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by myelin 875 days ago
Ahhh... a popular topic in my household; lots of digestive issues here.

Collectively these chemicals (the ones that cause digestive issues like the author's) are known as FODMAPs, and cause issues for a lot of people. Monash University is the authority here, having identified them in the first place and produced a ton of dietary information about them: https://www.monashfodmap.com/about-fodmap-and-ibs/

The author says she doesn't have any trouble with lactose, fructose, and gluten, but cutting out sugar alcohols (polyols, the "P" in FODMAP) helped a ton. This is pretty common; people with FODMAP intolerance can typically digest some but not all of them.

The process is basically (1) go on a very restrictive elimination diet that cuts out all FODMAPs, then (2) gradually test each one at different quantities to find out if you can handle it and at what quantity.

1 comments

A low-FODMAP diet was one of the things that I credit to helping me recover from 20+ years of undiagnosed, unmanaged celiac disease, including the IBS and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) that I developed as a consequence.

I eventually transitioned to a similar protocol called the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, which has some amount of controversy around it (and the closely-related GAPS diet), but ultimately was the right thing for me at that time.

If you have GI issues and see a gastroenterologist, you might have access to a nutritionist who is affiliated with their practice. If you have that option, take it. I never would have come across any of this on my own, and the gastroenterologist himself was not well-versed in the details of elimination diets, food sensitivities, or anything else "sub-clinical" along those lines.