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The FODMAP diet consists of removing foods that contain fructose, lactose, fruct and galactooligosaccharides and sugar alcohols, such as carrots, beets, apples, mangoes and honey, for example, from the daily diet.
These foods are poorly absorbed in the small intestine, are highly fermented by bacteria from the intestinal flora and are osmotically active molecules, causing symptoms such as poor digestion, excessive gas and diarrhea, which can alternate with periods of constipation, abdominal inflammation and colic, being especially useful in cases of irritable bowel syndrome.
The symptoms of irritable bowel vary from person to person, so it is important that the individual is aware and try to identify which foods are causing discomfort, to remove them from the diet.
FODMAP food list
Fodmap foods are always carbohydrates and are classified into 5 groups, as shown in the following table:
Fodmap type | Natural food | Processed foods |
Monosaccharides (fructose) | Fruits: apple, pear, peach, mango, green beans or beans, watermelon, preserves, dried fruits, fruit juices and cherries. | Sweeteners: corn syrup, honey, agave nectar and fructose syrup, which may be present in some foods, such as cookies, soft drinks, pasteurized juices, jellies, cake powder, etc. |
Disaccharides (lactose) | Cow's milk, goat's milk, sheep's milk, cream, ricotta and cottage cheese. | Cream cheese, soverte, yogurt and other foods that contain milk. |
Fructo-oligosaccharides (fructans or FOS) | Fruits: persimmon, peach, apple, lychees and watermelon. Legumes: artichokes, asparagus, beets, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale, anise, garlic, onion, peas, abelmosco, shallot and red leaf chicory.
Cereals: wheat and rye (in large quantities) and couscous. | Foods with wheat flour, pasta in general with wheat, cakes, biscuits, ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, processed meats such as sausage, nuggets, ham and bologna. |
Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) | Lentils, chickpeas, canned grains, beans, peas, whole soy beans. | Products containing these foods |
Polyols | Fruits: apple, apricot, peach, nectarine, piglet, pear, plum, watermelon, avocado and cherry. Vegetables: cauliflower, mushrooms and peas. | Sweeteners: xylitol, mannitol, maltitol, sorbitol, products with glycerin, erythritol, lactitol and isomalt. |
Thus, in addition to knowing the foods naturally rich in fodmaps, it is important to be aware of the list of ingredients of processed foods, present on the food label. Learn how to read the labels.
Allowed foods
Foods that can be included in this diet are:
- Gluten-free cereals, such as rice and oats;
- Fruits such as mandarin, orange, strawberry, grapes, raspberries, lemon, ripe banana and melon;
- Vegetables and greens, such as pumpkin, olives, red peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, alfalfa sprouts, carrots, cucumbers and sweet potatoes;
- Lactose-free dairy products;
- Meat, fish, eggs;
- Chia, flaxseed, sesame, pumpkin and sunflower seeds;
- Nuts like peanuts, walnuts, Brazil nuts;
- Rice, tapioca, cornmeal or almonds;
- Vegetable drinks.
In addition, the nutritionist may consider the use of probiotics as a supplement to regulate the intestine, since it is proven that people who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome may have an imbalance in the intestinal microbiota. Some scientific studies have indicated that the use of probiotics could help relieve symptoms. Learn more about probiotics.
How to do the FODMAP Diet
To make this diet, you should remove foods rich in Fodmap for a period of 6 to 8 weeks, being careful to identify improvement in the symptoms of intestinal discomfort. If there is no improvement in symptoms, the diet can be stopped after 8 weeks and a new treatment should be sought.
If symptoms improve, after 8 weeks, food should be reintroduced slowly, starting with 1 group at a time. For example, it starts by introducing fruits rich in Fodmaps, such as apples, pears and watermelons, observing if the intestinal symptoms reappear.
This slow reintroduction of food is important so that it is possible to identify the foods that cause abdominal discomfort, which should always be consumed only in small quantities, not being part of the normal food routine.
Caring for
The Fodmap diet can cause low consumption of important nutrients for the body, such as fiber, carbohydrates and calcium, in addition to the need to exclude healthy foods during the testing period. Thus, it is important that this diet is monitored by a doctor and a nutritionist, to ensure the patient's good health.
In addition, it is important to remember that this diet is effective for about 70% of patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and a new treatment must be done in cases where the diet has not achieved good results.
FODMAP diet menu
The following table shows an example of a 3-day Fodmap diet menu:
Meal | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 |
Breakfast | Banana smoothie: 200 ml of chestnut milk + 1 banana + 2 col of oat soup | Grape juice + 2 slices of gluten-free bread with mozzarella cheese and egg | 200 ml lactose-free milk + 1 tapioca with egg |
Morning snack | 2 melon slices + 7 cashew nuts | lactose-free yogurt + 2 col chia tea | 1 mashed banana with 1 col of shallow peanut butter soup |
Lunch dinner | Rice risotto with chicken and vegetables: tomato, spinach, zucchini, carrots and eggplant | Rice noodles with minced duck meat and tomato sauce with olives + lettuce, carrot and cucumber salad | Fish stew with vegetables: potatoes, carrots, leeks and cabbage |
Afternoon snack | Pineapple juice + banana cake with oats | 1 kiwi + 6 gluten-free oatmeal cookies + 10 nuts | Strawberry smoothie with lactose-free milk + 1 slice of gluten-free bread with cheese |
It is important to remember that one must be attentive to identify the foods that cause intestinal discomfort, and that this diet should be followed for 6 to 8 weeks, according to the guidance of the doctor or nutritionist.
The quantities included in the menu vary according to age, sex, physical activity and associated diseases. The ideal is to seek a nutritionist for a complete assessment and develop a nutritional plan appropriate to the needs.
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