What’s the Fuss About FODMAPs?

This group of tasty carbs can cause a gutful of woe

FODMAPs - what they are and could they make your gut feel bad?

FODMAP isn’t a trendy app. It’s an acronym that stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols or FODMAPs for short. These types of carbohydrates are found in a range of foods. Examples include:

Fructans: Wheat products, onions and garlic
Galactans: Chickpeas, beans and broccoli
Lactose: Cow, goat or sheep milk and some dairy products made with them
Fructose: Honey, soda and other products with high fructose corn syrup, and fruit like mangos and watermelon
Sugar alcohols: Cauliflower, mushrooms, apples, pears, and gum and other products with artificial sweeteners like sorbitol and xylitol

Should I worry about FODMAPs?

“Luckily, many people eat foods containing FODMAPs without any problem,” says family medicine physician Leah Arlequin, MD, with LVPG Family Medicine–Middle Smithfield, part of Jefferson Health. However, for some, these carbs can trigger a rather unpleasant reaction from the gastrointestinal (GI) system, including:

Abdominal pain
Bloating
Constipation or diarrhea
Cramping
Fatigue
Gas
Heartburn
Nausea

“If you’re struggling with any or all these symptoms and have an inclination they’re tied to certain foods, talk with your primary care clinician and consider seeing a registered dietitian before removing FODMAPs from your diet,” Dr. Arlequin says.

Figuring out if FODMAPs are at fault

Your clinician and a dietitian can help you figure out what’s likely causing your GI symptoms, so you may find relief. This includes ruling out or diagnosing conditions such as food allergies or irritable bowel syndrome.

“Talk with your primary care clinician and consider seeing a registered dietitian before removing FODMAPs from your diet.” - Leah Arlequin, MD

As part of the process, your clinician or dietitian may ask you to follow a three-phase, low-FODMAP diet. The first step is to remove foods high in FODMAPs from your menu. Next, you slowly start adding foods back into your snacks and meals to see how your body responds. Lastly, they’ll help you use this information to adjust your eating habits long term – and keep as many healthy foods in your repertoire as possible.

While it’s certainly OK to skip gum and soda, you shouldn’t dive into a low FODMAP diet on your own. “You could miss out on key nutrients and harm your overall health,” Dr. Arlequin says. And this eating plan isn’t a good fit for everyone. You may not be a good candidate if you are already at risk for malnutrition, have an eating disorder or have a complex medical history, for example, so it's important to talk with your primary care clinician first.