Friday, April 19, 2019

My Favorite Low FODMAP Meals & A One Year Update


I'm getting close to my one year anniversary with the Low FODMAP diet, so I thought I'd share an update! This will be massively uninteresting unless your stomach hurts all the time, so apologies in advance. :D

Of course I'm not a doctor or expert, so here's the usual disclaimer: never trust anything I say without doing your own research. (Monash University invented the diet, so start there. Then download the $8 Monash app for your phone, because it's worth it.) Most of what I've learned is pretty standard stuff, though, so I'm not going to throw anything crazy at you.

I'm feeling even better since my first (and only?) mention of Low FODMAP here last July. I can still say Low FODMAP has saved me from a life of constant stomach pain, plus a whole battery of invasive GI tests. It's also fairly easy to try and a low financial commitment, so I *highly* recommend it if you're hurting. I still have setbacks when I slip up and eat something I shouldn't - and I'll be honest, those setbacks hurt more than they did before I started LF - but overall I feel pretty great, and I can eat a lot more now than you'd think. I can even eat at a lot of restaurants!



In case you're not familiar with it, Low FODMAP is an elimination diet meant to treat all forms of IBS and GI discomfort, like reflux. It is NOT a weight loss diet. It helps you ID what types of foods cause you pain, and then avoid them. Boom bada boom.

On paper you're only supposed to be strictly LF for about 6 weeks, then you start re-introducing problem foods one at a time. I stayed in the elimination phase for 6 months, which is NOT recommended, but I was both lazy & hit a lot of setbacks. In fact I'm *still* in the re-introduction phase, so I haven't tested some foods like honey or garlic yet. I'll get to them eventually, but for now I've cleared my highest priority foods, wheat and avocado, so I'm pretty content.

 (John says this post needs more pictures. How'd I do?)


One important thing you should know is that FODMAPs are not allergens. I'm not allergic to my trigger foods, I'm simply intolerant of them. There's a big difference. It means a tiny bit of your trigger food usually won't cause a bad reaction. (Contrast that with a gluten allergy, where even cross-contamination is a danger.) FODMAPs are more about the level of exposure and how much you eat. That's not true for everyone, of course, but overall it helps to remember this when you're feeling overwhelmed: This is not an allergy. It's OK if you miss a little something sometimes. Just do your best and odds are you'll still find relief.

I mention this because I've seen too many people get overwhelmed by all the restrictions and quit before they even start. Research and preparation is great, but you can get stuck there, and the more you read about all the stuff you CAN'T eat, the more intimidated you'll get. So my advice? Just start. You don't need a month of meal plans; you only need today's.


 


I have one friend in particular who keeps telling me she wants to try Low FODMAP, so I thought I'd take you through what I typically eat each day. These are my "safety meals," and the menu I go back to anytime I've had a bad reaction to something. I'm eating these right now because two days ago I rather cavalierly threw a bunch of mushrooms on my salad at a restaurant buffet, along with a bunch of other stuff I didn't look too closely at, and I've been in pain ever since. Oops.

I don't think I ever really believed a little food could cripple a person, but I spent most of yesterday afternoon in the fetal position. Trust me, once you understand which foods do that to you, there is ZERO temptation to cheat.

Everything I'm about to show you is Low FODMAP, and - to my knowledge - safe to eat during the elimination phase. I'll also include my favorite take-out options and some of our easy at-home dinners. Hopefully these will make getting started seem a little less scary. :)

Breakfast:


I eat this breakfast bowl from Aldi every. single. morning.

Is it soul-crushing to eat the same breakfast every day? Yes. Is it worth it? SO MUCH YES. Before I found these bowls I had to make my own breakfast every day, which often just didn't happen. When I had the energy I'd make this, though:


A little more tasty, but 1000% more effort.

