High-FODMAP foods:
Onions, garlic, cow's milk, yoghurt, apples, pears, mangoes, watermelon, peaches, sugar snap peas, Brussels sprouts, cabbages, cereals, legumes, sweeteners ending in 'ol' )e.g. sorbitol) cherries, plums, avocados, cauliflowers, mushrooms.
To find a qualified nutritional therapist: The British association for Applied Nutrition and Nutritional Therapy (BANT) www.bant.org.uk
(Source: Cook. Nourish. Glow. -Amelia Freer)
For further information investigate "The Monash University Low FODMAP diet"
What are FODMAPS?
The low-FODMAP diet is a gut-healing way of eating that was developed at Monash University in Australia in 2005 and has since been used by King's College London and Guy's and St. Thomas' hospitals in London to treat IBS symptoms. FODMAP stands for Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols. And the high FODMAP list covers a range of carbohydrates (including some super-healthy ones!) that should be avoided when following the FODMAP plan.
"All disease begins in the gut" (Hippocrates)
The theory behind the low-FODMAP way of eating is that certain carbohydrates can trigger bacterial fermentation in the gut and by eliminating them from your diet you can start to reduce your symptoms.
The high-FODMAP food list is long and there are many differing versions, so it can seem overwhelming - when I first learned about it I was quite horrified and worried when I saw that I should avoid avocados and apples - two of the foods I consider to be most healthful, but although I found I could still eat a small amount of avocado (1/4) I definitely can't tolerate apples. So it can be a case of trial and error - cutting things out for a couple of weeks then reintroducing them and monitoring your bodies response.
Low-FODMAP foods:
Broccoli, butternut squash, carrots, celeriac, celery, chillies, courgettes, cucumber, green peppers, ginger, kale, leeks, lettuce, olives, parsnips, pumpkins, radish, red peppers, seaweed, spinach, squash, sweet potatoes, bananas, blueberries, grapes, kiwi, lemon, orange, pineapple, raspberries, strawberries, rhubarb.
HAPPY TUMMY
The health of our gut can have an impact on our entire well-being - from skin conditions to neurological health. Yet all too often we ignore symptoms, particularly digestive ones. We become out of tune with our bodies and just accept pain, bloating, wind and burping or feeling uncomfortably full after eating. It's only when something gets serious or our symptoms become intolerable that we seek a solution. And most frustratingly with digestive issues in the absence of a specific diagnosis, there often isn't a straightforward solution.
Our diets often feature too many sugary, processed foods and too much alcohol - terrible for gut health because they reduce good gut bacteria and encourage growth of the harmful kind. (The more healthy bacteria you have thriving in your gut, the more nutrients you will be able to absorb from your food and the better you will look and feel.) The overuse of antibiotics, anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen and hormonal contraceptives also contribute to gut issues.
You have to begin by healing the gut, firstly by removing the fuel to the fire (by changing what you eat), and then by putting out the fire, which is about healing repairing and restoring the gut to its optimal function. It is important first to get checked out by your GP to ensure that there is nothing sinister causing your symptoms - and certainly do not come off any medication without your GP's support and guidance.
But how we eat, breathe, move, sleep and think also plays a huge role in our digestive function - stress can inhibit the growth of healthy bacteria in our gut and when we're anxious, angry or thinking negatively we tend to chew and swallow too quickly, which leads to poor digestion - we don't have teeth in our stomachs! If you suffer with digestive issues, slow down and chew your food properly so that your poor gut doesn't have to try to digest large, unchewed chunks of food.
So what can you do to support your digestive system? Well, firstly, understanding that we share our bodies with a diverse population of bacteria is key, along with acknowledging that the way we eat and live influences their behaviour. There is much research into this area, looking at how the different strains of bacteria can also influence our behaviour., which may explain why some people have different health tendencies: for example, some strains of bacteria can influence us to crave certain foods, others can influence mood. But without the unique knowledge of the different strains and tendencies each of us has, for now, feeding the good bacteria to encourage them to flourish is a good place to start in order to promote the healthiest environment within our digestive systems.
Our gut is often referred to as our second brain. The common sayings 'What is your gut telling you?' or 'I can feel it in my gut' have arisen because there is a very close interaction between our guts and our brains. Our gut functions can influence how our brain behaves, and vice versa. The gut is involved in the activity of several neurotransmitters, including the feel-good hormones serotonin and dopamine. In fact, studies have found that 95 per cent of our serotonin is produced in our gut, so a happy tummy can have a huge impact on your overall levels of happiness and well-being. A lot of our emotions, like fear, happiness and excitement, are 'held' and can be felt in our gut, which is why we often have IBS-type symptoms when we are stressed.
Avoiding gluten, dairy and refined sugar - which have been shown to be the most crucial food groups to avoid in order to relieve symptoms - can be a start point for healing the gut, but if you are avoiding these foods and are still suffering with symptoms, it may be that an extra step is required. Pay attention to and avoiding high-FODMAP foods could be the next step for you. Please do this with the support of a qualified practitioner (this is a very individual process which requires experiment to see which foods do and don't work for you), but for now I have included some recipes created using low-FODMAP foods.