Look what I spotted today! I haven't had these since I was a kid and guess what? The ingredients are mostly sugar, maize, rice and glucose syrup which makes them vegetarian and low-FODMAP. This has inspired me to hunt out little treats that us fodmappers can enjoy. I'm on the case.
Hi again Fodmappers. I had to share this veggie curry recipe with you as not only is it low-FODMAP (despite the chickpeas) but it is easy and tasty. Yes, low-FODMAP food doesn't have to be boring and I'll let you into a little secret, as long as you use tinned chickpeas you should find that it won't upset your tummy either. We tend to make a big batch of this and freeze some for a quick meal another day. The quantities given below should serve 4.
You will need:
Garlic infused oil
Ground turmeric
Ground cumin seeds
Ground ginger
4 medium sized carrots
A butternut squash
A red pepper (bell pepper)
2 courgettes (zucchini)
Approx a handful of green beans
Tinned chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
Brown rice
Salt and pepper
Wash, seed and chop all the vegetables into small chunks.
Heat the oil in a wok or large pan over a medium heat and add the carrots and spices. We use about a heaped teaspoon of each of the spices but adjust to your taste. When the carrots begin to soften, add the butternut squash and cook a little longer. Next add the red peppers and place a lid on the wok. In a separate pan put the rice on to cook. Keep adding the vegetables to the pan in the order listed allowing a little time between each for the previous ingredient to begin to cook. You might want to add a little water to the wok to prevent the ingredients from sticking in the bottom. Stir frequently and adjust spices to taste. Finally add the drained chickpeas and seasoning. Ensure all ingredients are heated thoroughly before serving.
Was it just me or did anyone else miss out on the news that it was National Gut Awareness Week last week? Ah well, better late than never. ;) Sadly this article doesn't say much about FODMAPs but there's still some useful tips here. See what you think.
National Gut Week 2014: How To Reduce Irritable Bowel Syndrome
The Huffington Post UK
Posted:
Updated:
It's National Gut Awareness Week and it seems many of us could do with a lesson or two in how to look after our insides.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is Britain’s most common digestive complaint, affecting nearly a fifth of the population.
Despite
the growing prevalence, the condition is extremely poorly managed: a
recent survey of IBS sufferers revealed that over two thirds of
sufferers have received no helpful advice from their GP regarding
symptom relief and those affected try an average of five new products to
relieve their symptoms each month.
Despite this, over 50% are still left battling the embarrassing and debilitating symptoms long-term.
Registered
Nutritional Therapist and Chair of BANT (British Association for
Applied Nutrition and Nutritional Therapy) Miguel Toribio-Mateas shares
his tops tips to help reduce IBS safely and effectively:
De-stress
It is thought that IBS sufferers experience increased sensitivity to stress and anxiety, making it important to try to reduce the amount of stress in your life.
Regular exercise not only helps you to de-stress but also helps gas pass through the digestive tract more quickly, so you feel better faster.
Mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques have also been found to reduce the severity of symptoms.
Watch what you drink
Caffeine and alcohol
are gastric irritants and act as triggers in some individuals, so are
best avoided. Carbonated drinks may also contribute to bloating or
cramping.
In contrast, drinking plenty of clear fluids (such as water and herbal teas) can help to ease digestion.
Try a ‘live’ probiotic
Studies have indicated that IBS patients experience a reduction in
beneficial bacteria and higher concentration of pathogenic bacteria in
the gut.
Newly published research suggests that a unique ‘live’ liquid bacteria known as Symprove
can help re-address the balance, with study results demonstrating that
all major IBS symptoms either improve or disappear completely in 60% of
participants following 12 weeks of treatment; even in those for whom
other probiotics and IBS treatments have failed.
Chew well
Be mindful of thorough and calm chewing; eating on-the-run or bolting food at your desk can often lead to compromised digestion.
Try
putting your knife and fork down between bites and chewing with your
mouth closed. This forces you to breathe through your nose, which
relaxes and slows you down.
Give your digestive system a break
Large meals can place stress on the digestive system and trigger spasms
in the gut. Some find it helpful to break them down into smaller, more
frequent meals, whereas other IBS sufferers do better by leaving longer
gaps between meals, and experience a reduction in symptoms by giving
their system a break.
However, regularity tends to help the digestive system to operate in a steady fashion, particularly when symptoms are severe.