In addition to eggs, cheese, potatoes, and (onion-free) sausage or bacon, you can also eat wheat-free toast with certain types of jelly or peanutbutter, and even some kinds of oatmeal. (Always consult the Monash app; a lot of oatmeal is not Low FODMAP.) So there are plenty of breakfast options.


Lunch:




Baby carrots, potato chips or popcorn, and a sandwich made with Aldi's gluten-free bread, toasted. Most lunch meats are safe, so we mix those up, then John adds lettuce, tomato, mayo, & a little mustard. All low FODMAP, all verrry tasty. (John makes the best sandwiches.)

Odds are the sandwiches you eat now are already Low FODMAP if you switch to GF bread, so this is the easiest place to start. Especially since it's hard to get tired of sandwiches!

(Quick note: Gluten is not a FODMAP, but wheat is. So since most GF products are also wheat-free, you'll see those used a lot on this diet.)

Dinner:



Baked chicken with basil, Jasmine rice, and steamed green beans.

Learning to cook without onion or garlic is tough, but you'd be surprised how tasty just salt, pepper, and basil can be. Plus you can use all the other spices. My local Indian restaurant even makes an onion & garlic-free Butter Chicken! (I ordered it custom enough times that they added it to the menu! Yasss.)

Other simple dinners John makes: chicken soup, turkey Kielbasa with pasta & veggies (make sure its GF pasta during elimination), and turkey meatball subs using the "sensitive recipe" Prego sauce. Or sometimes he'll make his own brown pepper gravy for the meatballs, which looks like this:

 
These are frozen meatballs; just heat & serve.
 We eat a lot of green beans because I like them, but you can also have broccoli. 

It's more prep work, but I love a good chicken salad with hard-boiled eggs, carrots, & grapes. I eat it with GF crackers.



Snacks & Desserts:

Aldi's GF brownie bites & chocolate baking mix are both so good I still eat them even after going back on gluten. They're life-savers if you have a sweet tooth like I do.
 


 You can eat popcorn, oranges, grapes, cheese cubes, and olives, which make great afternoon snacks.


Gluten free chips, crackers, and pretzels (all of which we get at Aldi, too) are also tasty - especially if the pretzels are dipped in peanut butter. Nomz.

Chocolate has a little milk in it, but you can safely have an ounce of dark chocolate per day. I like the little Dove squares, and even though milk is one of my #1 triggers, I've never had an issue mowing through a handful at a time. :D

For your ice cream cravings, buy anything by the brand So Delicious. It's so good. Dang. I'd eat this even if milk DIDN'T turn my gut into a thousand stabby needles.


 One time I made a brownie sundae with the cashew stuff (with my GF brownies), and I may remember that day 'til I die. Ermergersh.

Last treat thing (see where my priorities are?): my local Boba place doesn't use dairy! So I can still have milk tea, which is amazing. Check with yours first, but I think it may be common for bubble tea places to use non-dairy creamers instead of milk.

 



If you actually like cooking then there are tons of Low FODMAP recipes out there (I like the IG account FunWithoutFodmaps), plus there are special Low FODMAP sauces and seasonings made by FODY. (If you can't find them locally, there are a bunch on Amazon.)


A sampling of the pretties from Fun Without Fodmaps


John and I've never bothered much with those; we've found enough options without. We eat a lot of take-out, too, so here are some of my favorite restaurant options that are Low FODMAP:

- Pollo Tropical chicken rice bowl
- Boston Market chicken, potatoes, & veggies
- Chipotle burrito bowl with pork, shredded cheese, plain tomatoes, & a little sour cream. (I can add avocado now, too, but wait to re-test that since not everyone can.) You can also eat the corn chips that come with it, yum.

I don't remember where this is from, but this rice bowl with fried eggs, chicken, and veggies was delish:

 


If I'm dining out somewhere nice, I can eat most basic chicken & rice combos, a burger on a GF bun, steak & potatoes, or a lot of types of sushi. (Watch out for avocado and cream cheese in the rolls.)

