- The link between food intolerance and digestive disorders
is actually well recognized
and there's a good chance that FODMAPs are the culprit.
(electronic bell tones)
The first thing we need to clarify is
what on earth is a FODMAP?
Now, the acronym as described by co-creator Sue Shepherd,
stands for fermentable, meaning they're broken down
or fermented by bacteria,
oligosaccharides, oligo means few and saccharide means sugar
then you have disaccharides, monosaccharides,
mono means single,
and polyols. Now these are sugar alcohols
and not to be confused with ethyl alcohol
which is what makes you drunk.
And that's why we're going to stick with the term FODMAPs.
If you digest them poorly, then they're going to ferment
in your large intestine or your bowel
and absorb water and produce gas.
The result for someone who is
particularly intolerant to FODMAPs
can be stomach pain, stomach distension, constipation,
or excessive gas, or diarrhea.
Yep. Pretty nasty.
Now as you probably guessed, a low-FODMAP diet
is a dietary regime that strictly limits
the amount of FODMAPs that you eat.
It was first developed by Sue Shepherd and Peter Gibson
at Monash University in Melbourne
to treat what's known as Irritable Bowel Syndrome
and has been clinically shown to work
for three in four patients on average.
More and more case studies and anecdotes of late
have seen it now emerging as a potential treatment tool
for several other health conditions like fibromyalgia,
chronic headaches and migraines,
and certain auto-immune diseases as well,
particularly related to skin conditions.
Okay. So how does a low-FODMAP diet work?
Well, FODMAPs are found in a wide range of foods
so it can be difficult to cut them all out
without some assistance, because
A, you have to figure out what foods you eat
that contain FODMAPs,
B, you then have to figure out what foods
you can replace them with so that you have something to eat.
In fact, the diet is so restrictive
that it should only be temporary
and should be viewed as more of a treatment tool
rather than a lifestyle change.
Okay, so to the nuts and bolts of it.
For three to eight weeks, depending on how you respond to it
you strictly limit or exclude
as much FODMAPs from your diet as possible.
This is known as the Elimination Phase.
The idea is that with all FODMAPs out of your diet,
it gives your gut bacteria a chance
to correct any imbalances,
and also gives your gut some time to heal.
After the quite horrible Elimination Phase is over,
you then get to move onto the Reintroduction Phase
and this is basically where you reintroduce
one FODMAP at a time to see how you tolerate it.
By doing this, you're able to see
which foods or food types trigger your symptoms,
and that way you know which foods you can eat
and which ones you should avoid.
To just quickly cover a frequently asked question,
is gluten a FODMAP?
The short answer is no.
Gluten can cause sensitivity in a handful of people,
Celiac disease or not,
but gluten is technically a protein,
and a FODMAP is a carbohydrate.
Therefore gluten is not a FODMAP.
Saying this word too many times.
In saying that,
gluten-free products do still appear beneficial
for people who are sensitive to FODMAPs.
Monash University do a lot of the research
on FODMAP content in foods,
and they find that gluten-free products
have far less fructans and oligosaccharides, I think it is,
than gluten-containing products
so gluten-free bread versus a regular bread.
To sum that up, gluten-free products beneficial? Yes.
Is gluten a FODMAP? No.
If you'd like to learn more
about FODMAPs and a low-FODMAP diet,
including things like very low- and very high-FODMAP foods,
low-FODMAP recipes, meal plans, probiotics,
much more information like that,
you can just follow the link in the description
or on the YouTube card,
depending on where you're watching this.
If you found this video useful, please give it a thumbs up
and thank you for sticking around.