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Feeling sluggish and bloated isn't anyone's idea of fun. If just eating a stalk of celery causes your tummy to stick out, you may not have to give up wearing your favorite skinny jeans.
The villains may be FODMAPs, a category of short-chain carbohydrates that your body may have trouble digesting. Just as people who are intolerant to lactose or gluten avoid foods containing those ingredients, if you're sensitive to FODMAPs, a low-FODMAP diet may help relieve your symptoms.
Many more foods are appearing on supermarket shelves labeled "Low FODMAP" There's also an app created by the FODMAP experts at Monash University to help you identify low-FODMAP foods and ingredients.
WHAT'S A FODMAP?
The acronym FODMAP stands for fermentable, oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols. FODMAP is much easier to remember! And if your body has trouble digesting FODMAPs in the upper part of your gut, the bacteria in your large intestine find them irresistible.
FODMAP fermentation causes the intestines to draw in water. It also creates hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and methane gases, all of which can cause your intestines to expand. The result may be visible tummy expansion, bloating, and other uncomfortable symptoms.
Progressive healthcare professionals use low-FODMAP diets to address symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which is a condition of the intestines characterized by abdominal pain, cramping, gas, bloating, and possibly constipation and/or diarrhea.
SURPRISING FOODS TO AVOID
Each individual possesses a unique microbiome-the trillions of bacteria that live inside your gut. Determining which FODMAPs trigger your symptoms may require some trial and error. For instance, while you may subscribe to the adage that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, apples are considered a high FODMAP food. You may discover they contribute to your digestive issues.
Other high FODMAP foods include (but are not limited to):
* Avocados
* Beans
* Cauliflower
* Celery
* Chocolate
* Cow's milk
* Garlic
* Ice Cream
* Mushrooms
* Onions
* Pears
* Sweet corn
* Watermelon
* Wheat-based cereals/breads
* Wheat pasta
IS IT THAT SIMPLE?
Issues of the gut are often multi-factoral and include immune responses to food (ranging from intolerances to sensitivities, to true allergies), leaky gut syndrome (hyper-permeability), potentially pathogenic bacteria, and imbalanced probiotic cultures (often due to...