FODMAP and socialising. It's not the end of the world

Yesterday was going to be a worry. In the end, it turned out fine. Great in fact.

It's was New Routine versus Old Routine. I'm quite a sociable person. My work revolves from endless meetings, coffees, lunches, buffets and drinks.  I'm single and child-free, so my social life pretty much mirrors my work life.

Yesterday I had a friend in crisis, so I took him out in the afternoon for drinks. Old me would've sunk a few pints of Peroni, had a burger for lunch, come home and got ready before hitting town in the evening on cider and lager.  Today, on top of my hangover, I would've been doubled up in pain with my stomach. I'd feel bloated. I'd have either stabbing pains or stomach cramps (or both) and I'd have probably been sick.

To compensate I'd have reached for comfort food: maybe chicken soup, without even realising that all I was doing was pouring more fuel on the fire.

I woke this morning, feeling a bit ropey, but without any of the stomach problems described above. I've hangover. Just a hangover. And nothing downing a few pints of water won't solve.

I had worried about two things yesterday: whether there'd be healthy choices for me and whether I'd have the discipline to take the healthy choice. The resounding answer to both was yes.  Without a huge degree of forward planning I managed to get a FODMAP friendly lunch, stuck tired wine in the day, and vodka lime soda in the evening.

The fear that FODMAP means the end of my social life is rubbish.

The man from Yakult - he say no

A couple of days ago, I started digging to find out whether Yakult were FODMAP friendly.  Finishing more confused than I started, I halted my armchair research and contacted them directly. Here's their (very swift) response. And as Simon Cowell would say, "It's a no from me".

The FODMAP diet is most frequently used for those suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).  

Yakult is a fermented milk drink containing Lactobacillus casei Shirota, a unique strain of bacteria proven to reach the intestines alive. It is perfectly OK to drink Yakult if you have IBS. Current medical advice is that if you wish to take products such as Yakult you should take them for at least four weeks, whilst monitoring the effect.

However, if you are following a strict low FODMAP diet, I would not advise the intake of Yakult, as the product contains small amount of the sugars which are supposed to be avoided in such diets.

I would suggest you speak with the dietitian who placed you on the low FODMAP diet about this first. I am more than happy for your dietitian to contact me to discuss further, if need be.

Always read the label...

The plan is to start the FODMAP diet properly on Saturday.  Last night I went out with friends.  It wasn't supposed to be a last supper blowout, but I did think I'd treat myself with a beer and burger.  About an hour later, the treat had turned to torture, and holding my stomach, I whimpered home, retching.

Tonight I'm hitting the supermarket - ASDA (the UK's WalMart) to stock up on staples and supplies.  I had thought the NHS factsheet with 'Suitable Foods' list that my dietitian gave me would provide the basis for my Happy Tummy Shopping List.  But while it does give a good steer, I'm left with questions like:

Is garlic-infused olive oil really OK?
And if it is, pesto is therefore OK if made with garlic-infused olive oil.

I've spent a good chunk of my lunch break researching whether Yakult is good or bad.  I'm still not sure.  I've seen various bloggers and folks online saying they take it, and the Yakult website does give the impression that anyone can have it.  It does contain lactose, but at "approximately 1g per bottle" the Yakult people claim that for most lactose-intolerants, consumption of this mini-yoghurty delight should be fine.

So far, so good.  But what about the other sugars?

Yakult's ingredients also include:

• glucose-fructose syrup, 
• sugar, 
• maltodextrin, 
• flavouring, 
• and Lactobacillus casei Shirota.

Hmmm. Time to consult that NHS factsheet again.  Lactose is obviously on the list, but we've already dealt with that.  What's not clear is whether glucose-fructose syrup, maltodextrin, and Lactobacillus casei Shirota are members of the evil family that is Fermentable, Oligo-, Di- and Mono- saccarides, and Polyols.

What the factsheet does say is that some Fructans are added to food to encourage good bacteria.  Inulin being on prebiotic that's often added to yoghurt and high fibre bread.  The stuff that blonde middle aged women drink in perfect all-white kitchens on dubbed TV adverts.

Complicated isn't it.

I'm starting to get suspicious of my little Yakult. Let's take the glucose-fructose syrup first.  Clearly, it has fructose in it.  Boo.  But, according to my NHS factsheet "if there is more glucose in the food than fructose, the glucose helps the absorption of fructose".  Great news.  Except, I don't know how much glucose and how much fructose is in the syrup.

So, I then sniff around Maltodextrin.  That sounds evil doesn't.  It's not mentioned on my NHS factsheet, so I decide to hit wikipedia to find out what the little blighter is.

Maltodextrin is, according to wikipedia a 'Polysaccharide', and opinion differs apparently on the line between polysaccarides and oligosaccharides.

