To be upset about going back on the Fodmap diet

[AnnoyedALot]

I was diagnosed with a bowel disease a couple of years ago. I revisited the consultant recently to get advice on my medicine/symptoms and he has diagnosed me with IBS as well.

Worse still, he is sending me to a dietician to try the fodmap diet. I gratefully agreed as I need to get my bowel under control again.

But I have already tried this diet years ago and it was awful. Most of the stuff I should eat was out of our budget. So I ended up eating a tiny limited diet. I was so miserable.

Is there anything I can do to make it bearable or affordable this time around ?

Will your family share spices? Are they allowed? A big spoonful of garam masala would be nice with that soup.

Also cook the leeks slowly in a lot of butter for a long time before adding anything else, like ten minutes. Much more flavour that way. Maybe with a lid on - sweating the veg. Needs stirring occasionalky

I am just feeling very down at the moment but cooking has always been a struggle for me I lived on cup a soup and takeaways until I met my husband at university.

I have tried so hard a number of times to learn to cook. Even paying for lessons determined that this time I will do it. But cooking is not something I can do. I struggle with following the times and tenpetures and often have to dash to the toilet half way through cooking. If it takes more than 2 minutes, I don't make it.

Even my quick meals are red now. Fried egg on toast. Would be baked egg on a plate now :(

Can't eat butter or oil.

Use a knife and fork to cut raw meat. You are putting a lot of barriers in your own way.

Garam Masala is allowed. Added that to my shopping list.

You are right I have a lot of issues around food, food prep, taste and texture. And temporarily my bad attitude. Hopefully my attitude will be better tomorrow. I am not sure how to address all my other issues around food.

Maybe going to protein shakes for every meal might work and I can avoid dealing with the food issues I have. Assuming protein shakes are on the green side with soya milk and a multivitamin.

These look hopeful

Op your present diet of soup and plain boiled rice sounds really boring so no wonder you hate it. I see you are on a very strict budget and not a keen cook also you have a few other dietary restrictions like no oil. Maybe you should post all your dietary needs and some things you do enjoy, and some of us can help you with a meal plan. Btw are you definitely allowed leeks on your diet, they are very similar to onions?

“I can not afford to buy any special gluten free food.”

Could you not eat food that is naturally gluten free rather than foods that contain ingredients that have been manufactured as gluten free?

“I really wish I could cook but cooking rice and previously pasta is my limit”

Can you buy a cookery book that has gluten free recipes? It sounds like your problem is that you won’t eat foods that you can eat and won’t try new recipes. You need to open your mind and broaden your range. A good cookery book will give you the confidence to try new things.

“I think you’re going to have to make a choice to pursue health by being willing to think differently”

I agree with this ^^

Cam you rearrange your birthday to something other than a meal?

Cinema? Late night gallery? Comedy show? Theatre? Xmas ice skating?

I use celery instead of onions - two stalks cut up finely and then used as a base for all dishes that onion would be used in. My husband can't tell the difference. I use cumin instead of garlic.

Lentils I use in Bolognese and chilli to bulk it out instead of using only meat and it doesn't make a huge change of flavour or texture.

I found the FODMAP diet because I have been struggling with garlic for years. My mum doesn't understand but I can't have even a tiny amount of garlic powder or puree in a huge pan of chilli - I get horrible trapped wind and my stomach swells so much I look 6 months pregnant. It's agony.

It was only when I read it that I realised that a lot of the fruit on the red side also affected me. So I've cut them out too.

I haven't been to a Dr or done the full exclusion diet. But you have my sympathies OP. There will be light at the end of the tunnel and it will get better.

A lot of food is natural gluten free, I had to go on a special "acid" free diet, (nothing with a PH less than 5) the first few days were really hard, I missed my cuppa especially the one in the morning! After that, it was much easier, especially when I statred to feel better (I suffer from IBS, diverticulitus and silent reflux.Missed the onions,toms, my diet was pretty much the "med" diet. I stuck to it for the 2 months required, felt so well. DH has similar problems but would not stick the the diet, I said to him, as I will say to you, focus on what you can eat, NOT what you cannot eat, that puts thinks into perspective. However, you say, you have food issues" and cannot cook, these need sorting out, tell Gp?dietition, maybe you could be sent for some help concerning these issues. Low budjet,no excuse for not eating well, you can make lovelly filling soups this time of the year, I just make mine without the spices that DH can have. I batch make, freeze for another day, can we ask you what your particular gut problem is?

"Maybe you should post all your dietary needs and some things you do enjoy"

I would love some low prep meal ideas.

My dietary needs are :-
Fodmap green items (not sure of the entire list yet)
No high fat, oil butter, marg
No cheese, milk or other dairy with the exception of eggs.

I have a maximum budget of £10 weekly. I struggle with food shopping so need to be able to order for click and collect from one of the big supermarkets asda or Tesco.

Food I like at the moment. Ones which are crossed out, I know I can no longer eat.

