Last night, I had guests for dinner and I made three different low Fodmap pizzas for the main course. I use a normal wheat base because I don’t have an issue with wheat. An interesting fact is that only about 10% of my IBS clients have an issue with wheat. It is one of the […]

Low Fodmap Pizzas

You may have seen on the Monash Fodmap blog or on the Monash Fodmap app that the Fodmap content of food keeps changing. That is not only confusing but troubling for those trying to follow a low Fodmap diet accurately. It’s good to know why this is happening. Fodmaps are short-chain carbohydrates and their levels […]

The Confusion of the Changing Fodmap Content of Foods

IBS affects the quality of life of those who suffer from this chronic condition. A research study carried out in The Netherlands came to the conclusion that our quality of life is only 62% of that of a non-sufferer. So the impact is enormous. Of course, the degree to which our lives are restricted depends […]

Life with Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Sushi is considered a healthy food because it is generally low in fat but it is an unbalanced food which is also low in protein and vegetables. The largest component is rice. For an occasional meal that is fine but before we decide to add this to our list of foods we can consume, we […]

Is Sushi Low Fodmap?

Short chain carbohydrates or, as we know them, FODMAPs, are mal-absorbed in the digestive system of those with IBS. The low Fodmap diet will help rectify that. But, even after implementing the low Fodmap diet, we could still have symptoms and that’s because there are other gut irritants that can affect the gut. Let’s have […]

Other IBS Gut Irritants besides Fodmaps

The low Fodmap diet is so much more than just the list of good and bad foods that your health practitioner hands you – if they mention the diet at all! It is a complex and confusing diet that, when done accurately, is miraculous. Therefore, don’t give up on it just because you are not […]

Why is “stacking” such a problem in the low Fodmap diet

Up until recently, your digestive life has been pretty decent with very few moments of concern. Then, almost from one day to the next, everything changes. You are bloated and your bowel movements are all over the place – diarrhea or constipation or perhaps even both. Lots more passing of wind and sometimes cramping in […]

Why do I now have IBS?

Sleep is essential for good health and lack of good quality sleep is a serious problem which afflicts millions. It is essential for us to get more or less eight hours of good quality sleep in a routine. Our bodies love routines for the basics of life like eating, sleeping and toileting. Research shows that […]

Sleep and IBS

Probiotics are live bacteria that are helpful as opposed to bacteria that cause disease. Much research is being done into how they can be used in a way that benefits the human gut, but so far there is nothing conclusive in how they work or whether we should be taking them for certain conditions like […]

Will probiotics reduce your IBS symptoms?

IBS with constipation is thought to be less problematic than IBS with diarrhea. In some ways, this may be the case. With constipation, we (yes, I am in this group) seldom have an emergency dash to the toilet or accidents in public. However, while IBS with diarrhea can be rapidly solved with an accurate low […]

9 Steps to Solve IBS with Constipation

Baking has become the new pastime during lockdown as can be evidenced by the lack of flour on the supermarket shelves. That includes me. I have made Anzac biscuits, ginger crunch and several batches of peanut butter, chocolate chip cookies because they are so delicious and satisfying. Use dark chocolate and a plain peanut butter […]

Low Fodmap Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter Cookies

The silent, invisible threat of a virus is like no other. Or perhaps it’s actually a little like IBS – no visible signs to anyone else, and silent because this is a secretive affliction. So, maybe we should understand it better than others – that a threat can be silent and invisible and still be […]

How the Covid-19 Lockdown has Affected my IBS

When you have IBS, everything is more difficult. An invitation out with friends induces anxiety, a work conference creates images of tables groaning with food we can’t risk eating, the thought of a cocktail party induces a panic attack. Even a simple family dinner at a local restaurant has us scrambling for excuses not to […]

How to socialize while on the low Fodmap diet

A couple of weeks ago, I went on a second 4-day walking trek. This time my friend and I joined three other ladies to hike on Great Barrier Island, which is a 30-minute flight from Auckland, New Zealand. In December, we did a similar trip around Lake Waikaremoana and everything went extremely smoothly for my […]

How things can go wrong with the low Fodmap diet on a walking trek

These are the seven recipes that were viewed most often during 2019. Low Fodmap bread I suppose this one shouldn’t surprise me since most of my clients are fixated on getting bread back into their diets after doing the 6-week program with me to find their triggers and create a final diet that keeps them […]

