Diet Tips:The Low FODMAP Diet For IBS – It does not need to be difficult!

By Marina Iacovou (PhD candidate and Accredited Practising Dietitian)

There is no reason why a low FODMAP diet cannot be a nutritionally balanced diet. There is a variety of foods to choose from in each of the five core food groups which are outlined in the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating:

1) Grain foods

2) Vegetables and legumes/pulses

3) Dairy and dairy alternatives – milk, yoghurt, cheese

4) Fruit

5) Meats and meat alternatives - lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds and legumes/pulses

Our app breaks down each of the 5 core food groups for you, making it easier for you to find suitable foods in each group while trialling the low FODMAP diet. So if anyone has recently been diagnosed with IBS and is about to trial the low FODMAP diet, or you are simply trying to explain this diet to friends and family – it is not a fructose-free, dairy-free, nut-free, wheat-free, gluten-free diet or a diet that excludes a particular food group.  

The first step is to see a dietitian to help you. This is something we always recommend to people and something we have written about before http://bit.ly/1BfAYNL and http://bit.ly/1HSJhRi.  It is also important to remember it is not a ‘lifetime’ diet http://bit.ly/2ccWi4b and once your symptoms are well-controlled, the next step is to work with your dietitian to re-introduce foods back into your diet.

Also, if your symptoms are well-controlled and there are foods you want to eat but we are yet to test or you are unsure of, we recommend you try them in small amounts to begin with and then monitor your symptoms as you go. This is something we have also written about http://bit.ly/1Upsw8K, which your dietitian can help you with as well.  

If you have a family, are entertaining at home, or have children with IBS there is no reason why everyone has to eat a low FODMAP meal, or for anyone to feel different/left-out.  This can be done by creating meals where everyone can choose what they eat. This can be fun especially for children and a way of re-introducing moderate-high FODMAP containing foods back into your diet. Here are some ideas to get you thinking: 

- Antipasto platters http://bit.ly/1KXVI1S

      -  Baked potatoes http://bit.ly/1SzdxH2

The low FODMAP diet does not need to be plain and boring – we have that covered for you as well. Here is how to add some flavour without adding symptoms http://bit.ly/1EwLRy3 and some tips on adding the taste of onion and garlic http://bit.ly/1MnpAG7into your meals.

If you are travelling or dining out this may need a bit more planning. For instance, when dining out you may want to source a menu from the restaurant beforehand or call ahead and ask what can be arranged for you. You may like to try some Asian cuisine, http://bit.ly/208AS8qor Greek cuisine http://bit.ly/1E2qSSh - whatever you prefer there will always be an option for you. When travelling you may need to organise a special meal on a flight or take some suitable snacks with you just in case. There are several tips and ideas to get you through while travelling, which you can read all about here http://bit.ly/1RnI7IM and http://bit.ly/1YqHvRL. 

If you want to learn more about our team, our history, our resources, what research we are doing and more, here it all is http://www.med.monash.edu/cecs/gastro/fodmap/

           

Diet Tips:Roast Pumpkin, Halloumi & Millet Salad with Lemon-Herb Dressing

By Monica Rundle & Lyndal McNamara 

Serves 4

Fancy a meat free meal this week? Packed with plant sourced protein, healthy unsaturated fats and filling dietary fibre, this delicious vegetarian recipe ticks all of the boxes! Best of all it is low in FODMAPs, so suitable for the whole family to enjoy. 

Ingredients

Salad:

·       1 tsp. olive oil

·       ½ Japanese pumpkin, cut into large pieces (approx. 1kg)

·       1 tsp. cumin

·       1 tsp. cinnamon

·       1 tsp. paprika

·       200g canned brown lentils

·       1 C cooked millet

·       1 tbsp. currants

·       2 C rocket

·       1 tbsp. pine nuts

·       1tsps. pumpkin seeds

·       150g halloumi cheese, cut into 1cm thick slices

·        

Dressing:

