FODMAPs in the festive season
Monitoring and managing FODMAPs in the festive season is not really fair! The majority of people who are modifying their diet for health reasons can afford to be a “bit naughty” at this time of year and feel no ill effects, other than on the waist line. Someone with IBS who is a “bit naughty” […]
High FODMAP to Low FODMAP
The FODMAP content of some high FODMAP foods or ingredients can be changed so that they can be tolerated by people with IBS. Processes such as bacterial fermentation (before the food reaches your own gut!), using lower FODMAP varieties of ingredients, and adding enzymes might all make it easier for your sensitive gut to cope […]
Can diet cause IBS?
Some dietary factors can make IBS more likely and some can make the symptoms worse While this does not mean that diet is a cause of IBS, it is worth summarising the dietary factors that impact on IBS because its’ not all about FODMAPs and not about gluten at all! Some of the clients who […]
Coffee and IBS
Over recent months I have noticed that coffee drinking IBS clients tend to respond well but not completely to a low FODMAP diet. I do not ask clients to cut out coffee in the elimination stage of the low FODMAP diet because it doesn’t affect everyone and I don’t want clients to cut out more […]
Why do I have IBS?
IBS sufferers often ask “Why do I have IBS?” or “Why now?” when trying to find out how their IBS started. So let’s piece together that puzzle, looking at the probable and possible causes of IBS. The first point to consider when you think about all these factors is that IBS is what is termed […]
How to gain weight on a low FODMAP diet?
Do you wish you could put on just a few kilos – or at the very least keep your weight stable – but find it very difficult whilst also managing and monitoring FODMAPs? In a world fixated on weight loss it can be hard to find good quality information on how to gain weight, healthily. […]
How to lose weight on a low FODMAP diet?
Yes, it is possible. If you think about it, trying to lose weight (by reducing calorie intake) while commencing a low FODMAP diet trial makes perfect sense. You will be limiting your range of foods to a certain extent due to the limited range of foods in each food group that are low in FODMAPs. […]
Fibre choices for IBS
A recently published review on dietary fibre and FODMAP-restricted diet in the management of constipation and irritable bowel syndrome has reminded me of how far dietary management of IBS has come in the past ten years. Traditionally, people with constipation related IBS (IBS-C) were advised to increase dietary fibre intake to alleviate symptoms, but […]
Are our guts becoming too sterile?
Early exposure to germs According to the ‘hygiene hypothesis’ early life exposure to germs determines adulthood sensitivity to allergies such as hay fever and asthma and autoimmune diseases such as coeliac disease and inflammatory bowel disease. The ‘hygiene hypothesis’ has been proposed as an explanation for increase of allergic and autoimmune diseases in urban settings. […]