Traveling and on a motorcycle at that.

This is a big weekend. I will be traveling about 8 hours on a back of a motorcycle to New York. All  can say is wish me luck and I hope that I have brought plenty of medication to get me through the rough patches. I won't have access to a computer but I will journal this and share some pictures. Have a great weekend everyone! ~Kay

Fructose Intolerance

Hereditary Fructose Intolerance is a rare genetic disorder that lacks an enzyme called aldolase B. This enzyme is needed to breakdown the fructose. 

Fructose Malabsorption occurs when you lack GLUT-5, a fructose transporter. 


The following definition comes from an article from healthhype.com. It explains in more detail about fructose malabsorption and is worth the read if you want more information.

Fructose, unabsorbed in the small intestine, drags water from the intestinal vessels into the intestinal lumen, and travels toward the colon, where bacteria break it down to short chain fatty acids and gases (carbon dioxide, hydrogen, methane) that cause diarrhea and bloating.

Source: Fructose Malabsorption – Causes, Symptoms, and Diagnosis Written by Jan Modric   http://www.healthhype.com/fructose-malabsorption-cause-symptoms-and-diagnosis.html

See my blog entry http://fodmapliving.blogspot.com/2012/06/fodmaps-that-are-not-friendly.html for foods to avoid. 

Sources:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001399/

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fructose-intolerance/AN01574

http://www.healthhype.com/fructose-malabsorption-cause-symptoms-and-diagnosis.html

FODMAPs that are not friendly.

These are the foods that are considered NOT friendly on a FODMAP diet. In the next blogs I will visit them all independently and examine why they are not friendly. Remember everyone has individual tolerances so what does or does not work for you may for others. As I said in the previous blog the bottom line is that you need to work with your doctors, dietitian and keep a good food diary.

This has been adapted from the following site.
Printable FODMAP List    <<<< Click Here. It will take you to the About.com site.

As of June 2013, this list has changed significantly. Consult with your dietitian for an up to date list.

FRUCTOSE

fruit

apple, mango, nashi, 

pear, tinned fruit 

in natural juice, 

watermelon

sweeteners

fructose, high fructose 

corn syrup

honey

corn syrup, fruisana

large total 

fructose dose

concentrated fruit 

sources, large serves 

of fruit, dried fruit, 

fruit juice, honey

corn syrup, fruisana

FRUCTANS

vegetables

asparagus, beetroot, 

broccoli, brussels 

sprouts, cabbage, 

eggplant, fennel, garlic,  

leek, okra, onion (all), 

shallots, spring onion

cereals

wheat and rye, in large 

amounts eg. bread,   

crackers, cookies, 

couscous, pasta

fruit

custard apple, 

persimmon, 

watermelon

miscellaneous

chicory, dandelion, 

inulin

LACTOSE

milk

milk from cows, goats 

or sheep, custard, 

ice cream, yoghurt

cheeses

soft unripened cheeses

eg. cottage, cream, 

mascarpone, ricotta

galactans

legumes

baked beans, 

chickpeas, 

kidney beans,

lentils

Polyols

fruit

apple, apricot, avocado,  

blackberry, cherry, 

lychee, nashi, nectarine,  

peach, pear, plum, 

prune, watermelon

vegetables

cauliflower, green 

capsicum (bell pepper), 

mushroom, sweet corn

sweeteners

sorbitol (420)

mannitol (421) 

isomalt (953)

maltitol (965) 

xylitol (967) 

Acceptable FODMAP Food List

     Basically, I have found everyone's list of FODMAP foods are different and lots of them contradict each other.  This can be quite troublesome and confusing for newbies like myself. My first suggestion is to find a dietitian in your area that is qualified in this area and don't be surprised if you can not find one because this is a fairly new diet.  The link below is the list of foods that I feel works best for me. The bottom line is that we all have to do our homework and keep a food diary and work with your doctor(s). What might work for you may not work for someone else. Don't get discouraged. This is not an easy road and I did not start to feel better for a few weeks. It has taken about a month for me to feel truly awesome enough to go out and try new things in life. That being said it was well worth this sacrifice!

Printable FODMAP List    <<<< Click Here. It will take you to the About.com site.

Suitable Foods adapted from the above printable list. Remember not all foods work for all people. Do your homework and take your notes.

As of June 2013 this list has changed significantly. 

Consult with your dietitian for a new list of foods. 

Fruit
banana, blueberry, 
boysenberry, 
canteloupe, cranberry, 
durian, grape, 
grapefruit, honeydew 
melon, kiwifruit, lemon, 
lime, mandarin, orange, 
passionfruit, pawpaw, 
raspberry, rhubarb, 
rockmelon, star anise, 
strawberry, tangelo

Vegetables
alfalfa, artichoke, 
bamboo shoots, bean 
shoots, bok choy, 
carrot, celery, choko, 
choy sum, endive, 
ginger, green beans, 
lettuce, olives, parsnip, 
potato, pumpkin, red 
capsicum (bell pepper), 
silver beet, spinach, 
summer squash 
(yellow), swede, sweet 
potato, taro, tomato, 
turnip, yam, zucchini

Herbs
basil, chili, coriander, 
ginger, lemongrass,   
marjoram, mint, 
oregano, parsley, 
rosemary, thyme


Cereals
gluten-free bread or 
cereal products
bread
100% spelt bread
rice
oats
polenta
other
arrowroot, millet,  
psyllium, quinoa, 
sorgum, tapioca


Milk
lactose-free milk, 
oat milk*, rice milk, 
soy milk*
cheeses
hard cheeses, and brie 
and camembert
yoghurt
lactose-free varieties
ice-cream 
substitutes
gelati, sorbet
butter substitutes
olive oil


Sweeteners
sugar* (sucrose), 
glucose, artificial 
sweeteners not 
ending in ‘-ol’
honey substitutes
golden syrup*, 
maple syrup*, 
molasses, treacle

Foods suitable on a low-fodmap diet
*small quantities

Purple Ribbon

Here it is. Just done today! :)

First off, what to heck is FODMAP?

Living with IBD/IBS is not an easy task at all and to be quite honest it is literally crappy. Recently, within the past few years researchers in Australia have been working with what they call the FODMAP diet. They found short-chain carbohydrates may not be properly absorbed during the digestive process. FODMAP is an acronym for Fermentable Oligo-, Di- and Mono-saccharides, and Polyols.

The researchers theory is that foods high in FODMAPs cause excessive gas, pain and bloating. Following a low FODMAP diet may help eliminate those symptoms in some people. 

This blog will examine this diet and provide some helpful hints as well some recipes. There is so many foods that are eliminated in this diet is can be quite tricky and discouraging to say the least. Bear with me and we will go on this journey together so this new lifestyle will not be so boring! :)