Barbara Bolen - The Everything Guide to the Low-FODMAP Diet

Avon, Massachusetts

Barbara would like to dedicate this book to the many courageous individuals who have shared their intimate struggles with her over so many years, as well as to her family for their support of all of her varied (to put it mildly) endeavors.

Kathleen would like to dedicate this book to all who share the burden of living with IBS; to her parents, who fostered a lifelong love of cooking and creativity; and to her husband and boys for bringing so much joy into her kitchen and life.

IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME (IBS) may just be one of the most confusing and frustrating of all human ailments. In IBS, the digestive system has gone haywire, yet doctors see nothing wrong. One person with IBS may have bouts of urgent diarrhea, while the next deals with chronic constipation. Both may experience abdominal pain, whether it be a dull ache or cramps so severe that one is doubled over in pain. To make matters worse, doctors have had very little to offer their IBS patients in terms of bringing about symptom relief.

If you have IBS, you know firsthand how disruptive the symptoms can be. Being in physical pain, needing to be near a bathroom at all times, and worrying about what to eat can make it extremely hard to live a normal life. IBS makes it difficult to go to school, to deal with work demands, and to commit to fun activities. It can have a negative impact on relationships, family life, and ones social life. Travel can be cause for great anxiety or may have to be avoided at all costs.

To feel so sick and to be told by doctors that not only is there nothing wrong, but also that not much can be done about it, can be devastating. The hunt for relief can be maddeningeither nothing works or what seemed to be working suddenly stops working. Trying to figure out what to eat can be a nightmare. Sometimes it seems like what you eat runs right through you, or makes you more gassy and bloated, or causes your colon to rebel with painful spasms. Your doctor told you to eat more fiber, but that backfired. You are sick and tired of dealing with your body and you are struggling to maintain hope that things can get better.

You can be greatly encouraged to hear that there is a new treatment in towna treatment that has research backing its effectiveness in getting rid of those awful IBS symptoms. This means no more pain, no more gas and bloating, and what is sure to be an extremely welcomed return to regular bowel movements. This revolutionary treatment is the low-FODMAP diet.

The low-FODMAP diet has been designed, tested, and refined by researchers from Monash University in Australia. The work of these researchers has changed the way that IBS patients are treated in Australia, and this effect is spreading worldwide. Their work on the diet is expanding beyond IBS, as they are finding that the diet may be helpful for anyone who experiences chronic intestinal problems. You can reap the benefits of this diet simply by learning about it and then putting it into practice.

FODMAP is an acronym used to describe certain carbohydrates found in common foods that contribute to unwanted digestive symptoms due to the way they act within the digestive system. At its simplest, the diet involves avoiding foods high in FODMAPs and eating those that are low in FODMAPs. Best results are achieved if you completely restrict high-FODMAP foods from your diet for a short period of time and then slowly reintroduce them to see how your body reacts.

This book will take the mystery out of the term FODMAP and guide you step-by-step through the process of following the diet. You will be given several options, whether that be a full FODMAP elimination or a more casual approach. Along the way you will learn more about how your digestive system works and what is going wrong when a person has IBS. If you are not so interested in the science, you can feel free to move right into learning about what you can now do to make yourself feel better (see ). You will find tips for shopping, dining out, and socializing. Strategies are also included for supporting children on the diet and managing the diet if you are a vegetarian.

Following a low-FODMAP diet means that you are no longer stuck with eating bland, boring food. As you identify which foods you need to stay clear of, you will find yourself free to eat a wide variety of food with confidence. In this book, you will find inventive, delicious recipes, all made with low-FODMAP ingredients, that you can enjoy from day one of the diet. Each recipe includes wholesome ingredients to help ensure that your nutrition needs are being met so that you can experience optimal overall health alongside your newly found digestive health.

The low-FODMAP diet was designed to help you get rid of those IBS symptoms of abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, and flatulence that you know so well. The diet is based on scientifically backed knowledge regarding food components known collectively as FODMAPs. In the beginning of the diet you will avoid all foods that are high in FODMAPs, and then you will systematically identify which specific types of FODMAPs are causing your problems. The goal of the diet is to get you to a place where you can eat a wide range of foods without experiencing symptoms.

The low-FODMAP diet was developed by researchers at Monash University in Australia. Through their work, they were able to identify certain food components that they believed contributed to digestive symptoms in patients with IBS. These food components consist of short-chain carbohydrates (saccharides) and sugar alcohols (polyols). By taking the first letter from the word fermentable and then the first letter from each group of carbohydrates (oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols), they were able to coin the term FODMAP. These researchers put people with IBS on diets that restricted them from eating foods that were high in FODMAPs and then assessed their symptoms. Overwhelmingly, they found that IBS symptoms were significantly reduced by the diet.

With refinement and further testing, these FODMAP researchers have further broken down the FODMAP classification into specific types. Subsequently, they have found that some individuals are more sensitive to certain FODMAP types than others. This finding allows the diet to be more individualized and helps to expand the range of food that people with IBS can enjoy with confidence.

As part of their work, Monash University researchers have conducted laboratory analyses of a wide variety of foods in order to identify whether or not they are high in FODMAPs, as well as to identify which particular FODMAP each one contains. Their work continues today as they classify new foods according to their FODMAP content.