Myth or fact?
A low FODMAP diet is a long-term treatment for IBS?
This is actually a myth!
Now, in case you don’t know what a low FODMAP diet is, it is a diet that is low in fermentable carbohydrates.
This way, you reduce the amount of food source for bacteria in the digestive tract that can lead to gas and bloating and essentially the IBS symptoms that you experience.
Now, a low FODMAP diet is only meant to be followed for a short period of time, meaning anywhere from two to six weeks.
And if you are following a low FODMAP diet and haven’t seen improvements at that point, most likely that diet is not going to help you.
For anyone who has seen improvements being on a low FODMAP diet in that two to six week mark, then they need to do reintroduction so that they can actually figure out what foods within the high FODMAP categories are a problem for them.
That way, they don’t end up following restrictive eating patterns or develop an eating disorder long term.
And if you are someone who can’t successfully transition off of a low FODMAP diet, where you are able to incorporate most of those foods back in, then guess what?
Something else is going on…
And you need to dig deeper, because relying on a low FODMAP diet long term can actually be more damaging to the gut bacteria because you no longer are giving them a fuel source.
So, just to summarize a low FODMAP diet is only meant to be used short term.
And if you can’t transition off of a diet, then something else is going on that needs to be treated.
If you need help with that or need support following a low FODMAP diet, reach out.
I would love to help.
Inspiring women to take back their digestion and life,
~Dr. Rosie, Naturopathic Doctor and founder of the Digestive Freedom Method
