Do you have digestive problems such as bloating, stomach aches or diarrhoea? Before eliminating gluten or lactose, without knowing, try the FODMAP-free diet, carbohydrates that are very poorly digestible and poorly absorbed by the small intestine.
Bloating, gas, stomach aches… Developed in 2005 by an Australian nutritionist, the low FODMAP diet would help restore digestive comfort. List of permitted and prohibited foods.
The term FODMAP is the acronym of: Fermentable Oligo, Di, Monosaccharides And Polyols. Translation, these are small carbohydrates, very little absorbed by the small intestine and therefore very little digestible. This lack of absorption results in a fermentation, responsible for the distension of the colon itself at the origin of the famous bloating. Problem: foods high in FODMAPs are very numerous and each individual has their own sensitivity to different FODMAPs. The FODMAP diet aims toidentify poorly digested foods by a patient and discard them in order to regain good digestive comfort.
In industrialized countries as a whole, it is estimated that 10 to 20% of the population – with a high female prevalence – suffer from functional colopathy, causings gas, bloating, pain and digestive cramps. For a long time, gluten and lactose have been blamed. It was not until 2005 that FODMAPs were suspected of contributing to the appearance of these disorders and that the FODMAP diet was born. Dr. Pierre Nys, endocrinologist and nutritionist, specializing in FODMAPs says: “Many of my patients with digestive disorders spontaneously decide to remove gluten and lactose from their diets even though they are not intolerant to them. Most people with colopathy are actually found to be intolerant to some FODMAPs.“.
Also called functional colopathy, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a benign but very disabling disorder of bowel and colon functioning. It causes abdominal pain, transit disorders (often alternating constipation and diarrhea), gas and flatulence. According to an Australian study conducted in 2013, FODMAPs would trigger gastrointestinal symptoms, in patients with IBS, hence the usefulness of the FODMAP diet. Please note that a person with functional colopathy will not necessarily be intolerant to all FODMAPs. “A patient will thus be able to tolerate monosaccharides very well and less oligosaccharides, and among the latter, asparagus will be perfectly tolerated while artichoke will cause symptoms. Hence the importance of succeeding in identifying one’s own tolerances so as not to unnecessarily delete food categories, which are otherwise important from a nutritional point of view.“, insists Dr. Pierre Nys.
The FODMAP diet is not for weight loss. However, its strict monitoring can promote weight loss in people accustomed to industrial dishes, pastries, cakes (rich in FODMAPs), junk food, who will have to change their diet by eating fresh and often less rich products.
Many foods are virtually FODMAP-free:
- Vegetables such as cucumber, carrots, lettuce, lamb’s lettuce, green beans, zucchini, celery, red pepper, endives, pumpkin, squash, radish, baby spinach…
- Fruits such as citrus fruits (tangerines, clementines, oranges, lemons…), bananas, kiwis, pineapples, grapes, blackberries, blueberries, melon, rhubarb…
- Dairy products such as hard cheeses, brie, camembert, blue cheese, low-lactose dairy products (yogurts, low-lactose milk, etc.)
- Legumes and starches such as coral lentils, quinoa, white rice, rusks, spelled, tapioca, polenta, millet, potatoes…
- All meat, poultry and fish.
FODMAPs are very common sugars in the diet. There are 4 families of FODMAPs:
- oligosaccharides (fructan and galactan): they are found in certain vegetables (garlic, Jerusalem artichoke, asparagus, mushroom), dried vegetables (red beans, chickpeas flageolets) and cereals (brown rice, oats, bulgur, brown bread …),
- disaccharides (lactose) contained in greater or lesser quantities in dairy products (milk, fromage blanc, fromage frais, yoghurt…)
- monosaccharides (fructose): in some fruits (mango, peach, pear, apple, plum, cherries, lychee, dried apricots…)
- polyols: very present in “sugar-free” confectionery such as candy, chewing gum… They are also very present in industrial and prepared meals, more precisely in their additives.
You should not eliminate all foods that are sources of FODMAPs in the long term.
The FODMAP diet doesn’t really have any contraindications. On the other hand, the vegetarians or vegans who want to embark on this type of diet must be well followed by a doctor. it is essential not to drastically and in the long term eliminate all foods that are sources of FODMAPs, under penalty of causing deficiencies, especially in calcium. A protocol for removing the different FODMAPs followed by their gradual reintroduction must be followed scrupulously. Poorly tolerated foods will thus be identified and the others can be eaten normally again.