Stop.  Stop.  I don't understand. I did a degree in Philosophy and I pretty much chatted my way through GCSE Chemistry.  None of this makes sense.  And I'm guessing this little expedition will be one of many.  Aargh, what to do.

1. Have Yakult.  Most people on the internet on FODMAP appear to be fine with it.  But then, its a new science, and I don't want to undermine all of my effort in other areas by jumping on someone else's presumption.

2. Call the dietitian.   Feels a bit wrong calling her after just 24 hours to ask if I can eat Yakult. 

3. Don't bother.  

4. email Yakult and ask.  

Default will be #3,but I'll email Yakult and see what answer I get....

Remember factsheets and self-addressed envelopes?

Accessing information

One of the things I mourn the loss of is factsheets.  At the end of every Very Interesting Television Programme, the BBC continuity announcer would encourage viewers who wanted more information to obtain a factsheet by sending a self-addressed envelop to a PO Box in BBC Television Centre.  You knew you'd watched a worthy, educational programme if there was a factsheet on offer.

These days we've got the web, and more information is just a click away.  But trying to navigate your way through the morass of information is like walking through a minefield.  Especially so when the subject you're researching is something like FODMAPs.

Before leaving the hospital, my dietitian gave me a factsheet.  I didn't even have to give her a self-addressed envelop.  It's a good factsheet in fairness.  The good people at NHS Wales, funded by the lovely people in the Welsh Government have pumped more money into this whole field, meaning patients like me have access to reliable and understandable information.

The problem for us FODMAPers is that this whole field is new.  In fact, there's massive uncharted territory.  It's like the Pilgrim Fathers landing on the Northeastern coast of America and only mapping a few hundred square miles.. There's a vast frontier of information out there that dietitians and other professionals haven't yet charted. And like the people who claimed the earth is flat, the internet plays host to a vast array of armchair "experts" who feel no fear in filling forums, blogs, and social media with less than accurate information.  And it's not always out of malaise.  A lot of this stuff is just not known.  Some food stuff for example has shifted from "Suitable" or "To Be Avoided" to "Eat in moderation".  And vice versa.

I would say take all information you get on the web with a pinch of salt.  But, if like me, you need to limit the amount of sodium you have, well...

I have a list of hyperlinks from NHS Wales which I'm working my way through, and I'll post links and a mini-review as and when I snuffle around each one.  There's a group of plucky dietitians in Melbourne who've been doing a lot of the legwork in this field, so it looks like all roads lead down under.  They've produced a cook book too, which I'll dig out...

But for now, before the Great FODMAP Adventure begins, I'm off out to have my final pint of Peroni.

And sip.

What the FODMAP?

So, I've just been told by my dietitian that all things considered, after proving negative for Coeliac Disease, Crohns, and Colitis, that they don't actually know what's wrong with me.  And this is, she assured me, a good thing.  It probably is.  Coeliac, Crohns and Colitis are pretty rough conditions, which can not only affect the quality of your life, but also the length of your life.

I guess I'll go into the ins and outs of my condition, its causes, its symptoms and how I'm coping on a FODMAP diet later.  But for now, I just want to say one thing.

Work-wise, I'm very organised and juggle a full-time job with freelance and voluntary work.  But when it comes to other spheres of my life, I'm less organised.  A lot less organised.

I've managed to get to 37, having partied my way through most of the nineties, noughties and now the teenies (is that we're calling this decade) relatively unscathed health-wise.  I've had a demanding and stressful job ever since university, and I rarely switch off.  The closest I come to switching off is actually going on standby for a few hours.

I'm the youngest child.  I live constantly with The Fear Of Missing Out (look up FOMO).  If I get invited to the pub, coffee-shop or for food - it's normally a yes.

My stock joke about myself is:

Me: "So I finally did an online ADHT test recently?"
Friend: "Yeh?  What did you come out as?"
Me: "Dunno, got bored and didn't finish it"

Well it made me laugh.

Anyway, when it comes to my personal life, I'm many things, but "disciplined", "routine-loving" and "orderly" are not three words and phrases I would use to describe myself.  I have no daily routine, I tend to live in the moment and be spontaneous.  Planning my personal life fills me with horror (I'm a typical Sagittarius).

So, being put on a FODMAP diet is going to take orderly planning, routines and discipline.  Lots of discipline.  And then more discipline.  On top of discipline.  And I hate discipline.

So, I'm writing this blog.  Not because I particularly want to document the culinary delights of my FODMAP diet, or celebrate my elevation through the Bristol Stool Chart.  I'm sure I will come on to my, erm, inputs and outputs at some stage.  No, this blog is mainly about one  perennially-chaotic, haphazard, freedom-loving, happy-go-lucky man's journey into the world of order and discipline.

So join me, for the next three months, as I try to explain to my friends what the FODMAP is.

SB

I could murder a Peroni :(