Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a disorder that afflicts about 10% – 15% of the American population.
Almost everyone has experienced the symptoms of IBS and they are not pleasant.
From feeling bloated or being constipated to increased flatulence and stomach aches, people with chronic IBS have it tough.
Especially if you’re a regular lifter at the gym.
The US Department of Health and Human Services dietary guidelines recommends an active male between 21 and 35 get at least 3000 calories daily.
For many of us who look to put on muscle, the caloric surplus we ingest will stress our digestive tract more than you realize.
Even though I don’t suffer from IBS myself, I know many who struggle with it.
What are FODMAP foods?
I eat an average of four to six meals a day and can only imagine how difficult it must be to adhere to a bodybuilding diet while having IBS.
In recent years, there have been more studies that show IBS can be triggered by certain food types.
FODMAPs are a group of carbohydrate molecules found in foods. People with IBS have trouble digesting these carbohydrates and absorbing them into the small intestines.
From there, FODMAPs move into the large intestine where they absorb water and are rapidly fermented by our gut bacteria. This process produces gas and other side effects.
People with IBS can benefit from consuming low FODMAP foods.
What is FODMAP?
Let’s unpack this acronym.
F: Fermentable carbs
O: Oligosaccharides (fructans and galactose molecules that we cannot break down inside our small intestines)
D: Disaccharides (lactose requires enough lactase enzyme otherwise it cannot be properly digested and travels to the larger intestine where it begins fermenting)
M: Monosaccharides
And
P: Polyols (Sugar alcohols and artificial sweeteners that we can only partially digest)
High FODMAP foods
People with IBS should try to avoid high FODMAP foods which tend to aggravate the gut. These food items include dairy products like ice cream and yoghurt, vegetables like lentils and onions, and fruits like apples and pears.
Fruits contain sorbitol and fructose while grains and vegetables are rich in FODMAPs like fructans and mannitol.
Even without its high FODMAP content, I wouldn’t touch high fructose corn syrup.
For those of you who supplement your workouts with protein shakes, you may want to inspect the packaging for any high FODMAP ingredients.
The FODMAP content for protein powders mostly depends on how the protein is processed and whether it’s been isolated.
Unless they are labeled lactose-free, hydrolyzed whey or whey concentrate may be high in FODMAP. Also
Generally, whey protein isolate contains little or no lactose and is also the purest form of whey.
Plant-derived protein powders like soy, rice or pea blends are hard to extract and purify but are still comparatively lower in FODMAP.
Low FODMAP foods
Good news meat lovers, because most protein foods like eggs, meat, poultry, and fish are naturally free of FODMAPs.
So, you can still hit your protein per pound of bodyweight requirement to build muscle.
That said, refrain from reaching for processed meats or meats with gravy as their sauces or marinates may contain FODMAPs.
Condiments like garlic dips are high in FODMAPs. Stick to barbeque or soy sauce as a safer bet for lower FODMAP content.
Another piece of good news: not all cheeses are high FODMAPs. Cheddar and feta are lower on the FODMAP scale.
Add variety to your meals with low FODMAP foods. Fruits like kiwi, nuts and seed varieties like macadamias, peanuts, and sugars like dark chocolate and maple syrup.
How to start a low FODMAP diet
Most individuals have IBS symptoms when consuming specific high FODMAPs.
Cutting all high FODMAP foods might make your diet overly restrictive. Instead, I suggest taking out one food group, for example, fruits. Then, slowly reintroduce fruits to see which are causing your digestive system trouble.
It may take some mental discipline and systematically reintroducing foods over time to find out what foods can potentially trigger your gut.
Bear in mind that food allergies or reactions may change over time. Foods that you didn’t struggle with digesting during your teenage years may be the reason behind your constipation and abdominal pain.
Test, test, and test some more. Knowing which foods to steer clear of gives your gut a chance to heal and restore its natural microbiomes.
Monitoring FODMAPs
Rather than spend time agonizing over which foods to avoid, use an app to help monitor and track your FODMAP consumption.
Apps like the Fig: Food scanner allow you to scan food off the shelf to check for FODMAP content.
Others like the FODMAP Diet A to Z use color codes to represent high, low or moderate FODMAP foods.
Some of these apps even have low FODMAP diet recommendations which you can build around.
Hopefully, this helps anyone suffering from IBS!