Current digestive problems are extremely common.
Not surprisingly, what we eat into the abdomen can have a huge effect on the body's activity.
This brings us to the topic of today's article: FODMAP.
These are small forms of carbohydrates in some foods, including wheat and beans.
Studies show a strong link between FODMAP and gastrointestinal symptoms such as farting, flatulence, stomach pain, diarrhea and constipation.
A low-FODMAP diet can provide significant benefits for people with common gastrointestinal disorders.
What is FODMAP? Why should we care about it?
FODMAP stands for " Fermentable Oligo-, Di-, Mono-saccharides and Polyols ” (Fermented saccharides and alcohol) .
In human terms, they are carbohydrates Short strings that some people cannot digest.
Instead, they go all the way to the end of the intestine where the intestinal bacteria live.
Enteric bacteria then use these carbohydrates as fuel for their production hydrogen and cause digestive symptoms.
FODMAP also injects fluid into the intestine, which can cause diarrhea.
Although not everyone is sensitive to FODMAP, this is very common in people who have aka IBS .
About 24% of the US population suffers from IBS, and most are undiagnosed, so its effects are enormous.
Common FODMAPs include:
- Fructose: A single sugar is found in many fruits, vegetables and sugar.
- Lactose: A form of carbohydrate found in dairy products.
- Fructan: Found in many foods, including gluten cereals such as wheat, spelled wheat, rye and barley.
- Galactan: Found in large quantities in legumes.
- Polyol: Sugar alcohol derivatives such as xylitol, sorbitol, maltitol and mannitol. They are often found in some fruits and vegetables, and are often used as sweeteners.
Summary: FODMAP stands for "Fermentable Oligo, Di, Mono-saccharides and Polyols." They are small forms of carbohydrates that many people cannot digest.
What happens when we eat them?
Starches, the most common form of carbohydrate in the diet, include very long chains of glucose molecules.
FODMAP is often called short chain carbohydrate.
This means they only have about 1, 2 or more lines linked together.
For some people, these types of carbohydrates pass through most intestines without changing.
When they reach the end of the intestinal tract, they are used to ferment bacteria that live there.
This is not necessarily bad, and in fact, food fiber fortifies good intestinal bacteria, bringing many benefits.
However, good bacteria tend to produce methane, while FODMAP bacteria create another gas, hydrogen .
When they produce hydrogen, this can cause bloating, bloating, abdominal pain and constipation.
Many of these phenomena occur because of the disturbance of the intestine, which can also cause the abdomen to grow out .
FODMAP also has "osmotic activity," which means they can absorb water into the intestinal wall and cause diarrhea.
Summary: In some people, FODMAP is poorly digested, so they often reach the end of the intestine. They suck water into the intestinal wall and ferment the bacteria there, producing hydrogen gas.
Benefits of low FODMAP diet
A low-FODMAP diet is mainly studied in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
This is a common gastrointestinal disorder that includes symptoms such as farting, bloating, stomach cramps, diarrhea and constipation.
IBS has no clear cause, but we still know that what we eat has a significant impact . Stress can also be the main cause .
According to some studies, about 75% of IBS patients receive fewer dietary improvements from FODMAP .
In many cases, their symptoms decrease significant and great improvements in quality of life .
A low FODMAP diet is also effective for other gastrointestinal dysfunction (FGID for short), a term for all digestive problems .
There is also some evidence that it may be useful for people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) like Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis .
As you may have noticed, FODMAP is significantly related to common gastrointestinal disorders.
If you are intolerant, the benefits of a low-FODMAP diet include :
- Little deflated.
- Less bloating.
- Less diarrhea.
- Less constipation.
- Less stomach pain.
This diet also has many psychological benefits, because digestive disorders are stressful and are closely related to mental disorders such as anxiety and depression .
Summary: A low-FODMAP diet can lead to improvements in the majority of patients with irritable bowel syndrome. It also helps reduce some symptoms in some other diseases of digestive disorders.
Foods contain a lot of FODMAP
Below is a list of some common foods and ingredients that contain many FODMAP :
- Fruits: Apples, apple sauce, apricots, black raspberries, hybrid raspberries, cherries, canned fruits, dates, figs, pears, peaches, watermelons.
