Beat digestive problems with the FODMAP plan

Tuesday, February 04, 2014 by: Dr. David Jockers
Tags: intestinal health, FODMAP diet, bower disorders

(NaturalNews) Digestive disorders can be extremely embarrassing and debilitating. Conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, small bacterial overgrowth and colitis are extremely common and can be hard to get under control. Many of these individuals struggle even with the healthiest of diets. FODMAP is a program that works quite well for individuals struggling with digestive issues.

FODMAP is an acronym for Fermentable Oligo, Di- and Monosaccharides and Polyols. These are all types of sugar-based carbohydrates that are found in certain foods and are challenging on the bowel. These sugars include glucose, fructose, galactans, polyols and lactose among others.

The symptoms the FODMAP plan helps with

Individuals who struggle to digest these carbohydrates typically experience symptoms that include abdominal discomfort, bloating, cramping, nausea and/or pain after eating foods with these FODMAPS. These sugars are osmotic and pull water into the intestinal tract which accounts for the diarrhea. Most symptoms appear within 30 minutes to two hours after eating.

These individuals have a condition called small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) in which their digestive system is loaded with pathogenic microbes. The FODMAP's are a fuel source for these microbes who release toxic byproducts as they metabolize the sugars. The toxicity that the microbes release causes the digestive discomfort and overtime leads to many different health challenges.

The FODMAP diet restrictions

The typical restrictions on a FODMAP diet include generally inflammatory foods such as gluten, unfermented soy, peanuts and often nightshade vegetables. The diet also removes foods high in fructose such as lots of fruit (often lemon/lime and small amounts of berries are tolerated), honey and agave nectar.

These individuals can only consume fermented dairy in the form of hard cheeses like cheddar, Swiss, blue cheese and feta. They do not do well with yogurts, kefir or amasai. They can very well tolerate pasture-fed butter and ghee. All the dairy should all be from grass-fed cows or goats.

Fructans are also known by the prebiotic inulin. This is a non-digestible fiber that is healthy for those with normal bowel flora. Fructans are found in wheat, onions, garlic, artichokes, asparagus, sugar snap peas, cabbage, shallot, leeks, cauliflower, mushrooms, pumpkin & green peppers are often not tolerated well.

Galactans are the primary carbohydrate found in beans, lentils and legumes. These are not tolerated well by individuals with digestive problems. Polyols include sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, maltitol and erythritol. Other foods that have polyols include pitted fruits like avocado, apricots, cherries, nectarines, peaches and plums.

The typical FODMAP nutrition plan

The typical nutrition plan for someone struggling with digesting FODMAPs is somewhat restricted but not hard to figure out. Breakfast can include a protein shake with coconut milk and a non-denatured, grass-fed whey protein or vegan protein such as hemp. One could also do pastured eggs cooked in coconut oil with green veggies, herbs, fresh squeezed lemon and herbs.

For lunch these individuals could do a big salad with olive oil and grass-fed cheddar cheese or pastured chicken. For dinner they could do steamed broccoli, a small salad and grass-fed beef or wild-Alaskan salmon or another quality animal protein with olive oil, fresh lemon and herbs.

More digestive health strategies

It is always a good idea for individuals with digestive issues to use organic bone broth and make soups and stews. The bone broth provides raw materials that help to repair the intestinal lining and does not contain any of the FODMAP sugars. Organ meats are also highly advisable because of their rich nutrient content.

Many individuals with digestive disorders find great success using intermittent fasting strategies such as eating one or two meals per day and doing lots of hydration during the non-eating periods. They also remark about the great relief they get from the nagging symptoms when they follow these nutrition principles.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.health.arizona.edu

http://stanfordhospital.org

http://www.quickanddirtytips.com

About the author:
Dr David Jockers is a Maximized Living doctor and owns and operates Exodus Health Center in Kennesaw, Georgia where he specializes in functional nutrition, functional medicine and corrective chiropractic care to get to the underlying cause of major health problems.

His website features great articles on natural health and incredible recipes. He is the author of the best-selling book SuperCharge Your Brain - the complete guide to radically improve your mood, memory and mindset. He has over 50,000 active followers on his social media and email newsletter and is a big influencer in the Primal Health movement.

Dr. Jockers is also available for long distance consultations and health coaching to help you beat disease and reach your health goals. For more information got to www.drjockers.com