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Using Social Media to Navigate the Low FODMAP Diet

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How to Use Social Media to Navigate the Low FODMAP Diet

Billions of people use it every day and it’s completely free. I bet you use it, too. It’s a little thing known as “social media”, and it’s incredibly easy to obtain. Let’s talk about Using Social Media to Navigate the Low FODMAP Diet.

Navigating the low FODMAP diet using social media. young woman looking at phone

Want an Instagram account? Simply download the app. Pinterest? Sure! Just type in your email and voila, you have access to any information imaginable. Scroll through your feed and you’ll see a link: “How to Lose Ten Pounds in One Week”, right next to: “Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Pie Recipe”.

What could go wrong? That recipe you are searching for called “low FODMAP chicken soup” must be low FODMAP because it is called “low FODMAP Chicken Soup”, right? Not necessarily. 

Scrolling for Success

 It is hard for anyone to determine what information is reliable. Add the fact that you have IBS, and you’ve reached a whole new level of difficulty. You scroll past diet plans and dessert recipes in the same seconds. How can you not be conflicted?

Personally, I fell for the dieting promotions. Before the summer of 2017 (when I was in my mid teens), I didn’t know about the low FODMAP diet, nor did I understand that what is considered healthy for one person is not necessarily “healthy” for someone with IBS.

Navigating the low FODMAP diet using social media. young woman looking at phone while walking

Do You Compare Yourself to Bloggers & Instagramers?

IBS made me feel so bloated and uncomfortable with myself that when I saw Instagram posts of weight loss transformations, I would attempt their diet. Those images just seem to promise a new you! I struggled with separating facts from the pitfalls of social media.

I was blinded by this idea that I needed to be perfect. It was a daily battle for me.

Most of the time, the eating patterns I tried came from unreliable sources. I was so focused on looking “perfect” that I forgot that the dieting lifestyle is a business. People make money by selling their diet to potential clients. And just like any other business/product, I did not have to buy into it. But I did.

Nothing Was Working

 When I didn’t see quick results I started eating less and working out more. It didn’t help that I was scared to eat because of stomach pains. I developed a bad relationship with food.

I ate so few calories that I stopped getting my period. For over a year. It was scary. I barely had any energy and I was not myself.

Thankfully, with the help of a nutritionist and a personal trainer, I found my way back to a healthy lifestyle full of low FODMAP foods, strength training, more energy, and a regular cycle!

Reflecting on the previous year, I realize just how deeply I fell into the pit of social media and how easy it was to do so.

Navigating the low FODMAP diet using social media. red head woman looking at computerUse Social Media Wisely

 I am not suggesting avoiding social media completely. Simply try to look for the beneficial aspects within it, like you would with anything you encounter.

I wouldn’t have found the low FODMAP diet if it hadn’t been for the Internet. Working with my nutritionist, who lives in New Zealand, wouldn’t have been possible.

 I have also come to realize that social media gives me the opportunity to follow people who have a similar mindset as me. For example, I try to encourage body positivity, so I follow people who advocate for a positive self-image. I am also a sucker for accounts that post motivational quotes.

On the contrary, since discovering I have IBS, I have had to tap the unfollow button on the Italian cook who drowns his pasta sauce in garlic and onion. Now I can focus on topics I am interested in while limiting information that does not pertain to me. It can feel quite powerful to Un-follow! Try it!

Use social media to all its advantages. Find reliable information. Check qualifications! Our Success Team is made up of RDNs and recipe developers, many of whom are trained my Monash University. FODMAP Everyday® itself is accredited by FODMAP Friendly. Follow people who inspire you. Unfollow those who don’t. We have the ability to connect with trillions of people, why not make the best of it?

Need a Good Starting Place?

Check out our Recommended Low FODMAP and IBS Resources page. Be sure to check out each of their social media sites as well – as many of them share different content or have active communities where you will find like minded people to help you on this journey!

Follow us on social media to stay up to date with all our latest recipes, tips, and articles!

                                                                                 

Do you have a favorite Low FODMAP Instagram, FB, Pinterest or Twitter account you love to follow? Share that with us here, tell us who and why! 


Editor’s Note: Jordan Faith has joined us as a regular contributor. As of Spring 2019 she is finishing up her senior year in high school and looking forward to becoming a registered dietitian. She also lives with IBS and follows the low FODMAP diet. For other articles from Jordan, check out How the Low FODMAP Diet Changed My Life, How to Make the Low FODMAP Diet Work for You – a Teen’s Perspective and also her article titled How to help Friends and Family Understand Your Low FODMAP Diet.

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