If you’ve had persistent gut issues it’s very likely you’ve at least heard of the low FODMAP diet. But what is it really? Watch or read along to find out.

What is the low FODMAP diet?

It’s a 3 phase diet that focuses on reducing FODMAPs to help you see an improvement in gut symptoms, especially for those with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).

FODMAPs are carbohydrates naturally existing in the foods we eat – some of which bother everyone to some degree, they just bother those with IBS more. One example of this is beans – notorious gas producers for everyone. But for those with IBS it can mean more than just a little extra gas.

The 3 phases of the diet are:

• Phase 1 – Elimination (2-6 weeks)
• Phase 2 – Reintroductions (3-7 weeks)
• Phase 3 – Personalization (long term)

Phase 3 is all about taking all you’ve learned about your gut health and your triggers and applying it to how you eat moving forward.

Does it work?

This diet can be super effective for helping people with IBS to bring their symptoms down and to learn which foods are their biggest triggers.

For some of my patients who have had IBS or chronic gut symptoms for a long time they are a little hesitant to believe that a diet can really be that helpful, but I’ve seen it time and again, it really can be.

And for those of you who have tried it before and found it confusing and hard to follow please know that reaching out to a dietitian (like me!) for some guidance in the process can make all the difference.

Want help?

Do you have gut issues? Have you wondered about trying the low FODMAP diet? I’d love to hear from you. Reach out to me here.