Our basic digestive health approach at Acutonix includes an initial dietary and health assessment. Once we determine exactly what is causing your digestive imbalances we will most likely incorporate aspects of both Chinese medical dietary philosophies and our Synced lifestyle approach. Below is a common approach to how we treat Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.
SIBO 2 phase digestive approach.
Phase 1: repair the small intestine by removing bacterial overgrowth and starting phase one detoxification: all of these are available via Amazon.com
- Dysbiocide by biotics: 2 caps in am with breakfast
- FC cidal: 2 caps in pm with dinner
- Candibactin AR: 2 caps in am with food
- Candibactin BR: 2 caps in pm with food
- Biotics ADP oil of oregano: 1 cap am/ 1 cap pm
- Eliminate FODMAP's for 4 weeks
- After 4 weeks we can begin phase 2. 😜
Phase 2:
FODMAPs and Fructose Malabsorption
FODMAPs is an acronym coined by researchers based in Melbourne, Australia and stands for Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides And Polyols.
In other words, FODMAPs represent a group of short-chain fermentable carbohydrates which have the property of being easily fermented by the bacteria in your gut, depending on your gut health and gut flora. And this not a good thing!
This fermentation process produces a lot of gas, which can obviously make you gassy and bloated and can also induce changes in your bowel movements, in addition to attracting a lot of water into your intestines through osmosis, further contributing to the bloating and sometimes leading to osmotic, or watery, diarrhea.
Where are these FODMAPs?
FODMAPs currently include fructose, lactose, fructans, galactans, sorbitol and mannitol, but they haven’t all been identified yet and data regarding the FODMAP content of many foods isn’t available. Fructose malabsorption is the term used to refer to the inability to properly absorb fructose and is often associated with an intolerance to other FODMAPs too. If you malabsorb FODMAPs, they will be available to be fermented by the bacteria in your intestines. It’s just like having your own personal and internal micro-brewery…!
Fortunately, the Paleo diet naturally eliminates many FODMAPs, such as the lactose in dairy, fructans in wheat and rye, galactans in beans, sugar-alcohols in sugar-free processed foods and a significant amount of fructose found in foods and beverages sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). However, many Paleo foods, especially plant foods such as some vegetables, fruits, tubers and nuts, contain other natural fermentable short-chain carbohydrates that could interfere with your digestive health.
Everybody reacts differently to FODMAPs. For example, you could be reacting to fructose and lactose, while someone else could be sensitive to fructans only and another one could have hit the jackpot and experience problems with all FODMAPs. You may also be reacting to only some frutan-containing foods or could have symptoms only if you consume a certain amount of FODMAPs within a certain period of time.
Understanding what foods contain these sugary treats the bacteria in your gut may be loving a bit too much can help you start solving the mystery of your IBS symptoms so you can adjust your diet accordingly and say goodbye to your GI problems.
Fructose
Although fructose is the main sugar found in fruits, it doesn’t mean that you have to completely avoid them to get relief from your IBS symptoms. Simply eliminating the fruits that contain more fructose than glucose and not eating large amounts of fruits at once can be sufficient for many people to prevent fructose malabsorption. Fruits with the highest fructose content include apples, cherries, grapes, mangos, pears, watermelon and ripe bananas.
Fructose is also found in a few vegetables. Put artichoke, asparagus, sugar snap peas and large servings of tomato (especially tomato sauce and tomato paste) on your watch list too. And, of course, try to stay away from all sweeteners, especially honey and agave syrup, for at least few weeks because of their high fructose content.
Fructans
Fructans are another type of carbohydrate made of a bunch of fructose attached to one another that can easily be fermented by the bacteria in your gut. The most common food sources are onions (all types including leeks, shallots and onion powder), garlic, cabbage, Jerusalem artichoke, okra, radicchio, fennel, beetroot, Brussel sprouts and broccoli.
Most prebiotics, a term that literally means food for bacteria, naturally contain fructans, including inulin, chicory root and fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS). Watch for them in your probiotics or other health foods.
Polyols
The other most common source of FODMAPs in the Paleo diet is polyols, which is just another term to refer to sugar alcohols. Even if you avoid food products sweetened with isomalt, xylitol, mannitol and sorbitol, some of these polyols are also naturally present in some food. For example, snow peas, apricots, blackberries, cherries, nectarines, peaches, plums and other stone fruits as well as watermelon, persimmon and pears contain high amounts of polyols.
Moderate quantities of polyols are also present in avocado, cauliflower, celery, mushrooms, lychee, sweet potatoes and yams. Take care reading the ingredient list of any supplements or medications you take and beware of any ingredients ending in –ol.
A Word of Caution For Coconut and Nuts
The FODMAP content of coconut products has not been measured yet. Coconut oil is unlikely to be problematic since it is free of carbohydrates and fiber, but desiccated coconut, coconut flour and coconut butter could contribute to your IBS symptoms. Even coconut milk or coconut cream may contain some types of fermentable carbohydrates either naturally or from the added gums (read the ingredient list to choose a gum-free brand).
The same goes for nuts and nut butters. The only nut with published FODMAP values so far is pistachios, which is apparently high in fructans. It is very likely that other nuts also contain FODMAPs. Even though we don’t know enough about the FODMAP content of nuts, they can be quite irritant for your digestive tract and giving your gut a break could really help you alleviate your symptoms.
Low- and High-FODMAP Paleo Foods
Foods Low-FODMAPs High-FODMAPs
Vegetables: Green beans, carrots, zucchini, cucumber, lettuce, spinach, kale, olives, bell peppers, eggplant, green part of green onions, chives, white potatoes Artichoke, asparagus, sugar snap peas, tomato sauce and paste, leeks, shallots, onions, garlic, cabbage, Jerusalem artichoke, okra, radicchio, fennel, beetroot, Brussels sprouts and broccoli, snow peas, avocado, mushroom, cauliflower, celery, sweet potatoes, yams
Fruits: Bananas (greenish or just ripe), blueberries, strawberries, cantaloupe, citrus, fruits pineapple, papaya, passion fruits Apples, cherries, grapes, mangos, pears, watermelon, ripe bananas, apricots, blackberries, stone fruits (nectarines, peaches, plums), persimmon, lychee
Fats: All None
Protein: All None, unless prepared with high-FODMAP ingredients
Coconut: Coconut oil Coconut butter, desiccated coconut, coconut milk, coconut flour
Nuts: None Pistachios and most nuts and nut butters (data only available for pistachios, but other nuts are usually also bothersome for people sensitive to FODMAPs)
Sweeteners: Maple syrup, dextrose, sucrose, brown rice syrup Sugar-alcohols (isomalt, mannitol, sorbitol), honey, agave syrup, HFCS (high-fructose corn syrup)
Other: Sea salt, pepper, herbs, spices, ginger, vinegar… Sugar alcohols, inulin, chicory root, FOS (fructo-oligosaccharides), gums, prebiotic
Bottom Line
If you want your digestive health to be optimal, FODMAPs might be one of the many things (along with gluten, dairy, sugar and legumes) that might be problematic for you. Abnormal digestion is a sign that your health is not optimal. Health starts in the gut, so make sure you get your digestion in order if you want to achieve optimal health.