Snacks. Apples, Carrots, Cashew nuts, dark chocolate, mango sorbet, jelly, cakes, biscuits, crisps, breadsticks

breakfast Nothing

Lunch ready flavored cous cous, fried egg on toast, Homemade veg soup with chicken stock pot, egg noodles with soy sauce salad with ham, sandwich

Tea (Usually cooked by DH)
Spag bol with extra onions and garlic, chicken in sauce with onions and garlic and loads of other tasty but no longer suitable food. takeaway curry, one particular type of pizza that I like from Asda
Boiled Rice & boiled veg with no sauce.

(This is the meal I am struggling most with. Plus having to watch my family eat nice food whilst I eat plain rice makes me sad.)

Maybe this meal could be a protein shake with soya milk and I could drink it away from the dining table.

Drinks
Herbal Tea, water, red wine

I really miss crunchy things. There is only so many carrot sticks you can eat !

What are the foods you would normally be eating as a family that you enjoy ?

Perhaps your DH would be able to modify some of the family meals so that you can eat them. For example do you eat meat if someone else cooks it? So could you have cottage pie if your DH made it without garlic and onions and only the veg you can eat? Or slices of a cooked chicken with potato and carrots?

CatalpaTree I was thinking of suggesting a brew at a coffee shop. That way I can have a herbal tea and be close to the toilet. Not well enough at the moment to do anything further than a few metres away from a toilet atm. Which makes me sad. Which makes me want to eat. What a cycle eh. I always used food as am emotional crutch which is why the removal of all my favourites in one swoop is so upsetting. Which makes me want to eat all the more.

Cross post!

DH tried his best last time but as he loves meat, onion and garlic, he hates the diet as much as me. Plus most of his meals start with onions and garlic, they are not suitable for me.

What happened last time in the end DH cooked something lovely for himself. I would prep and serve a kids meal to the kids and then badly cook and half eat rice and veg with zero enjoyment or taste. Throw away half of it. Give up and go to bed. I was so miserable. Then two months later I had my gall bladder out and told I could go back to a normal diet. I was so happy.

If it is really only for a few weeks. I can do it. I will be unhappy and hungry but I can do it.

But the thought of having this kind of restrictive diet for life is so difficult for me to accept.

I hope you guys are right about it being a temporary thing.

I think that you have to make the decision to be positive and let go of the negativity. I realise that it's really hard but you will be really miserable if you don't allow yourself to experiment a bit with the foods you say you are allowed but don't like.
Veg soup/casserole with herbs can be absolutely lovely. You can use sweet potato (if that's allowed) in place of coconut milk to make yourself a korma. And this all may just make you feel so, so much better.

One idea for your snack is air popped popcorn. Soya yogurt or ice cream might be suitable but you would need to check ingredients. Homemade crisps in the microwave you can buy a little kit for making these www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/crisp-maker.
Egg on a rice cake is what my granny has for lunch not quite the same but she loves it and has it every day.
Fry up some of your leftover rice with some allowed herbs and spices and a little ham or allowed meat and an egg if you like.
Omelette with various allowed filling.
Get your Dh to fry off a portion of meat for you and drain off most of the fat, before adding onions and garlic. This will improve your rice and you can also have it with potatoes either mashed or baked or slimming world chip style.
Ham, dry fried egg and SW Chips

I will try to think of some more easy ideas. Also I think I may be able to find a good method for doing the SW chips that my SW friend recommended.

If you like spag Bol can you make (or ask your DH) to make a big pot of a FODMAP friendly bolognaise that you can split into portions and freeze. Then when the family are having normal spag Bol you can have yours. You could do the same with a cottage pie base and just have with mashed potatoes.

You can have a roast - meat, roast potatoes cooked without oil (I did them like that for years when doing weight watchers), gravy and carrots.

I could never cook. I was awful. At timing, temperatures, concentrating, knowing what ingredients go...

DP has been teaching me; he’s good. I still suck at chopping but through trial and error, I can cook some pretty good dishes now, and I like doing it. DP will still chop for me!

I love onions and garlic; I start a lot of my meals with those too, but if DP couldn’t eat it, I’d reconsider. You need to talk to your DH too. You’ll be miserable if you settle for eating boring food because you don’t want to cook, and he’s eating great stuff that you can’t have.

Ive also had to cut out garlic and onion - i hope not permanently but i don't know :(

Eating out is a pain i agree, as are bought meals. But eating at home is doable.

Replace onions with celery or fennel (and cook for a couple minutes longer).

Are you unable to have oil for stomach reasons? Did you used to eat it in the bolognese? Homemade garlic oil gives you the garlic flavour but without the part that causes ibs - leave peeled garlic cloves in a jar of olive oil, the flavour infuses into the oil.

I now base my meals on garlic oil, celery, and sometimes spices like cumin or some ginger. Its not identical but still v nice. Could your dh do that for the family meals?