[Luckystar]

I love fruit and therefore eat it everyday - usually apples, plums and grapes. I've read that a lot of people have to stay away from fruit as it triggers gas, wind and bloating. These are my main symptoms (coupled with IBS-C) How many of you have to steer clear of fruit? I am thinking of eliminiating fruit - hopefully i will see a difference?Help please

 

[Diana63]

I have eliminated fruit from my diet before to see if it helped,but it did not,saying that i find that fruit makes my indigestion worse,so i try to watch what i eat.I saw a Dietician when i was eliminating food stuffs/fruit from my diet,so that i knew i was doing it properly.

 

[Kathleen M.]

Plums and apples are two of the gassier fruits.http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/T042600.asp#T042601 has a list of easier and harder on the intestines fruit, as well as the explaination that you can then use to evaluate other fruits.Fruits with sorbitol like apples or peaches may be better tolerated if canned or cooked.

 

[betabite]

I try to stay away from fruit. But people with IBS are supposed to eat 5-6 meals a day so it's kinda hard not to eat any fruit since they are great for an in between meal. I personally can eat like 1-2 bananas a day without it affecting me. But that is about it. Dry fruit is the worst though. I may occasionally have a fresh fruit but I will never touch dry fruits again.

 

[Mrs_A]

I can't seem to eat bananas regular as it make me constipatedfruit could be what is making my gas, bloating & constipation worse. I've been eating more of it since the weather has been a bit brighter. Maybe I should stop eating it to see if it helps....but then what do I eat for healthy snacks during the day????? any ideas please?

 

[betabite]

Mrs A you could try some cucumbers or a half a slize of some rye bread with some organic turkey or chicken ham.

 

[Mrs_A]

rye bread, whats that like, is that where the crackers usually are in a supermarketThanks

 

[betabite]

I live in Denmark and rye bread is like all danes eat! And it is great for IBS AND it makes you feel full... I'm not sure how to describe it in English. Just google it

 

[Kathleen M.]

AFAIK we call bread made with Rye flour Rye Bread. It just isn't as common in the USA but most grocery stores will have some.How much rye vs wheat flour do they use there. A lot of our rye bread is wheat flour with just enough rye flour for flavoring.

 

[Diana63]

Mrs AYou can try a health food shop for the rye bread and ask in the supermarket where and if they keep it.

 

[betabite]

There is usually 50% wheat flour and 50% rye. But you can get rye bread here without wheat flour all together in grocery stores.I have this recipe that I have translated from Danish, I used the help of google translate since there are some words I don't usually use when I speak English.Ingredients:50 g yeast4 dl buttermilk2 tsp salt1 tablespoon caraway3 dl crushed rye500 g coarse rye flourMix yeast with the buttermilk. Add spices, crushed rye and rye flour one at a time. Knead the dough untill it's shiny and smooth. Covered the dough with a damp cloth for approx. 12 hours. Then knead the dough again thoroughly. Then let it rise for 1 hour. Shape the bread in a greased bread form or put directly on the ovenplate. After let it rise for 30 min. and then bake in 200 º oven for approx. 1 hour. Brush the bread with water immediately after it comes out of the oven.If there is something that is not understandable please let me know.

 

[mdevault]

I always thought fruit was supposed to help if you had constipation. Because of the fiber. Except bananas, of course, which are supposed to be constipating. I know my IBS-D acts up if I drink too much orange juice though.

 

[Common Response]

I always thought fruit was supposed to help if you had constipation. Because of the fiber. Except bananas, of course, which are supposed to be constipating. I know my IBS-D acts up if I drink too much orange juice though.

Packaged orange juice often contains additives which might impact on your condition.It's also concentrated so you can easily consume too much.Oranges are best eaten whole and only a single serve (one orange) per sitting.Although constipating bananas eaten as part of a balanced diet can compliment your overall stool formation.Unless your condition involves factors other than fructose intolerance, both bananas and oranges are FODMAP free and are recommended fruit.

 

[Kathleen M.]

Well, fruit can be helpful for constipation as fruits contain fiber and many contain an osmotic laxative called sorbitol.The problem is sorbitol can increase gas for all people, and some people do not absorb fructose as well as they should and can also get gas from the fructose in fruit.A lot depends on how sensitive you are to small increases in gas volume (some IBSers get a lot of painful symptoms from even a small increase in gas) if eating fruit will do you more good or cause more problems.

 

[faze action]

Aside from the (very) occasional banana or orange I have not eaten any fruit on well over a year... apples and cherries are the worst for me, which is in line with fructose malabsorption. If I eat one apple I'll be bloated beyond belief and very gassy, not to mention abdominal cramping, etc. It only takes a handful of cherries to produce the same effect.If you notice that fruit bothers you you may want to try a trial diet without fructose or sugar of any kind, and also free from wheat, onions, asparagus, and artichokes. I'm doing this right now (its a bit tough with the elimination of wheat as well, but it's only for 2 weeks).

 

[Common Response]

If you notice that fruit bothers you you may want to try a trial diet without fructose or sugar of any kind, and also free from wheat, onions, asparagus, and artichokes. I'm doing this right now (its a bit tough with the elimination of wheat as well, but it's only for 2 weeks).

