It all started with a weekend trip.  And some delicious fresh bread.

It’s so easy to be carefree while traveling.

Anyway, I returned from vacation and continued my poor, haphazard, non-FODMAPs eating and (of course) felt the effects.

What began as a foray in the wheat column quickly spilled over into several other FODMAPs groups and before I knew it I was dipping baguettes into agave and polishing them off with apple pie.  I was practically pillaging the fructans!

Never mind that this pie was vegan and home-made, the crust was wheat based and the filling was apples!  What I was thinking is still a mystery.

Okay, that’s not entirely true, I kinda know what I was thinking.

For me, wheat in it’s purest form (aka whole wheat flour in home-made baked goods), is tolerated well in the absence of other FODMAPs.   In other words, if I use minimally processed flour to make something like cinnamon rolls, it truly doesn’t cause me GI distress.  But that’s not the case with all baked goods.  Store bought wheat items with additives to keep them shelf stable aren’t in the same category.  There’s something about the more processed flours (and more processed soy) that doesn’t do well with my gut.  Which is why I don’t buy them.   However, there’s also an in-between gray area.  This is where I tend to get tripped up.**

See this plate?  Aside from the pretzel loaf, it’s FODMAPs friendly.

Eggs with nutritional yeast = no FODMAPs
Carrots = no FODMAPs

And since I’m on a low FODMAPs diet (as opposed to the FODMAPs free/elimination diet), I eat meals like this all the time.  Without significant symptoms.

So I got cocky.  I started pushing my limits…further and further…and pretty soon I was making meals with wheat like my FODMAPs sensitivities never existed.

Like wheat bowtie pasta with squash, zucchini, seitan, and teese “cheese”.  And the aforementioned apple pie.  And several other things that I didn’t photograph.

Too large of a FODMAPs load!

The crust of the pie with a different filling (like blueberries instead of apples) probably would have been fine.  After all, it was home-made so I knew every single thing that went into it (very few ingredients by the way).  Likewise, the pasta without the soy-based cheese probably would have been easier for my GI tract to handle.  After all, it was organic whole wheat pasta with only three ingredients.

[As I’ve said before, keeping the FODMAPs categories separate (only one group per meal) is how I am able to tolerate moderate amounts]

As uncomfortable as it was to digest all this, it did remind me that monitoring the amount of FODMAPs and my portions are key.  <— silver lining lesson

To get back on track I went back to basics.  Elimination.

Egg and potato hash with nutritional yeast and Bragg’s aminos.

Oatmeal with home-made granola, bananas, and strawberries.

Banana oat bread.

Brown rice, seitan, and carrots.

Cornbread.

Quinoa quiche.

Fried egg with quinoa.

And A TON of hippie bowls.

Repetitive, yes.  But delicious and symptom free, too.

And now that my bowels are back to their happy state, I can return to a low FODMAPs diet that includes small amounts of wheat.  Hooray!

Want more good news?  During my elimination days, I did a lot of recipe testing, so with a few more trials and test runs, I will hopefully be getting a collection of recipes that are both vegetarian and FODMAPs friendly out soon.

**Reminder: I’m still learning.  I have this FODMAPs blog because I want to keep track of these things and hopefully it encourages a discussion so we can all learn together.

On my honeymoon in Norfolk Island.

Hello everyone! I am Sarah, an American ex-pat who lives in sunny Perth, Western Australia and a long-time reader of Elise’s other blog, Hungry Hungry Hippie. I am also a big enthusiast of this new blog project, and I want to thank Elise for starting creating a space dedicated to providing information on following a plant-based low FODMAP diet. The Internet is filled with (often inaccurate) information about the low FODMAP diet, but there is a huge gap when it comes to those of us who like to fill up on whole plant foods. On one fructose malabsorption forum I frequent, most of the members seem to feel terrible eating vegetables and stick mainly to meats, fats and white rice. I understand how limiting your diet can get when your digestive system won’t cooperate, but I am determined to make this diet work with a plant focus!

Before I tell you a bit more about my experience with the low FODMAP diet, I want to highly encourage you to try some Elise’s recipes. There are simple and delicious. Currently, I am loving her FODMAP-free seitan. I was skeptical at first about the addition of brown rice flour (rather than the usual chickpea flour I add to my seitan, which is high in FODMAPs), but I am a convert! Though brown rice flour can be gritty, the texture of this seitan is amazing. I also highly recommend giving her granola a try. So crunchy and the perfect level of sweetness!