Once I discovered I can tolerate wheat/gluten I had a whole world of options open up, since that puts pasta and bread/breading back on the table. So don't assume you'll never get to have gluten again, peeps; you might be surprised. Heck, I still can't believe I can safely eat hard cheeses and cream; it's only milk and lactose I have to avoid!

This has been such a long and rambly post, but I hope it's helpful to some of my fellow grumbly guts out there. Personally I felt better within 24 hours, but on average it takes more like 3-7 days. And trust me, once you experience a pain-free digestive system for a few days, that's all the incentive you need to keep going.

Feel free to share your favorite Low FODMAP tips or links in the comments; anything you think a newbie should know. And thank you for all the helpful suggestions and support you've sent my way this past year! You guys are the best cheer-leaders, love you all.

*****

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34 comments:

  1. I have to tell you that I am SO EXCITED that you posted this. Namely because you are feeling better, but secondly, because I have been "allergic" to dairy since I was 13.

    However, I can still have hard cheeses, so I'm thinking it is something completely different.

    While reading this post, not only did I start following FunWithoutFodmaps on IG, I have also googled like 17 recipes. :)

    Hopefully a lot of your followers, including me, can also find relief. I love that fact that you share things that you love and things that work. You're a cool chick, Jen. :)


    Side note: a friend of mine was wanting to build a sliding barn door for her bathroom... which blog do you think I recommended to her?


    Keep doing you.
    --Piper P from Washington State--

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    1. From my own personal research and experience, dairy allergy is an IgE mediated reaction to cow mile casein. It tends to cause nasal symptoms like a drippy nose and itchy throat. It can also cause hives but very rarely does it cause GI upset.

      OTOH, GI issues are lactose intolerance. All adults gradually lose the enzyme lactase to varying degrees (because milk is for babies, duh! LOL) and many people cannot tolerate the sugar in animal milks. This is not an allergy because the reaction is physical/chemical, and not immune mediated.

      A lactose intolerant person can often eat hard cheese because the lactose in consumed during the cheese-making process.

      A casein-allergic person would not be able to tolerate hard cheese without at least some level of reaction.

      Delete
    2. Would this help your friend? https://www.epbot.com/2013/03/make-your-own-sliding-barn-door-for.html

      Delete
    3. Paige, you misread what I wrote. I was implying I recommended Jen's blog. :)

      Anon, thank you for your input.

      Delete
  2. Thanks for the update. I've had this recommended to me, and have mild IBS issues, but at least 3/4 of what you're describing, I'm allergic (or currently sensitive) to. Guess I'll just have to keep on with my own special personalized "to don't" list of the things that bother me. Fortunately at the moment I can eat avocados, even though they're on the latex-containing produce list. No i'm not trying to rub it in! But your difficulties make me so grateful for the few treats I find I can eat. I'll eat the avocados and enjoy them for you; you get to have all the eggs, cheese, chicken, nuts, turkey, tomatoes and chocolate, 'k? We can both enjoy the green beans and popcorn.
    DBC

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  3. Since you are already an Aldi shopper and you like Dove chocolates, you should try out the Dark Chocolate Choceur squares. They are delicious and MUCH cheaper than Dove.

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  4. I'm not sure there is any such thing as "gluten allergy". Even celiac disease is not an allergy because the reaction is not immune system mediated.

    What modern people are calling gluten allergy or intolerance is simply the human body reacting to 20-21st century GMO/hybridized wheat. It's quite literally a first world problem. Try Jovial einkhorn or any other heirloom grain and you'll probably be fine.

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    1. There is absolutely an anaphylactic allergy to wheat and gluten--I personally know someone that has almost died due to it. Also celiac disease has been around far longer than GMO/hybridized wheat. https://www.cureceliacdisease.org/wp-content/uploads/SU07CeliacCtr.News_.pdf
      While some people have an intolerance to more modern or even American strains of wheat, there is most definitely the possibility of being allergic or intolerant to all forms of wheat. Please be careful making claims that can endanger other people's health.

