About
Instagram
YouTube
Disclaimer
Low FODMAP & Whole Food Plant-Based
3 Jan 2021
Disclaimer
What do Whole Food Plant-Based say about Low-FODMAP Diet?

Dr Alan Desmond: A WFPB gastroenterologist from UK. Low FODMAPs are covered at offset 30:17 in this video (watch till 34:02). He also mentions the The Happy Gut Course which explains Low FODMAP.

Dr Will Bulsiewicz is a WFPB gastroenterologist; author of Fiber Fueled (400 pages, 2020). He explains Low FODMAP in this video: Dealing With Food Sensitivity (5 mins, 2018). Two main ideas caught my attention: (a) Work with a nutritionist or doctor to follow Low FODMAP Diet, and (b) Moderate, don't eliminate.

Nutrition Studies: (2020) What Are FODMAPs in Foods? If You Suffer From Bloating or IBS You May Be Sensitive to FODMAPs

Others: Eating a Low-FODMAP Diet on a Plant-Based Diet by Sharon Palmer.

Dr Michael Greger: In Fiber vs Low FODMAP for SIBO Symptoms (5 mins, 2021), Dr Greger says:

"So, while we don’t have sound data that something like a low-FODMAP diet has any benefit for SIBO-symptom patients, there have been more than a dozen randomized controlled trials putting fiber to the test and, overall, there was a significant improvement in symptoms among those randomized to increase their fiber intake."

"“All the evidence points to a physiological need for about 50 g [of] fiber per day, which is the amount contained in the traditional African diet and associated with the prevention of westernized diseases.” That’s approximately twice what’s typically recommended, and three times more than what most people are getting day to day."

To grasp the significance of fiber, gut bacteria and prevotella vs bacteroides mentioned in Dr Greger's video, it would help to browse through articles in Gut Microbiome and Fiber.

Dr Angie Sadeghi: How to Eat to Relieve IBS and Heal Your Gut (67 mins, 2020) is a fantastic exposition of IBS (which often gets confused with SIBO), hosted by ForksOverKnives. Low FODMAP is covered at offset 37:59 of her presentation.

Dr Sadeghi explains why she is not a fan of Low FODMAP. Basically, in Low FODMAP, we remove 5 broad classes of foods ("excess fructose", "lactose", "fructans", "galactans" and "polyols"). Four of these classes have an impressive array of health promoting WFPB foods! Only one of these 5 Low FODMAP groups is derived from animal products: "lactose", which comes from milk & cheese. Dr Sadeghi encourages her patients to diligently eliminate only the "lactose" food group. She encourages her patients to retain the other four Low FODMAP food groups. And lo and behold! So many patients feel better! Milk is invariably the #1 culprit in IBS, explains Dr Sadeghi. This observation may surprise people of Indian origin because milk is revered as a health promoting food in Indian sub-continent.

Videos
(5 mins, 2018) Dealing With Food Sensitivity — Dr Bulsiewicz

Two main ideas: (a) Work with a nutritionist or doctor to try Low FODMAP Diet, and (b) Moderate, don't eliminate.

(2020) Q&A with Dr Alan Desmond

For Low FODMAP, go to offset 30:17 in this video (watch till 34:02). Dr Desmond mentions the The Happy Gut Course which explains Low FODMAP.

(2021) Fiber vs Low FODMAP for SIBO Symptoms

(5 mins) Transcript. Dr Greger's summary: "It may not be the number of bacteria growing in your small intestine, but the type of bacteria, which can be corrected with diet."

Recipes

Most websites & books use oils in their recipes. When we follow Whole Food Plant-Based guidelines, we avoid oils.

© Copyright 2008—2025, Gurmeet Manku.