Granola

Seitan

Before I get into the details about how the low FODMAPs diet helped me, I will give you a bit of background. For as long as I can remember, I have had digestive issues. Even when I was very little, I would suffer from fairly frequent cycles of what I would now call IBS-C. I also knew from a very young age that I was not able to tolerate sweet foods very well – even fruit! I remember telling my doctor in my very early teens that I felt like my food was fermenting in my gut. And you know what? It was! But there was no information about FODMAPs at that time. Instead, my doctor at the time (and may doctors thereafter) was rather dismissive, and chalked it up to my gender and automatically assumed I was high strung just because I was a good student. This doctor was but one among many to tell me I had IBS and to manage my stress, drink a lot of water, and exercise. All of which I already did, and none of which were apparently working.

This early experience had a big impact on me, and over time I began to think that the symptoms I was experiencing were all in my head. I even held the belief until very recently that IBS was just a diagnosis doctors give to women in a half-hearted attempt to tell them something and get them out the door. The reactions of many people close to me to my digestive distress only confirmed this belief. I was generally told that it was normal to be bloated and gassy, particularly for someone who was a vegetarian. However, I have been vegetarian for most of my life (18 years!), and I had a strong suspicion this was not about my vegetarianism. Even so, I pushed those feelings down and denied I had anything other than a ‘sensitive stomach’ for years. I continued to exercise 6 days a week, drink 3-4 litres of water a day, and ate heaps of fibre; yet still I saw very little relief. I found a lot of little things that did help, like doing yoga (I aim for at least minutes daily – I highly recommend this class), eating chia seeds and changing the ratios of soluble to insoluble fibre. However, I tried many more tricks that didn’t work at all…from supplements like slippery elm bark and HCl to warm lemon water and abdominal massaging. Even with the small changes, I could never rid myself of the bloating, pain, distension, wind, and constipation (sorry – no one ever said talking about IBS was pretty!). The worst symptom for me was actually acne. I didn’t have acne as a teen, yet the healthier my diet became, the more I started to develop acne. It was painful and scarring, and I was often told that I should clean up my diet even more or perhaps this was a sign of ‘detox’. As someone who never had an unhealthy diet and hasn’t touched meat for 18 years, I had a hard time swallowing the line that I was “detoxing”. I knew something else was going on, and now I know that my story is rather familiar among those who are helped by a low FODMAP diet.

This acne appeared 8 years ago, when I switched from vegetarian to vegan diet, and it was accompanied by an increase in some of my digestive symptoms. As so many vegans I knew described vast improvements from making the switch to a vegan diet – from weight loss to improved digestion to beautiful clear skin – I became even more puzzled about what was wrong with me. I had exactly the opposite experience, as the switch actually seem to cause additional symptoms. Resolving the cognitive dissonance was a struggle, and I convinced myself for a long time that my new diet had helped…at least slightly. However, eventually I had to admit that my ethical brain and my second brain* (i.e. my GI system) were not in agreement, and I went on a quest in an effort to find relief.

Unfortunately, I was trying to solve them all separately, but it would later turn out that they were all related! I have always been a relatively healthy eater. Even as a child, when I was given the task of picking vegetables for our dinner from the garden, I would eat half of the vegetables before they made it inside! I never really believed that the foods I loved could be causing me such grief because I ate what some might consider an ‘optimal’ diet (if there is such a thing). My diet was based mainly on vegetables, with regular consumption of healthy plant-based proteins, healthy fats, moderate consumption of grains and fruit. I saw a number of professionals about my woes, but nothing I tried seem to work.

Fast-forward to 2011 when I read about the low FODMAPs diet. I am a pretty hardcore skeptic, so my first encounters with the information were accompanied by sighs and exclamations of another food trend based on pseudo-science. However, when I saw it on Elise’s blog, my mind opened just a little bit. I had read her blog long enough to know that she suffered from many of the same GI issues as me, and I also suspected that, as a nurse, she would have looked at this information critically. So I set off to read as many journal articles as I could. When I realised that it was indeed possible that all of these healthy foods I loved so much could be the very things causing me digestive distress, I knew I had to at least try.

Late last year, I finally took the leap and consulted with a dietician who specialised in the low FODMAPs diet. I went through a 6 week elimination diet, followed by systematic introduction to each of the FODMAPs. Through this process I discovered my biggest triggers are fructose, sorbitol and fructans. This was huge, as prior to the diet I was eating apples (fructose and sorbitol), garlic and onions (fructans) daily! I also discovered that I could not eat galactans (legumes) in large amounts, and I definitely couldn’t eat them with another group – particularly fructans. This is a huge finding, considering the most common option for a vegetarian when dining out is a bean-based veggie burger on a wheat bun!

