Diet Tips:A dietitian’s day on a plate - Week 1 of 2

By Shirley Webber (Research dietitian)

As someone who has struggled with IBS for many years, I was relieved when I found out about the low FODMAP diet. Throughout my high schooling, I thought that having an upset stomach was “normal” and constantly feeling tired and like my head was in a giant cloud was just me being a typical teen. It wasn’t until I went to University that firstly, I realised these symptoms were not normal and secondly, I began to suspect that the symptoms may have been triggered by dietary factors.

I subsequently underwent testing to rule out serious illnesses, including coeliac disease, all of which came back negative. As a last resort, my GP suggested I have a breath tests to check my tolerance of lactose and fructose. When I found that I malabsorbed both sugars, my GP then gave me a list of all fructose and lactose containing foods that he found on the internet and told me to “never eat these foods”. That was the problem solved as far as my GP was concerned. Having seen this doctor for most of my schooling life, I trusted his every word and followed a very restricted diet for three years. I felt anxious when I ate out and found growing up in a family where food was at our core very difficult.  Increasingly, I felt that my highly restricted diet was difficult to follow and just not good enough for me.

This all changed when I read a magazine article about research into diet and gut health. This article sparked my interest in dietary research and health. At a similar time, my dad discovered that he had the same food intolerances as I did and after consultation with a dietitian, we became aware of the low FODMAP diet. Importantly, we discovered that foods should not be restricted for life, but rather reintroduced slowly to identify tolerance to specific FODMAPs. Over the next two years, I gradually tested my tolerance to new foods, reintroducing foods I was previously “not allowed”. This saw me find a much healthier diet that I could happily live with.

My personal interest in nutrition and food intolerances grew to the point that I decided to do further post graduate studies in Dietetics to better understand the complexities of food intolerances.

So now you have my personal IBS story. Next week I will give you an idea of what I eat to keep myself healthy and my symptoms at bay…a dietitian’s ‘day on a plate’.

 

Diet Tips:A dietitian’s day on a plate - week 2 of 2

By Shirley Webber (Research dietitian)

If you've ever wondered what a day in the life of a dietitian on a low FODMAP diet looks like, here is a snapshot. 

My general week day

6.00 Cup of tea

7.30 Greek yoghurt with ½ cup muesli (I slowly built up my tolerance to yoghurt)

9.00 Sourdough spelt toast with Marmalade and a cup of tea

10.30 ½ banana and hand full of nuts

12.00 Chicken stir fry (homemade) with rice or Jaffle with mince meat and vegetables (sourdough spelt bread)

** I always have a lots of vegetables with a variety of low to moderate FODMAP rating Occasionally I would throw in some high FODMAP vegetables eg. snow peas, but I’ll only eat about 4-5

3.00 Muesli bar or baby bell cheese and a tea

4.00 Glass of water

6.30 ½ Raw carrot while I’m cooking to stop myself from snacking on the food that I’m preparing and thus overeating

Dinner – Shephard’s pie with lots of vegetables. I make mine with a tomato sauce and check that there is no garlic or onion in the sauce base. Vegetables include carrots, capsicum, and the green tops of spring onion. I always top mine off with a thin layer of cheddar cheese baked in the oven, so it’s nice a crunchy on the top

Another frequently made meal in my house is roasted chicken with roasted vegetables: sweet potato, radishes, carrots, a couple of slices of beetroot and pumpkin

8.00 Peppermint tea or water

My weekends are never the same

Generally, I like to sleep in and have breakfast at 8.30 am. One of my weekend favourite breakfasts is bruschetta and poached eggs. I make this with sourdough spelt toast, topped with a variety of tomatoes, black olives, olive oil, salt and a poached egg on top.

If I’m out exercising, hiking or at the gym, I’ll snack on a banana and a Greek yoghurt in between breakfast and lunch, while drinking plenty of water.

12.30 pm Lunch is usually a meat (chicken or deli ham) and salad sandwich with tomatoes, ice berg lettuce and avocado. If I’m feeling adventurous I might add a teaspoon of chutney or mustard

4.00pm I usually drink tea in the afternoon

6.30pm Dinner is a big family affair which usually involves a barbeque. Salmon with a bit of lemon, butter and salad is popular in warm weather or roasted vegetables if it’s cold out

Eating out

I still enjoy eating out. I tend to choose Japanese as it is freshly cooked and I can ask for onion and garlic to be left out (those two ingredients are my main concern). If I eat other cuisines I tend to order non-marinated chicken or meat with mixed vegetables. I always run my dietary requirements passed restaurant staff and have found chefs are generally willing to alter meals for me. An advantage of living in Melbourne is that the low FODMAP diet was developed here by Monash University. Therefore, I find that there is good awareness of food intolerances compared to other countries. This said, awareness of the low FODMAP diet is growing worldwide, so this is a positive sign. 

I think that even though I struggle with IBS it is important to still have a diet that includes a wide variety of foods to ensure that I get all the nutrients that my body needs. Food is meant to be enjoyed, so go ahead, try new things and get creative!

What’s on your plate?