Fodmap Summer Challenge

Hi friends!  My new twinkie aka soul sista aka twin, Katherine is my blog guest for this week and she perfectly sums up our summer  Fodmap challenge.   Check out her AWESOME blog deliberatefare.com which has super helpful recipes and video tutorials.  Let me preface by saying she’s the brave one of the two of us for suggesting we do this.  Well here goes nothing….

KATHERINE AND MOLLIE, TWO HOUSTON GALS W/ FOOD ISSUES, ENTER THE CHALLENGE PHASE OF THE LOW-FODMAP DIET, TOGETHER, LIKE TWO TWINKIES IN A CELLOPHANE POUCH.

I have come to face with my Twinkie, Mollie of Fit Fab FODMAP. We have lived parallel medical lives in Houston, Texas, and we did not even know about each other until recently, thanks to social media. One of our many similarities is that we both have had great success in managing our chronic GI pain with the low-FODMAP diet. Thankfully, we both love to cook and have found fun ways to modify recipes to fit the diet and our new lifestyle. 

This summer, we decided to embark on a FODMAP journey together…the hardest part of the low-FODMAP diet…the challenge phase. Read on for our daredevil plan.

FODMAP Challenge How To

During the FODMAP challenge phase, one high-FODMAP food is reintroduced to the diet to see what the reaction is to this food item. The challenge food is typically consumed in a small portion initially and then slowly increased in size over a period of two-to-three test days out of one week. Then there is a rest of three days or until any symptoms subside. After things are back to “normal,” the next food item is challenged, and so on and so forth. If a food item causes a reaction, then the food item is stopped.

Want to read more about how to challenge FODMAP foods? There is a great article on A Little Bit Yummy which is reviewed by a registered dietician, a good amount of information is provided in IBS Free at Last! (Book Fare review coming soon), and a small section with good sources of food item options and sizes is in The Complete Low-FODMAP Diet.

Cooked Up Plan by the Twinkies

Mollie and I will challenge one item a week, with one rest day between introductions of the same food. We want to be cautious and not upset our sensitive systems too radically. We will work through each category of FODMAP, testing at least one food item per category, for approximately 10 weeks. At the end of the challenge, we will reward ourselves with something awesome!

Wait. Why These Foods?

You might be wondering why I am challenging certain foods versus others. Firstly, the makers of the low-FODMAP diet urge that FODMAP challenges be completed with foods that do not overlap in multiple FODMAP categories. So, although I would love to challenge watermelon, especially during a hot, Texas summer, I cannot because it is high in both Fructan and Polyol. Secondly, my nutritionist encourages me to challenge foods which I miss from my pre-FODMAP days. For example, I really miss blackberries more than apricots, both high in Polyol, so I will challenge blackberries…maybe make a gluten-free blackberry cobbler…yum. Lastly, with the help of my rock-star nutritionist, I have successfully challenged quite a few items over the course of a year, so I will not be re-challenging these items right now. I have already challenged lentils and garbanzo beans, the typical test foods of the Galactans group. Therefore, I will test kidney beans because they are high in Galactic and they are in a lot of southern food dishes which I am longing to make again, such as N’Awlins red beans and rice.

Goal!

The goal is to add more food items back into the diet. If my Twinkie and I each have success with one of the handful of food items, then think of the world of possibilities for us when dining out, cooking at home, and especially traveling! More food options, yes, please!

Gimme My Gold Medal!

Success should be its own reward…blah, blah, blah. I am a psychologist by training, and I know that humans are goal-oriented reward-seekers. I want my prize for crossing the finish line! I Will keep you posted on what I decide to award myself with once I make up my mind.