Yes, it may be a BRAT summer, but did you say... FODMAP?
breaking down the elusive acronyms and why your doctor may be recommending it.
so…you’ve been having stomach issues, huh? You’ve come to the right place!
Welcome to the (seemingly growing) club of people trying to figure out what the hell is wrong with their gut?
If you’re like me, then perhaps an event triggered you to go down the rabbit hole of gut health exploration. In my case, it was the stomach flu x2 (3 weeks apart and absolutely miserable experience).
Or perhaps you took a visit to a GI doctor or even a regular PCP, who recommended the BRAT Diet to you.
The BRAT diet was my holy grail, ultimate safety food, and life-saving moment for me when my stomach decides it wants to flips and tricks.
The acronym includes: Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast
BRAT SUMMER BABY! a beautiful group of foods, that are always good to me.
But in all seriousness, the BRAT diet is a great immediate and short term solution for a bad IBS flareup. However, this in no way should be permanent. It’s to get you through the rough times. You can’t eat only bananas forever!
And thus, we move on to FODMAP…
So, lets actually explain what that is.
FODMAPS are a term used for certain types of carbohydrates that can be difficult for the body to digest. The breakdown looks like this:
F ermentable
O ligosaccharides
D isaccharides
M onosaccharides
A ND
P olyols
Voila! FODMAPS are found in tons of foods, and are not inherently bad! They can just be tougher for us sensitive stomach owners to deal with.
So, let’s break down each, shall we?
Fermentable: your lovely gut bacteria (we need them!) ferments undigested carbohydrates
Why they may irritate you: gas production - could lead to an uncomfortable bloating feeling or simply being extra gassy
Oligosaccharides: a carbohydrate made of monosaccharides (3-10), or simple sugars; these do not break down in the gut, but help to feed your gut bacteria, serving as a prebiotic
Why they may irritate you: large majority ferment in your colon, leading to bloating, gas, and other uncomfy effects
Disaccharides: a sugar made up of 2 monosaccharides, or simple sugars
Why they may irritate you: your body may not digest the disaccharides, which can lead to water and electrolytes being drawn to your bowels, causing diarrhea; fermented disaccharides can also cause bloating and gas
Monosaccharides: simple sugars, basic units of carbohydrates, including fructose, glucose, and galactose
Why they may irritate you: your body may have trouble absorbing monosaccharides, which could lead to similar issues mentioned before like diarrhea or lead to fermentation, which can cause bloating and gas
Polyols: sugar alcohols; they can be found naturally in some fruits and vegetables, but are also man-made into sweeteners
Why they may irritate you: they can fuel bacteria in the gut leading to continued gas or bloating and in some cases lead to diarrhea
So, why did my Doctor tell me to do Low-FODMAP?
They want you to figure out what makes you tick. Stomach issues, unfortunately, are a bit of a guessing game. Most practitioners recommend a low-FODMAP diet to help mitigate symptoms, while you figure out what may be triggering you. Once again, this is not meant to be long-term.
Most physicians will encourage you to slowly introduce foods back into your diet over time. The trick here is to take note of the times when bloating, gas, or other not fun symptoms occurred.
So, what should I do?
The best any of us can do with weird stomachs is to simply try. It’s not fun, and it’s NOT forever, but it’s one step closer to hopefully (fingers crossed) understanding our bodies a little better.
If you have questions, thoughts, feelings, suggestions, let me know! chat with your friends and your doctor! have a BRAT summer, but only in the Charli XCX sense please lol.
Thanks for reading, and check out these links to printable Low and High FODMAP food lists.
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