Now I know why this delicious tofu burger from The Juicy Beetroot always causes me grief! (But it’s worth it…sometimes.)

I won’t lie and say that I think eating a low FODMAP diet as a vegetarian who loves vegetables is easy. I don’t think it is. I have found through the elimination diets that some of my favourite foods (like apples) are off-limits for me, and other favourites can only be consumed in small amounts (like kale). However, I will say that it gets easier as I learn more about what I can replace old staples with and where my boundaries are with old favourites. The challenges aside, eating low FODMAP has brought me something even more important: the freedom to choose. I can choose to eat something that will cause me symptoms, or I can choose to abstain. Before, I could never seem to find a pattern, and I felt so out of control. Hummus wouldn’t bother me one day, but it would the next. I felt fine at the beginning of the day, but would always end up in pain by the end.

Like so many other IBS sufferers, I had tried eliminating so many foods over the years, but it never worked until I learned how to reduce my daily FODMAP load. After years of feeling like I was crazy, followed by years of frustration as my symptoms increased, I was finally in control. Sure, I still get frustrated when I have symptoms or when I have to make the choice between eating something I love or staying symptom free. I also have periods in which I rebel, and I throw caution to the wind because I just want to eat without so much thought and planning. However, it is not so much easier to bring myself out of those moments of frustration because I am armed with both a rational explanation and the tools to put it into use.

This post is already exceedingly long, so I will close here. If Elise will have me again, I would like to write a follow-up post. I’d like to share a few ways I have learned to cope with FODMAP restrictions. I am particularly looking forward to sharing my tips with you about travelling on a low FODMAP, plant-based diet. In a few weeks time, I will be preparing and packing for another trip to Tasmania, so it will be an opportune time to document my preparations and share with you what I’ve learned about maintaining a low FODMAP diet on the road.

Finally, I just have one closing comment to those people who laughed at a much younger me when I claimed food was fermenting in my gut: who’s laughing now?

Wedding in 2010.

* There’s some really interesting research out there on the gut-brain axis. I highly recommend this podcast episode as an introduction.

Thank you so much Sarah.  Yes!!  I will have you again!!

Thoughts on GUM.

It’s pretty easy to limit my Orbit habit on non-work days, but lately I’ve been making big strides in keeping my sticks to a minimum on work days too.  What sealed the deal was how different (in a good way) I felt when I went without.  This is one area that weaning doesn’t work.  It has to be all or none to reap the rewards.  More on that in a bit…but first, some background (for context)…

I’ve been trying to quit for a while, but it’s not easy when I’m guzzling coffee and seeing patients back to back.  I don’t want to have nasty breath!  Yes, obviously I could give up coffee AND gum and solve both addiction problems, but let’s focus on one vice at a time, okay?  I need some kind of guilty pleasure. 

Truthfully, I think I chew gum more out of a boredom than anything else.  I don’t know how or when I got so dependent on the stuff, but I must have some kind of oral fixation.  It’s actually more abnormal for me to be without gum than with it.  <— That’s a problem. 

I like having minty fresh breath just as much as the next person, but it was getting out of hand.  I’m talking 3/4 a pack per shift.  Clearly that kind of addiction needs an intervention.  Sugar-free gum is also loaded with fake sugar (all those ones that end in –ol) which are FODMAPs.  Polyols aren’t my main problem group, but I’ve definitely noticed that my GI system is way happier without them.  Plus it reduces my daily load considerably, thereby leaving room for more of the good stuff, like hummus. 

The best thing to come out of quitting is the increase in water consumption.  Now I am drinking water by the kanteen-full which (a) cleans my mouth after eating/drinking, (b) prevents dry mouth, and (c) helps with constipation.  Win win win. 

I’m also saving a pretty penny now that I don’t have to spend $6 a week on gum.  Thankyouverymuch. 

So, when I got sick last month and spent weeks on the couch, doing little beyond eating, hallucinating, and sleeping, I inadvertently went gum-free for over a week.  Considering how sick I was, my appetite was minimal, so when I did eat I wasn’t minding my FODMAPs very well and wound up making meals that had both beans and wheat (something I ordinarily avoid).  And yet, my GI system wasn’t a wreck. 

Qualifiers: I was eating snack sized portions (probably making the FODMAPs load smaller than what I’d eat in a normal meal).  I wasn’t doing anything physical (it’s hard to tell if you’re bloated when you’re lying down and only 35% conscious). 

