The Fodmap diet is based on the removal of foods that are poorly absorbed and undergo fermentation by the intestinal flora, causing symptoms such as poor digestion, excessive gas, diarrhea, abdominal bloating, cramps and constipation, being especially useful in cases of bowel syndrome irritable.
Some examples of these foods are carrots, beets, apples, mangoes, pasta and honey, but the symptoms vary from person to person, and you should be careful to identify which food is the cause of poor digestion.
FODMAP food list
Fodmap foods are always carbohydrates and are classified into 5 groups, as shown in the following table:
| Fodmap type | Natural food | Processed foods |
| Monosaccharides (fructose) | apple, pear, mango, asparagus, cherry, watermelon, fruit juices, peas | foods with corn syrup, agave nectar and fructose syrup: such as artificial honey, cookies, soft drinks, ready-made juices, jellies, cake powder, etc. |
| Disaccharides (lactose) | Cow's milk, goat's milk, sheep's milk, cream, ricotta and cottage cheese | cream cheese, soverte, yogurt and other foods containing milk |
| Fructo-oligosaccharides (fructans or FOS) | Onions, garlic, leeks, wheat, couscous, rye, persimmon, watermelon, chicory, dandelion, artichoke, beet, asparagus, red carrot, okra, red-leaf chicory, cabbage | wheat flour, pasta in general with wheat, cakes, biscuits, ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, processed meats such as sausage, nuggets, ham and bologna |
| Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) | Lentils, chickpeas, canned grains, beans, peas, whole soy beans | products containing these foods |
| Polyols | apple, apricot, peach, nectarine, pear, plum, cherry, avocado, blackberry, lychee, cauliflower, mushrooms | sweeteners such as xylitol, mannitol, sorbitol, glycerin products |
Thus, in addition to knowing the foods naturally rich in fodmaps, it is important to be aware of the list of ingredients of processed foods, which is always present on the food label. Find out how to read the labels here.
How to do the Fodmap Diet
To make this diet, you should remove foods rich in Fodmap for a period of 6 to 8 weeks, being careful to identify improvement in the symptoms of intestinal discomfort. If there is no improvement in symptoms, the diet can be stopped after 8 weeks and a new treatment should be sought.
If symptoms improve, after 8 weeks, food should be reintroduced slowly, starting with 1 group at a time. For example, it starts by introducing fruits rich in Fodmaps, such as apples, pears and watermelons, observing if the intestinal symptoms reappear.
This slow reintroduction of food is important so that it is possible to identify the foods that cause abdominal discomfort, which should always be consumed only in small quantities, not being part of the normal dietary routine.
Fodmap diet menu
The following table shows an example of a 3-day Fodmap diet menu:
| Meal | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 |
| Breakfast | Banana smoothie: 200 ml of chestnut milk + 1 banana + 2 col of oat soup | Grape juice + 2 slices of gluten-free bread with mozzarella cheese and egg | 200 ml lactose-free milk + 1 tapioca with egg |
| Morning snack | 2 melon slices + 7 cashew nuts | lactose-free yogurt + 2 col chia tea | 1 mashed banana with 1 col of shallow peanut butter soup |
| Lunch dinner | Rice risotto with chicken and vegetables: tomato, spinach, zucchini, carrots and eggplant | Rice noodles with ground duck meat and tomato sauce with olives + lettuce, carrot and cucumber salad | Fish stew with vegetables: potatoes, carrots, leeks and cabbage |
| Afternoon snack | Pineapple juice + banana cake with oats | 1 kiwi + 6 gluten-free oatmeal cookies + 10 nuts | Strawberry smoothie with lactose-free milk + 1 slice of gluten-free bread with cheese |
It is important to remember that one must be careful to identify the foods that cause intestinal discomfort, and that this diet should be followed for 6 to 8 weeks, according to the guidance of the doctor or nutritionist.
Care to be taken
The Fodmap diet can cause low consumption of important nutrients for the body, such as fiber, carbohydrates and calcium, in addition to the need to exclude healthy foods during the testing period. Thus, it is important that this diet is monitored by a doctor and a nutritionist, to ensure the patient's good health.
In addition, it is important to remember that this diet is effective for about 70% of patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and a new treatment must be done in cases where the diet has not achieved good results.
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