      Delete
    2. I'm totally on board the heirloom grain/non GMO bandwagon, but have to agree with you! My mother's family is almost entirely celiac. My great grandmother was a French Canadian grain buyer's wife in the Depression era, long before GMO wheat, who was quite well respected for her baking (I have her recipe book and OOOOOHHH there are amazing things in there), but she had celiac symptoms her entire life. Then, as modern medicine progressed, her daughter and 8/10 of her grandchildren were diagnosed celiac, sooo...

      Delete
    3. Right, celiac disease is a REAL autoimmune condition. It has nothing to do with the modern diet and sufferers should NEVER try to eat heirloom varieties of gluten-containing grains. It can be deadly.

      Wheat allergies are real. Mild allergies result in sniffly noses. Severe allergies can result in anaphylaxis. These allergies are mediated through IgE or sometimes IgG.

      Gluten "sensitivity" is the bodies response to a crappy diet combined with environmental stressors. It isn't real. Grains and sugars in all its forms are hard on the body. They attack the lining of the intestines and wear down the immune system. It's not a sensitivity to gluten. It's just trendy lately to blame symptoms on grain protein and packaged food manufacturers keep the story going by filling shelves with gluten free choices. They are perpetuating the myth to make themselves rich. Cut out the empty carbs, gluten containing or otherwise, and see if that doesn't turn your health around.

      Delete
  5. I'm glad you're finding relief on the low FODMAPs diet! I told you a LONG time ago to try it! I've been following it for over 5 years and suggest it often for friends suffering with random gut issues.

    After so many years, I do know when I can push my luck a little...my troubles are less pain and bloating and more of the urgent gotta go NOW (repeat repeat repeat) kind. My husband has become very good at sitting patiently outside dodgy bathrooms waiting for me to decide if I'm done. Usually, I'm not. :-/ Way back before I learned of the low FODMAPs diet, I'd have 2-6 episodes (or more) a month. Now I'm at 1-2 every few months and that's usually because I lose my mind and eat a combination of trigger foods over too short of a period of time.

    I'd add that the "sensitivity" isn't even really that. Our guts are complex systems that contain a microbiome and enzymes that help us digest foods, and much of what we eat is carbohydrates that break down into different kinds of sugars. When we lack the right enzymes to break down that particular sugar, it ferments causing gas and motility issues. Nothing worse than having your own fermentation plant in your gut!

    Only one last comment: you really have to read those GF labels-they are NOT all low-FODMAP friendly.

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  6. I don't know if you've tried the CrunchMaster brand of GF crackers, but I almost love them better than Ritz or Wheat Thins. They are in the deli area of Publix , usually on a front endcap closest to the actual deli. We LOVE the Sea Salt especially, but they are all wonderful. I watch for BOGO sales on them and generally buy 2 deals. We also found a wonderful GF pretzel when we were in Texas earlier this month. Gratify is the brand and while I don't think it's sold here in FL, Amazon does carry it. Snyders makes a gf pretzel, but it leaves that nasty gf "ick taste" in my mouth. The Gratify brand are almost buttery and so good! Just a couple of things for you to check out if you're so inclined!

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  7. My mom has Crohn's and it's been hunted she should try this to help her eliminate and pick what she can and can't have without massive flairs. It's nice to see someone actually trying even though different people can handle different things. (Like I can say tomatoes and popcorn are huge absolutely nots for her)

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    1. I also have Crohn’s and have found a lot of relief eliminating Night shades (tomatoes are one). I’m also gluten free and dairy free. She might look into the AIP (auto immune protocol) diet, which is (sadly) a lot more restrictive at first, but really helpful in determining which foods to avoid. It’s the same idea as low FODMAP, but with a different starting place. With Crohn’s, I found AIP more helpful. Also, if she’s finding the idea of eliminating so many foods at once overwhelming, I would say start with a few and see what happens. Finally, whenever I recommend eliminating foods I always say it’s so you can have the information - not so you have to actually stop eating foods you love. There are definitely days when I say it “f it. It’s just going to hurt later” - but I’m adult and I get to make those decisions for my body - and it’s way better than being in pain and not knowing why.

