Here’s what I have on the menu for this week:
Because of my latest round of stomach and bowel issues, I am trying to ease into a low FODMAP diet. This is not going to be easy considering that most of my favorite foods are considered high FODMAP (onions, garlic, mushrooms, beans, soy, wheat, cauliflower, etc.). However, I’ve been eating several of these things for years with no (serious) issues. It’s only been the last couple of months that my IBS has gotten out of control and completely derailed my life (i.e., running/training).
I had a colonoscopy to rule out anything more threatening than IBS, and while I did have to get some polyps removed and biopsied, they came back benign. I’m going through some other procedures, but the doctor recommended an elimination diet in the meantime. That’s where the low FODMAP diet approach comes in.
I’ve already discovered that most beans are okay if limited to less than 1/2 cup per serving. And scallions are okay if I toss the white parts and only eat the green. Tofu (mostly all soy stuff) is supposedly off limits, but I haven’t had any reaction to those Smoky Black Bean Enchilada Wraps and I’ve made them several times already.
So I’m thinking that a little bit of onion/garlic here and there isn’t going to make or break me. I’ve also cut down to 1 (24-ounce) cup of coffee per day, and I’m drinking more water. On the plus side, if coffee turns out to be an irritant, I can switch to instant ;)
What I honestly think it comes down to is portion control, especially of higher FODMAP foods. For instance, 1/2 cup broccoli is okay. 3 cups in one sitting is not! Yes, that was learned the hard way (via Chinese take-out).
While only 1 of this week’s recipes is considered low FODMAP, I believe that I can tweak the others to fit into my plan. I’ll report back on the outcomes.
If you’re interested in learning more about low FODMAP for IBS (or even just want to know what the heck does FODMAP mean):
- Low FODMAP diet for IBS
- The Low FODMAP Diet Approach: Dietary Triggers for IBS
- The FODMAP Friendly Vegan
- Going Low FODMAP on a Vegan Diet (PDF)
By the way, this week’s recipes can be found at either Forks Over Knives or Happy Herbivore. And the meal-planning template I’m using can be found HERE.
(m)EAT LESS, RUN MORE! 
Hopefully of the things you love, you’ll still be able to eat but maybe in smaller portions. I love peppers but they totally hate me so I stick to having hot sauce and nixing the sweet ones because I couldn’t go without any.
I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out what might have changed about 2 months ago when this bout started. The only thing that comes to mind is sweet potatoes. Other than that, I’ve been lax about my portions, so that’s why I’m leaning towards that.
Is it all peppers you have to stay away from? I can’t eat green peppers, but seem to be okay with all the others.
Sweet potatoes could be it and it could be portion sizes of other things. I think it’s a trial and error thing for everybody.
It’s all peppers for me. It started when I was a teenager as green peppers that were raw….then cooked ones….then other colors…..then hot ones. Giving up hot ones is not gonna happen.
Yeah, I hear you on that! I’m gonna stay away from sweet potatoes for the next 10 days to see if that makes any difference. And instead of using onions when called for, I’ll use the green part of the scallions. Ugh. Just wish this would go away already :(
I know. I’m sorry. :-) <3
Thank you <3
Kayla’s GI doctor told her that sometimes it takes the body 2-3 days to process something that it’s not tolerating, so keep that in mind when you start adding things back into your diet. Sometimes Kayla would have a hard time figuring out what was causing her issues because she could eat something on Monday, but then not have any symptoms until a couple of days later! She was also told to eat smaller portions, too. I have found that my stomach doesn’t like large portions of food, even healthy food! No more huge bowls of salad for me! Instead I eat smaller bowls, and smaller portions of veggies and fruits more frequently throughout the day. Good luck and I hope that you start to feel better soon!
I’m definitely going to start eating smaller portions, more often. I usually react to something within 24 hours (and sometimes even within an hour) – the problem is that my meals usually consist of more than 1 higher FODMAP food. How is Kayla with sweet potatoes?
She doesn’t like sweet potatoes! She does okay with regular potatoes, though.
Darn. I was hoping to narrow it down – Lol!
Illumination diets are great. If you follow the directions. Lol. That is how I found out about my red meat and red synthetic dye allergies.
There’s a comment above about things staying in your system/not having symptoms until a few days later. The “ID” I was on, I could only add one item in per week. And for instance, if I ate beef on Monday, I’d still be sick from it 5-6 days later!
Funny how our systems hold on to stuff like that.
I’ll be praying that you find out your issues. I hope it’s something as simple as a sweet potato! I’d hate for you to lose the foods you really enjoy.
I despise spell checker! Elimination. And the “ED”
Thanks Sheila. I have a hard time following exact instructions (grin) but I’m definitely paying more attention to how certain foods are affecting me. Since I pretty much eat the same foods in different variations I can tell right away if I’ve done something “wrong.” Lol!
I like the sound of an illumination diet! Elimination, not so much. Not knowing anything about the subject (and not having followed your links), I’m astounded that sweet potatoes could cause problems. Is it to do with the amount of fibre? Anyway, hope you can find a diet to solve your issues and, by the way, I do like your handwritten recipe list. Good to see the art of writing by hand is not completely disappearing. ;-)
Thank you! I don’t really think the problem is sweet potatoes – I’m just trying to figure out what changed in my diet over the last couple months. I love that meal planner template. I can hang it on the fridge and see exactly what I need for each recipe :)