What is a Fodmap?
FODMAP is an acronym for “Fermentable Oligo-, Di-, Mono-saccharides And Polyols”.[1] They are short chain carbohydrates that are poorly absorbed in the small intestine, and are prone to absorb water and ferment in the colon. They include short chain oligo-saccharide polymers of fructose (fructans) and galactooligosaccharides (GOS, stachyose, raffinose), disaccharides (lactose), monosaccharides (fructose), and sugar alcohols (polyols), such as sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, and maltitol.[1][2] Most FODMAPs are naturally present in food and the human diet, but the polyols may be added artificially in commercially-prepared foods and beverages.
by Dr. Karen Reed Ph. D. Thursday, May 11, 2017
Everyone is different when it comes to diets. There are food groups that some of us can stand, but others will never be able to touch. And our food intolerances and allergies will develop and change over time. Scientists don’t understand it all, but they’re making headway.
What’s important is the FODMAP symptoms. Too many people ignore serious FODMAP symptoms, believing that they just have to put up with chronic pain and discomfort. Well, that is certainly not the case. The symptoms are your body’s way of telling you that there’s a problem – that you need to make some changes to be able to improve your lifestyle.
With that in mind, it’s time to look at the seven most commonly ignored symptoms. These FODMAP symptoms need you to pay attention and make changes today.
The Feeling of Being Bloated and Gassy
You shouldn’t feel bloated on a daily basis. However, people start to get used to it and forget that it’s one of the FODMAP symptoms. These are foods like fructose and other sugar and carby ingredients that line the stomach and intestines. The FODMAPs aren’t digested properly, and they start to back up in the system.
Bloating will make you feel full and big. You’ll find it difficult to pull your stomach in – possibly in pain because of it. Some people even have pain around their kidneys or their gallbladder, as the body tries to rectify the problem.
Bacteria start to grow around the intestines, and you end up with other serious problems. The pain gets worse, you can suffer from stomach upsets, and constipation or loose stools become an issue. Your muscles in the stomach start to spasm, leading to pain between meals.
This is a FODMAP symptoms that you will continually suffer from. While fiber can help to push through the food, there are some limitations. In fact, too much fiber can end up making it all worse. You can find that your weight loss efforts are stalled because of the water retention and backed up food.
It’s not just bloating, either. FODMAP symptoms can lead to other gut diseases and problems. Irritable bowel syndrome and leaky gut are two very common complaints with those who suffer from FODMAP symptoms.
The only way that you can get rid of FODMAP symptoms. This will help to get rid of the reason, rather than trying to battle the FODMAP symptoms.
You’re Constantly Battling Headaches or Migraines
Do you have a daily headache? One that just doesn’t go away no matter what painkillers you take or how much sleep you get? You may even find that your headache is more serious and becomes a migraine. This can lead to you being trapped in a dark room for a full day because any sort of movement or light makes you sick.
While many people blame headaches and migraines on dehydration and stress, they could actually be a FODMAP symptoms. This is because the foods you’re eating are causing inflammation in your body. That inflammation passes up into your brain, putting pressure on every single nerve in your body. The more serious your inflammation is, the more serious your headache or a migraine will be.
Don’t ignore this symptom and brush it off as something else. It’s easy to think that it’s just a normal part of your life that you must put up with.
A slight change in your diet could fix everything for you. Try eating foods that have more fiber and proteins. Magnesium-rich foods are certainly ones that you want to consider more in your diet. The magnesium will help to reduce the inflammation in your body and can help to take some of the pressure on your nerves.
If you can’t get enough magnesium in your diet, you may find that you need to take supplements. Consider all your options to help battle this side effect to a common problem.
You Struggle with Handling Your Mood Swings
While women will find mood swings a common complaint every now and then, some of us find the moods extremely had to control. We suddenly feel moody or down in the dumps from one day to the next, with seemingly no reason. There may be feelings of anxiety or stress, without anything happening in our lives to cause it.
Sometimes it’s not quite mood swings but changes in your brain function. You can become confused or suffer from this feeling of cloudiness on a daily basis. The problem with these symptoms is that you can overlook them and not realize they are happening. It will be your friends and family members who notice it first – ask them if you are worried about something like this.
The inflammation in the body is to blame for this – yes, inflammation again! Studies have shown that inflammation leads to the release of proteins that lead to depression and other mental health problems.
This is a symptom that you don’t want to ignore. While there may be a day where we’re just fed up with the world because of boredom or stress, this shouldn’t be a regular problem. You shouldn’t find that you’re battling anxiety or depression on a daily basis! It’s a sign that there is something wrong with your diet and your hormones.
Following the FODMAP diet can help to reduce these symptoms. You start to battle the reasoning behind the inflammation, which prevents the proteins from being released.
Even if you don’t want to overhaul your diet completely, you should look at eating more omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin B12. Both of these nutrients will help to fight off inflammation and put your body right again. Omega 3 has also proven benefits to the mental health, improving longevity, cognitive function, and moods.
At the same time, you’ll want to look at changing your hormonal balance. Reduce the stress and increase the happy hormones to get more control over your mood.