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  8. Anyone here Canadian and eat low FODMAP? Jen mentions a lot of stores & restaurants that we don't have, so I'm wondering what you've found that works for you. I'm just starting to explore this for myself

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    1. Canadian here, but reeling from election results.

      Lakeview Bakery (AB) does nice GF bread that isn't full of pear and chicory and other no-nos. Udi's was a problem at first for me when I was supersensitive because of all the stuff they put in to make up for no gluten. Harvest does no onion/no garlic sausages. However, we do end up making a LOT from scratch, and after 3 years, it's just easier. When we make pasta sauce, we freeze a lot.

      Sushi is my go-to for eating out, but Boston Pizza has a GF hamburger, Earls has GF fish and chips (technically gluten-sensitive because the oil isn't separated), and South St Burger is fully GF (different cooking surface, separated ingredients) and you can choose what goes on the burger. They have ingredient lists too, which you can check. Most restaurants can do plain salad (no dressing) and grilled chicken/salmon as a fairly safe bet, and a lot of restaurants will actually provide olive oil and vinegar for you to make your own dressing. Just be careful with burgers, as a lot of fancy places in AB have bespoke burgers that are pre-mixed with garlic or breadcrumbs.

      No desserts when I'm out. Which is horrible. But I can finally eat a bit more milk, so I have the occasional slice of GF cheesecake from Safeway. Oddly enough, the Walmart house brand fake oreos are edible. Go Go Quinoa cookies remind me of Sweeney Todd (all greasy, and gritty). CostCo has a pile of edible stuff, and here they just started carrying bulk GF bread that isn't glorified cake. I think it's Little Northern Bakery.

      Breakfast is dire. Plain oatmeal is sometimes okay. Mesa Sunrise cereal (Planet Organic, but I'm sure it's elsewhere too) is acceptable. I add dried fruit. Compliments brand waffles are the best GF waffles I've had, and I've tried A LOT.

      Does that help at all? I just realised that my usual rule of thumb is "buy nothing that has more than 5 ingredients" because the ones at the end of the list are usually on the FODMAP no-no list.

      Most importantly: I feel better and I don't even miss my old diet that much. Adjusting our cooking took a while, adjusting to cravings took much longer. And after 3 years, I'm still adding more foods, and still widening my intake. Once you get over the initial disruption of routine, you establish a new routine, and it becomes okay to eat, and then life is heaps better.

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  9. Thanks for sharing Jen, while I'm not managing a FODMAP issue, I've got a couple other dietary restrictions and the thing that I (and my wonderful hubby that likes to cook for us) found easiest when starting out was to figure out what meals we ate regularly that already fit the new restrictions and then branch out from there.

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  10. My daughter had severe pain and gas starting a few years ago and FODMAP has been a revelation for her. We were doubtful that she could be lactose-intolerant since she had always loved milk, but lo and behold, she has felt MUCH better since eliminating lactose, onions, and fruit juices from her diet. She can still tolerate fresh fruits in moderation and never did like garlic much, and fortunately wheat does not seem to be one of her triggers. She responds well to the lactose-free products and the lactaid-type pills, so that expands her options even more. A couple of years in and she still uses the Modash app on her phone when in doubt.

    Mostly sharing this to point out that everyone has different triggers and you will need to experiment some - what works for one may not work for another!

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  11. My partner was low-FODMAP for a while when we thought she had IBS, as well as soy- & gluten-intolerance. (She did not have IBS; she had a large ovarian cyst that was pressing on her intestines. Got that out and fixed the problem.) She also has a mild nut allergy, which ruled out a lot of regular low-FODMAP options, and for a while she couldn't have tomatoes because she thought they were making her break out. (Nope, it was something else, but still.) FOOD WAS LIMITED FOR A WHILE IS WHAT I'M SAYING.

