important because they contain large amounts of one FODMAP type.

Be sure to record how well you tolerate the FODMAPs after every 3-day challenge.

Step Three

This step is aimed at helping you realize the dietary restrictions as much as possible. You can also expand the variety of foods in your diet and establish a personalized FODMAP diet for the long term.

Well-tolerated foods and FODMAPs are also important to your diet in this step. At the same time, you need to restrict poorly tolerated foods and FODMAPs. This should, however, be done only to a level that provides symptom relief.

It’s recommended that you repeat the challenges of poorly tolerated foods and FODMAPs over time to see whether your symptom tolerance to them improves.

Conclusion

Low FODMAP meals can help to improve IBS symptoms and other digestive conditions. But note that their effectiveness depends on various factors. One of the factors is the symptom that a person has and how they follow the diet.

If you’re interested in starting a low FODMAP diet, it would be best to talk to your doctor or dietician. Find out about the benefits and the risks, and then work with the professional to come up with a plan to help you manage the symptoms.