Avoid trigger foods
Management plans for IBS are highly individual, but symptoms are often
improved by alterations in food intake. Lactose (milk sugar), fructose
(fruit sugar) and sorbitol (an artificial sweetener) are common triggers
in IBS patients.
In addition wheat, dairy, yeast, coffee, eggs, potatoes and onions can often cause problems.
Hi there Fodmappers - Well as promised here's another yummy vegetarian low-fodmap recipe for you. My lovely man made this for our supper last night - aren't I the lucky one? It's adapted from a recipe in Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's book 'River Cottage Veg Every Day' where it is described as a 'spicy North African pepper and tomato stew' which makes a 'lovely, lazy supper'. It would also make a rather tasty breakfast!
The instructions below are pretty much true to the original recipe except with a few low-fodmap changes. Of course you can adjust the spices according to your preference. Personally I like a bit of spice - it makes up for all the things us fodmappers go without.
3 tablespoons garlic infused olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
The green part of some spring onions
1 red and 1 yellow pepper (seeded, cored and sliced)
Half teaspoon hot smoked paprika
A pinch of Saffron
Half carton of Passata
4 eggs
Salt and pepper
Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add cumin seeds and spring onion greens and fry until soft. Add the peppers and continue to cook over a medium heat until these have softened. Add paprika, saffron, passata and salt and pepper. Simmer for approx 15 minutes, stirring as needed. Meanwhile heat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. After 15 minutes, transfer the contents of your pan into an ovenproof dish. Make 4 little indentations in the top of the mixture and crack an egg into each. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes.
I was speaking to someone recently who told me her doctor had suggested a low-FODMAP diet and a probiotic - with the emphasis on her taking a probiotic which included a pre-biotic. This struck me as a bit of a contradiction, and hesitant as I was to dismiss her doctor's advice, I explained what I knew about prebiotics. But maybe we need to say a little about probiotics first? (Feel free to skip this bit if it's something you already understand).
Probiotics
Probiotics are supplements you will have come across I'm sure. They are sold in various forms such as capsules, powders, liquids and added to foods such as yogurts and yogurt drinks. They are often described as 'friendly bacteria' and advertised as a remedy for bloating. The aim of taking a probiotic is to rebalance the bacteria of the gut after a course of anti-biotics, for example, or where an excess of 'bad bacteria' has resulted in IBS type symptoms.
There seems to be general (if cautious) acceptance for the benefit of probiotics in helping manage IBS symptoms, such as this from NHS Choices;
"Probiotics may help reduce abdominal bloating and flatulence in some
people with IBS, and they may help relieve pain and provide general
relief. [...]however, we don't yet know the extent of the benefits, nor the most effective probiotic species and strain." (1)
Prebiotics
Prebiotics (FOS) are often included in probiotic supplements to provide a food source for these good guys, which seems reasonable, but it's possible they also
feed the bad bacteria. As I found out, most of the studies into
the benefits of prebiotics for gut health have been carried out on
healthy people, not people with IBS. In fact, Kevin Whelan of King's College, London
reports that "in Crohn's disease and irritable bowel
syndrome there is evidence that some prebiotics in high doses worsen
functional symptoms." (2)
Well, as you can see in the photos below, the amount of prebiotics in supplements varies drastically. In fact I was surprised by just how much they vary. The first picture is of a bottle of probiotic capsules containing 100mg of FOS per capsule, whereas the second picture is of a psyllium husk (fibre) supplement which contains 1620mg per serving. Quite a difference yet you might notice that the probiotic content of each is pretty similar.
FODMAPs
And here's that contradiction - the prebiotic Fructo-Oligosaccharides (FOS) are high FODMAP. Surely if you are reducing your FODMAP intake by limiting your diet to 'safe' foods, it doesn't make sense to add them back via prebiotic supplements, especially at the higher doses? Chances are that you are already getting sufficient prebiotics through everyday (low-FODMAP) foods anyway.
"If you are following a strict low–FODMAP
diet, you can obtain prebiotics from non–FODMAP foods such
as bananas, kale, chard, brown rice and oatmeal." (3)
Having discovered that I am sensitive to Fructo-oligosaccharides (including wheat, onions, garlic and cashews) I'm inclined to steer clear of probiotics which have added FOS altogether. Of course, if you can tolerate FOS (something you will discover from your low-FODMAP diet) then prebiotics probably aren't going to cause you problems either.