    We made the BEST pizzas with Bob's Red Mill gluten-free pizza crust mix. Honestly, I'm not sure I've had a better pizza crust even with meat. Bob's Red Mill also has a 1:1 flour mix that made baking a LOT easier, since you can directly replace all-purpose flour with it. (iirc, I usually had to bake cookies an extra few minutes, but otherwise, no change.)

    Also, while garlic and onion are not ok on low-FODMAP, garlic-infused olive oil generally is [citation needed], which can bring back a lot of flavor you might be missing. We used to make GF pasta tossed in garlic-infused olive oil, and add zucchini and either beef or lamb, then top with parmesan. Very quick, very tasty.

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  12. My hubby had diarrhea dominant IBS for years and had to take a very very expensive medication to keep it somewhat manageable. Low FODMAPS and a new antibiotic that targets the bad gut flora that proliferate out of control in response to sugar alcohols have been a life changer. He took a 2 week course of the ab to reset the gut, then avoided those foods that would set the cycle in motion again. He still eats some foods he shouldn't and pays for them, but a long as he doesn't go overboard, he's ok in a day or two. When he fell way off the wagon, he was able to do another course of the ab. Now the only thing that keeps him in the bathroom too long is "just one more turn" on whatever game he's playing on his phone! I like Kate Scarlata's blog for recipes.

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  13. I'm so glad that this is working for you. As someone with food allergies, I've always thought it was a bit of a blessing that I pretty much instantly get sick - it makes it really easy to want to not eat the thing that makes me sick. I've also always had some sensitivity to other foods that makes me need to be careful. Your post is a good reminder to not feel bad when people want me to try something and I don't because I know it might just make me sick (I feel SO bad when someone makes something and wants to try it and I can't...raise your hand if you've eaten something anyway just to not make a fuss or make someone else feel bad, and then suffered the consequences...sigh!). This is such a happy update post-Congratulations!

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  14. I should probably give this a go at some point. I have Crohn's disease/Behcet's Syndrome and yeast is my major trigger. I've been avoiding it for 9 years now, to the great joy of my intestines. It put my Crohn's into remission but shortly after I eliminated it, my entire body started hurting and I started having horrible fatigue that keeps me in bed most days (since 2013ish). I'm also on an elimination diet for Interstitial Cystitis (low acid). I would love something to stop the body pain that wasn't a medication that has a chance of giving me cancer. I can clearly stay on an elimination diet, but SO many things have yeast it in that doing more scares me, since I can only eat about 20% of what non-"allergic" people can eat now and the idea of cutting out more stinks. I could live on eggs, cheese and meat for a while though just to see, probably.

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  15. I get really bad gas when I'm pregnant (like awake for hours at 2 am burping) so in part thanks to you I went low-fodmap for the last half of my most recent pregnancy. It's not super recommended by Monash, but it worked for me. Postpartum I reintroduced things and now 2.5 months later I'm back to normal and eating all the delicious fodmaps.

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  16. Thanks for sharing your update! You look great btw ^.^

    It's actually partly thanks to you doing this blog that I started looking in on what has been causing my migraines (along with a podcast I love). I found out that thanks to my grass allergy (which we thought was limited to hay fever and the occasional hives from cut grass) is actually affected by what I eat as well - which explained the migraines and explained the perpetual congestion and sneezing cos grains are all grass-based typically. Not only that but it can also mask itself as a thyroid issue and I'd been tested so many times for that only to be told by my dr that nope, is not my problem.

    It's amazing what I'm finding has grains/grasses in it. Cream of whatever soup has wheat in it. Flavored chips (I can still have plain ones tho!), anything that says dextrose, maltodextrin,
    HFCS & most fructose are all corn, and the majority of GF products are made with corn or rice as a sub - but I found a quinoa only pasta I need to try!

