What Are FODMAP Groups & Why Do You Need To Know About Them?
If you have IBS or a food intolerance, you’ve probably heard of the low FODMAP diet.
In case you need a refresher, this diet is used to help manage IBS symptoms by eliminating foods high in FODMAPs, then slowly reintroducing them to find the foods that set off your symptoms the most.
What you might be surprised to learn, however, is that there are actually five different FODMAP groups, all of which can affect your body in different ways.
Whether you’re currently undergoing the low FODMAP diet or are thinking about starting, it’s crucial to understand the five FODMAP groups and how they will impact your long-term, trigger-free diet.
The 5 FODMAP groups
Every day, I see women in the clinic struggle with the definition of a “FODMAP”. If you ask Google, it will define FODMAP as, “One of a group of compounds thought to contribute to the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and similar gastrointestinal disorders”.
It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, does it?
That’s why I find it helpful to break down FODMAPs into the five FODMAP groups, because they’re terms we’re already pretty familiar with. They include:
Lactose: Dairy.
Fructose: Fruits, honey, high-fructose corn syrup, agave.
Fructans: Wheat, onion, garlic.
Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS): Legumes.
Polyols (sorbitol & mannitol): Fruits that have pits or seeds, like apples, avocadoes, cherries and peaches, as well as veggies like mushrooms and cauliflower.
Why you need to know about them
When you begin the low FODMAP elimination diet, we’re aiming to alleviate your IBS symptoms and improve your overall quality of life. We also want to get you to a relatively symptom-free space, so we can start re-introducing foods to find your triggers.
So, after the initial 3-4 weeks of your elimination diet, we start undertaking the FODMAP food challenges one-by-one to identify which FODMAP groups are the triggers.
The challenges are performed at different portions, with each FODMAP group having small, medium and large doses. The idea is that you start with the smallest dose of the FODMAP group and work your way up to the large dose, stopping at whatever point you start getting symptoms.
It’s very rare (though not impossible) for someone to react to all the FODMAP groups, which is why we undertake these challenges. We don’t want anyone to over-restrict their diet for longer than necessary, so finding out exactly which groups do and don’t trigger symptoms is what we use for the basis of your long-term diet. This long-term diet is an adapted low FODMAP diet that only excludes foods and FODMAPs that were identified as triggers during this process.
So, if you're a pasta lover (pasta being high in fructans) and only find yourself intolerant to fructose and sorbitol, you can keep pasta in your weekly rotation without the stress of setting off your symptoms!
Remember…
The overarching point of testing each FODMAP group is to discover which group you have to steer clear of.
But it's not the end of the world if you slip up!
Unlike eating gluten if you have coeliac disease, FODMAPs don't cause damage to your gut. While you might need an afternoon on the couch with a peppermint tea and a heat pack afterwards, it's not the end of the world and it will pass!
While you might need an afternoon on the couch with a peppermint tea and a heat pack afterwards, this doesn't cause any damage to the gut so it’s not necessarily the end of the world.
It’s all about balance, which is something I help students with to ensure they’re not missing out on their favourite, high FODMAP foods, but they’re consuming them in a way that will cause the least pain and discomfort.
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