My 7 Most Popular Recipes for 2019

Last week, I went away on a 4-day walking trip around Lake Waikaremoana in Te Urerewa, which is an area of mostly forested, sparsely populated, rugged hill country in the North Island of New Zealand. Here you can find some of the only remaining Jurassic forest in New Zealand. If you loved Lord of the […]

How I coped with my IBS on a 4-day walking trip

Who doesn’t love crispy roasted potatoes! Potatoes are low Fodmap and can be eaten in many different ways. My favourite way is roasted, but they must be roasted well and there are a few tricks to that. Follow my recipe to the letter, and you will have perfectly roasted low Fodmap potatoes for dinner. You […]

Crispy Low Fodmap Roasted Potatoes

The internet will tell you that smoothies are healthy, even some low Fodmap websites. However, those of us with irritable bowel syndrome have to take much of what we see and read on the internet with a grain of salt, and this is another case in point. I explain why that is in this video. […]

Smoothies on the Low Fodmap Diet

Extra-moist and studded with nuts and dried cranberries, this low Fodmap pineapple cake is delicious. Be careful not have more than a small slice at a time. If you’re making it for a special occasion, you could cover it with a frosting made from powdered sugar, butter, and water. If fructose is a trigger for […]

Low Fodmap Pineapple and Pecan Cake

This is a guest post. Irritable bowel syndrome or IBS may not receive the same attention as life threatening illnesses, but its impact on quality of life can be dramatic. After all, it’s hard to stay focused or positive when you must contend with abdominal pain, diarrhea, or constipation on a regular basis. Sadly, it’s […]

8 tips for cooking for someone with IBS symptoms

Irritable bowel syndrome is a horrid, debilitating condition that can seriously curb a person’s social life and career prospects, let alone relationships. If you happen to be in a relationship with someone with IBS, then read on for advice from the IBS sufferer’s point of view. I will use “she” as the pronoun to indicate […]

20 Things to Remember if You Love a Person with Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Unlike what many think, we can eat sugar on the low Fodmap diet. A certain amount of table sugar is okay on the diet because it has equal quantities of fructose and glucose, and the glucose pulls the fructose, cell by cell, through the lining of the small intestine, so it is absorbed. If there […]

My 5 Best Low Fodmap Cakes

I eat vegetarian four times a week in order to eat a good balance of diverse protein sources without always resorting to meat. At this point, I have quite a repertoire of vegetarian meals that I default to when I am lacking creativity. Here are five of my favourites: Spinach and cheese quesadillas Fennel, brie […]

My Favourite Low Fodmap Vegetarian Dinner Recipes

Have just one of these juicy meat burgers to stay within safe FODMAP limits. You can add a few more salad leaves on the side, if you like and a side dish of potato chips. If you have reflux, skip the tomato and replace it with extra sprouts. And it’s best not to salt the […]

Low Fodmap Meat Burgers

Those of us with irritable bowel syndrome now know that we can find our trigger foods by implementing the 3 stages of the low Fodmap diet. But what about all those food you have removed in the past on your journey to finding the correct way to do this? All those foods that you still […]

Stop removing foods from your diet

Having to go to work every day while on the low Fodmap diet is challenging.  But, like with all aspects of your life, it is doable. You need to put certain strategies in place to deal with the various different situations that crop up. Watch my video to learn what they are. 

The Challenges of Working while on the Low Fodmap Diet

Last week, I listed my 6 most popular videos on IBS and the low Fodmap diet. This week I am sharing the 5 most popular low Fodmap recipes on my website with you. Low Fodmap bread I suppose this one shouldn’t surprise me since most of my clients are fixated on getting bread back into […]

My 5 most popular low Fodmap recipes

I have been blogging for about eight years on my website, Strandsofmylife.com and I currently have at least 100 videos on Youtube on irritable bowel syndrome and the low Fodmap diet. Today I want to share with you the six videos that have been the most popular. I am surprised at the one that is […]

My 6 Most Popular Videos on the Low Fodmap Diet and IBS

I guess most of us with irritable bowel syndrome who have been through the reintroduction stage of the low Fodmap diet and who know their triggers wonder at times if perhaps our reaction to the foods we malabsorb has changed. Well I tested this out a couple of times. Watch my video to see what […]

My Experience with Re-Testing Fodmaps

I received this question from a follower, “You may have covered this but I would like info on Low FODMAP for runners! I am a keen runner (20 miles a week) and I’m struggling with the lack of carbs with the FODMAP diet. Low energy even though I eat a lot of protein.” Watch my […]

Being an Athlete on the Low Fodmap Diet