The Low Fodmap Diet Meal Plan

The Low Fodmap Diet

IBS and SIBO are conditions of the digestive system. Many people are familiar with IBS, which presents with symptoms such as abdominal pain, abdominal cramping, bloating, changes in bowel patterns, flatulence, and an increase in frequency, along with bowel incontinence in some individuals.

SIBO stands for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, and it’s something that many people may be suffering from and not even realize it. SIBO is often either underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed. The symptoms can vary from person to person, which makes them even more challenging to spot.

SIBO can happen after an injury or illness that causes the digestive system to slow to crawl. This results in food sitting in the small intestines for a longer time, which creates these amazing feeding grounds for bacteria — both good and bad. What results is an overgrowth of bacteria, and this is what causes the symptoms. Certain carbohydrates make this worse.

The main symptoms of SIBO include a loss of appetite, nausea, bloating, abdominal pain, fullness, change in bowel patterns, weight loss, and malnutrition.

There are three phases to the low-FODMAP diet, including the elimination or low-FODMAP phase, the reintroduction phase, and finally, personalizing your low-FODMAP plan for maintenance. If it’s possible, it really is best to embark on the low-FODMAP diet with the help of a registered dietitian.

Phase 1

The first phase of eating low-FODMAP involves eliminating some specific carbohydrates from your diet. The goal is to relieve GI symptoms and heal your gut. FODMAP stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols.

These foreign-sounding things are actually short-chain carbohydrates that are especially difficult for your body to absorb. This is believed to be behind the uncomfortable symptoms of IBS and SIBO.

The tricky part is that everyone’s body responds differently to these foods, so what might not be a trigger for you will trigger symptoms for someone else. The only way to learn which foods are problems for you is by eliminating them all and then slowly reintroducing them back.

On average, you need to eliminate all high-FODMAP foods for about four to six weeks. This allows your body enough time to completely rid itself of the residual effects of FODMAPs that were in your system.

This phase can be very challenging for people because so many of the foods they’re familiar with are eliminated. This is why having FODMAP-friendly meal plans can be a game changer.

But, before you get discouraged, know that you’ll likely find that many of the meals you will eat are a bit yummy, if not downright delicious.

A sample meal might be grilled chicken, with a small portion of brussels sprouts roasted with a bit of olive oil and just a touch of maple syrup, and a side of lactose-free cottage cheese doesn’t sound so bad. Another meal option might be a breakfast of poached eggs or ground turkey patties with bok choy. Oat bran also makes an easy, FODMAP-friendly breakfast.

Once you get the hang of it, eating low FODMAP isn’t so difficult.

Phase 2

This is where you begin reintroducing different types of FODMAPs into your diet. You do this one at a time and give yourself at least several days to give your body time to react before adding in the next FODMAP.

You don’t have to go full head on when reintroducing food. You can reintroduce them at your own pace and take smaller steps. For instance, instead of going for a slice of wheat bread, you can try sourdough spelt bread instead. Spelt isn’t gluten-free, but it does have less gluten than wheat.

If you notice that your symptoms appear after a reintroduction, you can safely say that it’s a trigger for you, and it should be avoided.

Phase 3

Finally, phase 3 is about how to eat for the long term to reduce or eliminate digestive symptoms. By the time you reach this point, you should have a good idea of what your triggers are and realize how each affects your system.

Since our bodies change over time, you might find that you need to redo the FODMAP protocol every couple of years. Make sure you hang onto that low-FODMAP meal plan in case you need it down the road.

Foods to Eat

Many foods are naturally low in FODMAPS and can be included in the low FODMAP diet, such as the ones listed above.

Foods to Avoid

Foods that are high in FODMAPS, such as these, are known to cause digestive upset in those with IBS and should be limited as much as possible.

With the low-FODMAP diet, it’s equally important to keep track of portions when eating certain foods. There are many different foods that are considered low-FODMAP in a certain portion size but easily become high-FODMAP food if you overindulge.

Sweet potatoes are one example of this. According to Monash University, a 1/2 cup serving of sweet potatoes is a good addition to a low-FODMAP meal. However, you don’t even have to double that portion size for it to be considered high-FODMAP.

The same is also true for green beans. Also, consider other known food allergies or sensitivities you have. Even though FODMAP-friendly tomato sauce and bell peppers might be fine in moderate portions, it won’t help you at all if you have a known sensitivity to nightshades.