    It's hard, and it's easy to fall into a rut (I'm basically living on bacon, eggs of a sort, and these bagels I make myself from almond flour). But the bonus is losing weight (which I'll admit is what's keeping me going lol).

    It's also important to note that all grains aren't necessarily grasses, and it's definitely not a gluten thing (I've never had the gastrointestinal discomfort from anything). Sugar cane and hemp are considered grasses - but corn, rice, and wheat are the 3 biggies for me.
    Ultimately listen to your body cos it knows best what it wants and needs. And believe me, it will tell you - it's interpreting it that's key

    Thanks for the continued sharing of your journey!

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  17. I went through the elimination part 2 years ago. Now, when I eat a trigger food my reactions are 3-4 times worse than before when I ate them frequently. I decided it was my body saying "I remember this and hell no we're not going back". ;P

    I didn't have the app but read the webiste and three different cookbooks with education sections in them. My mother has rheumatoid arthritis (R.A) and we believe it has helped her. Less gastric distress means her meds are tolerated easier, at he least.

    Tips to newbies: some of the GF foods aren't low FODMAP so label reading is really important. I kept a list in my purse of the appropriate brands AND the no-nos so I wouldn't have to re-read again. The process requires attention and reading to prepare but no special program fees or cooking gear.

    Thank you, Jen, for forging through the discomfort of a medical discussion.


    -Barbara Anne

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  18. I don't have tummy troubles with food with the exception of some heart burn with really spicy stuff. I just wanted to say that I love how cute your bubble tea cups are! My bubble tea place is plain and boring.

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  19. I am so happy to find a community where we can share what we're going through, and offer suggestions to each other. I'm a lurker, but since getting diagnosed with multiple food allergies, I've been looking for people that I could commiserate and share recipes with.

    I'm allergic to wheat flour, oats, eggs, tomatoes, eggplant, all peppers (including capsasin and paprika) all freshwater fish, chocolate and cola. Some have been easy to avoid (I've not had chocolate in over a year) but others have been so frustrating. Wheat flour is in EVERYTHING. Even it's derivatives are in my shampoo and nail polish remover!

    Thank you all for being here, and being so welcoming and helpful!

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  20. Will this help with other conditions besides tummy troubles? What about fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome? Something like that

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  21. Great to have an update! If you have access to King Arthur Flour GF mixes (you can order them online too) they are my favorite favorite favorite GF mixes and worked with my daughter's FODMAPS diet.

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  22. Thank you so much for posting about FODY. My mom has been on a low FODMOP diet for years, and we had no idea this existed. This opens up so many possibilities. It's always "entertaining" to listen to mom order at restaurants a'la When Harry Met Sally.

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  23. That Prego sensitive recipe is heaven for my onion allergy! I love being able to eat pasta sauce.

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  24. GARLIC!! Just a comment for people following low FODMAP, a couple of the resources I found when looking into this for my stepson suggested that, while garlic needed to be eliminated along with all the others to begin with, garlic infused oil is fine and can add the flavour without the FODMAPs. Also, rather than using onions, the green parts of spring onions (salad onions? Green onions?) are also low FODMAP.

    Again, please check for yourselves.

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  25. Thanks for posting your experience! I have been working the FODMAP diet as well and after elimination started adding things back in. Garlic is definitely a no no for me. :( I have times where I have eaten something I shouldn't and have what I call a "flare up". One day/meal/bite at a time, right. Your chicken salad with hard-boiled eggs, carrots, & grapes looks amazing? Could you possibly share your recipe?

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    1. I've found that, too, with flare-ups; during those even safe meals can hurt, which is both confusing and pretty frustrating!

      I don't have a recipe for the chicken salad, because we wing it every time. :D Just start with canned shredded chicken, add mayo, a touch of mustard, S&P, then all your add-ins. If you want to be crazy a little cinnamon is nice sometimes, too.

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