That said, it got me thinking…what was I doing differently then that allowed me to feel decent while eating combinations of FODMAPs that had previously caused me to feel like crap?  The answer is not as simple as EATING GUM (because as we all know IBS and FODMAPs aren’t that cut and dry).  But I do think it was a big part. 

Maybe my previous attempts of reducing faux sugars and polyols (in the form of sugar-free gum) were unsuccessful because I didn’t feel any different?  After all, without any benefits, it’s hard to see a reason to give something up.  But now I’m starting to wonder if that’s because cutting back isn’t enough.  Weaning may be the way to go in other addictions, but I don’t think it does the trick with gum.  Perhaps gum is something that needs to completely get the axe before the GI symptoms disappear?  Please bear in mind, this is all just guesswork on my end.  I’m no scientist, so the biochemistry and physiology of chewing gum is a mystery to me, but from a layperson’s perspective it may have something to do with the fact that gum isn’t like food.  We don’t swallow it, digest it, and then get rid of it.  We chew it – for a long time.  Does that mean it’s just a continuous release of FODMAPs?  If so, that means my habit has been pretty anti-FODMAPs.  Popping one piece after another after another (I’m the worst on night shifts!), I’ve been basically streamlining FODMAPs to my body.  Subjecting myself to sorbitol for a fairly constant duration of time.  That could definitely create a lasting effect on the gut.  One that may be present with ten pieces or two – which might be why I didn’t notice a change in how I felt after merely reducing the amount I was chewing.  I always told myself a tiny piece of gum couldn’t possibly have enough FODMAPs to count.  I considered it negligible in my overall FODMAPs load, but I never factored in the manner in which it is enjoyed.  I’d venture to guess quality trumps quantity in this case.

So no gum for me. 

This is just my experience.  I have no clue if other IBS-ers will have similar responses by giving up gum.  What I do know, is that since I’ve gone without I’ve been feeling a lot better.  I’m not exaggerating, it’s truly noticeable. 

The groups include:

Fructose*

Lactose

Oligosaccharides (FOS/fructans and GOS/galactans)

Polyols

*Foods with more fructose than glucose (more than 0.2 g per 100 g) are considered high fructose sources and are not recommended for a low FODMAPs diet.  The greater the amount of fructose, the less they are tolerated.  For the purposes of this list, I’ll include all foods with excess fructose greater than 0.2.

FODMAPs list

Notes:

Personally, I am able to eat melon and grapes in small amounts without symptoms.  If I eat a moderate amount I try to remain FODMAPs free for the remainder of the day so the FODMAPs load on my gut is still relatively low and thus manageable.

I just discovered this site which you can use to calculate the FODMAPs content in a food.  For instance I typed “honeydew fructose” into the search engine spot and it gave me the exact amount of fructose and glucose per serving of honeydew, thereby confirming the fructose wasn’t enough in excess to make it a high FODMAPs food. 

As you can see, certain foods are in more than one category which means they have multiple ways to mess you up.  For a FODMAPs free diet (as opposed to a low FODMAPs diet) these should probably be avoided.

Rye, wheat, and barley are only considered high FODMAPs when eaten in large quantities.  I tolerate the grains when eaten in their pure whole form, but still make every effort to eat them without other FODMAPs.  Processed [store-bought] crackers, cookies, and cereals that have wheat with other additives (soy, HFCS, inulin, etc.) are definitely not FODMAPs friendly.

Soy beans and soy milk are still on the fence for me.  I tolerate tofu, tempeh and edamame without any problems.  I also don’t seem to have any issues with roasted soy beans.  However, some soy milks do produce symptoms.  This could also be the chicory root/inulin though.  Sample cautiously.

Garlic and onion salts/powders are not considered FODMAPs safe, but oils that are infused with garlic and onion are.  You can also use the green parts of scallions.

Not to confuse you further, but the above list is overly inclusive so there are many foods that are still fairly low in FODMAPs, despite their inclusion above.  This means they are probably fine if eaten in moderation with an otherwise low FODMAP diet.  They include: green beans, peas, beets, asparagus, pumpkin/squash, brussels sprouts, corn and broccoli.

Remember to read labels!  Good luck. 

First off, roasted nuts. 

These sweet maple roasted pecans taste like syrup covered pancakes.  I don’t know how, but they are amazing.  Up until last month, I would have told you pecans remind me of wood chips…but this recipe can make tanbark edible.  Next thing you know I’ll be munching away on walnuts too. 

