It's been about 2 years since I "went" Paleo. I went from total modern day healthy diet (whole grains, low fat diet) to grain-free, gluten-free, (almost) dairy-free, processed food-free and sugar-free OVERNITE! My goal was 100% right off the bat...ambitious and slightly crazy.
As you can guess, 100% paleo didn't happen but I was pretty darn close and I've managed to stay consistent through the years.
I thought Paleo was the magical miracle diet (lifestyle). Paleo was my roadmap to a better life. So, you could imagine my surprise when many of the paleo friendly foods (fruits, veggies and even meat) left me feeling bloated and do I dare say it?...gassy. My poor husband:( I felt like I was 9 months pregnant. Not what I expected from the Paleo diet. I excepted the complete opposite. I was so frustrated.
Af ter much "googling" I found a possible solution to my belly issues. The foods that were giving me the most problems are classified as FODMAPS.
Once I removed these foods I felt alot better!
So if you're having similar belly issues start checking labels and check the list below for possible culprits. Remove these fruits and/or vegetables for a week and see if there is any improvement.
FODMAPs include:
•Oligosaccharides:
◦Fructans - chains of fructose with one glucose molecule on the end. Only minimal amounts of fructans may be absorbed in human intestine. They may interfere with absorption of fructose, thus aggravating symptoms in fructose malabsorption. Fructans-rich foods are: wheat (white bread, pasta, pastries, cookies), onions, and artichokes; other not commonly problematic foods with fructans are asparagus, leeks, garlic, chicory roots and chicory based coffee substitutes. Fructans with over 10 molecules of fructose in a chain are known as inulins and those with less than 10 fructoses are referred as fructo-oligosaccharide (FOS) or oligofructose. Fructans cause problems mainly in fructose malabsorption.
◦Galactans (like stacchyose and raffinose) are chains of galactose molecules with one fructose molecule on the end. They act much like fructans. Main galactans-rich foods are legumes (soy, beans, chickpeas, lentils), cabbage and brussel sprouts.
•Disaccharides:
◦Lactose (milk sugar). Lactose is in dairy products, but it may be also found in chocolate and other sweets, beer, pre-prepared soups and sauces, and so on. Lactose is poorly absorbed in lactose intolerance, SIBO and in small intestinal inflammation (Crohn’s disease, celiac disease).
•Monosaccharides:
◦Fructose (fruit sugar). Fructose-rich foods are honey, dried fruits like prunes, figs, dates (think LARAbars), or raisins, apples, pears, sweet cherries, peaches, agave syrup, watermelon, papaya. Fructose is often added to commercial foods and drinks as high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Fructose causes symptoms even in healthy people, if ingested in excess, especially in fructose malabsorption, but also in SIBO.
•Polyols, also known as sugar alcohols (appearing as artificial sweeteners in commercial foods and drinks):
◦Sorbitol may appear in “sugar-free chewing gum”, “low calorie foods”; naturally it appears in stone fruits: peaches, apricots, plums).
◦Xylitol naturally appears in some berries. A pack of chewing gum containing sorbitol or xylitol may cause bloating or diarrhea in a healthy child and especially in persons with fructose malabsorption or SIBO.
◦Other polyols, like mannitol, isomalt, erithrytol, arabitol, erythritol, glycol, glycerol, lactitol, ribitol, may be problematic in fructose malabsorption and SIBO.
(www.healthhype.com)/>
•Oligosaccharides:
◦Fructans - chains of fructose with one glucose molecule on the end. Only minimal amounts of fructans may be absorbed in human intestine. They may interfere with absorption of fructose, thus aggravating symptoms in fructose malabsorption. Fructans-rich foods are: wheat (white bread, pasta, pastries, cookies), onions, and artichokes; other not commonly problematic foods with fructans are asparagus, leeks, garlic, chicory roots and chicory based coffee substitutes. Fructans with over 10 molecules of fructose in a chain are known as inulins and those with less than 10 fructoses are referred as fructo-oligosaccharide (FOS) or oligofructose. Fructans cause problems mainly in fructose malabsorption.
◦Galactans (like stacchyose and raffinose) are chains of galactose molecules with one fructose molecule on the end. They act much like fructans. Main galactans-rich foods are legumes (soy, beans, chickpeas, lentils), cabbage and brussel sprouts.
•Disaccharides:
◦Lactose (milk sugar). Lactose is in dairy products, but it may be also found in chocolate and other sweets, beer, pre-prepared soups and sauces, and so on. Lactose is poorly absorbed in lactose intolerance, SIBO and in small intestinal inflammation (Crohn’s disease, celiac disease).
•Monosaccharides:
◦Fructose (fruit sugar). Fructose-rich foods are honey, dried fruits like prunes, figs, dates (think LARAbars), or raisins, apples, pears, sweet cherries, peaches, agave syrup, watermelon, papaya. Fructose is often added to commercial foods and drinks as high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Fructose causes symptoms even in healthy people, if ingested in excess, especially in fructose malabsorption, but also in SIBO.
