Do you experience gut issues after every meal? Tried cutting out gluten, dairy, even sugar and nothing works?

It could be due to FODMAPs. The acronym FODMAPs stands for Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols. They are a group of short-chain carbohydrates, sugars and alcohols which some people find especially difficult to digest.

But while quitting sugar can be reasonably simple – we’re just eliminating fructose after all – the FODMAPs group contains a seemingly random bunch of foods!

The full FODMAPs.

Fructose: high fructose corn syrup, honey, some high-fructose fruits including watermelon, apples, pears, mango, plus dried fruit and juice.

Lactose: all dairy products except lactose-free dairy and aged cheeses.

Polyols: sugar alcohols (commonly found in sugar-free foods, gum and soda) and stone fruits, berries, watermelon, avocado, cauliflower, mushrooms and snow peas.

Fructans: wheat, rye, barley, garlic, onions, leeks, asparagus, beetroot, chicory, dandelion, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and fennel.

Galacto-Oligosaccharides: beans, chickpeas and lentils.

Did you know irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the second most common cause of sick days from work and school?

If you’re susceptible to FODMAPs you’ll know about it. They can trigger symptoms of IBS, such as bloating, wind, abdominal, pain and diarrhoea or constipation. Or both! They can also affect people who suffer from Coeliac or Crohn’s. Different people can react differently to different members of the FODMAP group, too. And according to dietician and gut health expert Dr. Kerith Duncanson, you may be able to identify which FODMAPs you’re sensitive to based on your symptoms.

“People who tend to have diarrhoea are more likely to react to the FODMAPs that draw fluid into the gut: the polyols, fructose and lactose. Those people with bloating and constipation are more likely to react to the gas-producing Oligosaccharides.”

Will quitting sugar help solve your FODMAPs issues?

We recommend quitting the FODMAP fructose anyway, for a whole host of health reasons, including decreased risk of liver disease and heart disease. But on our I Quit Sugar: 8-Week Program, we also include foods like onions, dairy, avocado and legumes a-plenty.

So if you’ve quit sugar and still not feeling any better, you might want to look at the other FODMAPs offenders, too. To find out if FODMAPs are the culprits, you can follow a symptom-based elimination diet or take a breath test to see which carbohydrates aren’t being absorbed by your body.

Article taken from I Quit Sugar