It all started for me on February 4. That’s the day we received the following email through our website:
“My name is Kaydyn and I am 9 years old. I wanted to share with you my new blog. I have to eat the FODMAP diet due to medical conditions and I wanted to help others struggling like me. I love to cook and bake, and one day want to have my own café that is FODMAP friendly. It is hard to find things, most things I have to make at home. I was hoping you could please take a look and give me feedback and share my blog with others?”
I had never heard of the FODMAP diet, so naturally I Googled it. You can read about it here and here, but the bottom line is that one in five Americans is affected by Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). And (I am simplifying this), some Australian researchers, along with some folks at Stanford University, have found that certain carbohydrates are problematic for people with IBS. Short chain carbohydrates, or FODMAPs (Fermentable Oligo-saccharides, Di-saccharides, Mono-saccharides and Polyols), are the problem.
Thus, the FODMAP diet. The premise is that, if you eat a certain diet that is low in FODMAPs, you will reduce your discomfort and feel better.
When young Kaydyn wrote to us six weeks ago, I had never heard about this condition. And I frankly thought it was an odd request.
At least it seemed so until a good friend came to stay with me last week. She told me that for the last year she had been having horrible stomach pains and intestinal problems, no matter what she ate or drank. And no matter how she changed her diet, she was frequently doubled over in pain. She did a bunch of research on the Internet and came across this special diet. She said it has changed her life and she is finally feeling back to her old self.
I told her to be sure and let me know what it was because I am always interested in anything to do with food, diet, etc.
And what did she email me the next morning? The Low FODMAP Diet. There it was again. Just what young Kaydyn had written about last month.
I am writing about it today because, if one in five Americans has similar issues, then many followers of my blog do as well. If I can share some real world, validated guidance, based on a healthy diet (not a bunch of drugs), then I am happy to do that.
I wonder how many people who have been diagnosed with Celiac Disease or IBS could be pain-free, just by adjusting their diet? By eliminating things like onions, garlic, soybeans, full-fat diary, and the like? If you have a friend or relative with digestive issues, maybe you’ll want to share this information.
It’s amazing how the universe works. Now that you have heard about the FODMAP diet from me, you will probably start hearing about it in other places.
And now you know!
Karen