•Polyols, also known as sugar alcohols (appearing as artificial sweeteners in commercial foods and drinks):
◦Sorbitol may appear in “sugar-free chewing gum”, “low calorie foods”; naturally it appears in stone fruits: peaches, apricots, plums).
◦Xylitol naturally appears in some berries. A pack of chewing gum containing sorbitol or xylitol may cause bloating or diarrhea in a healthy child and especially in persons with fructose malabsorption or SIBO.
◦Other polyols, like mannitol, isomalt, erithrytol, arabitol, erythritol, glycol, glycerol, lactitol, ribitol, may be problematic in fructose malabsorption and SIBO.
(www.healthhype.com)/>
Below is a LARGE list of foods to avoid and acceptable foods to eat to keep your belly happy:)(http://cassandraforsythe.com/blog/Complete+FODMAP+List+For+a+Happy+Gut)
FRUITS TO AVOID:
Excess Fructose fruit:
Apple
Mango
Nashi fruit
Pear
Persimmon
Rambutan
Watermelon
Excess Fructan fruit:
Persimmon
Rambutan
Watermelon
Excess Polyol fruit:
Apple
Apricot
Avocado
Blackberries
Cherries
Longon
Lychee
Nashi Fruit
Nectarine
Peach
Pear
Plum
Prune
Watermelon
SUITABLE FRUITS:
Banana
Blueberries – buy organic
Boysenberry – buy organic
Cantaloupe
Star fruit
Cranberry – buy organic
Durian
Grapes – buy organic
Grapefruit
Honeydew melon
Kiwi
Lemon
Lime
Mandarin
Orange
Passion fruit
Paw paw
Pineapple
Raspberry – buy organic
Rhubarb
Strawberry – buy organic
Tangelo
Suitable dried fruits (some people are ok with dried fruits, others are not):
Banana chips
Cranberries (often are coated in sugar – only eat if not sweetened)
Currants
Paw paw
Pineapple (often are coated in sugar – only eat if not sweetened)
Sultanas
Raisins (may not be suitable for everyone…)
Special notes on fruit:
Limit intake of suitable fruits to one serve per meal.
e.g. One whole banana or orange.
Third to half a glass of suitable juice.
Small handful of berries or grapes.
Small amount of suitable dried fruit (e.g. 10 sultanas).
VEGETABLES TO AVOID:
Excess Fructose vegetables:
Sugar snap peas
Excess Fructan vegetables:
Artichokes (Globe & Jerusalem)
Asparagus
Beet
Brussel Sprouts
Cabbage
Chicory
Dandelion leaves
Fennel
Garlic
Leek
Legumes
Okra
Onion (brown, white, & Spanish)
Peas
Radicchio lettuce
Shallot
Spring onion (white section).
Excess Polyol vegetables:
Avocado
Cauliflower
Mushrooms
Snow peas
SUITABLE VEGETABLES:
Alfalfa
Bamboo shoots
Bean shoots
Beans (green)
Bok choy
Broccoli (may not be suitable for everyone…)
Capsicum
Carrot
Celery
Chives
Choy sum
Corn (raw corn may bother some people)
Cucumber
Endive
Eggplant (this may be troublesome for some; asses individual tolerance)
Ginger
Lettuce (may be ok or not)
Marrow
Olives
Parsnip
Parsley
Potato
Pumpkin
Silverbeet
Spring onion (green section)
Spinach
Squash (this may be troublesome for some; asses individual tolerance)
Swede
Sweet potato
Taro
Tomato (cherry tomatoes often are moldy – try to avoid)
Turnip
Yam
Zucchini (this may be troublesome for some; asses individual tolerance)
Special notes on vegetables:
Onion is one of the greatest contributors to IBS. Strict avoidance is recommended.
Avoid:
• Onion (brown, white & Spanish), Onion powder, White section of spring onion.
• Leeks, Shallots, Garlic.
There is undeclared onion hidden in many processed foods including, chicken salt, vegetable salt, vegetable powder, dehydrated vegetables, stocks, gravies, soups, marinades, & sauces.
Alternatives:
• Chives
• Green part of spring onion
• Asafoetida powder (* contains gluten).
• Fresh & dried ginger, coriander, basil, lemongrass, chili, mint, parsley, marjoram, oregano, thyme, rosemary & others.
PROBLEM WHEAT & Rye products:
Bread (white, wholemeal, multigrain, sourdough, pita, & many rye)
Pasta & noodles (regular, two minute, spelt, egg noodles, hokkien & udon)
Breakfast cereals (containing wheat, excess dried fruit &/or fruit juice).