- Sweeteners: Fructose, honey, polymeric corn syrup, xylitol, mannitol, maltitol, sorbitol.
- Dairy products: Milk (from cows, goats and sheep), creams, yogurts, sour cream, fresh and soft cheeses (cottage, ricotta ..) and additional functional foods whey protein .
- Vegetables: Artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, beetroot, Brussels sprouts, white mustard, cauliflower, garlic, cumin seeds, leeks, mushrooms, okra, onion, beans, shallots.
- Pea's tree: beans, chickpeas, lentils, red kidney beans, baked beans, soybeans.
- Wheat: Bread, pasta, breakfast cereals, tortilla, waffle, pancakes, biscuits.
- Other grains: Barley, rye.
- Drinks: Beer, wine (wine), drinks with high molecular corn syrup, milk, soy milk, fruit juice.
Foods you can use in a low-FODMAP diet
You should remember that the main purpose is not to completely eliminate FODMAP, because this is extremely difficult.
Simply just minimize They support the symptoms of digestive problems.
Foods that can be eaten in a low-FODMAP diet :
- All meats, fish and eggs, unless they have added many ingredients of FODMAP like wheat or high molecular corn syrup.
- All types of fats and oils.
- Herbs and spices.
- Nuts and nuts: Almonds, cashew nuts, peanuts, macadamia nuts, pine nuts, and sesame seeds (including pistachio nuts because it contains many FODMAP).
- Fruit: Bananas, blueberries, yellow melons, grapefruit, grapes, kiwi, yellow lemons, green lemons, tangerines, melons (except watermelon), oranges, passion fruit, raspberries, strawberries.
- Sweetener: Maple syrup, molasses, stevia sweet grass and artificial sweeteners.
- Dairy products: Dairy products do not contain lactose and hard cheeses (like brie and camembert).
- Vegetables: Alfalfa, bell peppers, cabbage, carrots, celery, cucumber, eggplant, ginger, green beans, kale, lettuce, shallots, olives, yellow radish, potatoes, turnips red, spinach, scallions, squash, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, radish, root, radish, zucchini.
- Cereals: corn, oats, rice, matches, sago, cassava.
- Drinks: Water, coffee, tea ...
As you can see, there are many healthy foods and nutritious can be eaten in a low-FODMAP diet.
However, this list is NOT exactly accurate and there are a few types with higher or lower FODMAP levels as listed.
If you have concerns about certain types of foods, search by "[food name] FODMAP" on Google, such as "garlic FODMAP" (without quotes).
How to implement a low-FODMAP diet
Usually you should completely eliminate foods that contain a lot of FODMAP in a few weeks.
This diet will not be effective if you only remove a few foods that contain a lot of FODMAP, but not others. It is essential that you avoid all.
If FODMAP is the cause of the problem, you may feel better after a few days.
After a few weeks, you can add some of these foods, one at a time. You can then find out what kind of symptoms caused your symptoms.
If you have found out which foods cause symptoms, you should avoid permanently eating them again.
This can be a bit complicated, you can seek advice from a doctor or dietitian who has been trained in the application of a low-FODMAP diet.
This also helps to prevent unnecessary restrictions of the diet, because certain tests can help determine if you need to avoid fructose and / or lactose.
Summary: We recommend that you remove all foods that contain a lot of FODMAP for a few weeks, then reuse one of them, one at a time. It is best to apply this method with the advice of a qualified medical professional.
summary
The important thing to remember is that FODMAP is not necessarily bad.
Many foods that contain a lot of FODMAP are considered healthy.
People who are intolerant of FODMAP should not apply a low-FODMAP diet because it is very meaningless and can cause many disadvantages.
For some people, FODMAP is clearly a clean source of energy, or it can act like prebiotic fibers that support good bacteria in the gut.
However, in people who actually cannot tolerate FODMAP, they absorb the wrong type of bacteria and cause digestive symptoms.
If you are experiencing digestive problems in your daily life, FODMAP must be on your top suspect list.
Although a low-FODMAP diet cannot completely eliminate digestive problems, it can bring significant health benefits.
