Hi Juliane:

I just started my husband on FODMAP. We have been to many doctors and no on suggested it. I found it on the Internet and thought it was worth trying as all the previous diets suggested were not helping his symptoms. So far he seems better. I am in Spain and found Bimbo Gluten Free Bread and today we tried a product: Pegesa Sin Gluten Tortitas de Arroz con Chocolate Negro y Coco: Rice Cakes with dark chocolate and coconut. I think Gluten Free products are started to arrive in Europe. FODMAP is still relatively unknown.

My husband has difficult digesting food. He also loves carrots. We were told to cook them and they would be easier to digest.

indeed your history has really touched me… (I don`t know, if that is correct English, but I hope that you understand me)

Today I would like to share some “global” experiences about our low FODMAP diet:

1. Before Christmas I have posed you some questions about the Monash research in cornflakes… May be you remember: I was wondering why GF cornflakes were lower in FODMAPs than the common ones. At the moment I can say tha I have found out the following thing: All common brands here in Germany have malted barley in their formula! I was so naive to think that cornflakes are only made of corn… At least for the GF cornflakes that is right. So my little son enjoys the GF ones 🙂

2.Thanks for your advice to order savory broths from Amazon… If I am not wrong, I have to pay nearly 40 US dollars for 12 cups of broth!!! Pooh 🙁
I think I will go on cooking broth on my own.
I strongly hope that the low FODMAP diet gets more common in continental Europe.

3. I have noticed something interesting about chives: We used to have a chive plant in our home. The plant was quite white as it had not had much sun in winter.
I had put some of that in our omelette and after that dish I had problems with my belly for some hours. Might that be the same thing as with the bulb and the green parts of spring onions or leeks?
Consequently it should be possible to grow garlic grass?! It should be lower in FODMAPs than the cloves, shouldn`t it?

4. I wonder why raw veggies like carrots and also cucumber in bigger amounts are so troublesome for me? I can tolerate the raw low FODMAP fruits (even some more than the suggested amounts as I am not a fructose malabsorber). I can tolerate fine green salads. I am rather careful with raw witlof f.e. as the leafs are not so fine… I can tolerate cooked carrots better than fried ones but I have to be really careful with the raw ones although I love them. They seem so hard to digest!?

5. Following the low FODMAP diet with a child is much harder than I have thought… But at least I have the feeling that our son tolerates a bit more wheat and rye than I do. So I let him eat common wheat and rye products at his friends` homes.
Anyway I`m sure our son will like your chocolate covered bananas! <3

At the end I wish you a very good new year and much power and enthusiasm for your life. You really fill this low FODMAP diet with so much fun!

Thanks a lot
Juliane

Hi Trish, Yes combining low FODMAP with a low food chemical diet would be near impossible. I have found some of my clients benefit from a low histamine diet–in addition to the low FODMAP diet–and in this case, I have been able to just pull the very high histamine foods out of the diet and this does the trick.

Linda, Carob it quite high in FODMAPs–Fructans. Would definitely avoid!!

Kate

Hi Michael, Happy New Year to you! What I have learned is the processing of cocoa is a bit complicated! The alkalized product tends to be less bitter and more flavorful but has less of the antioxidant benefits. From FODMAP standpoint–not really sure. I do believe there are potential effects of the alkalizing process on carbohydrates in the cocoa bean–but I don’t have data on these exact changes. I think if you limit the use as described in my post–1 heaping tablespoon you can use the cocoa of your choice. This article provides some interesting info though I just skimmed it: http://worldcocoafoundation.org/wp-content/files_mf/huang2010.pdf