But almonds and cashews are still my faves.

They go with everything.  In everything.  On everything. 

I made a savory recipe too, with nutritional yeast, tamari, paprika, and water.  FODMAPs friendly and snack-tastic. 

Another obsession I can’t seem to overdose on is kale chips.  Especially these ones by alive & radiant foods.

My dad bought them and didn’t like them, but I LOVE them.  As you can see the ingredients are FODMAPs free.  I wish I could make my own kale chips taste this awesome.  They are crunchy and savory and hearty and dang tasty.  The mustard flavor definitely comes through, so that’s probably why I love them.  There’s not much tarragon going on though. 

I just googled alive & radiant foods and discovered they are part of kaia foods – the local company I raved about here. 

Sadly, they cost half my paycheck.    I thought the best things in life were free?

And then there’s Linwoods flaxseed.  Oh my gosh is this product ever amazing.

I will never grind my own flax seeds again.  I swear.  Not only does this make super thick smoothies and oats, but you don’t have to do a damn thing, it’s just ready to scoop and go!  So you get the health benefits of flax…PLUS walnuts, brazil nuts, almonds, etc.  They have a ton of flavors too, so you can bake with them and not alter the taste of your dish.  Vegan, gluten free, yeast free, no sugar, heart healthy, and no FODMAPs.  I’m such a fan.

So that’s it for now.  Share if you’ve got some new faves too. 

This is not going to be super conclusive because I’m still not even sure about everything – all I can offer is my experiences thus far.

Tofu is fine.  Tempeh is fine.  I don’t have to watch the ways I eat them usually unless it involves a ton of other FODMAP foods.

Beans are not terribly bloating, but they do cause gas.  I can’t decide if bean-o actually helps or not.  Back before I knew I had IBS (and all the extra special GI woes that I now realize I have) I used to take it with bean-centric meals (when I could remember ahead of time).  I can’t really remember if it caused a reduction in flatulence though.

In truth, I’m just so used to dealing with gas that I only notice it if it’s really bad.

When I first learned about the low FODMAP diet I did the elimination phase for ~2 weeks.  After that I reintroduced each group one by one (not as organized as I should have, but I did learn from it).  Galactans were the last challenge group, so I was essentially bean free for over a month.  There were some hiccups along the way (for instance, I didn’t realize that gluten free flour mixes often had fava/chickpea flour in them).  Once I started eating beans/legumes/lentils again things seemed to be okay – dare I say it – maybe even better tolerated?  I’ve heard this phenomenon is possible, so I doubt it’s just me, but either way I was pretty pleased.  *asterisk alert*

Now before I get you too excited you should know a few things:

1. I don’t eat hummus with wheat anymore.  Or pretzels or crackers or any other FODMAPs containing food.  I stick to carrots and gluten free/FODMAP free carbs as dipping devices now.  Yes, I miss my pita and hummus parties, but I don’t miss looking 4 months preggo!  If I do “slip” and hummus it up with some wheat foods, it’s certainly not the end of the world.  It’s a little uncomfortable the next day, but as long as I don’t continue to stuff FODMAPs down my pie-hole all is well…life goes on.

That’s one of the best things about discovering the low FODMAPs diet.  Now I understand why my symptoms exist.  Previously, any fluctuations in my digestion of the same food would leave me scratching my head, but now I know the reason hummus with carrots feels a-okay while hummus with apples and pitas causes me to blow up like a whale within 24 hours.

2. Beans in small doses.  Portion control is one of the biggest factors in low FODMAPs eating.  Seems obvious but it’s hard when you’re used to pounding vats of dates as an afternoon snack.  Essentially I’ve come to recognize I have the power to reduce symptoms if I can practice self control.  Me?  Moderation?  Scary concept.

3.  I really try not to eat beans the day before I work.  Since I work 3 shifts a week, I have 4 other days of not working.  In theory I could eat beans one day and my body would “get rid of them” the next day, but when I work my IBS-C makes digetsion and GI peristalsis come to stand-still.  Soooo…fill in the blank…  If I work a few shifts in a row, things can get a little crowded in my gut and the back-up gets painful after a couple of days.  Excess fermentation is not a pleasant feeling.  As a result, I pretty much try to avoid beans (and my most offending FODMAPs) if I’m working the next day.  If I have the day off, no biggie, a little bloat, a little gas, and it’s gone within a day.  I can deal with that.

*Obviously the challenge phases meant a more regulated diet for me, so the fact that I had fewer symptoms may have been due to the fact that I was no longer eating a variety of FODMAPs groups at the same time.  One of the most basic, but beneficial, changes I’ve made in my diet is not mixing the FODMAPs groups in the same meal.

