Top 5 Tips for FODMAP Reintroduction
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It’s frustrating when you work really hard only to realize later that you were operating WITHOUT all the necessary information, isn’t it?
Unfortunately, I see this all too often when it comes to the FODMAP Diet.
When I ask people in the CBK community what their biggest challenges are, I hear things like:
When I finally realized X…
OR
When I started doing Y…
Psst! If you’re ready to get started, click here to receive my complete FODMAP reintroduction plan, checklist and food tracker.
While I believe it's important to cover what not to do, it's even more important to know what you SHOULD be doing to make the process as smooth as possible. That's why the goal for this post is to give you my top tips that'll make your life easier AND prevent you from falling victim to the most common reintroduction pitfalls.
Study these tips, especially if you’re just getting ready to start FODMAP reintroduction.
And if you'd rather watch, I talked through these tips on a recent edition of Calm Belly TV. (Click here to subscribe to CBK on YouTube and watch past videos!)
If you follow them from the very beginning, you won’t look back later and think, “If only I’d known…”
Top 5 Tips for FODMAP Reintroduction
#1 Choose test foods that contain only one type of FODMAP.
You do NOT need to test every high-FODMAP food under the sun--Instead, you’ll choose one test food from each FODMAP category. Your response to these test foods will be an indicator of your general tolerance for that category. Cool, right?
For example, honey is a good test food because it only contains fructose. Apples are not because they contain both fructose and polyols.
Use the Monash app to determine your test foods. Whenever possible, choose a test food you enjoy and want to add back to your diet!
Need a list of high-FODMAP foods organized by category? Just click here and we’ll send it directly to your inbox free!
#2 Continue to eat a low-FODMAP diet throughout the reintroduction process.
This ensures that you’re collecting the most accurate data about your FODMAP tolerance levels as possible.
Wait until you’re done testing all the FODMAP categories to permanently bring back the high-FODMAP foods you DO tolerate.
Not sure if you’re ready to reintroduce FODMAPs? Read this post that covers 3 simple ways you know it’s time.
#3 Track your data.
It’s helpful (but not required) to track all your food because it keeps you focused on maintaining a low-FODMAP Diet.
If you’d rather not track everything, you must track your test foods/amounts and any symptoms. You’ll use all this data as your guide when you start bringing other high-FODMAP foods back into your diet.
Choose whatever tracking method you’ll use consistently. A spreadsheet, notebook, Word doc, the MySymptoms app, or the My Fitness Pal app are all great options.
#4 Wait 24 to 48 hours before increasing the serving amount of your test food OR testing a new FODMAP category.
Symptoms can happen as late as 48 hours after eating a high-FODMAP food, so this ensures no lingering symptoms interfere with your next test.
As you get comfortable with the testing process, you’ll learn when symptoms typically show up, if you get any symptoms at all. Remember, you might discover one or more FODMAP groups that you tolerate really well!
#5 Make the testing process flexible.
If you have an event where you're unable to avoid high-FODMAP foods, take a break from testing and continue as soon as any symptoms resolve.
Pause your testing for vacations or holidays.
Plan it to fit around a busy work week or other commitments.
If you’re ready to get started, click below to get my complete reintroduction checklist. It’s what I use to make sure my clients are successful from day one. You’ll also get my reintroduction planner and tracker to help you get AND stay organized.
