Phase 2 of The Low Fodmap Diet

Phase 2 of the Low FODMAP Diet: The Challenge Phase

The Low FODMAP Diet (LFD) is a successful 3-phase diet used in the treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). I have written about the overall diet here and phase 1 of the diet here. Today, I want to dive into the exciting phase 2 of the diet, which is considered the challenge phase. I say exciting because it’s the phase where you get to act as a scientist and test foods on yourself. Phase 1 is all about avoiding each of the FODMAPs until you feel better. Then in phase 2, you can determine which foods actually cause you to have symptoms and which ones don’t.

These are the FODMAPs you’ll need to be familiar with:

F = The F is for fermentable (no carb, just a description).

O = Oligosaccharide. We focus on fructans and galacto-oligosaccharides.

D = Disaccharide. We’re concerned with lactose.

M = Monosaccharide. This is fructose when in excess of glucose for this diet.

A = And

P = Polyols, which are mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol and maltitol.

To start the challenge phase, you will start with one of the above FODMAP groups at a time. If you begin with lactose, you will choose the food you would like to test in this category, for example, milk. Then on day 1, you would try ¼ cup of cow’s milk and record any symptoms throughout the day. It’s important to keep the overall diet low in FODMAPs throughout the challenge phase, so you will know that if symptoms appear, it’s probably the food you’re trialing.

If ¼ cup of milk is tolerated, then on day 2, you will try ½ cup of milk and continue to monitor symptoms. If you have symptoms on day 2, you can decide whether the symptoms are tolerable or not. If yes, move on to day 3. If not, stop and record that ¼ cup of milk was your max tolerance level. This is the amount you will typically be able to eat when you move to phase 3 and the completion of the diet.

You will progress through each of the FODMAP groups in this way while making note of how your body feels. At the end of phase 2, you should have a record of each group and how much of each you were able to eat at a time. The Monash app can help immensely with this phase. It will provide suggested foods to try along with the serving sizes. The app can also be the place you will record and keep track of everything.

Things to remember here:

Don’t rush this process. Yes, it might take a while, but learning accurate information is more important than finishing quickly.

Make plans for special occasions where the LFD may get derailed. If you have a special vacation where following the diet will be difficult, you can always pause the challenge phase. Just try to stay as low FODMAP as you can in the meantime.

If a food isn’t tolerated well and it’s a food that you really like, don’t despair. In about 6 months or so, give that food another trial. Our bodies, GI tracts, and microbiomes change over time, so there is a chance you may tolerate those failed foods in the future.

Have fun!!