The FODMAP diet

If you suffer from stomach discomforts, erratic energy levels and irregular bowels, you might be interested in the FODMAP diet

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of those slightly vague conditions that some people are still slightly sceptical of. Still, for sufferers, the struggles with digestive pain, bloating and diarrhoea, among other symptoms, can have a severe effect on their lives.

Whether you suffer from IBS or simply feel that your digestive system just isn’t up to scratch, the FODMAP diet really could help. It’s a food plan that excludes foods that are sources of a group of sugars called FODMAPs, or fermentable oligo-saccharides, disaccharides, mono-saccharides and polyols.

FODMAPs are naturally occurring in many fruits, vegetables, beans, grains, nuts and even milk and cheese. You can usually spot a FODMAP on the label of a packaged food because it ends in ‘ol’ (the sugar substitutes sorbitol, mannitol and xylitol) or ose (lactose from milk).

You may also be able to spot a FODMAP because of the effect it has on your body when you eat them. Bacteria in our guts act on FODMAPs and create hydrogen gas. This can lead to bloating, wind and even pain.

So, if you eat a bunch of grapes and your tummy makes you look five months pregnant as a result, it may be the FODMAPs in the grapes. If you get a stomach ache after a pizza, it could be the FODMAPs from the wheat in the crust.

For IBS sufferers, the FODMAPs diet does really seem to help. The trouble is, it’s quite tough.

We are all different, though, and food that triggers symptoms in one person, may not do so in the next. So, you can try cutting out certain FODMAP foods then re-introducing them to see if they’re the culprits. Otherwise, to go the whole hog, the list of foods you need to exclude on the FODMAP diet is a long one. It includes:

Fruit: Apples, apricots, blackberries, cherries, mangoes, nectarines, pears, plums, prunes, watermelon, peaches.

Vegetables: Asparagus, avocados, cauliflower, garlic, leeks, mushrooms, onions, spring onions, cabbage.

Beans.

Nuts: Pistachios and cashews.

Proteins: Milk, yoghurt, soft cheese.

Sweeteners: Honey, xylitol, fructose, fruit juice concentrate.

What you can eat:

Fruits: Bananas, blueberries, cranberries, grapefruit, kiwi, lemons, limes, oranges, passion fruit, pineapple, raspberries, rhubarb, strawberries.

Vegetables: All except those mentioned above.

Proteins: Hard cheese, butter, cream.

Sweeteners: maple syrup, rice syrup.