Noba

Helse Bergen and the National Competence Service for Functional Gastrointestinal Diseases (NKFM) have created a list of basic tips that you should try before possibly trying out a low FODMAP diet. With permission from NKFM, we have collected the tips here:

• Have regular meals. Chew your food well and take it easy during the meal.
• Avoid skipping meals or allowing many hours to pass between meals (maximum 4 hours)
• Drink at least 8 glasses of water or other beverages without caffeine, such as herbal tea
• Limit your intake of alcohol and carbonated drinks
• Some people benefit from limiting their intake of high-fibre foods (especially bran, rye bread, fruit peel and whole grains). Instead, choose more soluble fibre, which we have a lot of in, for example, oats, linseed, root vegetables and citrus fruits.
• Daily fiber supplementation of gel-forming fibre, through 1-2 tablespoons of linseed or fiber supplements such as ViSiblin, can have a softening effect in case of constipation and binding in case of diarrhoea. NB! It is also important to drink plenty of fluids to have a good effect.
• Limit fruit intake to 3 small portions per day which should be spread throughout the day.
• Avoid sorbitol (sugar alcohol) found in, for example, sugar-free chewing gum and lozenges, especially in case of diarrhoea.

You should therefore test out the above tips before starting a low FODMAP diet, as the diet cuts out foods that are otherwise very useful. So you shouldn't cut out foods unless you have to! If the above points do not have an effect, it may be appropriate to test the low FODMAP diet.

Good luck!