On Saturday on Radio LIve I interviewed Leigh O'Brien, a Christchurch based dietician, on the Low Fodmap diet, who should try it and why.
I thought she was interesting and was surprised that one of the most common foods that people react to is onions.
Personally I can't cope with too much raw cabbage, broccoli or cauliflower but thankfully onions are my friend.

If you would like to listen to the interview it is here
Leigh O'Brien Low Fodmap Diet

I recently made a pasta with a creamy onion sauce and gremolata....I spent the entire night in true discomfort, bloating and cramping. I've never had those symptoms like that before and wasn't sure if it was a bug or just the quantity of onions, although I commonly make a curry that has a sauce made with pureed onions/spices. I also wondered if the quantity of pasta was the issue, but again I regularly eat that without side effects.

Griz, that is exactly how wheat affects me (a few times I have unknowingly eaten a small quantity since I stopped eating it about seven years ago). I have no idea if my reaction is related to the gluten in it or to the other aspects that make wheat forbidden under the low FODMAPS protocol. I have no trouble from onions or other FODMAPS foods.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/12/2017 09:41AM by TPANDAV.

I react to onions (French onion soup! The worst!), but I now buy in Beano from the US which for me completely deals to any problem with beans or any veges. I wish they sold it here, but it's worth the cost to me to buy them on eBay as they've transformed my life. I used to bloat madly after every meal, especially with onions.

Carolyn I had to google Beano as had never heard of it but it looks well worth taking for those who suffer.
I wonder why it isn't here.

I really wish it was! I buy some for my mother too as she has IBS and she finds it amazing.

Hello all..
Its been quite some time since I have commented or contributed to Foodlovers. It has been a busy 4 years for my partner and I...our focus has been on the business we bought 4 1/2 years ago. But now I truly need your help or advice. For a number of years my partner has suffered from symptoms of IBS. It has become more and more debilitating. He has been through 2 GPs, and had every test imaginable, at considerable cost, with nothing to give him hope.
In desperation a couple of weeks ago, he found a clinic in Christchurch that specializes in all things associated with the gut, digestive system and bowel. He had an appointment with them last week, and was given more hope (no promises) but at last had some answers.
Tomorrow we start on a 6 week trial diet.....gluten free and low FODMAP, after which they will start to introduce the known 'irritants' to see what may cause his symptoms. I am surprised at what he can eat, and equally surprised at what he cant. Onions and garlic are out....darnit...but he was told that I could infuse cooking oil with these flavours, as long as he didn't eat the flesh. I use a lot of a well known liquid beef and stock in my cooking, but as it contains onion, we have a question into the dietician asking if this is okay.
I have been thinking about ways to keep our meals varied, and the things he loves within the restrictions. My biggest question is cheese sauce ( cheese is allowed, but milk is not) I have on hand rice flour to replace regular flour...and rice milk and oat milk.
I am totally unfamiliar with how these products work. Can I successfully make a cheese sauce?
I've been doing lot of reading, and there are so many variations on the FODMAP diet, but I feel I have to keep strictly to the guidelines given by the clincic.
Help!!
I have missed Foodlovers, and wish had more hours in my day!
Kind regards..
Paula

In my experience of quitting all grains and legumes it is easier to just work with the foods that are permitted, rather than trying to make substitutes. For example, if you can't use milk and cream then don't try to make a cheese sauce but instead make a different sauce such as tomato or velouté, or, better still, dress food with top quality extra virgin olive oil and an appropriate vinegar.

Make your own chicken stock and beef stock without vegetable flavourings, freeze in suitable sizes. It will be tastier and healthier than any commercial stock.

Substitutes like rice flour and almond milk all behave differently from the ingredients they are replacing, if you have to use them then search out recipes that have been developed for them. But I have found it easy to do without any kind of flour. I thicken sauces and stews by reduction, on the rare occasions that I make a cake I make a flourless one with ground nuts.

If you are not already familiar with cuisines other than European now is the time to learn; there are so many different ways to prepare food and not all of them require gluten and FODMAPs.

Paula the clinic that your partner is going to could well be where Leigh the dietician that I interviewed works.
She said that the low FODMAP diet is only ever for 4-6 weeks and then reintroduction starts.

6 weeks is hopefully not too long to go without many of these things.

Garlic and onion are very common allergens although yes garlic oil is OK.

