WILL A LOW FODMAP DIET HELP ME COMBAT IBS?

Cutting out cer tain foods may help – but it doesn’t have to be forever!

Q I think I have irritable bowel syndrome. I often get bloating and get tummy pain. Sometimes I have diarrhoea as well. I have read I should try the FODMAP diet, what is it and does it help? A

Irritable bowel syndrome is a common condition which causes symptoms including abdominal pain and cramping, bloating, diarrhoea or constipation or sometimes what feels like “constipated diarrhoea” – in that patients describe feeling constipated but when they go the stool is loose. Other symptoms include passing mucous or slime from your bottom and feeling tired. The symptoms can flare up and down and last for a few days or even months at a time. While the exact cause is not known it is thought to be linked to the hypersensitive ner ves in your gut, food passing through the intestines quicker or slower than usual.

It is impor tant that if you have these symptoms that you see your doctor so you can be examined and while there is no test for IBS, they may recommend a stool test or other investigations to rule out other conditions. Flare ups can occur for no known reason but may be related to stress, alcohol, caffeine, fizzy drinks or par ticular foods, often fatty or spicy foods. There are medications which can help as can lifestyle measures such as keeping a diar y to tr y to work out and then avoid any par ticular food or other stress which triggers your IBS. Avoid skipping meals, or eating too quickly and a trial of probiotics may help.

The FODMAP diet refers to foods which contain par ticular carbohydrates – Fermentable, Oligo, Di, Mono-saccharides And Polyols – which may contribute to your IBS symptoms as they reach the gut and are fermented by the bacteria to produce gas. It is advised to tr y and follow a low FODMAP diet for 4-6 weeks, preferably under the super vision of a dietitian and then gradually reintroduce the foods to tr y to establish which par ticular food may trigger your symptoms. It is not an exclusion diet which you are on for ever! As always if your symptoms continue to be troublesome please see your GP.

Citrus fruits are a low FODMAP food as are carrots and oats