Anyone else confused about whether bananas should be ripe or unripe (or maybe inbetween) on a low-FODMAP diet? I must admit this has been fascinating me as I remember reading some years ago that bananas benefit some people with IBS while being problematic for others. Could this be why? But then when I started reading up on it I found the info out there was more than a little bit confusing! Well, I've done a bit of digging and I think I've got it. So here goes.
It seems to me (if I've understood it correctly) that the issue with bananas is not just limited to the fructose/glucose content but also to something called 'resistant starch'. As you may already know, the fructose/glucose content of a banana varies according to how ripe or unripe it is.
'At harvest, when bananas are green and unripe, the fruits are 20 percent
starch and 1 percent sugar. As the bananas ripen over 21 to 28 days,
the starch turns into several types of sugars. Sucrose forms first but
remains at a constant amount as fructose and glucose content increases. A
fully ripe banana, which is yellow with some brown spots, is 14 percent
fructose, 20 percent glucose and 66 percent sucrose, note researchers
from a study published in "Food Chemistry" in May 2005.'(1) So as the glucose content is higher than fructose a ripe banana is fine. As for the sucrose, Monash University explains 'Sucrose is a disaccharide (2 sugar units) made up of equal parts of
glucose and fructose. Sucrose is broken down and absorbed efficiently
in the small intestine.' (2) So Sucrose isn't an issue.
But as for the starch content ...
Unripe bananas are difficult to digest as they contain something called resistant starch. 'In many ways, resistant starch is similar to and behaves like fermentable fiber in the digestive tract.' (3) And as we know 'Fermentable' is not good. Resistant starches are categorised according to four groups. Unripe bananas are classified RS2 (resistant starch type 2). 'RS2 – Is intrinsically resistant to digestion before cooking. RS2
includes unripe bananas, uncooked potatoes, along with many other foods.' (ibid).
So there you have it - two reasons to opt for ripe bananas. Hope that clears things up a bit.
This salad has become a firm favourite in our house this summer. I don't think it needs a recipe as such as I'm sure you can see most of the ingredients (sweet peppers, cucumber, tomatoes, radishes, olives, salad leaves and feta) and it's fun to adapt it to your own tastes. The one thing you can't see from this pic is the Quinoa base.
Quinoa is still a bit of a recent discover for me. It's low-FODMAP (of course) and gluten free so it can be eaten by people with IBS and also those with Coeliac disease. It is a complete protein and high in magnesium and iron and contains both soluble and insoluble fibre for good digestion. It also contains calcium so is a great addition to a vegan diet. I'm vegetarian, rather than vegan, so I get to enjoy a bit of both the feta and the quinoa.
The salad is dressed with a splash of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea-salt - but a squeeze of lemon juice could work well instead.
After being reminded recently what a miserable experience IBS can be, I wanted to
share with you something a little different which I am experimenting
with. This is based on the Solution Focused (SF) approach which was something
I had some training in a few years ago but, so far, I haven't seen
applied to IBS. Rather than focusing on your symptoms and difficulties,
this approach encourages you (us) to look instead at what is already working
for you - even when it feels like nothing is!
Essentially, SF explores a problem through asking questions like the ones below. These are not particularly difficult questions but are aimed at helping you recognise your strengths and coping strategies. And yes, you are strong and you are coping!
I encourage you to have a go at answering some of the questions below, and maybe making notes as you go along to reflect on or to add to later. If you can't answer
them all, that's fine, go with those that you can answer fairly easily
and jot down any that you might like to come back to another time. (Don't forget to bookmark this page so you can find your way here). Also if you feel you want to re-word the questions so that they better apply to you, please do so.
Just
one suggestion. When answering the questions try not to use statements
such as 'I wouldn't feel bloated' and instead focus on what the positive
aspect of that would be, for example 'my clothes would fit comfortably'
or 'I'd be able to sleep comfortably' or whatever is true for you.
I hope you find this helpful - let me know how you get on.
How do you cope with your IBS?
What are the most effective ways you've found of managing your symptoms?
List 5 different ways in which you already manage your IBS.
If your IBS was better controlled, how would things be different for you?
What would tell you that your IBS problems were becoming more manageable?
What would you notice about yourself?
What would you be doing differently?
What would others notice about you?
Bring
to mind a time recently when your symptoms have been (even relatively)
under control. What else was different about that time?
What were you doing that was different to other times?
What was it about your diet (if anything) that was different to other times?
What do you think made the biggest contribution to how you felt?
How will you manage your symptoms better in future?
If you knew of one small thing you could do that would make a difference for you, what would that be?
