I’ve completed my first week on the FODMAP diet! I’m happy to report I’m not starving and still plan on continuing the diet. They say you will start to feel better in 2 to 4 weeks, so here’s hoping that it’s sooner than later!
Back in February, I had surgery to repair a herniated disc in my lower back. The surgery went well, however I’ve experienced an adverse reaction to every pain pill, muscle relaxer and antibiotic I was prescribed post-surgery. My GI system is a mess, I have no energy and my brain is foggy. After a number of tests all came back negative for more serious GI issues (thank goodness!), I responded well to an antibiotic. The next step in the “great reset” is following the FODMAP diet for a 4 week elimination period, then adding in foods one at a time.
While I’m specifically doing the FODMAP diet, these tips and tricks will help with most diet changes you may be making. Here are some tips and tricks that really helped me get on track the first week:
- Do your research, and take it with a grain of salt
- Never let yourself get overly hungry
- Write down a list of approved meals and snacks
- Make it easy, buy a product or service
- Journal what you ate and how it made you feel
Do Your Research
When my GI suggested the FODMAP diet, he recommended the Monash University website and mentioned that they also have an app. The Monash app is $8 and i noticed a Fast FODMAP lookup app for free, so I downloaded the free app.
I use the app to track my meals, how i’m feeling and to look up which foods are low FODMAP. It’s been working great so far, although I’m not opposed to purchasing the Monash app if needed.
I also checked out a few books from the library and am so glad I could just borrow these resources! One book has a good overview of the FODMAP diet at the beginning but then the meal plan was completely off base! This book advised against eating lunchmeat and recommended fish omelets for breakfast and to cook lamb for lunch?!?! Ummmm….. how about no?!!?
So, take all that you read with a grain of salt and do what works for you. Personally I’ve been having lettuce wraps filled with different meats and cheeses for lunch most days because that’s what works for me. And if you know me at all, you know I could come up with few things I dislike more than a fish omelet!!
Never let yourself get overly hungry
There’s nothing worse that walking into the kitchen, starving, and not knowing what you can and can’t eat.
Since i’m hoping this diet is a temporary lifestyle change for me, and my husband and son also live in our house, I haven’t tossed everything I can’t eat right now.
I try to keep some snacks readily available so even if I am hungry, I can snack on an approved snack until I have a chance to figure out what I can and want to eat.
Which brings me to my next tip…
Write Down a List of Approved Meals and Snacks
When I first learned the rules of the FODMAP diet, I thought about things I regularly ate and when I found something that met the criteria I wrote it down. I also made a list of things that I typically ate that only needed a few modifications and put that in a separate list.
I separated the already approved list into a few categories such as breakfast, lunch/dinner and snacks. Then I went to work on the list that only needed some minor modifications and started researching how to make them FODMAP friendly.
I store this list on my phone and now when i’m meal planning or just wandering into the kitchen hungry, I have a list of meals and snacks that I know are good for me to eat!
Making this list been incredibly helpful for me and I highly recommend making one! It also helps keep my positive psychologically – I don’t feel deprived when I take a look at the list and see all the things I like to eat!
The photo below is one of my favorite summertime meals – my Carnitas Rice Bowl. I just had to modify the Fresh Pineapple Salsa by omitting the red onion and leaving off the avocado to make this FODMAP friendly!
Make it Easy
Changing your diet is a big change, especially cutting out entire categories of food. In order for this change to be successful, I’m making my life easy and buying some products to help along the way.
Fody is a company that makes low FODMAP products such as ketchup, bbq sauce, taco seasoning, salsa and pasta sauce. Some of the products are available at Whole Foods and other grocery stores, like ketchup and salad dressing, however not all are easy to find.
Fody offers a semi-customizable starter kit for around $40 that let me order a variety of products including marinara sauce, salsa, taco seasoning, ketchup, teriyaki sauce, etc. I picked up a bottle of salad dressing at Whole Foods and now I have the basics.
So buy the gluten free bread, buy the special bottle that will make eating easier! 100% worth it!
Journal
I mentioned earlier that I downloaded an app to my phone to help look up items and keep a food journal. While it’s less important in the elimination phase, recording your food when you’re on a special diet is a good habit to make. It’s helpful to see patterns and while you may not react to FODMAP foods, you may react to other types of food like gluten or dairy. So write down what you eat, how it makes you feel!
This past week hasn’t been a unicorns and rainbows but it hasn’t been awful either. I got some fun treats at Trader Joe’s and am growing accustomed to my nightly Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups. A friend tipped me off to storing in the fridge and she’s 100% on the money!
I even went to a wedding this weekend and didn’t starve! I brought some approved bars with me just in case, but i quietly approached the caterer of the 50 person, all vaxed, backyard wedding and asked if anything didn’t have onion or garlic. She immediately asked if I was on FODMAP, made a quick call to the chef and set aside a plate for me of things I could eat! It was such a relief to be able to enjoy dinner and eat with good friends!
This next week I’m hoping to use more of the Fody products. So far, i’ve tried the ketchup, bbq sauce, taco seasoning and salsa. While they taste different than my usual, they’re a great substitute. They have a little bit of a sweet aftertaste and I’m grateful to have access to these products while on this journey.