Savoury biscuits (wheat based)
Cakes & baked goods (wheat based)
Sweet biscuits (wheat based)
Pastry & breadcrumbs (wheat flour made)
Others (semolina, couscous, bulger)
ALTERNATIVES to WHEAT Grains:
Rice
Corn (may bother some people)
Potato
Amaranth
Tapioca
Quinoa
Millet
Sorgum
Buckwheat
Arrowroot
Sago
ALTERNATIVES to WHEAT Products:
Gluten free bread, 100% spelt bread, wheat free rye.
Gluten free pasta, rice noodles, wheat free buckwheat noodles.
Porridge, wheat free muesli, rice bubbles, corn flakes, & gluten free cereals.
Corn thins, rice cakes & crackers, gluten free crackers, ryvitas, & rye cruskits.
Gluten free cakes, flourless cakes.
Gluten free biscuits.
Gluten free pastry mixes, & bread crumbs, polenta, cornflake crumbs.
Buckwheat, polenta, millet, sorghum, sago, tapioca, rice, & corn flours.
Special notes on Wheat:
• Wheat free Rye is tolerable for most (assess individually).
• Small amounts of wheat, such as breadcrumbs, may be tolerable (assess individually).
• Those with diagnosed Coeliac disease should eliminate gluten from their diet.
• Gluten free foods do not contain wheat, rye oats & barley.
o A low FODMAP diet allows oats & barley.
• Trace amounts of wheat ingredients such as soy sauce should not be a problem.
• Many wheat derived products such as wheat starch, wheat thickeners, wheat maltodextrin, wheat dextrin, wheat dextrose, wheat glucose, & wheat color caramel are fructan free glucose chains & should be safe to eat.
OTHER FODMAPs FOODS (containing, FRUCTOSE &/or Fructans) to AVOID:
• Honey
• Corn syrups
• Corn syrup solids
• Fruisana
• Chickory
• Dandelion tea
• Inulin
• Artificial sweeteners (see GOS)
• Sugar free or low carb sweets, mints, gums, & dairy desserts.
• Baked beans, lentils, & chick peas
Alternatives:
• Golden syrup
• Treacle
• Molasses
• Maple syrup
• White, brown, raw & castor sugar (sucrose) eaten in moderation.
• Tea, coffee, & herbal teas
• Nuts & seeds (moderation)
• Oat bran
• Barley bran.
• Psyllium.
• Rice bran.
• Suitable sweeteners (nutrasweet, sucralose, aspartame, stevia, saccharine, tic tacs, minties, regular gum).
Special comments:
FRUITS TO AVOID:
Excess Fructose fruit:
Apple
Mango
Nashi fruit
Pear
Persimmon
Rambutan
Watermelon
Excess Fructan fruit:
Persimmon
Rambutan
Watermelon
Excess Polyol fruit:
Apple
Apricot
Avocado
Blackberries
Cherries
Longon
Lychee
Nashi Fruit
Nectarine
Peach
Pear
Plum
Prune
Watermelon
SUITABLE FRUITS:
Banana
Blueberries – buy organic
Boysenberry – buy organic
Cantaloupe
Star fruit
Cranberry – buy organic
Durian
Grapes – buy organic
Grapefruit
Honeydew melon
Kiwi
Lemon
Lime
Mandarin
Orange
Passion fruit
Paw paw
Pineapple
Raspberry – buy organic
Rhubarb
Strawberry – buy organic
Tangelo
Suitable dried fruits (some people are ok with dried fruits, others are not):
Banana chips
Cranberries (often are coated in sugar – only eat if not sweetened)
Currants
Paw paw
Pineapple (often are coated in sugar – only eat if not sweetened)
Sultanas
Raisins (may not be suitable for everyone…)
Special notes on fruit:
Limit intake of suitable fruits to one serve per meal.
e.g. One whole banana or orange.
Third to half a glass of suitable juice.
Small handful of berries or grapes.
Small amount of suitable dried fruit (e.g. 10 sultanas).
VEGETABLES TO AVOID:
Excess Fructose vegetables:
Sugar snap peas
Excess Fructan vegetables:
Artichokes (Globe & Jerusalem)
Asparagus
Beet
Brussel Sprouts
Cabbage
Chicory
Dandelion leaves
Fennel
Garlic
Leek
Legumes
Okra
Onion (brown, white, & Spanish)
Peas
Radicchio lettuce
Shallot
Spring onion (white section).