Ideally perhaps you should try and stick to simple meals for the time being until you can start to reintroduce and find out where the problem lies.
If he starts to feel really well on the diet then maybe he will be happy to forgo the usual cheese sauce etc... and not miss them.

I have a friend on this diet at present and she found the first week hard but now is a month into it, feeling well and happy with what she can eat.

By the way, It is lovely to have you back again!

I read a short piece on IBS with diarrhea as the main symptom just yesterday. Posting here in case helpful [www.medicalnewstoday.com]

Thank you for your replies.
TPANDAV...good advice thank you. I had decided after thinking about it to make my own chicken and beef stocks, using what was allowed in the diet.
Helen, I will pass onto Steve about your friend on the diet. I think it will encourage him. I was hoping that I could adapt some of our favourite meals to comply with the diet, and I think there are a couple that I can, but yes, maybe others just have to wait a while. Its a bit of a learning curve for us both!
Good to be back

Do you have a list of permitted foods that you could post here? Some of us may be able to make some recipe suggestions.

It certainly is a challenge to have to change your cooking/eating habits, but it can also be exciting and interesting. I found it very hard to quit bread, but at the same time it opened up many other options which I otherwise wouldn't have bothered with, e.g. Bunless burgers using lettuce leaves instead of buns, breakfasts of eggs and vegetable curries, veges dressed with extra virgin olive oil.

The son of a friend at age 19 had suffered dreadful IBS symptoms all of his life. In desperation they put him on to a strict low FODMAPS diet and within three days he started to improve and after two weeks was symptom free. The whole household ate the same way to support him, and they all felt better for it.

Here are some ways to add taste to meals without onion, milk, gluten or garlic...

- Grated cheese you said was allowed, feta or blue cheese as well if permitted
- olive oil and salt
- lemon zest with parsley mixed together (Gremolata)
- butter (if allowed)
- Chilli sauces (sriracha for example)
- toasted nuts or seeds or pine nuts

Good luck, let us know how he gets along.

I've been low FODMAP and low salicylate for a couple of years now, so am on a very restricted diet. I never managed to reintroduce any high FODMAP foods. I make my own chicken and beef stocks and a lot of my other food from scratch. The Monash University Mobile App is useful for when you're out and about. There is a small cost for this but it is handy. I also subscribe to the Little Bit Yummy newsletter and Facebook feed (her chocolate muesli is excellent served with chocolate flavoured coconut yoghurt):
[www.alittlebityummy.com]

Regarding the question about cheese sauce, I make it using Soy milk, cornflour and parmesan cheese. I find parmesan cheese good as you don't need as much of it to get a good flavour, and I can't tolerate lots of cheese.

Someone suggested baking using nuts. Be cautious here as almonds are high Fodmap and a lot of gluten free cakes use almonds. This is annoying as a lot of the GF options in cafes use almonds.

It does get easier, you will feel better, and you will become a master at substitution or as suggested finding alternatives.

I find there can be a huge difference between different onions, sometimes a whole bag will have that effect. In order to avoid this happening, my grandmother always boiled her (sliced) onions & then drained them before using - it really is worth doing if you have a problem, as it does work.

I am sorry I haven't commented on a lot of postings. A combination of busy at work, and family visiting from overseas (ie my partners son and daughter in law along with their 4 month baby girl) for a very surprise visit for Steve's 60th birthday. Well, it wasn't a surprise to me cos I was in on the secret! But for Steve it has been a birthday to remember for ever. They live in Sweden. We travelled from Timaru to Dunedin last Saturday to have a dinner (as he thought) with his two daughters and their partners. He was blown away when we arrived at the restaurant and 5 of his 7 siblings waiting there. One of most emotional moments I have ever experienced is when Steve's son walked into the restaurant holding Steve's granddaughter. Needless to say there were many tears, any many cuddles! We have been spoilt with photos and videos galore since her birth, but to see and hold her is just a joy.

Back to the diet. It is going so much better than I could have hoped. We ( well he is) completely gluten free, and it is so much easier than I thought. I've adapted recipes to suit, and to be honest some of the adaptions actually taste better. I've made chicken and beef stock and got them in the freezer. It is the flesh of onions and garlic that has to be avoided. so when making stock I've put them in a muslin bag to get the flavor.
Cheesecake..it is the Monash diet that we are following, and Steve has their app on his phone. I think that already I am getting good at finding substitutes! I am amazed how well gluten free flour products work
Thank you all for our suggestions.....they have all been taken on board