There are other foods that are just more difficult to categorize, such as foods derived from soy beans. Soy protein isolate is relatively low in FODMAP, while soy protein concentrate is higher in FODMAPs. This one is really tricky because soy is in so many things.

And, as unfortunate as it is, you really have to be careful when dining out at restaurants, other people’s homes, or potlucks when following the low-FODMAP diet.

Restaurant staff, family, friends, and coworkers might have the best of intentions, but chances are they aren’t a nutrition expert, and unless they made the food with a low-FODMAP food list in front of them, you might unintentionally consume high-FODMAP-containing foods.

Take baked beans, for example. Beans are tolerable for many in small portions, but even if you have a half-cup serving at the office potluck, you might find that not only do you have gut symptoms, but you also will need to start the elimination phase from scratch all over again.

The reason for this is that you don’t always know what’s in there. The sauce they used might have high-fructose corn syrup, or the dish might be loaded with garlic and onion.

10 Fundamental Principles of The Low Fodmap Diet

1. More fruit and vegetables every day (including berries, cabbage, root vegetables, legumes, potatoes, and herbs).
2. More whole grain, especially oats, rye, and barley
3. More food from the sea and lakes
4. Higher-quality meat, but less of it
5. More food from wild landscapes
6. Organic produce whenever possible
7. Avoiding food additives
8. More meals based on seasonal produce
9. More home-cooked food
10. Less waste

7-Day Free Low FODMAP Meal Plan

28-Day Low FODMAP Diet Meal Plan

The Low FODMAP meal plan is a 4-week, 28-day meal plan including breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks created by our Registered Dietician, Kristen Kuminski. We’ve included macronutrients breakdown, recipes, and grocery lists for each week of meals. 4 Weeks of Low FODMAP Diet Meal Plans with daily breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack 2 Weeks…

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Health Benefits

The low FODMAP diet has mostly been studied in humans with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). According to research, about 75% of people with IBS can benefit from a low-FODMAP diet.

Additionally, while the low-FODMAP diet is a type of elimination diet, many people find that using new low-FODMAP recipes actually increases the number of healthy foods in their diets, and they have also learned to make healthy swaps for certain foods.

For example, using almond milk in place of cow’s milk, finding that they prefer lactose-free dairy products more than traditional dairy, using cooked brown rice and other gluten-free grains in place of their pasta, and simply learning to enjoy foods from more food groups.

It’s also quite common that people lose weight, although it might not be significant, just because they’ve eliminated so many unhealthy, high fat, high caloric foods from their diets.

The diet may also be beneficial for other gastrointestinal symptoms and promote gut healing for those without an official diagnosis of IBS.

The benefits of a low FODMAP diet may include:

• Less gas
• Less bloating
• Less diarrhea
• Less constipation
• Less stomach pain
• Some people find that they save money, especially during the elimination phase.

Disadvantages of the Fodmap Diet

The low FODMAP diet should be followed under the guidance of a healthcare provider or nutritionist. For some, low-FODMAP meals are drastically different from what they’ve normally eaten, which can make meal planning and compliance a challenge.

Individuals who have struggled with disordered eating habits should also work with a medical care provider to ensure their calories aren’t too restricted and that disordered eating patterns don’t appear.

It can also be really challenging to find low FODMAP recipes. When you’re in the elimination phase, it can feel like high FODMAP foods are everywhere. Some people struggle with coming up with meal ideas while meeting their dietary needs with a rather limited list of foods they can safely enjoy. Until you enter the reintroduction phase, low FODMAP can have certain drawbacks, including

• being unable to eat some ready-made or processed foods, like potato chips
• restriction of certain foods and beverages like soda and fruit juices
• difficulty modifying diet
• limited options for eating out
• consider chef-prepared meal delivery services: https://mealplanpros.com/low-fodmap-meal-delivery/

FAQs

Bottom Line

The word “diet” often implies weight loss or other goals associated with the physique. However, the low FODMAP diet is a program used to identify foods that trigger uncomfortable digestive symptoms.

Since it is used for health reasons, it’s not an easy diet to adopt, but when done correctly can provide relief for people with IBS or other digestive issues.

It is not recommended to follow this diet unless needed, as it may do more harm than good. FODMAPS provides prebiotics for the digestive tract, which supports the growth of beneficial bacteria.

As with any form of restrictive diet, make sure to consult with a medical professional before beginning this diet to ensure that it is safe for you.

References

• https://www.monashfodmap.com/about-fodmap-and-ibs/
• https://fodmapchallenge.com/eating-low-fodmap-budget/
• https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/low-fodmap-diet