You’re Missing Out on Delicious Food (here’s how to enjoy eating - even with IBS)
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When you take away high-FODMAP foods and get relief from your IBS symptoms, it feels pretty amazing.
You work hard to eliminate every possible FODMAP ingredient from your plate so you can keep feeling good.
You avoid going to restaurants whenever possible and turn down social meals.
You’re good at planning and cooking your own food, but the effort is exhausting and you wish you could just pick up pizza once in awhile.
It seems like you can count your “safe” foods on two hands, and stressing over every bite is wearing you down (or making you want to binge on Mexican).
Right now you’re missing out on delicious food, and you don’t need to be.
There’s a way out of this lonely, hungry place and it’s all about finding your unique IBS triggers.
I’m here to tell you finding your triggers isn’t as difficult as you might think. It’s even a little fun, especially with this handy tool I created to help you along the way!
Ready to challenge and reintroduce high-FODMAP foods?
Click to get your FREE Reintroduction Checklist!
Why Test High-FODMAP Foods?
You need to test FODMAPs for three reasons:
Right now you know you’re sensitive to FODMAPs, but you don’t know which ones
There’s a very good chance you can eat some high-FODMAP foods and still keep your symptoms in check - one study found only 33% of people with IBS are sensitive to fructose
You’ll be able to have much more variety in your diet which is important for gut health...but also important for living life and enjoying eating again
Who Should Test FODMAPs?
You're ready to start the testing process (a.k.a. the Reintroduction Phase) if…
You saw an improvement in your symptoms when you eliminated FODMAPS
You discovered the other factors that contribute to your IBS symptoms (stress, sleep, hormones, etc.) during the elimination process - and learned how to handle them
If those statements describe you, you’re ready to bring back FODMAPs and learn your unique triggers!
Through the Elimination Phase you gave your body a clean slate. Now it’s time to learn what FODMAPs are the culprits for YOU specifically - and which ones can be part of your life again.
The #1 Tool You Need to Test FODMAPs
When I coach people through FODMAP testing, we approach it like an experiment - You’re collecting data about your body in an organized process.
In the end, you use all this awesome info to create your unique lifetime eating style so you can stop policing every bite and start enjoying food again.
Having a simple tool to track your food testing results is essential. Why?
It lets you see patterns in how your body reacts to different FODMAPs.
It clearly shows you how long it takes for symptoms to pop up - many people notice that it takes 1 to 2 days. This info is gold!
For every FODMAP category you test, you’ll start with a very small serving (so you’re never blindsided by major symptoms) and work your way up to a large serving.
As you go through the process you need to track the following:
The test food and its FODMAP category
Serving size
Any symptoms you experience up to 48 hours (depending on your body) after testing
You already know that FODMAP testing is the way to more food freedom - but it can be overwhelming, so I created a free Test Food Tracker that you can download and get started as soon as today!
It’s the same tool I use in my program Free To Eat, which guides you through the FODMAP reintroduction phase (Become a member of Calm Belly Club to get access to this program!).
This Tracker is a workbook that you can fill out on your computer (just save it to your device and you’ll be able to type into it), or print it out and write on it!
As an extra bonus, I added a cover page that helps you design your personalized testing plan. There’s also a place to fill in your start date - Put it on your calendar and commit to it.
Remember, it’s not healthy (for your body or your social life) to stay in a strict elimination diet for more than a few weeks. More importantly, it’s not necessary!
Download the free Test Food Tracker and start planning. If I’d never learned my unique IBS triggers, I wouldn’t have known it was okay to eat my favorite pizza dough again - wheat is NOT one of my trigger foods.
Having more freedom and less stress in my diet was totally worth the effort, and that’s what I want for you too!
