The Fodmap diet is based on the withdrawal of food that is poorly absorbed and undergoes fermentation through the intestinal flora, causing symptoms such as poor digestion, excess gas, diarrhea, abdominal bloating, colic and constipation, being useful especially in cases of bowel syndrome irritable.
Some examples of these foods are carrots, beets, apples, mango, pasta and honey, but the symptoms vary from one person to another, being careful to identify which food is the cause of poor digestion.
List of FODMAP foods
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, pea | foods with corn syrup, agave nectar and fructose syrup: such as artificial honey, cookies, soft drinks, ready-made juices, jellies, powder for cakes, etc. |
| Dissaccharides (lactose) | Cow's milk, goat's milk, sheep's milk, cream, ricotta cheese and cottage | cream cheese, soverte, yogurt and other foods containing milk |
| Fruit-oligosaccharides (fructans or FOS) | Onion, garlic, leeks, wheat, couscous, rye, persimmon, watermelon, chicory, dandelion, artichoke, beetroot, asparagus, red carrot, okra, chicory with red leaves, kale | wheat flour, pasta in general with wheat, cakes, biscuits, ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, processed meats such as sausage, nuggets, ham and mortadella |
| Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) | Lentil, chickpeas, canned grains, beans, peas, whole grains of soybeans | products containing such foodstuffs |
| Polyols | apple, apricot, peach, nectarine, pear, plum, cherry, avocado, blackberry, lychee, cauliflower, mushrooms | sweeteners such as xylitol, mannitol, sorbitol, glycerin products |
So, besides knowing foods naturally rich in fodmaps, it is important to be aware of the list of ingredients of industrialized foods, which is always present on the food label. Learn how to read the labels here.
How To Make a Fodmap Diet
To make this diet, you should withdraw the foods rich in Fodmap for a period of 6 to 8 weeks, being attentive to identify improvement in the symptoms of intestinal discomfort. If there is no improvement in symptoms, the diet may be discontinued after 8 weeks and a new treatment should be sought.
If the symptoms improve, after 8 weeks the food should be slowly reintroduced, starting with 1 group at a time. For example, it begins by introducing fruits rich in Fodmaps, such as apple, pear and watermelon, noting if intestinal symptoms reappear.
This slow reintroduction of food is important so that it is possible to identify foods that cause abdominal discomfort, which should always be consumed only in small quantities and not part of the normal food routine.
Fodmap diet menu
The following table provides an example of a 3-day Fodmap diet menu:
| Meal | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 |
| Breakfast | Vitamin of banana: 200 ml of milk of chestnuts + 1 banana + 2 coleslaw of oats | Grape juice + 2 slices of gluten-free bread with muzzarella and egg cheese | 200 ml of lactose-free milk + 1 tapioca with egg |
| Morning snack | 2 slices of melon + 7 cashew nuts | Lactose-free yogurt + 2 teaspoons chia | 1 mashed banana with 1 tablespoon shredded peanut paste |
| Lunch dinner | Risotto rice with chicken and vegetables: tomato, spinach, zucchini, carrot and eggplant | Rice noodles with minced duck meat and tomato sauce with olives + lettuce, carrot and cucumber salad | Fish stew with vegetables: potatoes, carrots, garlic and kale |
| Afternoon snack | Pineapple juice + banana cake with oats | 1 kiwi + 6 gluten-free oatmeal cookies + 10 nuts | Strawberry vitamin with lactose-free milk + 1 slice of gluten-free bread with cheese |
It is important to remember that you should be careful to identify foods that cause intestinal malaise, and that this diet should be followed for 6 to 8 weeks, according to your doctor or nutritionist's advice.
Care to be taken
The Fodmap diet can cause a low consumption of important nutrients for the body, such as fiber, carbohydrates and calcium, and it is necessary to exclude healthy foods during the test period. Thus, it is important that this diet be accompanied by a doctor and a nutritionist, to ensure the good health of the patient.
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 should be made for cases where the diet has failed.
Learn about other natural ways to eliminate intestinal gas.
