Hi Olivia,

I hope you had a fantastic weekend! I actually decided to book a staycation with my family because if truth be told, I have not been following my own advice at all and really needed a 'reset'. I will share more about this on Instagram for those interested, you can follow me @the.ibsdietitian

But today I actually wanted to talk to you about the low FODMAP diet. Which has been around for more than 10 years and probably the most exciting thing to ever happen for people with IBS.

For those of you who don't know what the low FODMAP diet process is. It is a temporary avoidance of certain carbohydrates that may cause IBS symptoms. This is then followed by a structured reintroduction that diagnoses food intolerance. You can get a more comprehensive guide here.

Now this diet is really quite effective, there are over 10 randomised controlled trials showing that it works. 

The issue I have is that I feel the way it is explained or taught is too complicated. This can lead to the following issues (not sure if you can relate?);

• Feeling overwhelmed by the concept and never trying it to start with.
• Staying in the restriction phase and then building up food fear so you never move on into reintroduction.
• Giving it a go but finding that all the information is conflicting, you can't eat and are become sick of rather basic meals. So naturally you skip in and out of the process or give up.

Now I want to show you some insights from the way we teach it during the Take Control process that is different;

1. Not everyone needs to be doing this. Some people with IBS do not have food intolerances and there are other methods we can try.
2. Only the Monash app should be used because other information is conflicting and not up to date.
3. Only 'red' portions of FODMAPs need to be avoided. You do not need to be stricter than this to see good results.
4. Think about swaps rather than a whole new meal plan. For example, your usual spag bol, what do you need to swap out to make it low FODMAP? That is going to be tastier than the bland alternatives.
5. Only 4-6 weeks. No longer than this please. You will see no further benefit at all.
6. Consider that sleep, movement and mental health all play a part. Working on these areas means that your tolerance to FODMAPs actually improves.
7. Use digestive enzymes to your advantage. FODZYME will break down GOS, lactose and fructans for you. And a simple lactase enzyme will sort out lactase.

I hope this helps you to  be spurred on that the low FODMAP diet can help you and it isn't as hard as some people make it out to be!

Of course, if you wish to get a more hand-held approach then please book a free enquiry call. With an exciting new team member coming on board this week we now have capacity to take on 8 more clients! (details about said person below)!

You can book here if needed.

Best Wishes

Kirsten Jackson - The IBS Dietitian.

P.S. Please reach out if you have any further questions at all! 

The IBS Dietitian Team Update 2.0