If you don't eliminate all vegetables containing the same irritants, you may end up interpreting the results of your elimination diet incorrectly.I'd add these to my elimination list.Sugar snap peasBeetrootBrussel SproutsCabbageChicoryDandelion leavesFennelGarlicLeekLegumesOkraOnion (brown, white, & Spanish)PeasRadicchio lettuceShallotSpring onion (white section).AvocadoCauliflowerMushroomsSnow peas

 

[faze action]

If you don't eliminate all vegetables containing the same irritants, you may end up interpreting the results of your elimination diet incorrectly.I'd add these to my elimination list.Sugar snap peasBeetrootBrussel SproutsCabbageChicoryDandelion leavesFennelGarlicLeekLegumesOkraOnion (brown, white, & Spanish)PeasRadicchio lettuceShallotSpring onion (white section).AvocadoCauliflowerMushroomsSnow peas

Thanks for the list. I read that only wheat, onions, etc were the main culprits in terms of Fructans. Right now the only veg. I am eating is spinach, carrots (raw), cucumber, white potatoes, and tomatoes. I think that's it. Will see how it goes over the next ten days... not putting sugar in my morning coffee is the most difficult so far!

 

[Common Response]

Thanks for the list. I read that only wheat, onions, etc were the main culprits in terms of Fructans. Right now the only veg. I am eating is spinach, carrots (raw), cucumber, white potatoes, and tomatoes. I think that's it. Will see how it goes over the next ten days... not putting sugar in my morning coffee is the most difficult so far!

You can safely add these vegetables to your OK list.AlfalfaBamboo shootsBean shootsBeans (green)Bok choyCapsicumCarrotCeleryChoy sumCucumberEndiveEggplantGingerLettuceMarrowOlivesParsnipPotatoPumpkinSilverbeetSpinachSquashSwedeSweet potatoTaroTomatoTurnipZucchiniThey are fructan free.In fact most of the greens are excellent material for safe stir fry dishes.When dieting, if you don't have safe readily accessible staples you can easily end up losing weight and end up out of balance nutritionally.Giving up wheat products places a big whole in ones diet unless you can readily replace this.I've replaced wheat with rice.My daily staple meal is now steamed rice topped with tuna for breakfast.Both rice & tuna in olive oil are FODMAP free and provides bulk, soluble fibre, carbohydrate, protein, omega 3, vitamins and minerals.In the evening I steam one cup of rice (enough for two serves) in a rice cooker and then refrigerate this.In the morning I add a serving of the steamed rice onto a plate and heat this in the microwave for 2 minutes.I then top the rice with tuna chunks in olive oil or olive oil blend (95gm tin or about 3.2oz).Great meal which only takes 4 minutes to prepare, gets me moving and causes zero LG for a great day at work as it's FODMAP free.A variation of this meal is to microwave for 6 minutes 2 or 3 vegetables from the above list and add this to the tuna topping. A great evening meal and only takes 10 minutes to prepare.Another benefit is that it's fat free and will do wonders for flabby tummies.

 

[faze action]

That's great Common. Thanks again... this is only for 2 weeks (at least right now), so I think I'll be okay suffering without wheat. I've been eating rice crackers and 100% rye bread (had that with peanut butter this morning).

 

[faze action]

You can safely add these vegetables to your OK list.AlfalfaBamboo shootsBean shootsBeans (green)Bok choyCapsicumCarrotCeleryChoy sumCucumberEndiveEggplantGingerLettuceMarrowOlivesParsnipPotatoPumpkinSilverbeetSpinachSquashSwedeSweet potatoTaroTomatoTurnipZucchiniThey are fructan free.In fact most of the greens are excellent material for safe stir fry dishes.When dieting, if you don't have safe readily accessible staples you can easily end up losing weight and end up out of balance nutritionally.Giving up wheat products places a big whole in ones diet unless you can readily replace this.I've replaced wheat with rice.My daily staple meal is now steamed rice topped with tuna for breakfast.Both rice & tuna in olive oil are FODMAP free and provides bulk, soluble fibre, carbohydrate, protein, omega 3, vitamins and minerals.In the evening I steam one cup of rice (enough for two serves) in a rice cooker and then refrigerate this.In the morning I add a serving of the steamed rice onto a plate and heat this in the microwave for 2 minutes.I then top the rice with tuna chunks in olive oil or olive oil blend (95gm tin or about 3.2oz).Great meal which only takes 4 minutes to prepare, gets me moving and causes zero LG for a great day at work as it's FODMAP free.A variation of this meal is to microwave for 6 minutes 2 or 3 vegetables from the above list and add this to the tuna topping. A great evening meal and only takes 10 minutes to prepare.Another benefit is that it's fat free and will do wonders for flabby tummies.

One more question: onions are on the no-no list, but what about onion powder? (this is often used as a flavoring in packaged foods)Also, is corn okay? I see that's not on your fodmap-free list, but I think I've seen in on the okay list in other places. Overall, there seems to be conflicting information out there about what veg is actually okay for fodmaps. I've read that shallots are okay, but other similar veg like onion, scallions, etc are not...