Low fodmap diet

Dan133269

Hello all,

Just wondering if anyone has any experience of going on the low fodmap diet? I have Crohn's disease and apparently this diet is very effective for IBS in general.

It seems a little confusing though. I've gone through the "complete" list of foods but there is a lot of stuff which isn't clarified.

It says you should try get gluten free bread and pasta, so I'm assuming that
Weetabix and Digestive biscuits are out?
Are gluten free breads and pastas a good source of carbs?

Any blogs/articles I've read on the diet doesn't seem to make any mention of meat or fish. What's the story with this? I know some people with IBS react very badly to red meat. Then again, if you're cutting red meat out of your diet completely, what's going to be a good source of iron? I suppose composing a balanced diet while halving your available foods is a bit of a challenge.

I'm certainly not looking for medical advice, just trying to stimulate a discussion. I've been a little bit sick recently and think I can eat a bit better but the foods I ate before never bothered me in the slightest. I went 5 years completely in remission, so I'm wondering does that mean my illness is not triggered by certain foods? Then again my body may have changed.

1 thing that shocked me a little bit is the statement that IBS sufferers should avoid mint and broccoli. I'm 100 % sure I read in some article that broccoli has been shown in scientific tests to be extremely beneficial for IBS sufferers. A quick google search shows up this: http://naturalibstreatment.com/elimination-diet/broccoli-and-ibs/

Peppermint oil has also been shown to be extremely good for IBS complaints, yet mint is branded as a food to avoid? Not that I use much mint anyway but just wondering. Quick google search - http://zerodisease.blogspot.com/2010/05/mint-treats-irritable-bowel-syndrome.html

As you can see, there doesn't appear to be 1 clear explanation and definitive list for this diet. I'm aware it's relatively recent, but there seems to be a lot of inconsistencies and misinformation. I'm hoping someone can clear this up.

Another thing is that I usually do a lot of training and eat a lot. When I'm going to the gym regularly, I eat at least 4,000 calories a day. Recently haven't been training or eating that much. Just wondering if protein powders made from whey and casein are ok? I've taken them for years and they've never seemed to give me a problem. Then again casein contains lactose which you're meant to avoid, if I'm not mistaken.

One final thing, will sticking to this diet hurt my pocket? Are gluten free and lactose free foods much dearer in price? I used to work in a supermarket but never took much notice of these foods.

Thanks for any thoughts,
Danny.

Donelson

This diet was featured on one of the uk channels in january/february, the food clinic? But I'm not sure, I'll try to dig it up. As far as I remember you have to cut out soluble fibres.

JoJoJoJoJo

Hi there Dan

I suffer from IBS and can't have too much mint - Colpermine for example which is a peppermint based supplement supposed to help IBS actually goes right through me!!

I recently downloaded a really good FODMAP book, by Patsy Catsos, its available in the kindle store but not sure if its on the shelves here yet - here is the link: http://www.ibsfree.net/

Its a very good and clear guide based on sound research. I tried the diet out last week and found it to be really effective, but went back on all the bad stuff at the weekend and suffered badly again. Going to stick it out this time.