The FODMAP Gentle Diet
IBS, or irritable bowel syndrome, affects a large number of Americans - a good estimate is about 5% of us. Some people are suffering on a near daily basis with symptoms that include belly pain, bloating, distension, gas, diarrhea, and/or constipation. If you are one of those people, you are well aware of how it can interfere with your daily life.
Treating your IBS with diet
One of the most effective ways to treat IBS symptoms is with the low FODMAP diet (LFD). You can learn more about that diet and how it works in my blog article on it. This is a fairly complex and time-consuming process that can take months to complete when done properly. Not everyone is interested in such an involved and thorough process, and truthfully, not everyone needs it.
There are a few different diets available to help alleviate the symptoms that go along with IBS, but the LFD is the most researched and most effective therapy that we currently have. It’s even more effective than the medications that are available. So, what do you do if you need relief but can’t commit to a complex diet experiment?
What is the gentle FODMAP diet?
Don’t get discouraged. There’s a simpler version of the low FODMAP diet that is easier to manage and may take less time to complete. This is what Monash University calls the FODMAP Gentle approach. If you’re not very familiar with diet treatment for IBS, Monash is the university that created the original LFD back in 2005.
The FODMAP gentle approach to determine a person’s “trigger” foods is not new to dietitians working with IBS patients. We’ve been using this tactic with some of our patients for years. While evaluating and assessing each client, we decide on a case-by-case basis which approach to diet treatment is the most appropriate based on several factors.
The FODMAP gentle diet goes by other names as well. You may come across it online under names like the simple FODMAP or simplified FODMAP diet, a targeted FODMAP diet, or a “Bottom Up” approach to the LFD.
So, we have the more thorough version and the simpler version of this diet. Trust me, we dietitians know that the more complicated a diet is, the harder it is to follow. We want our clients to get relief almost as much as they do. I personally use past experience and some common sense in deciding the best direction for the person in front of me.
Comparing the FODMAP gentle diet to the original low FODMAP diet
If you are familiar with the LFD, or quickly read my article on it, you know that the regular version of the diet has 3 phases. I like to compare it to doing a science experiment rather than following a new diet. This is definitely not a fad diet and has years of research to vouch for it.
This is a quick summary of the traditional LFD:
Phase 1 is the elimination of all high FODMAP foods for a short time,
If there is relief, then phase 2 follows. This is the reintroduction of eliminated foods back into the diet one by one to figure out which foods are causing the gut trouble.
Once that is completed, the dietitian outlines a plan of the foods to eat and the foods to reduce going forward for the best symptom control (phase 3).
The FODMAP gentle diet has a different process. With a dietitian’s help, certain high “fod” foods are chosen to be either reduced or eliminated. The choices are made based on the client’s usual eating habits, or it can be based on the high FODMAP foods found in the typical American diet. After a couple of weeks, the client and dietitian can review the effects on symptoms to determine if lowering those fodmap foods worked.
Depending on the results, the next step may be to eliminate other foods in addition to or instead of the first group of foods. Once adequate relief is achieved, the trialing phase can start just like in the original LFD. But this time, there are far fewer foods to test.
As you can see, the FODMAP gentle diet is also a bit of a process, but a shorter, less-involved process. With the help of an experienced dietitian, the IBS client may be able to pinpoint their symptom triggers very quickly.
The end goal with either version of the LFD is to have the widest variety of foods possible for both enjoyment and for good health.
Here are some examples of people who may benefit from the FODMAP gentle diet:
Children and adolescents
Older adults
People already following a restricted diet
Someone who has mild IBS symptoms
Those who are underweight or malnourished
Someone who is not willing to or able to prepare special meals
Those who simply prefer this method
College students, frequent travelers, those with food insecurity
People with very high intakes of FODMAP foods
While the original low FODMAP diet can be used for the following:
A person who has severe symptoms
Someone who is very motivated and wants to know their trigger foods and amounts they can tolerate with more accuracy
Those whose symptoms don’t seem to have any type of pattern associated with foods
Closing thoughts
No matter which version of the LFD you choose to try, there is a very good chance that you’ll find at least some relief from your annoying gut symptoms, and possibly even a huge amount of relief.
New research has shown that the more diverse your diet is, the happier your gut microbiome will be. This leads to better health and a calmer GI tract.
Based on that, we dietitians want you to add back as many foods to your diet as possible after the FODMAP restriction is over. So, never get stuck in phase 1 of the LFD. You must complete the reintroduction or challenge phase no matter which version of the LFD you choose.
Here’s a nice recap of the challenge phase of the traditional LFD. Think of the LFD as a tool you can use to reveal your unique trigger foods and eliminate the frustration you’ve experienced with eating.
Wondering if you’re a good candidate for the FODMAP gentle diet?
If you want to try the FODMAP gentle diet, we can work together for great results with less confusion and research on your part. I’ll lead the way and guide you through to the end with 1:1 individual counseling.
If the original low FODMAP diet sounds like something you’d love to try, I have an online course that will walk you through it at your own pace. It’s full of resources and videos that you can watch over and over. I’ll also be just an email away if you have questions while completing the course. One-to-one counseling is available for the original version of the diet, too, if you prefer that.
