Tips to Follow a Low FODMAP Diet Plan
Diet

Tips to Follow a Low FODMAP Diet Plan

If you’ve never heard of FODMAPs, you’re not alone. Read on to find out how low FODMAP diet plans may be the solution to your digestive woes. Do certain foods upset your stomach? Do you often feel bloated after a normal meal? Low FODMAP diet plans have shown to reduce gastrointestinal symptoms in various digestive disorders significantly. Low FODMAP diet plans are recommended for people with irritable bowel syndrome. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic syndrome characterized by irregular patterns of bowel movements, abdominal cramps, bloating, nausea, and other gastrointestinal symptoms. There is no definite cause for IBS, but stress is an important factor. FODMAPs are implicated in worsening of IBS symptoms, as well as worsening of symptoms in other digestive syndromes. Low FODMAP diet plans are a type of elimination diet, where certain kinds of foods are removed from the daily diet. This has been proven to provide relief from symptoms like bloating, gas, cramps, etc. What Are FODMAPs? FODMAPs are compounds found in different food items. FODMAP is an acronym that stands for Fermentable Oligo-, Di-, and Mono-saccharides And Polyols. FODMAPs are short-chain carbohydrates. These are short-chain polymers: Oligosaccharides like fructans (a type of fiber) and galacto-oligosaccharides (stachyose, raffinose) Disaccharides (lactose) Monosaccharides (fructose) Polyols which are sugar alcohols like mannitol, xylitol, maltitol, and sorbitol Any FODMAPs that are not properly digested in the small intestine pass into the large intestine.