Inflammatory Foods, do you have any suggestions to help limit my digestion pain?

Alexis Mills

Hi Friends,

I've been having some gut issues for a few years and I'm now looking to take my nutritional changes to the next level. Has anyone ever tried the FOD Map diet? If so, do you have any tricks? I've heard that limiting caffeine and sugar can really help too.

Thanks so much in advance!

Sawyer Paull-Baird

Hey Alexis-

Due to the medical nature of this issue, it's likely one that would best be answered by our RD @Bella Diaz . Tagging her so she can get back to you on this.

Low FODMAP specific diets are definitely fairly prevalent out there, so I am interested to hear from her as well!

Chris Firlik

Hi Alexis! I have looked into FODMAP many times but haven't actually tried it. My understanding is that you eliminate everything to start, and slowly add things back in one at a time—this way you can find out which carb classifications are most bothersome to you. I have seen a U-M GI doctor a few times to manage a chronic condition, and he recommended working with a nutritionist if/when I tried it—maybe @Bella Diaz might be able to help!

Mike Stack

Hey @Alexis Mills, as Sawyer said @Bella Diaz will be a great resource to provide you with some thoughts on the best way to address your GI issues. I've worked with a number of people with GI issues over the years and I can tell you every GI issue I've seen is as unique as a snowflake, so there's no one size fits all protocol. My suggestion would be a meeting with Bella for her to find out a little more about your specific issues and what you've already done to address them. Your next steps on this will really be dependent on your history, symptoms, and interventions you've tried in the past. These are all things Bella can help you navigate and are right within her wheelhouse as an RD.

Beth Manoogian

@Alexis Mills are you currently under the care of a gastroenterologist? If not, it would be best for you to be formally evaluated for your gut issues by a GI first before adopting an elimination diet. Elimination of certain things from the diet may actually make it harder to assess for/diagnose certain diseases. Plus, the low FODMAP diet is fairly complex and restrictive and depending on what your particular issue is, there may be other treatment options that don't require such a substantial dietary overhaul. Also, if your GI feels a low FODMAP diet is right for you, he or she may recommend a specific specialized RD they would like you to work with as the diet can be difficult to navigate on your own!

Bella Diaz

Hey @Alexis Mills! So sorry to hear that you are having GI issues. Just like @Mike Stack mentioned, gut issues can entail A LOT. There are many things that may be causing or exacerbating your symptoms. What others have mentioned is right as as far as meeting with health professionals to get to the bottom of this.

What type of symptoms have you been having & for how long? In my experience it is usually a food sensitivity/intolerance, food allergy, or psychological response (yes our stress/ fear around a certain food or even the perceived symptoms around that food could actually be causing physical symptoms!) are what is usually behind these uncomfortable gut symptoms (bloating, cramping, diarrhea, constipation, etc.).

The low FODMAP diet is a very restrictive, extensive elimination diet that is best conducted with the help of a registered dietitian. It is for the purpose of identifying which foods may be causing intense symptoms in those with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) or related conditions. Basically there are 6 short-chain carbohydrates (sugars) classified as FODMAPs which are commonly malabsorbed in the stomach causing exaggerated pain and discomfort in people with IBS. These include oligosaccharides (fructans and galacto-oligosaccharides), polyols (sorbitol and mannitol), fructose and lactose.

You may not need to use this diet to figure out what may be casing you issues! I would love to meet in person to chat more if you think it would be helpful. If diet interventions fail to help you identify what is causing this, it may be helpful to see a specialist such as an gastroenterologist.

Bella