Excess Polyol vegetables:
Avocado
Cauliflower
Mushrooms
Snow peas
SUITABLE VEGETABLES:
Alfalfa
Bamboo shoots
Bean shoots
Beans (green)
Bok choy
Broccoli (may not be suitable for everyone…)
Capsicum
Carrot
Celery
Chives
Choy sum
Corn (raw corn may bother some people)
Cucumber
Endive
Eggplant (this may be troublesome for some; asses individual tolerance)
Ginger
Lettuce (may be ok or not)
Marrow
Olives
Parsnip
Parsley
Potato
Pumpkin
Silverbeet
Spring onion (green section)
Spinach
Squash (this may be troublesome for some; asses individual tolerance)
Swede
Sweet potato
Taro
Tomato (cherry tomatoes often are moldy – try to avoid)
Turnip
Yam
Zucchini (this may be troublesome for some; asses individual tolerance)
Special notes on vegetables:
Onion is one of the greatest contributors to IBS. Strict avoidance is recommended.
Avoid:
• Onion (brown, white & Spanish), Onion powder, White section of spring onion.
• Leeks, Shallots, Garlic.
There is undeclared onion hidden in many processed foods including, chicken salt, vegetable salt, vegetable powder, dehydrated vegetables, stocks, gravies, soups, marinades, & sauces.
Alternatives:
• Chives
• Green part of spring onion
• Asafoetida powder (* contains gluten).
• Fresh & dried ginger, coriander, basil, lemongrass, chili, mint, parsley, marjoram, oregano, thyme, rosemary & others.
PROBLEM WHEAT & Rye products:
Bread (white, wholemeal, multigrain, sourdough, pita, & many rye)
Pasta & noodles (regular, two minute, spelt, egg noodles, hokkien & udon)
Breakfast cereals (containing wheat, excess dried fruit &/or fruit juice).
Savoury biscuits (wheat based)
Cakes & baked goods (wheat based)
Sweet biscuits (wheat based)
Pastry & breadcrumbs (wheat flour made)
Others (semolina, couscous, bulger)
ALTERNATIVES to WHEAT Grains:
Rice
Corn (may bother some people)
Potato
Amaranth
Tapioca
Quinoa
Millet
Sorgum
Buckwheat
Arrowroot
Sago
ALTERNATIVES to WHEAT Products:
Gluten free bread, 100% spelt bread, wheat free rye.
Gluten free pasta, rice noodles, wheat free buckwheat noodles.
Porridge, wheat free muesli, rice bubbles, corn flakes, & gluten free cereals.
Corn thins, rice cakes & crackers, gluten free crackers, ryvitas, & rye cruskits.
Gluten free cakes, flourless cakes.
Gluten free biscuits.
Gluten free pastry mixes, & bread crumbs, polenta, cornflake crumbs.
Buckwheat, polenta, millet, sorghum, sago, tapioca, rice, & corn flours.
Special notes on Wheat:
• Wheat free Rye is tolerable for most (assess individually).
• Small amounts of wheat, such as breadcrumbs, may be tolerable (assess individually).
• Those with diagnosed Coeliac disease should eliminate gluten from their diet.
• Gluten free foods do not contain wheat, rye oats & barley.
o A low FODMAP diet allows oats & barley.
• Trace amounts of wheat ingredients such as soy sauce should not be a problem.
• Many wheat derived products such as wheat starch, wheat thickeners, wheat maltodextrin, wheat dextrin, wheat dextrose, wheat glucose, & wheat color caramel are fructan free glucose chains & should be safe to eat.
OTHER FODMAPs FOODS (containing, FRUCTOSE &/or Fructans) to AVOID:
• Honey
• Corn syrups
• Corn syrup solids
• Fruisana
• Chickory
• Dandelion tea
• Inulin
• Artificial sweeteners (see GOS)
• Sugar free or low carb sweets, mints, gums, & dairy desserts.
• Baked beans, lentils, & chick peas
Alternatives:
• Golden syrup
• Treacle
• Molasses
• Maple syrup
• White, brown, raw & castor sugar (sucrose) eaten in moderation.
• Tea, coffee, & herbal teas
• Nuts & seeds (moderation)
• Oat bran
• Barley bran.
• Psyllium.
• Rice bran.
• Suitable sweeteners (nutrasweet, sucralose, aspartame, stevia, saccharine, tic tacs, minties, regular gum).
Special comments:
<• Limit alcohol intake.
• Avoid alcohol which is high in indigestible carbohydrate, such as beer.
• Clear spirits such as Vodka & Gin with water/soda flavored with fresh suitable fruit in moderation is preferable.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Eat in moderation.
• Chew your food well.
• Limit processed foods (hidden FODMAPs & irritants).
• Limit or avoid processed meats ((hidden FODMAPs & irritants).
• Fresh fruit, vegetables, & whole meats/fish are best.
• Avoid alcohol which is high in indigestible carbohydrate, such as beer.
• Clear spirits such as Vodka & Gin with water/soda flavored with fresh suitable fruit in moderation is preferable.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Eat in moderation.
• Chew your food well.
• Limit processed foods (hidden FODMAPs & irritants).
• Limit or avoid processed meats ((hidden FODMAPs & irritants).
• Fresh fruit, vegetables, & whole meats/fish are best.