You Have Trouble Sleeping on a Night
Insomnia is not something that you should suffer from. Okay, there are some people who are night owls. Others sleep easily on a night but get up very early. That’s part of human nature.
What you shouldn’t find is that it takes you hours to sleep – if you even get sleep – that you get to sleep for two or three hours and then you’re repeating the process the next night. You shouldn’t feel like you’re constantly running on fumes one day to the next.
Like with everything else, inflammation has been linked to insomnia. In fact, around 10% of adults will suffer from persistent insomnia and feel like there is no way out. And those with insomnia and high levels of inflammation have been linked to a higher mortality rate. After all, your body isn’t getting the rest it needs, your mental health suffers, and you just don’t feel well within yourself.
You don’t want to ignore this symptom – although too many people too. You need to take steps to improving your sleeping pattern on a night. Stop using it as an excuse to get a few things done around the house. They can wait, and your body needs you to rest right now!
Try meditation and limiting your caffeine on a night. You could even try the exercise on a morning or mid afternoon to help use up some of the excess energy and get a better night’s sleep. Essential oils can help to eliminate stress, which is a common reason for insomnia on top of the inflammation.
You Constantly Feel Tired
Whether you sleep well or not, you constantly feel tired. There’s this overall tiredness that reaches every single muscle in your body. Your head is cloudy, and you just don’t feel like you can concentrate on anything. All you want to do is close your eyes and have a nap – although you know that it never solves anything.
Yes, the inflammation is to blame again. And this is one of those symptoms that is too often overlooked. The problem is that it’s a symptom of so many other problems! We feel tired because we are tired. We’re fatigued because we’re ill or because we’ve used up all the energy that we currently have.
Inflammation affects the way the whole body works. When it comes to fatigue, the inflammation affects how the liver performs. It stops the oxygenated blood getting to the body, meaning the organs don’t get everything that they need.
Of course, gut inflammation also stops the body from absorbing all the nutrients that you eat. You may get plenty of iron from your food, but your body isn’t able to absorb it. Your body can’t produce enough red blood cells to get the oxygen around your whole system.
We tend to drink more coffee or eat more sugary foods because we’re tired. It’s time to stop that habit because those foods and drinks just cause more problems. Sure, you get a slight increase in energy at first. You end up with a stronger dip, which means you will feel more tired than you did when you first started!
The best thing to do is change your diet. Reduce the inflammation and improve your nutritional absorption rate. After all, if your body isn’t getting enough iron, what else isn’t it getting enough of?
You Struggle with Breathing or Have Chest Pains
Of course, you wouldn’t ignore this symptom, right? Well, you’ll be surprised to hear just how many people do, especially if it happens on a regular basis. However, this is one of the FODMAP symptoms that you need to look out for.
Difficulty in breathing is a sign of a much more serious problem. Okay, if you’ve just runup 10 flights of stairs, you are going to struggle to breathe. That’s normal, but you should find that your breathing returns to normal quickly. What you shouldn’t have is a sudden onset when doing nothing – and certainly not every few hours of the day. You also shouldn’t find that your breathing difficulties stop you from doing activities.
Your doctor will want to rule out various complications, including asthma, stroke, and blood clots. Infections in the lungs are also commonly to blame.
Likewise, you shouldn’t have pain in your chest or this feeling of something pressing onto it. This is a difficult symptom, as you may be used to the feeling of your breathing being constricted. Sudden pain is a sign of a heart attack. While men get pain in their arms, women are more likely to feel pain in their back or stomach!
The pain may be accompanied by dizziness and vomiting. Whenever it is to do with your breathing or chest, speak to a doctor!
Your Vision Has Changed Considerably
I understand how easy it is to overlook this FODMAP symptoms. Let me begin by saying that vision changes as you get older are normal. Your cells start to die, and you can start to suffer from a short or long distance. There is also an element in the genes – those with parents who wear glasses are more likely to need them in the future. Those with parents or siblings who have glaucoma are at a higher risk of developing it.
Trauma is another reason for changes in the vision. Getting debris in the eyes or suffering a blow to the head could change what you can and can’t see – or how dry your eyes become.
What should n’t find is that you have sudden vision loss or blurred vision. You shouldn’t experience sudden flashes of light in your eyes – almost like lightning going off. This could be a sign of something severe that needs immediate medical care.
If there are any changes to your vision, it’s best to talk to an eye doctor. Seeing one will help to rule out anything more serious, while you change your diet to eliminate the FODMAP symptoms.
Keep an Eye Out for All FODMAP Symptoms
I don’t say any of this to scare you. There are many FODMAP symptoms that are left ignored. We all do it from time to time because we’re used to the symptoms or think that they’re not serious. After all, that flash of light may have just been a flash of a headlight, right? The bloating is just something that you ate or indigestion because you ate too quickly!
More often than not, the symptoms are ones that you can get rid of. By not ignoring them, you won’t let them get any worse or affect your mental health. You can get rid of the reason behind the symptoms and look after your overall health by following the low FODMAP diet.