·       1 bunch coriander, roughly chopped

·       Juice of 2 lemons

·       ¼ C olive oil

·       ½ tsp. cumin

·       ½ tsp. ground coriander

·       Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Step 1	Pre heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Toss pumpkin in oil, paprika, cumin and cinnamon and place on lined baking tray. Roast in oven for 45 minutes of until tender.
Step 2	In the meantime, drain and rinse lentils well. Add lentils, millet, currents and rocket to a salad bowl.
Step 3	In a frying pan, add pumpkin seeds and pine nuts and lightly toast. Stir frequently and remove from heat once golden brown. Add to salad bowl.
Step 4	Preheat a nonstick frying pan over a high heat. Place halloumi slices in the pan, sear the first side for one minute and flip and sear for 1-2 minutes on the second side. The cheese should be golden and crunchy on the outside and soft inside. Once cooked, remove and add to salad bowl.
Step 5	Remove the cooked pumpkin from the oven and add to the salad bowl.
Step 6	Add all the dressing ingredients to a jar and shake to combine. Poor dressing over salad and gently toss salad together.

Tips: 
- To make this recipe suitable for vegans or dairy free, omit halloumi cheese or replace with suitable dairy-free cheese alternative 
- Halloumi cheese can be quite high in salt, so we recommend choosing a salt-reduced variety if available 

Nutrition Information/serve: 

Energy	2048kJ
Protein	19.5g
Carbohydrates	32.3g
Fat	29.5g
Saturated fat	7.3g
Sodium	1100mg*
Calcium	380mg

*Calculated with recipe using non-salt reduced halloumi

Diet Tips:Dietary Fibre Series - Prebiotic Fibre

Erin Dwyer (Research Dietitian)

 

We know eating enough fibre on a low FODMAP diet can be challenging and that getting the right mix of fibres is very important, so let’s discuss prebiotic fibre.

There has been a lot of talk recently about prebiotics and probiotics and how they can affect the gut, but what really are they?

Prebiotics (including resistant starch) are non-digestible fibres found in certain foods that can stimulate the growth of some bacteria. This means that instead of being broken down within the gut the prebiotic fibre travels through the gut, stimulating growth and/or activity of probiotics i.e. the good bacteria!

Here's a list of foods that are high in prebiotics that have a 'green serve’ size – take a look at the Monash low FODMAP App to find out more!

Fruits and Vegetables	Grains and Cereals	Legumes, lentils, nuts and seeds
Artichokes	Oats	Mung beans
Beetroot	Buckwheat kernels	Lima beans
Butternut Pumpkin	Wheat free Gnocchi	Nuts – Almonds and hazelnuts
Pomegranate seeds	Wheat bran	Canned chickpeas
Dried paw paw	Pasta (wheat/spelt), cooked and cooled	Canned lentils

If you are following or have followed a low FODMAP diet you may notice many of the foods listed above are high in FODMAPs. This is because fructans and galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) are prebiotic fibres.

So if prebiotics are often high in FODMAPS, but considered part of a healthy diet, how can they be included on a low FODMAP diet?

Here are a few ideas to get you started

·         Firstly, remember that a low FODMAP diet is only meant to be LOW in FODMAPs, not completely depleted of FODMAPs

·         Also, after the initial strict phase of the diet, you may find through the rechallenge phase that you actually tolerate moderate serves of fructan and GOS rich foods quite well

·         Certain canned legumes that have been rinsed and drained are lower in FODMAPs - you can find a safe ‘green serve’ of legumes and lentils in the Monash FODMAP App. Try this recipe http://fodmapmonash.blogspot.com.au/2016/01/low-fodmap-vegan-coconut-pumpkin-curry.html

·         You can purchase wheat free Gnocchi for a low FODMAP option, serve it with a low FODMAP pasta sauce and salad – You can try this recipe http://fodmapmonash.blogspot.com.au/2016/09/low-fodmap-chicken-and-gnocchi-pasta.html

·         Add ¼ cup (green serve) of pomegranate seeds to your salad for great texture and a little sweetness

·         Snack on some almonds or hazelnuts (10 for a green serve)

It is also important to remember to continually test your tolerance to FODMAP containing foods, you may find you can tolerate different prebiotics in varying amounts. For some guidance in reintroduction you can look back on this past blog post:

http://fodmapmonash.blogspot.com.au/2015/06/just-2-6-weeks-it-is-not-diet-for-life_8.html