Those of you who have read my previous post will know I have embarked on this new (well, new for me) diet plan – The Low FODMAP diet and as you are reading this, I am on day 7. One thing I must emphasize is that it is not a requirement while you are on the Low FODMAP diet to be vegan, in fact, I’m pretty sure it’s not advised. But I am. Simple. Whether you’re supposed to or not, I am.
It’s a huge struggle let me tell you. Especially with something there is only limited information about online – limited in comparison to how much information is available on every single other diet plan that exists in the world. Limited in comparison to if you were doing this diet plan as a non-vegan. We are all learning, and we are all learning together.
The hardest thing about this, is knowing where to start. It’s day 7 and I’m still struggling with what to eat – what to cook, and what to bake on a regular basis. It is important to know memorise the foods you can and cannot eat – those which contain FODMAPs and those which don’t. So let me see if I can help you (and myself) here a little.
Let’s start with fruits:
Cassandra Forsythe – a nutritionist based in Conneticut has a pretty comprehensive list of those fruits (both natrual and dried) which are not suitable and suitable on a low FODMAP diet:
FRUITS TO AVOID:
Excess Fructose fruit:
Apple
Mango
Nashi fruit (Chinese Pear)
Pear
Persimmon
Rambutan
Watermelon
Excess Fructan fruit:
Persimmon
Rambutan
Watermelon
Excess Polyol fruit:
Apple
Apricot
Avocado
Blackberries
Cherries
Longon
Lychee
Nashi Fruit (Chinese Pear)
Nectarine
Peach
Pear
Plum
Prune
Watermelon
SUITABLE FRUITS:
Banana
Blueberries – buy organic
Boysenberry – buy organic
Cantaloupe
Star fruit
Cranberry – buy organic
Durian
Grapes – buy organic
Grapefruit
Honeydew melon
Kiwi
Lemon
Lime
Mandarin
Orange
Passion fruit
Papaya
Pineapple
Raspberry – buy organic
Rhubarb
Strawberry – buy organic
Tangelo
Suitable dried fruits (some people are ok with dried fruits, others are not):
Banana chips
Cranberries (often are coated in sugar – only eat if not sweetened)
Currants
Papaya
Pineapple (often are coated in sugar – only eat if not sweetened)
Sultanas
Raisins (may not be suitable for everyone…)
Special notes on fruit:
Limit intake of suitable fruits to one serve per meal.
e.g. One whole banana or orange.
Third to half a glass of suitable juice.
Small handful of berries or grapes.
Small amount of suitable dried fruit (e.g. 10 sultanas).
I have read on other websites that the largest amount of fresh fruit you should have in one sitting should be about the size of a small orange and should you wish to eat more, leave a 2 hour gap between the servings. This supposedly gives your body time to digest. I haven’t had more than a banana a day as yet – and I feel fine for now. I’ll keep you posted.
Rxx