FODMAP

12/29/19

Mood thinking icon thinking
Tags Health

I may have an idea what’s going on my with stomach.

What’s been most frustrating is I always have stomach problems, no matter how well I eat, and they are getting worse. I reviewed my symptoms online and realized I might be having an IBS flare-up. Years ago, my very early twenties, I always had an upset stomach. I self-diagnosed myself with mild IBS after getting fed up with a doctor who seemed more interested in collecting fees for worthless 5-minute office visits than actually helping me. I don’t remember exactly what I did, but I know I cut milk/cream from my diet and started exercising much more. Soon it leveled out, and I didn’t have any chronic stomach problems until recently, so I’d mostly forgotten about it.

Nowadays people with IBS are encouraged to go on a low-FODMAP diet. FODMAP is a ridiculous acronym for foods that are poorly absorbed in the small intestine, and I knew based on my symptoms and the timing that I was having that type of issue. This is not a long-term diet, is it only for two to six weeks, just until the small intestine can rest and recover. Then other foods can gradually be reintroduced.

I found some contradictions in several low-FODMAP food lists circulating online so I ended up looking over several different lists. I also read a few research articles to clarify things for myself. Turns out around the times my symptoms were worst I had been eating a lot of healthy foods that were, of course, high-FODMAP (broccoli, cauliflower, blackberries, and so on). So I switched to low-FODMAP, which unfortunately means omitting several of my favorite vegetables for a bit, and went back to incorporating lean meat. I dropped diary completely (oh cheese, how I miss thee) and reduced processed foods/added sugars. It’s early but I’ve already noticed an improvement, hopefully I can soon get to the point where I don’t feel like hot garbage every time I eat something.