Low FODMAP is a short test, not a diet you stay on. It has three phases, the restrictive one is the shortest, and the whole point of it is to end up eating more foods than you would by guessing.
FODMAPs are a group of carbohydrates that some people absorb poorly. In a sensitive gut they draw in water and ferment, which can mean pain, bloating, wind and a change in bowel habit. They do this in everybody; what differs is how much you notice.
The American College of Gastroenterology suggests a limited trial of a low-FODMAP diet for irritable bowel syndrome (Lacy BE et al., American Journal of Gastroenterology, 2021 · doi:10.14309/ajg.0000000000001036). The American Gastroenterological Association describes it as the dietary approach with the strongest evidence in IBS, and is equally clear that the restrictive phase should run no more than four to six weeks (Chey WD et al., Gastroenterology, 2022 · doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2021.12.248).
The six groups
- Fructans: wheat, rye, onion, garlic, leek
- GOS: beans, chickpeas, lentils, some nuts
- Lactose: milk, yogurt, soft cheeses
- Fructose: honey, some fruits, some sweeteners
- Sorbitol: stone fruits, sugar-free products
- Mannitol: mushrooms, cauliflower
You test them one at a time later, and most people find only two or three matter to them.
What it is not
It is not a gluten-free diet. Wheat comes down because of its fructans, and gluten is a protein, not a FODMAP. If coeliac disease has not been ruled out for you, testing is more accurate before you cut back on wheat.
It is not a dairy-free diet. The issue is lactose. Hard aged cheeses, butter and lactose-free milk all fit.
It is not low-carb. Rice, potatoes, oats and quinoa are all fine.
It is not a weight-loss diet. There is nothing in it that restricts calories, and Loopa does not show weight framing inside the protocol.
Portion size is the whole thing
There is no such thing as a food being FODMAP-free or not. The same food is fine at one serving and a problem at twice it, which is why every answer Loopa gives you names the serving it is talking about. Thirty grams of cheddar and a hundred and fifty grams of cheddar are two different answers about the same cheese.
It is worth talking to a clinician first
Loopa helps you track and test. It does not diagnose anything, and symptoms like these are worth having looked at, because some causes need a different kind of attention.
See also: The three phases · Checking a meal before you eat
