You're feeling awesome on the low FODMAP diet.
You're finally symptom-free. And you start
hearing about reintroductions and you're
wondering do I need to even reintroduce? Well
today, I'm going to answer that question and
we'll discuss some of the potential benefits
of reintroductions and why it might be important
for you?
So there are a variety of social psychological
and physical benefits to reintroductions.
But before we start talking about the benefits,
what I want to chat about is the purpose of reintroductions.
So the purpose of reintroductions is not to
add in all the FODMAPs up to high doses or the
maximum doses, EVER. The purpose of the reintroductions
or the reintroduction phase of the low FODMAP
diet is to help us identify…what amounts of
different High FODMAP food you tolerate
or which High FODMAP foods cause symptoms and which
symptoms do they cause? So FODMAPs are the large
umbrella underneath of those falls fructose
Fructans, GOs, Lactose and Polyols which
incorporates Sorbitol and Mannitol. Now most
people are not intolerant to all of the FODMAP compounds.
Usually, there's a handful of them and there's
certain levels that they tolerate. Before they reach
that Tipping Point. And so our goals of reintroductions
is to find what should those compounds bothers
you in which amounts? Okay, so the first potential
benefit I'll talk about is our physical health.
So yes, you are able to eat a fairly balanced
diet when you're eliminating FODMAPs, but
it can be quite challenging to get all the different
nutrients that you need, including prebiotics.
So there are low FODMAP foods that contain probiotics,
but a lot of high FODMAP Foods do contain prebiotics,
which help feed our healthy bacteria or are
probiotics within our gut and by incorporating
higher FODMAP Foods were better able to help
feed and diversify the bacteria within our gut.
It's also a lot easier for us to maximize a lot
of the different vitamins minerals and micronutrients
that are sometimes harder to get when we are
eliminating certain groups of foods or certain
foods all together. So, one benefit from the
physical benefit side of things is often times
when individuals reintroduced, we see a better and increase
diversity and this is even partial reintroduction.
So if you have different limited amounts, partial
reintroductions and increasing your variety
of plant-based foods, and some of the higher
FODMAP foods can help increase gut bacteria
diversity and can help maximize some of your
vitamins minerals nutrients needs that may
be a little bit harder to reach low FODMAP, not
impossible, especially with the guidance
of your dietitian, but can be challenging.
The second I want to talk about, is a psychological
benefits of reintroduction. So, of course,
the low FODMAP diet, which usually we do the
elimination phase for about four to six weeks.
Sometimes a little bit shorter, a little bit
longer, but the longer we are restricting or
eliminating the longer or the more likely chance
we have of change fatigue, or elimination fatigue,
but it's also really hard for our food relationship
because it's putting in place and food rules
that can be quite restrictive and rigid, allowing
reintroduction allows a little bit more flexibility
as well as a little bit more control of our symptoms.
We have were allowed to have, I don't like the
word allowed but we're able to incorporate a
little bit more foods while still managing our symptoms.
So from a psychological perspective, we're
able to help prevent the development of food anxieties.
If we do have food anxieties, we're able to start
to challenge them and create a little bit more
psychological safety. Or safety around
these foods that were a little bit nervous about
having and that can take a step by step process.
And that's where working with someone can be
sometimes really helpful because it's nerve-racking
to reintroduce on our own. And again, it can
also help nurture that food relationships
and instead of fearing food or feeling nervous
about food. We're able to honor our hunger and
fullness and how we're feeling what suits are body
well and enjoy food and love food and use it for
social events. Which ties into my next benefit
which is our social health. Social health is
also really important and lots of individuals
who are following the low FODMAP phase of the
elimination phase of low FODMAP diet, know
how challenging it can be to eat out either other
people's places or eating in social events,
when you're low FODMAP or feeling a little bit
nervous about what symptoms might flare, when
eating different foods. Once you've completed reintroduction.
You can feel a little bit more comfortable about…
If I eat certain foods. I know the symptoms,
I'll experience are XYZ. I also have confidence
that if I have a little bit of a flare or a little
bit of symptoms. I know how to manage them or
bring them back down. It helps to
expand some of those social options we have
and helps to feel more comfortable in a lot of
those situations and scenarios, which we know
is just as important in our overall health and wellness.
and those are a few of the top three benefits,
both for our physical health, our psychological
health, and our social health to reintroducing FODMAPs.
If you have other ones, please comment below,
or if you have any questions or you like this
video, give us a thumbs up, a heart. Let us know
and I should have also mention that reintroducing
is important for any Elimination Diet as well
to again, help with all of those factors. The
only exception I would say is if you're allergic
to a food and that's through genuine IGE
or skin prick test. So that's not some of those
food intolerance test. And the other one I would
say is, if you have celiac disease, you we do
not want you reintroducing. Again, that is
not an intolerance such as FODMAP, but for other say food
eliminations were wanting to eliminate and
reintroduce, so that would be FODMAPs as well
as food chemical reintroductions.
So thank you all for listening today. Let me
know if you have any other questions or if you
have any other benefits for yourself, perhaps
you've already reintroduced. And you've notice and benefits.
Let us know and share your experiences. It's
a really tough part if not want to sometimes
a really challenging part. I know eliminations
tough and then the reintroductions, although
freeing can also be really challenging. So,
I love to hear how it went for you guys. Okay, take care.