Has anyone else noticed similar things when eating beans?  Different reactions?  Do you find separating galactans from other FODMAPs helps you or not?

The (vegan, gluten free) menu:

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Creamed Corn

Tomato & Avocado salad

Chocolate Coconut Macaroons

I had no GI issues whatsoever after this meal and everyone (vegan and non-vegans) enjoyed it, so I wanted to elaborate a bit on the FODMAPs foods in the recipes and why I chose certain ingredients over others.

I couldn’t really think of an organized way of writing it out, though, so here are my thoughts in note form:

• The entire menu is gluten and wheat free – not because I can’t tolerate wheat or gluten, but because I try not to mix different FODMAP groups in the same meal (ie no galactans with fructans).
• In layman’s terms, I avoid mixing beans and soy with wheat.
• Since I wanted to make the bell pepper stuffing with black beans, I decided that galactans were going to be the FODMAP of the meal.
• This is why I chose quinoa and rice as opposed to whole wheat based grains.  Millet could have been a good FODMAPs free option too.
• I wasn’t too worried about the use of beans even though they are a FODMAP food because like I said, I have found that my system tolerates small amounts of FODMAPs when they are eaten in exclusion of others.
• Tofu is not a problem food for me, but please trial foods on your own.  Don’t apply my personal experiences to your own because everyone is different.  Soy in other forms (protein isolate for example) is definitely not my friend.
• Legumes are still a food I’m working out.  I used a moderate amount of black beans because they are high in GOS (galacto-oligosaccharides).  Per bell pepper there was probably 1/8 cup of beans.  Not a lot.
• I treat fresh corn like I treat tofu.  It’s listed as a moderate FODMAP food, but I don’t seem to have GI issues with it.  That said, real corn is very different from the over processed GMO crap that’s in packaged food.  Just like I avoid soy isolates, I steer clear of ingredients like corn syrup solids.  Again, do your own trial and error with this one.
• As an FYI, the latest FODMAP book published by MONASH recommends 1/2 cob of corn as an appropriate serving for a low FODMAP diet.
• Avocado has moderate amounts of polyols, but is truly only an issue for those with sorbitol malabsorption.  Out of all the FODMAPs groups, polyols (like mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol, etc) are the least problematic for me.  Unfortunately, many of the fruits and veggies in this category have other sources of FODMAPs like fructose, so they I have to limit them (or eliminate them altogether) for that reason.  This is especially true for  apples and stone fruit.  Fortunately for me, avocado is only in the polyol group, and my digestive system (and taste buds) love it.
• Onion and garlic powder are not recommended, you can get around this by infusing oils with onion and garlic, thereby getting the flavors without the FODMAPs.  You can make your own or buy already flavored oils like Garlic Gold brand.
• I was really tempted to use Greek yogurt in the stuffing recipe because I knew the tangy creamy quality would complement the Mexican flavors really well, but obviously that would bring another FODMAP group (lactose) into the mix.  I made tofu ricotta instead – a much more FODMAP friendly decision.
• I used pretty colored (non-green) bell peppers on purpose.  The green ones have a fair amount of polyols because they are less ripe.  Apparently the ripening process changes the chemistry of the peppers.  Since red peppers have more time on the vine, the polyols are removed, so in addition to being sweeter, red, orange & yellow peppers are also FODMAPs friendly.

I think that’s it!

Like I said, the meal was a huge hit which was obviously the point.  I could have probably made substitutions in the recipes to make them even lower in FODMAPs (like swapping tempeh for black beans), but I wanted to make dishes with familiar foods available to all.

Anyway, the recipes are all available here.   Enjoy!

*Figuring out which FODMAP groups you tolerate in what portion size is paramount to preparing IBS friendly meals.  It may seem complicated, but I promise once you learn which groups are which, it gets easier and easier until it’s routine.  I never understood why my gut would rebel from a certain food one day and tolerate it fine the next, but once I learned about limiting the FODMAPs load on my gut per meal, it made it so much easier to enjoy meals.  This way of eating has nearly eliminated the wild card of GI pain.  Now I know when I mess up (and deviate from the low FODMAPs diet) so any resulting digestive issues aren’t unexpected.

These resources have been really helpful for me, but I’m still doing more research every day.  If you’re interested in FODMAPs do your homework!  It’s not magic, and it’s not for everyone.  I’ve had success, but I’m also still in the learning phase.  I’m by no means an expert and I would never advocate anyone trying FODMAPs for GI problems without first seeking medical advice.

