What Are FODMAPs

Announcement?!...

No, this is not a pregnancy announcement. This is a food conversation.

That's right, that is a food baby in my belly. 

Today I want to talk with you about FODMAPS.

If you follow my blog or any of the recipes I post on social media you have probably noticed that I design and list most of my recipes as Low FODMAP. I’ve taken quite the journey through candida diets, food intolerances, SIBO and Low FODMAP eating over the years.

You may be scratching your head and asking yourself, “What is a FODMAP”.

Well my friend, today is your lucky day because I'm about to tell you.

For starters they can make you very uncomfortable or self conscious about your physical appearance. Often people will suffer with IBS symptoms, gas pains, bloating etc all due to these food molecules. As you can see from my picture for today’s post. No, I am NOT pregnant but that image could be an announcement for me as if I was already 4 months along. My distended belly made me constantly self conscious. I am strong, fit, active and healthy. Why, I would ask myself, was my stomach reacting this way. Allergy test came back negative. I had both scratch test and blood work done. They even tested for celiac. All negative- except for an allergy to grass (which explains why it makes my feet and ankles itch in the summertime.) Even when I wasn’t bloated and was having a good day I knew it still wasn’t my best. I could feel that my abdomen was appearing larger than it actually should be. Once, while visiting my GI doctor on what I would consider to have been a good belly day, he tapped on my stomach and agreed with me. “Yup, it sounds like a tambourine. There’s gas in there.” I was active, eating healthy, and working out. What was wrong? The answer- for me was FODMAPS. These are found in all sorts of food, even healthy ones. 

FODMAPs are short chain carbohydrates found in food either naturally or as additives (like in the case of sugar alcohols). FODMAP stands for:

Fermentable

Oligosaccharides (found in foods like wheat, onion, garlic, nuts, legumes)

Disaccharides (found in dairy)

Monosaccharides (found in foods like honey, apples, and corn syrup)

And

Polyols (added sugar alcohols or found in foods like apples, nectarines, apricots, cauliflower)

Fermentable has to do with the way these carbohydrate chains are broken down by the bacteria (aka your microbiome or intestinal flora) in your gut. Specifically, in your large intestine.

The others are types of sugar molecules. Oligo = few individual sugars joined in a chain. Di = a double sugar molecule and mono = a single-sugar molecule.

Polyols are your sugar alcohols- both naturally occurring and added to products like gum and candy sweetened with these. 

A diet low in FODMAPs has been shown to reduce symptoms of IBS such as bloating, flatulence, diarrhea and/or constipation as well as symptoms of fatigue, lethargy and poor concentration. You can check out a great information on FODMAPS at fodmapfriendly.com

For me, my main symptom has always been bloating. REALLY bloating. Pregnancy-announcement-picture-worthy bloating. Thankfully I don’t have many of the other symptoms others struggle with. When someone sensitive to FODMAPS ingests them,  the consumed fodmaps are poorly absorbed in the small intestine. They then pass to the large intestine where they are easily fermented by bacteria there causing bloating and gas. These fodmaps can also attract water for some individuals which can therefore impact bowel function. Some people are more or less sensitive to certain fodmaps. Sometimes they can even tolerate a certain family of them quite well. This can only be discovered by going through an elimination diet and testing different foods / fodmaps gradually and individually.

If you think you might be sensitive to FODMAPS you can read up on it more at the website I linked above. I would highly recommend talking with a GI doctor to discuss your symptoms and options. There are a lot of great books and resources out there for this. You’ll be surprised. You’re not alone and the journey’s not impossible. 

Say YES to a health, happiness, and maybe, YES to a FODMAP-free, you with The Yes Lifestyle.