Lifestyle | Health & Wellness

FODMAPs Are Not “Unsafe”

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Perhaps you have seen people asking if a food is “safe”, ostensibly from a FODMAP perspective? We see this all the time, particularly in Facebook groups, where someone posts a product, maybe with an ingredient label, and asks, “is this safe”?

Good news! FODMAPs are not unsafe.

Words Can Create A Negative Relationship With Food

As the years have progressed, I have come to make changes in my language when discussing the low FODMAP diet. We no longer use “safe” or “unsafe” terminology in our Facebook Groups or on our site, FODMAP Everyday®, because these words demonize food in a way that our team does not find helpful. In fact, we find it to be detrimental.

We no longer use “safe” or “unsafe” terminology in our Facebook Groups or on our site, FODMAP Everyday®, because these words demonize food in a way that our team does not find helpful. In fact, we find it to be detrimental.

Saying “Safe” Would Mean There Is “Unsafe”

Of course, there are unsafe foods. “Unsafe” is food that is contaminated by E. coli, botulism, listeria or salmonella, as examples. High FODMAP food is not “unsafe”; it is just high FODMAP. If you have a true food allergy, then there are unsafe foods for you e.g., peanut allergy means peanuts are unsafe for you! But that is outside of the FODMAP arena.

young woman of color eating a red apple, wearing a white top
You might be able to add apples into your diet.

FODMAPs Are Not Unsafe – They Are Just Higher In FODMAPs

In addition to refraining from using “safe” and “unsafe” words in our FODMAP Everyday® world, our main point is to get you to think about your food in a different way. An apple is not unsafe. A large portion of ice cream is not unsafe – these examples are just higher in FODMAPs than perhaps you can tolerate at this point in time, or what might be posted as a low FODMAP serving size on the Monash University smartphone app.

woman eating ice cream cone at beach

Months down the line you might reintroduce a food that triggered your irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) previously – and find out that you can now tolerate it. It was never “unsafe”; it was just too high in FODMAPs for you at one point in time.

High FODMAP food is not “unsafe”; it is just high FODMAP.

Your Relationship With FODMAPs Is Unique

This last point, of how you react to foods, is a major one. What we all want to know is if a food is going to trigger IBS symptoms in ourselves. This is not the same question as asking if something is lab tested and determined to be low FODMAP or high FODMAP. For more on this please read our article, Ask The Right Question: Is This Low FODMAP vs. Can I Tolerate This? 

Think about it…what we all want to know is whether a food is going to trigger symptoms for us. It doesn’t matter what the lab reports say. We suggest thinking of the lab reported low FODMAP serving sizes as lines in the sand from where to begin your exploration with FODMAPs. 

And always remember what you do not tolerate today you might very well tolerate later on. Safe or unsafe? Nope! Just low or high FODMAP and finding the right amounts (or not) of foods that work for you through a structured approach to the low FODMAP diet is the point and goal of the diet. And ultimately to eat as broadly as possible without triggering your IBS symptoms.

two hands holding red bell pepper and bunch of asparagus
Asparagus or red bell pepper? You can have both, if you watch your portions – and listen to your body.

Determining Your Triggers

The most direct route to determining your tolerances is to work with a Registered Dietitian. Statistically, and anecdotally, you have a greater chance of success if you work with a RD, and now, more than ever, they are more accessible than ever as they will often work remotely, via telehealth visits.

These articles will help you further:

The Takeaway

Our goal at FODMAP Everyday® is to help you all learn to thrive on the low FODMAP diet, and we find that using positive language is a great step! The low FODMAP diet, and working with a RD, will very likely help you find relief with your IBS.

PS: We are thrilled that our fellow respected FODMAP educators like Joanna Baker APD and Alana Scott from A Little Bit Yummy have written about this as well. Let’s change the dialogue one person at a time! Spread the word about words!

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