As a reader so brilliantly pointed out, these are pretty much the easiest thing to make. 

What took me so long to get my act together and make these?  Who knows.  But holy crap they are good.

Maple Roasted Nuts

[vegan, gluten free, no FODMAPs]

• 1 cup raw nuts (I’m on a cashew kick right now but my first two batches were with almonds)
• 2 tbsp maples syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

Well it’s not rocket science, just mix everything together and let the nuts sit for a few minutes so the sweet coating really sets.

Pour onto a greased pan, sprayed foil or parchment paper.

Bake for 10 minutes on 350.

Seriously, don’t make more than one cup at a time.  They are so flippin’ good.

Since they only take 15 minutes from start to finish, you may as well make them in the exact amount you want.  It’s the only way you’ll be able to practice portion control.  Take my word.  They taste like sweet buttery bliss. 

Next up, the savory version.  Yes.

Since a reader requested a glimpse into what I eat on these days I decided to dedicate a post to a FODMAPs free day.

Breakfast is easy, I eat oats on a daily basis, so nothing has to change there.

Steel cut oatmeal with peanut butter and bananas.

Notes:

Make sure your oats are certified gluten free.  There’s a high contamination risk with oats, so unless they have the GF certification, there’s no regulation on the manufacturing or co-packing.  That’s not to say the factory is contaminated, it’s an expensive certification so some companies may not want to pay for it (but they will still uphold high GF standards).

FODMAPs free toppings include nuts (cashews, walnuts, almonds, pecans, etc.), nut butters (peanut butter, almond butter, coconut butter etc.), raisins, dried cranberries, cinnamon, flax meal, chia seeds, coconut flakes, dark chocolate chips, bananas, fresh berries, etc.

If I’m at work, I sometimes have a snack between breakfast and lunch (since my lunch hour is often at 1 or 2 pm).  Either nuts or a (very ripe) banana are my “safe” snacks.  When I’m home, I just make lunch when I’m hungry next.

For lunch I stick to meals that are based around gluten free whole grains.  My favorite is quinoa.

Using my green + grain + veg protein + fat formula I wind up with dishes like these. Or this.

Or this.

I call them hippie bowls.  This one had quinoa, avocado, tempeh “bacon” and two fried eggs.  All are FODMAPs free ingredients.  All are delicious.  And in combination…hot dayam.  It’s not hard to be on the elimination diet with meals like these.

FYI, my all time favorite hippie bowl has spinach, carrots, quinoa, seitan, and nutritional yeast on top.  Maybe eggs, if I don’t have seitan on hand.

Which is basically what I had for dinner.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Post lunch, I always have some kind of dessert.  This is true when I’m at home and when I’m at work.  I simply cannot end a meal without a proper sweet finish.  Dark chocolate and candied ginger are the tried and true combo.

My other recent favorites include maple roasted almonds and dark chocolate covered almonds.  As you can see, nuts make up a fairly prominent part of my diet when I’m doing elimination days.  A few years ago I probably would have been mortified by this because (a) I used to hate nuts and (b) I used to be more freaked out by eating so much fat.  I’m thriving with my current diet, so I can say with 100% certainty fat is not my enemy.  FODMAPs are.

PM snack options have dwindled now that I can’t turn to apples or (processed) health bars like I used to.  Even the vegan bars are riddled with fructose ingredients like inulin, agave nectar, FOS, and maltodextrin.  No bueno.  On top of that, can you believe I used to eat 2-3 apples a day?

So although my FODMAPs free options may be reduced, they aren’t gone.

Carrots are my new apples.  I ate 2 pounds the other day [I know this because I bought a two pound bag and started and finished it in a few hours].

Now back to that dinner.

Like my lunches, I follow the same grain + veggie + protein + fat formula for dinners.

I’m not gonna lie, I often have the same thing back to back (to back).  Variety may be the spice of life, but bloating is a bitch and FODMAPs free food ruts can be just as delicious (and hey, they leave me feeling fabulous, too).  Win win.

Notes: My dressings usually revolve around Bragg’s liquid aminos and nutritional yeast, but this was a different combo.  Tamari, apple cider vinegar, and home-made peanut butter (nothing but nuts).  Bragg’s apple cider vinegar is unfiltered and raw and has no carbohydrates (so it’s therefore FODMAPs free and safe).  <–  This has been verified by Patsy Catsos.  You could also use brown rice vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar.  Just in case.

