Low FODMAP success stories?

Kittyy1994

Hi, I recently went to doctors with complaints of constant burping, choking sensation and nausea throughout the day. My doctor has recommended I try a low FODMAP diet for 6 weeks to “reset” my digestive system and try see if I have any specific food intolerances.
Has anyone tried this? Is it worth it? How did you feel? How long did it take to work for you?

thieac171187

Hi! I’ve been doing the FODMAP diet for a few months, My stomach symptoms are better but is not so much for loosing weight tho. I have a FODMAP app in my phone and that helps me to know that not to eat. I hope it works for you. Good luck!

shaumom

I'm sorry, but giving them the benefit of the doubt, your doc's advice, at a minimum, seems like they are maybe not listening to you, unless there is a lot of medical history you've left out.

- Constant burping and nausea - yeah, could be related to fructose malabsorption, which would require a low FODMAP diet, but there is a breath test for that which looks at the gas bacteria is making in your gut. you don't 'reset' anything, and the diet would just make things feel better, and you'd feel worse off the diet, if this is something you had.
- Those symptoms could also be related to lactose intolerance - which can be tested for formally, same kind of test as fructose malabsorption, or by dietary changes as well.
- Symptoms could also be related to gluten intolerance or celiac disease (which needs a blood test BEFORE any diet changes. You might want to call and ask if you can get that, honestly - a lot of doctors are very ignorant about symptoms - it's why over 50% of celiacs take years to get diagnosed).
- Also, the choking sensation? You might want to go and look online and explore something called a hiatal hernia vs. acid reflux and see if how it's described matches anything you experience. If so, you might want to talk to doc and ask about it.
- If your choking sensation feels like it's hard to swallow and not a tight ball, or like there is an obstruction, but more like your throat is tight or hot? That could be an allergic reaction, and I'd get to an allergist right away, because for allergies that impact the throat, it can become much more serious. Nausea and gut symptoms CAN be from food allergies, especially if they are mild enough not to set off anaphylaxis currently.


All that said, I've had to do multiple elimination diets. I've done low FODMAP, and low histamine, and diary free, and gluten free (last two are because I am allergic to dairy and am a celiac, so no testing out for those two).

What I can tell you, from my experience, is this:
1. With intense diets like low FODMAP and low histamine, when you start out, just make everything from scratch (you almost need to, anyway). IF you have any food issues, you'll tend to notice a pretty significant difference. Gut symptoms can take a while, as inflammation may need to go down, or things need to heal. But frequently, OTHER things you never even knew were issues can get better. Like, congestion goes away that you never knew was there, you suddenly sleep better, you can think better, you're not as tired during the day, aches and pains that were so low level you pretty much ignore them may go away.

Mostly because with any food issues, inflammation frequently seems to be involved, and that has a lot of impact on the body and also the mind, as that's part of the body, you know?

So from that perspective, I have found elimination diets VERY helpful. Like, my life is SO much better after figuring out some foods that are a problem. And I know dozens of other people in the same boat, so many that I honestly think every doctor should encourage their patients to go on one for a couple months when they are middle aged, just to see how they are doing with everything.

2. This doesn't mean that the FODMAP diet is the right one for you. Or any particular diet. BUT...when you have to make everything from scratch (and keep a food journal), you are eliminating a LOT of extra ingredients so at the very least, if you react, you tend to know more about it. Instead of having, say, added milk powder a few times a day, instead you just have dairy once in the morning, so the reactions start spacing out, and then you have a better chance of seeing that connection to a reaction and the food it is associated with (if any).

3. For the various diets I've tried, some things improved right away, and some took a few weeks. One, it took 2 months. It really seems to depend on WHAT the food is doing to you - if it's something that is small and transient, then you'll notice a change right away. If it's something that is small but slowly builds and worsens over time, there may be some damage or other issues that need some time to resolve before you notice a difference. And obviously, if it's a big reaction, you'll notice right away, but most of the time, big reactions are ones you've already figured out, you know?

4. Is it going to reset your digestive system? Cannot say I have ever heard any doctor I know ever claiming such a thing, ever. I'm not a doctor, though, so who knows. But...seems off, honestly.


5. Last bit of advice - the food journal is SO important, and I'd honestly write down the following on your food journals: what you ate, in very specific terms. Brand names, if any. How MUCH of it you ate. And record everything, down to the salt and oils, etc... Because some intolerances are quantity based, so if you eat a little, you're fine, but too much and you'll react. And because depending on what you react to (if anything), different brands can be contaminated with different foods, so it's good to know.

I thought for a while I was reacting to all oils. Turned out I was reacting to all oils from one BRAND of oils, because they processed a wheat product on the line and all the oils had a little wheat contamination, which I react to.

And when you are jotting down 'reactions,' don't limit yourself to the gut alone, because typically, reactions go beyond that. Like, I know one gal who always has her allergic reactions to food start with one ear starting really tingle and ache - docs don't know why, but it always happens, and then if she's not careful, she can go into anaphylaxis. Some people get headaches, or tingles in their mouth, or pins and needles down their neck, or get brain fog where they can't think clearly for a while.

And lastly, it's important not to discount stuff just because it seems crazy, or it seems like there is just too much food that is a problem. Sometimes, there can be something underlying that you just don't know about yet but can find out with research. As an example, at one point, it felt like I started reacting to everything under the sun. It turns out, I was reacting to sulfites. Just one thing. But sulfites are in wine, in many dried fruits, added to shellfish, used in concentrated lemon juice, and the one that really got me, they can be used to bleach our salt white. So every time I salted my food, I was getting a reaction. I only found out when I ran out of salt one day, and was feeling great the entire day, until I bought salt and was sick again.

I thought the idea of reacting to salt was ridiculous, but finally figured it out and sure enough, salt was the issue.


I really do think that if you are having gut issues, an elimination diet can be of great help. Especially because we don't really have reliable testing for most food-related gut issues, honestly. But at the same time, there may be some testing you could do ahead of time that might save you some time, if you can afford it.

zeejane03

My husband and sister both have been successful with the FODMAP protocol. But, they first had food allergy testing done to rule out any food allergies. I'd start there and work with a doctor who specializes in this area (my husband's allergist is the one who we did the FODMAP protocol through). A general practitioner can give you a referral but they usually don't have a lot of education in this realm.

cathipa

Was this your primary care provider or a GI? FODMAP is more for lower digestive issues (i.e. bloating, gas, diarrhea). Your symptoms sound more gastric related (i.e. GERD) and the choking is significant. I think you would be better served seeing another provider or specialist.