What Is The Low FODMAP Diet?

Many of us have heard about low FODMAP (LFM) eating, but sometimes it can prove a challenge to understand what that means and why it is essential. Let us begin with defining what FODMAP’s are. FODMAP stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols. These are short-chain carbohydrates/sugars that do not absorb well in the small intestine. For some people, this causes digestive symptoms like bloating, gas, diarrhea, and constipation, to name a few. 

The FODMAP diet categorizes food as “low” or “high” FODMAP food. Low FODMAP (LFM) food is a food that causes little to no digestive distress; a high FODMAP food does the opposite. The Low FODMAP diet is for patients who suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Crohn’s Disease, Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth, Ulcerative Colitis, Candida (yeast), and other digestive disorders. When patients adhere to a low FODMAP diet, they find relief from their symptoms. 

When we think of the Low FODMAP diet, it is easy to think of all the food we cannot eat. Instead of focusing on what we cannot eat, we will be focusing on what we can eat. We will share some easy-to-make, super tasty, low FODMAP recipes in our next blog post and on our Instagram @drerikahorowitz 

** Please make an appointment with your doctor before making any dietary changes. If you think that you might be suffering from a digestive disorder, consult with your doctor or specialist as soon as you can. 

Be well! 

From,

Dr. Horowitz and staff