If you want a 100% tried and true delicious dressing recipe, mix extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup and stone ground mustard.  So good.

Quinoa, spinach, avocado, and a Sunshine veggie burger.

When I’m super lazy, I can fill in the protein portion of the formula with this guy.

I wait ‘til they go on sale and then I stock up.

Hearty, filling, yummy…and most importantly FODMAPs free.

After dinner I drink chai tea with almond milk.  I go through chai tea like nobody’s business.  Tazo makes a decaf one that I love.

And that’s that.

FYI, I’m currently working on a collection of FODMAPs free and low FODMAPs vegetarian recipes.  It’s taking me some time though, so bear with me.  I want to be sure the recipes are good and leave me without symptoms.  As you can imagine, it’s quite a process.  Very worth it though. 

Hi there, I blog over at Welsh Girl Eats and, like Elise, am an IBS veteran.  Elise asked me a little while back to share my experiences with IBS and diet, especially the FODMAPs diet.  First, I’ll give you a little IBS history.

I guess I should preface this by saying that I am only going to speak about the relationship between IBS and food.  As I’m sure you guys know, IBS is a complex condition and there are many factors which can influence its occurrence (such as stress, change in routine, illness etc).

As a child I was diagnosed with lactose intolerance and in 2002, at the age of 21 I was diagnosed with IBS (constipation type).  However, it was only in 2005 that it really started interfering with my daily life and getting me down.  So I began my long journey of learning ways to manage it.  I tried all sorts of diets, supplements, herbal teas etc but the one thing that really worked for me was cutting out gluten.

At the end of 2010 I was thoroughly disillusioned with my diet and IBS so decided to just eat what I wanted (gluten, dairy, etc).  I know this sounds crazy but there were many reasons for my trying to go with a more laidback approach to food that I won’t go into here, and I was confused about the role of food and IBS and bought into the “IBS is only caused by stress” line.  At first eating whatever I liked was fine but then the symptoms returned but they weren’t always obviously related to eating gluten or dairy.  During a visit to my GI Specialist Dietician (who was responsible for discovering I had problems with gluten) she mentioned this new diet that in scientific studies had been found to help with IBS; the FODMAPs diet.  Desperate to feel better again and suspecting that the link between IBS and food was, for me, not a clear cut case of gluten and lactose intolerance I decided to look into the FODMAPs diet.  I read all I could about and found that it made such sense in my mind.  I’d always known that I couldn’t handle too much of certain fruits or hummus for example.  It also illustrated why sometimes I could be ok with a slice of wheat bread and other times I’d react badly.  It connected all the dots that I just couldn’t!

When trying to figure out what FODMAPs are most problematic for you, it’s recommended to do a complete elimination diet, like Elise did.  However, at the time (early 2011) that wasn’t really an option for me.  I did eliminate the FODMAPs for 2 weeks or so but I didn’t reintroduce each group back into my diet in as structured or thorough a manner as Elise did (in hindsight I wish I had).  However, it helped that I had already identified problem foods for me from previous experience.  I focussed, but not in a very scientific manner, on experimenting with how much I could tolerate and which FODMAPs group(s) were most problematic.
To be honest, because I didn’t do the strict elimination and reintroduction diet it’s difficult to say for sure which FODMAP groups are my most problematic.  However, I suspect that they may be the lactose and fructans/galactans groups.  I can handle foods from these groups to a degree but not too much.  When I go over the limit I experience nausea, bloating, constipation and indigestion.  The polyols group seems the easiest going on my system; I’d even go so far as to say they’re generally not a problem for me.
Despite not knowing the ins and outs of FODMAPs and their effects on my body, the FODMAPs approach has massively helped with managing the pain, bloating and constipation caused by IBS.  It’s essentially given me a greater flexibility and control over food and my symptoms.  And I’m happier (relatively speaking) to suffer bloating etc from eating certain FODMAPs because I know what the remedy is: to eliminate FODMAPs for a few days or so until my symptoms abate.  Knowing the main causes of my IBS symptoms has provided me with a greater freedom with food, thus the FODMAPs approach has helped me in both body and mind.

And now some FODMAP friendly meal photos…

Thank you for sharing Sarah!  It’s really all because of you that I even learned about FODMAPs in the first place.  I wish the US was as up to speed on this diet, but we are slowly getting there. 

If anyone else wants to share their own dietary history, feel free to contact me.  I think the more we all share, the more we can learn.  Personally, I have found hearing about others’ experiences incredibly  helpful as I go through the trials of cooking FODMAPs friendly food.