FODMAPs are sugars that are poorly digested, and this group of carbohydrates is commonly found in our modern food. In order to understand how they impact your health, you need to know how FODMAPs can react within your body.

What is a FODMAP?

Certain sugars fall within the FODMAP category, including:

• Sugar alcohols (Polyols), such as those found in plums, peaches, nectarines, cherries, apricots, avocados, maltitol, mannitol, and sorbitol.

• Galactans, such as those found in soy, lentils, beans, and legumes.

• Fructans (inulin), such as those found in garlic, onion, and wheat.

• Lactose, which is found in dairy.

• Fructose, such as those found in high fructose corn syrup, agave, honey, and certain fruits.

These sugars are fermentable, which means that they can cause a reaction when they come in contact with the bacteria in your gut.

How FODMAPs Impact Your Body

It’s difficult to avoid FODMAPs no matter how healthy your diet is, so you need to understand the reaction that happens within your body when you eat these foods.

The sugars that fall within the FODMAP category cause a reaction within your gut, which can have a negative impact on your health. These sugars are poorly digested and poorly absorbed when they reach your intestinal tract, and they cause fermentation when they react with the bacteria in your gut. This fermentation causes gas, which needs to be released from the body.

Another physical reaction that occurs from FODMAPs is that they cause the gut to draw water into the intestinal tract. The increase of water in the gut can lead to digestive problems, imbalanced gut bacteria, and other health problems. These side effects are especially pronounced in people who have intestinal disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

There are a few standard symptoms that might occur when you eat FODMAPs, including:

• Diarrhea

• Constipation

• Gas

• Cramping

• Bloating

Everybody is different, so the symptoms may vary from one person to the next.

Should You Eliminate FODMAPs From Your Diet?

When you hear about the side effects that may occur from FODMAPs, you might be wondering if you need to completely eliminate those foods from your diet. It isn’t always necessary for a person to completely eliminate FODMAPs, although you might consider trying an elimination diet in order to identify the foods that you are sensitive to. With the elimination diet, you should begin by cutting out all food sources of FODMAPs. Gradually, you can begin to add the foods back into your diet one at a time, and keep a journal tracking the symptoms that occur when you start eating those foods. By limiting the food additions to one type of food, you will be able to understand exactly how your body is reacting to each FODMAP.

Low-FODMAP Foods

If you choose to eliminate or decrease the consumption of FODMAPs, there are some types of food that you can enjoy that are low in FODMAPs. Those foods include:

• Gluten free grains, such as tapioca, millet, arrowroot, quinoa, oats, rice, and spelt

• Lactose free milk, almond milk, soy milk, and rice milk

• Hard cheese, and lactose free yogurts

• Thyme, rosemary, parsley, oregano, marjoram, lemongrass, ginger, coriander, chili, and basil

• Vegetables, including zucchini, yams, turnips, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, spinach, beets, peppers, pumpkin, olives, lettuce, green beans, ginger, endive, celery, carrots, bok choy, bean shoots, bamboo shoots, and alfalfa

• Limited fresh fruits, including strawberries, rhubarb, raspberries, passion fruit, oranges, mandarins, limes, lemons, kiwi, melons, grapefruit, grapes, cranberries, cantaloupe, blueberries, and bananas

If you choose to follow a low-FODMAP diet, then you might be able to start including a few FODMAPs in your diet as time goes on. Once your gut begins to heal, you may be able to digest the sugars more effectively, and your sensitivity may begin to decrease.

It isn’t necessary for everyone to eliminate FODMAPs from their diet, because some people don’t have the digestive problems that may occur when you eat these foods. Anyone with IBS, unexplained digestive problems, high stress, or small intestine bacterial overgrowth could possibly benefit from eliminating FODMAPs from their diet for a time.

The best way to determine if a low-FODMAP diet might be beneficial for you is by paying attention to the way you feel after eating and the way your digestive system is working. If you frequently experience any of the symptoms that were listed above, then it is likely that you have food sensitivities which are having a negative impact on your gut. There is no reason to eliminate these foods if you don’t have the digestive problems, because there are many great nutrients that can be gained when you are eating FODMAPs.

I know it seems like there’s an infinite amount of diet stuff you have to figure out, but if you’re experiencing digestive disorders that can’t be explained… you desperately want to know what’s going on.  And the more information you have the better chance you’ll be able to figure it out.  FODMAP is just another possible cause and if you have it… now you have the solution to your digestive problem.